photo: twid
This evening, a dog lover who is considering adopting her first dog sent me an email asking for advice. My advice to people on the precipice of adopting a dog is to ask yourself 15 questions and to be very honest. I say be honest, because when confronted with an adorable puppy, it’s tempting to forgo what’s right for you and just bring home an arm full of cuteness. This list will help someone who is thinking about adopting a dog start really thinking about their life and if this is a good choice for them.
So here goes…15 questions you should ask before adopting a dog…
1. Do you live in a house or an apartment?
APARTMENT
- If you live in an apartment, does your apartment manager allow dogs? If so, can you afford the deposit?
- You should look for a dog who will be happy being in a smaller place and doesn’t need a big yard.
- You should also consider how much time you’ll be spending away from your dog during the day; can you budget for doggy day care or a dog walking service?
HOUSE
- Do you have a yard? Is your yard fenced? If so, how high. If you have a 4′ fence, then you don’t want to adopt a dog that can jump over your fence.
- Do you live in a neighborhood where you can walk your dog? If not, are trails or a park nearby?
2. How active are you?
- If you’re not very active, then you definitely want to stray away from a dog breed that requires a lot of exercise and activity.
- Are you prepared to walk your dog daily and for how long?
3. Do you work full time?
- If you work full time, how long will your dog be on his/her own during the day?
- Are you going to select a doggy day care or hire a dog walker?
4. Do you have the time for a dog?
- If you have an active social life, if you work full time and go to school, or if you have a big family and a ton of responsibilities, ask yourself if you can fit a dog into your schedule.
- A dog is like having a small child. Would you leave a small child alone for hours at a time?
5. Can you afford a dog?
- The cost of dog ownership can be intimidating, but it’s not impossible. Make a list of all possible costs and make sure that you can budget for that monthly.
6. Do you want a puppy or an adult dog?
- A puppy comes with the added cost of training, puppy vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery, accident clean up, and destroyed shoes.
- An adult dog may have his/her vaccinations and may have been fixed, but you’ll still need to consider training.
7. Do you live with someone?
- If you live with someone, are they on the same page? Do they want a dog too?
- Is anyone allergic to dogs?
- How are you going to split the responsibilities and cost of a dog?
- How solid is your relationship? Are you prepared to take on the full responsibility of your dog should your relationship end?
8. Do you have children?
- I hear of many people who want a dog to teach their children responsibility? This bothers me because children aren’t equipped to care for a living being. If you want a family dog, research breeds that are good with children and make sure the adults take on the responsibility of the dogs while including the children. But don’t place the responsibility on the shoulders of a child.
9. Are you prepared for behavioral challenges?
- Dogs need training. Are you prepared for a dog bed destroyed out of boredom, a shoe destroyed for fun, or a potty training taking longer than expected? We experienced all three with our dogs and it’s not easy.
- If you feel that there’s certain behavior that you can’t tolerate and will lead you to returning your dog to a shelter, then you need to make a list so that you can make certain that you’re prepared to deal with these behavioral problems (hire a professional dog trainer).
10. Do you want a snuggler or a dog who is more independent?
- Although it’s hard for me to imagine, not everyone is like me. Not everyone wants dogs who never leave their side. I’ll be honest and admit that sometimes having more independent dogs sounds nice.
- Based on my experience with our dogs, a dog who is very attached to his/her owner may always be underfoot, may not like being left alone, and needs a lot of attention and affection.
11. Do you have other pets?
- We have two cats and three dogs. We won’t be adopting any more pets. But when we introduced our puppy, Blue we had to train him not to chase the cats and monitor his initial interactions with our littermates, Rodrigo and Sydney.
12. What about grooming?
- If you don’t have grooming in your budget, then you want a low maintenance dog.
- Even with a low maintenance dog, there are baths, nail trimmings, and ear cleaning.
13. Are you prepared for a lifetime commitment?
- I know people who have had dogs live up to 18 years. Are you prepared to care for your fur kid for that long?
