6 Things You Should Consider Before Buying Your First Dog. I am a dog lover myself and can never say a word wrong about them, but yes petting a dog can be very challenging and costly preposition if you are not prepared for the following thing. Before you decide on whether to buy a dog or not or which breed or size to go for, it is important to consider the following things:
1. High Cost of Buying and Petting a Dog
Before you embark on the hunt for your new friend at home, gear up for the for high cost of buying and petting it. The expenses start from exorbitantly high purchase cost of certain breeds to routine vet inspections and vaccinations, deworming, spending money on puppy beds, toys, collars, food, grooming material; not to forget, depending upon your dog, you may have to prepare your home for the new inclusion in your family, for example you fence may require a raising-up for a bigger dog breed.
Apart from the above cost you will have to incur other running expenses like spending on food bills, medical emergencies, flea control, tick control, costly training classes, and in case you go out of station for more than a day, you may have to do additional expenditure of putting up your doggo in a dog boarding. Not to forget other additional unforeseen expenses like repairing of scratches on your car, other damages done to your home, etc.
2. Petting a Dog is a Responsibility and it is Time Consuming
All puppies need to be taken care of like newborn babies. It is a full-time job to feed them, take them out for regular walks, training, and exercising. However, busy you are, you would not be able to turn your back on these duties. Even for the grown-up dogs you have to take extra care that you don’t let it indulge in comfort eating and thus getting overweight, take it for long walks, bathe and groom regularly, etc.
If you remain very busy at work, it is advisable to drop the idea of having one. Some people mostly stay outdoors or outstation due to work or various other reasons, and that can be emotionally traumatizing for both you and your dog, especially when you don’t have anybody in your absence to take care of it.
You may also have to compromise on holidays and weekend excursions out of town, especially to the places where you good friend may not be able to accompany you. Altogether, you will have to give a lot of consideration to your dog before you can do certain things where you may have to compromise with your pet’s care.
3. Dogs Love People Around Them
Like us human beings, dogs love being social, and the last thing you want to do will be to leave your dog emotionally distressed by leaving it alone at home for extended periods. Dogs cannot stay confined for long, and they become stressed if left on their own inside the closed confines of your homes, and then they express their displeasure by being destructive and becoming noisy or cranky. If you have to work longer hours or if you have a smaller family where both husband and wife are working and children are mostly away, it is advisable you think and plan sensibly before bringing a puppy home who is going to need your time, attention, care, and companionship more than you can imagine.
4. Owning a Dog can be Problematic and Challenging
You might have brought the new friend home with lots of expectations and very genuine intentions, but many a times these unrealistic expectations fall flat. A lot of times people commit a mistake of buying a breed of dog, which is too big for their home boundaries. Some breeds are highly energetic and need more space to run around. Also bringing home a puppy not considering whether the climatic condition at your place will be suitable for dog or not may bring complications later on. Such things may go on to unsettle the dog, and it may become agitated, and the thought of abandoning the sinless creature may make way to your mind. It is so unfair that an innocent little creature has to pay so much for our misjudgments. Therefore, it is very important that you are pragmatic and realistic about your situation and circumstances before planning on buying a dog.
At times the dog you own and love so much can be a social menace for your neighbors. Not all around you are pet lovers. There are people who actually are uncomfortable around dogs or who suffer from cynophobia (pathological condition of crippling fear of dogs). There are chances of accidents where your dog might end up damaging somebody’s property or maybe hurt somebody. Such things may put you in situations where you are held answerable and accountable.
5. Lots of Cleaning Around the House
Bring a furry puppy home also entails preparing yourself for lots of mess around your house and lots of cleaning that you will have to end up doing. Some breeds shed a lot, and you have to put up with lots of dog fur on your bedsheets, sofas, and wardrobe. Needless to say, you will also have to be wary of yourself or any other family member who is allergic to dog hair. You may plan on buying one of the hypoallergenic breeds of dogs (non-shedding), but what about all the muddy paw prints all around your house on the floor and carpets?
6. Dogs Leave a Void After They are Gone
I own a pug and a Labrador retriever and both are in their adolescence, and the fear of losing them someday sometimes scares me. When your dog is with you, it wins you over with its unconditional love. When you come home after a long day at work, exhausted, that wiggling body and wagging tail tells you how much you are welcomed and how happy is your dog on seeing you home. A dog becomes an irreplaceable part of your family, and when it leaves the world before you, its loss leaves you heart-broken and devastated. Some people go into depression because they cannot handle the loss.
CONCLUSION
Before you buy your first dog, remember that bringing it home is going to be a life-changing decision for you and the pet. With the love and affection will come all the responsibilities, expenditure, and at times setbacks. It will be a commitment that you will be fulfilling for a very long time. If you are prepared to take care of all the above and have gone through all the pros and cons of bringing the doggo home, then buy a breed that is most suitable your family, home, work and time, and beware of those indelible paw prints on your heart.
| Surinder Kumar Singh Content Writer |
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