5 Things You Need to Know before You Get A Dog
- Time – having a dog takes as much looking after as a toddler does, so think carefully before getting one, puppies are adorable but they are hard work! Make sure you really can commit the time to bring up a well behaved dog. If you leave the house at 7am and are not back till 6pm is it fair to leave them on their own all that time?
Waiting
2. Can you afford it? It’s not cheap to own a dog, vet bills, food, toys, micro-chipping (now a legal requirement in the UK), training classes & poo bags! The average money spent over a dogs life is £16,000 – £17,000 that’s a lot of money.
3. Is your home set up for a dog? Do you have pristine cream carpets or have a garden that is easily escaped from, have a think about muddy paws, lots of hair and a coffee table the exact height for knocking stuff off with a waggy tail!
4. Do you like walking? No getting around your dog will need exercsing come rain or shine and everyday, otherwise they might start to get a little stir crazy. Sometimes when you get home from work its the last thing you want to do – but you gotta do it.
“£16,000 – £17,000 – cost of dog ownership”
5. Do enjoy training? Everybody want the dog you can let off the lead, well adjusted, great with people and other animals, unfortunately you will be lucky to all of this, every dog has it’s personality traits and requires training and commitment to bring them up to be the envy of other owners!
If you have decided you can put a big tick against all of these point then go for it, you are in for a great journey with lots of love, fun and poo bags along the way!