- Have you considered your future? Marriage, children, job changes, moves? You must keep your dog’s happiness and wellness in mind when making those changes.
14. Dogs get sick, are you prepared for health challenges?
- Rodrigo developed arthritis due to poor bone growth before he was a year old. Sydney pulled a muscle and it took months to heal and she struggled with some weight issues thanks to too many rewards. Riley contracted canine parvovirus. And Blue had multiple bouts of puppy pyoderma.
- Pet insurance is a fantastic investment to help cover the cost of health challenges.
15. Have you been researching breeds?
- Before we adopted our dogs, we read a few dog breed books. We chose several, because each one contained slightly different information.
- These books were helpful, because they shared temperament personality, activity level, known health issues, and life span.
Dog breed books I recommend are:
I wish you the best of luck in your search for your perfect dog. If now isn’t the time, that’s okay. Take all the time you need to make yourself and your home ready for your fur kid. And, if you don’t mind, please adopt.
Dog lovers! What other tips do you have for potential dog owners?
October 17, 2012 at 3:02 am
you are so right
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i wanted to won a dog but because i knew there is a lot of responsibility involved i had to give up on the idea , thanks for the post
farouk recently published..How to give a motivational speech to a friend or to yourself
October 17, 2012 at 6:28 am
Exactly, Farouk – nice to see you here again.
It’s so important to honestly think about the choice we make, because we bond to dogs and they bond to us and it’s not fare to take them away from the home and people they love, because we realized that it’s too much responsibility.
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
October 17, 2012 at 6:13 am
This is such great advice. You really can’t do too much planning as no matter what you expect, things will come up that you never prepared for. Dog ownership is a huge responsibility and if you have any doubts, it may be best to wait.
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Kristine recently published..Less Wordy Wednesday – Scoopin’ in the Dark
Twitter: shivathedog
October 17, 2012 at 6:30 am
So very true, Kristine!
We adopted littermates and we thought we were totally prepared with supplies, a budget, a dog trainer – but we weren’t prepared for it to take Sydney twice as long to potty train, or Rodrigo decided to become a neighborhood wanderer (hellooooo, coyotes), and Rodrigo’s arthritis. It’s so important to think it through, our dogs count on us to think it through.
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
October 17, 2012 at 7:52 am
So many things to consider! And this is just the adoption side of it. If you’re wanting to buy a dog, you also have a lot to consider regarding the quality of the breeder. I wish everyone took the time to think about these things before getting a pet. If they did, we might not have so many animals ending up in shelters to begin with.
Twitter: naturebydawn
October 18, 2012 at 7:49 pm
So very true, Dawn
Whenever I see people lined up on a corner to check out someone’s puppies, I want to scream out my window “FIND A REPUTABLE BREEDER” – the longer I write Keep the Tail Wagging, the more I learn and the stronger my opinions become. Stay tuned, next summer you may just hear a news story about a crazy lady yelling for people to adopt or find a reputable breeder
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
October 19, 2012 at 6:32 am
I know what you mean. It’s so easy to get drawn into all the debates about dogs but that can get so stressful. Soon everyone adopts strong opinions and next thing you know we are mud-slinging like politicians. The best way to sway people’s opinion is to share your own thoughts in a positive thought provoking way, like you did above, without bashing their opinions. Yelling at them isn’t going to make that line at the corner for puppies get any shorter but educating them might. We’ll get there. Adoption is more common now that it was 20 years ago. I love your articles so keep up the good work!
Twitter: naturebydawn
October 18, 2012 at 8:43 am
This is an important post! Although much of what needs to be considered seems like common sense, it’s amazing how easy it is get caught up in the cuteness and not think all the way through the decision to add a pet to the family. I have absolutely been guilty of impulsive pet procurement myself! (Luckily, everything worked out but looking back I might have made a different choice.)
