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Adding a dog to your family is something that many individuals want to do at some point, though this decision can be big. Adopting a dog is life-changing for many, and you will need to make several considerations to ensure you are ready for a dog before you add them to your life.
Our article gives you more details on what you should be considering before you adopt a dog, including whether to buy or adopt from a local rescue and how to prepare your home for your new canine addition.
Are You Ready for a Dog?
Before you make any preparations or start trying to decide where to adopt a dog from, you need to consider if you are truly ready for a dog. Owning a dog is a big commitment, and it takes responsible ownership to ensure your dog lives a happy life at your side – you cannot adopt a dog if you don’t have the means or time to take care of it, as this isn’t fair for the dog or for you.
Financial Needs
The financial needs of your dog are very important to consider, as adding a dog does cost money in the long term. You may be able to adopt a dog for free or very low cost, but you will need to commit to feeding your dog a high-quality diet, providing them with toys, beds, and treats, and taking them to regular veterinary visits.
If your dog develops a health issue or needs specialty treatment, you will also need to provide for this, and you may also need to pay for regular grooming or professional training depending on the type of dog you adopt.
Before committing to a dog, it’s a good idea to look up the average cost for yearly dog ownership plus the cost of a few common medical conditions for dogs to ensure that you can budget enough money to provide for your dog properly without causing too much financial stress for yourself.
Lifestyle Concerns
Part of the responsibility of owning a dog is ensuring that you are able to meet their needs and that they fit your lifestyle.
For example, if you are gone at work for eight to ten hours a day and once you come home you aren’t going to want to spend time with your dog or take them on long walks, dog ownership might not be for you. Instead, you may want to consider volunteering at a local dog shelter on weekends to get your fix of puppy love while helping animals and not having to commit.
Additionally, dogs take up a lot of your free time, especially if you are considering adopting a puppy. If you can’t imagine spending your mornings walking your dog, taking your dog to parks regularly, training your dog in your evenings after work, or waking up throughout the night to potty train a dog, this may not be the right pet commitment for you.
Providing Proper Care
Proper care when it comes to dog ownership includes things like grooming your dog regularly, taking your dog to a professional groomer when necessary, and navigating behavioral issues or basic dog training. If you adopt a high-energy dog, you will also need to dedicate more of your day to ensuring they are physically and mentally stimulated.
While some dogs are more low-maintenance than others, it’s important to be informed of the needs of the dog or specific breed of dog you are adopting so that you can be sure you are prepared to meet their care needs.
Family Concerns
Adding a dog to your family, regardless of whether you are a family of two, a large family, or a solo individual with a few other pets, takes some serious consideration. You should be aware of your children’s desires or fears when it comes to adopting a dog, and you should always take into consideration any other pets in your home.
For example, you likely don’t want to adopt a larger dog with a high-prey drive if you have a few small cats in your home, nor will you want to adopt a dog that needs peace and quiet into a home full of small children that aren’t sure how to properly interact with a dog yet.
Taking into account everyone’s needs, not just your own desire for a dog, helps to ensure that you make the right decision and pick a dog that is likely to fit into your family.
Training Needs
Some dogs need much more training than others, and some dogs require mental stimulation in the form of training and learning new tasks alongside their owners.
You should always keep in mind the potential for your dog to have certain behavioral issues or mischievous behaviors that need to be corrected, and you should pay attention to any specific breed issues when it comes to aggressive behaviors or prey drives.
All of these factors are part of what makes your dog’s personality unique, and if you can’t see yourself handling a dog with more extensive training needs or if you simply don’t want to train your dog, adding a dog to your family might not be the best choice.
Type of Dog
The type of dog you get is an important decision, as you will need to choose between a puppy, an adult dog, and a senior dog. Each of these dogs has their own pros and cons, and extensive research is required to determine which type of dog might fit best into your lifestyle.
For example, if you want to raise a dog from puppyhood and you have no problem training and working on potty training with your pup, then a puppy might be the right choice. A senior dog may be more relaxed and low maintenance, but they may also have stricter food requirements and preferences for how they spend their day.
You should also take into account the breed of dog you wish to adopt. This is especially important as some individuals will adopt a dog because they think the dog is pretty or they like the overall appearance of the breed.
