Are you ready for a dog? And if so, what kind? Pets bring such love and joy into our lives. They give the kids a kind of unconditional love they can’t get anywhere else. Kids can learn empathy caring for an animal.
Is your family ready for a dog? Some questions you might want to ask yourself are:
- How much time do you have to care for a give attention to the dog?
- Is anyone in the family allergic?
- Is anyone in the family afraid of dogs?
- What do you plan to do with the dog when you travel?
Shelter dogs are a great option. It feels really good to give an unwanted dog a good home. But you often don’t know much about the history of the dog or her parents.
- Research different breeds. If you don’t have the time or inclination to exercise a dog, choose one that seems to be a breed that is content inside and isn’t a high energy breed.
- Also think about the size of the dog. What size will work best with your lifestyle? Sometimes bigger dogs are more low-key and gentler even though they take up more space. If you rent, keep in mind that some places limit the size of dog they will accept.
- You can find rescue dogs from rescue organizations for a specific breed, but local rescue organizations are a good option, too. If you go to a local rescue, you can interact with the dog before making your final decision. Here are some things to look for. We went to several shelters looking for our first dog. One was impossible to walk on a leash and another frightened my young son. When we met Buddy, it was love at first sight!
- Look for a friendly dog, one that wags his whole body when he see’s you. His tail should be in a low, soft wag, and his eyes should be soft.
- Jolanta Benal, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA advises to avoid adopting fearful dogs or dogs with behavior problems. Instead, help those dogs by contributing time and/or money to shelter behavior modification programs.
Have fun with your new pet!