Buying a Dog Checklist - It's a Dog's Life
It's all too easy to fall in love with a puppy dog at a kennel and decide to buy him or her without any consideration for whether you have space in your home and life to take care of a dog properly. Yet, dogs are not like pet goldfish, they require constant love and attention, a balanced diet, frequent walks and a calm environment and so buying a dog requires a lot of forethought and planning.
Man's best friend cannot live on bread alone
Dogs are particularly sensitive to tone of voice and noise and their hearing is far better than that of humans. If a puppy grows up in a house filled with fighting and noise, it's likely that she will become constantly nervous and frightened. They retain emotional scars for as long as humans do and they live a long life of at least 12 years, so buying a dog should never be an impulse decision but rather a lifetime decision in the same vein as deciding whether or not to have kids.
Time and money
Like with having kids, the first consideration on your 'buying a dog checklist' should of course be budget. Can you afford it? And this doesn't only mean the monthly bags of food but also the vet's bills. Just like humans, man's best friend is prone to heart disease, liver failure and even eczema and cataracts. When considering whether you can afford to buy a dog, you should not only take into account financial constraints, but also time constraints. Do you have time to walk your puppy at least three times a day? Are you away from home often and if so, do you know someone trustworthy who can look after your dog?
Space and Stability
Another consideration before buying a dog is, of course, space. Do you have a secure yard that your dog can spend his days in without threat from larger dogs or even ticks? Nothing will demoralise a dog as much as being locked inside the house for days on end. They also long to lie in the sun and feel the earth beneath their feet. Also, consider how long you'll be staying at your present house. If you plan to move or emigrate in five years time, there is no point in buying a dog now and subjecting him to upheaval and days in small cages and handling by strangers.
Type and Breed
Finally, if you're decided you tick all the right boxes on the dog buying checklist and are now fully prepared to acquire a dog and all the joy and responsibility that comes with it, you need to choose the right type of dog. This includes deciding whether to buy a male or female, puppy or adult, a small or large dog, a security dog or lapdog and many other considerations.
Your starting point here would be to decide whether you are buying a dog from a professional breeder or a rescue organization such as the RSPCA. Rescue organizations are far more transparent and realistic about their dogs as their main concern is for the welfare of the dog; however, purebreds are a rarity in dog rescue organizations. If you are considering buying a pedigree from a breeder, read up a little about the dog's temperament, strengths and flaws beforehand.
Each type of dog has a different temperament and so you need to think about how your prospective dog will fit in with your family before buying a dog based on her looks. Some dogs are more affectionate than others and so do better around small children, while others are bred to be watchdogs and hunters. And if you're not 100% sure about a potential dog, spend some time with him before taking the plunge and buying a new dog.
Frances wrote this article for Timespared, a website which will supply you with a choice of customized to ensure that all the i's are dotted and t's crossed and that your plans run smoothly.
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