However, this can end badly when they are not prepared to handle both the bad and the good of the breed, or if the breed is better suited for experienced dog owners.
Reasons You Shouldn’t Buy a Dog
While there are many reasons to add a dog into your life, such as wanting to give a home to an animal in need, wanting your family to have a furry friend to live alongside, and wanting a companion for outdoor adventures, there are quite a few reasons why you shouldn’t buy a dog.
You shouldn’t consider adding a dog into your family for any of the reasons below:
- You don’t really want a dog, but you want to teach individuals, especially children, in your family responsibility. This may end up building resentment when children don’t care for the dog, and the dog will be the one to suffer when no one else is ready to step up and take care of them.
- You are buying a dog as a gift, and you aren’t sure if the receiver wants a dog or is ready to care for the dog financially and physically. Remember that dogs are animals, and they are dependent on their owners; gifting a dog may leave individuals in a tough place when it comes to proper dog care.
- You want a dog because the idea is nice, but you don’t have the work schedule or overall lifestyle schedule available to properly care for your dog. Adopting a dog on impulse or simply because you like the way they look can end badly when you aren’t properly prepared to train, care for, and dedicate time to your new companion.
Adopting a dog takes care and consideration due to the responsibility that dog ownership brings. It’s better to avoid making this choice on impulse to ensure that you are totally ready for everything that owning a dog brings.
Buying Versus Adoption
Once you have decided to add a dog into your life and you are confident that you can properly care for them, you have the choice of adopting a dog from a local shelter or rescue organization or buying them from a breeder.
This is often a controversial choice, as breeding practices can sometimes be unethical, and because there are many dogs of mixed breed or even purebred in shelters waiting to be adopted.
If you have done your research and you want a very specific breed of dog, or if you need a specific breed for a task such as working on a farm, then buying a dog from a breeder might be the right choice for you. Oftentimes, you will need to purchase a purebred dog to ensure that they have the traits you want in a working dog.
Make sure that when working with a breeder to buy a dog you double-check any applicable licenses and ensure that they are using breeding methods that put the care of the dogs and their puppies first.
However, we highly recommend dog adoption, as there are many dogs of all ages and sizes waiting in shelters and rescue organizations for their forever homes. Even if you are interested in a certain breed, chances are that you can find this breed in local or national rescue organizations that look to place specific rescued dogs of a certain breed into loving homes.
When working with a shelter, you can ask them about a dog’s preferences, any details on how they interact with other animals, and organize a meet and greet to ensure that the dog will fit into your family unit and that you and your canine companion can live a long, happy life side by side.
Preparing Your Home for a Dog
Before you bring your new dog home, there are a few things you can do to properly prepare your home for the addition of your new family member. We give you some tips below to help your new dog fit into your life.
- Gather all of the supplies your new dog will need, including treats, leashes, water bowls, toys, a bed, and food. Make sure to use the same food they were eating at the shelter and slowly transition them to whichever food you would like them to eat at home with you.
- Puppy-proof any areas with baby gates and baby locks, as both young and adult dogs can get into trouble when exploring areas. You may also want to keep your new dog out of certain areas of your home.
- Research dog training techniques and consider booking your dog into a basic obedience class or a puppy training class to get them started on important training tasks.
- Have a vet in mind and book your new dog in for their first appointment soon after you officially adopt them to ensure they are all healthy or to give your new puppy their first round of necessary shots.
- Keep a routine in mind and ensure that you are ready to care for your dog. It can take some trial and error, but having a basic routine in mind with your dog can help both of you adapt to life together.
Make sure that you check with the shelter staff when adopting a dog from a rescue or local organization about your new dog’s preferences, or that you read up on what it takes to properly care for a puppy before bringing home a dog you have purchased from a breeder.
Making the Right Adoption Choice for You
Deciding whether or not to buy a dog takes a lot of thought, as you want to make sure that you only adopt or purchase a dog when you are totally ready to care for them and give them the life they deserve.
Once you have made the choice to add a canine companion into your family, we recommend adoption as the preferred way to rescue a dog and give them a forever home, though purchasing a puppy from an ethical and reputable breeder may also be an option.
Make sure you prepare your home properly and that you are informed of what caring for a dog will take, and you will be sure to make the right adoption choice and pick the best dog to spoil at your side for a lifetime.