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Crystal Wayward recently published..Treat Time: Biscuits, bones and chews reviewed
Twitter: crystalwayward
October 18, 2012 at 7:50 pm
So glad that it did work out for you. I know what you mean. I see so many dogs that I believe in my heart of hearts that I can give a good life and I need to stay focused. Three dogs is just fine, but we have three, because I couldn’t ask myself these questions two times. LOL
Thank heavens it worked out for us too.
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
October 19, 2012 at 7:47 am
Age of the human, health and other factors should be considered too. Seniors often have health issues and can end up in a nursing home or hospital for days or weeks at a time and need to consider who can take care of the dog if and when they get sick. Seniors often do better with senior dogs because senior dogs don’t need as much walking and exercise, are calmer and less likely to run, knock them down or jump on them. Seniors need to consider things like arthritis and fragile bones, balance issues and stuff that can become a problem if they adopt a younger dog. You really nailed the other stuff though!!!
Twitter: beckyblanton
October 19, 2012 at 8:22 am
Great point, Becky
Thanks for sharing that. I love the idea of even promoting older dog adoption to retired people. I know that people want a companion in their later years and an older dog sounds perfect. Thank you for sharing this!!
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
October 19, 2012 at 8:48 am
Kimberly, there are actually organizations around the country that do just that! They focus on adoptions for seniors and make sure they get older dogs suited for them. And, they even have small grants to take care of health issues in the older dogs and they have foster homes where the dogs can stay when the seniors have to go to the hospital or if they end up in a nursing home. Seniors have the highest suicide rate in the country and studies show that something like having a dog, and something to feed, walk and care for can cut down suicides in the elderly (one an hour!) a lot! Older dogs are wonderful, loving and have so much to give – but they just need an older companion and quiet….
Twitter: beckyblanton
October 22, 2012 at 12:58 pm
First off…it was wonderful meeting you at Bloggy Boot Camp. I am finally getting to your blog and WOW is all I can say! I am super impressed! I totally have been thinking about this post since my kids have been begging for a dog since our cat ran away. Seriously! I am going to be reading a lot more. Thanks for your info! Maggie
October 22, 2012 at 1:26 pm
My absolute pleasure, Maggie! It was greaet meeting you too!!! Best of luck with your dog search
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
January 31, 2013 at 7:54 am
I’m a big advocate of adopting the family pet (as opposed to buying from a breeder or *gasp* pet store) — I built my company around this notion! So I’m thrilled that you chose to call this article ““15 Questions You Should Ask Before Adopting a Dog or Puppy”, and 2) wondering if there is a book similar to the three you recommend for breed research, that would instead serve as a way to research the types of dogs you find in shelters. I’m sure this book is out there — it would be cool to find it. :0)
One more thing: I can’t say enough about the Awesomeness of the Elderly Adoption (older pet, that is).
Thanks so much for the common sense approach of this article.
Suzy Allman
CharlieDog and Friends
Twitter: charliedogpets
January 31, 2013 at 9:01 am
Suzy! Thanks for stopping by. The only Mixed Breed book that I’ve found is from 1998 and I think it might be out of print, but you can find it at used book stores (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764150650/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0764150650&linkCode=as2&tag=throthelensof-20). It’s called “Book of the Mixed Breed Dog.” I’m working on a project with my fans to create an eBook of mixed breeds, noting their temperment and characteristics. Stay tuned! I hope to have it complete by March 31st!
Thanks so much for stopping by! We’re all about adopting in our family!
Twitter: thefurmom
January 31, 2013 at 9:25 am
I can’t believe it! I thought I recognized your picture, and then the first name was familiar — but what were the chances it would be you! Wow, you’ve built such an awesome community! This is so cool! Are you anywhere near Rye anymore? Crazy world!
BTW I’m sure the mixed breed book is a niche that needs to be filled — there’s a book about everything for dogs out there, but not this time. Very cool, and looking forward to it!
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Suzy Allman recently published..Our Little Plush "Pocket Pitties" are Here!
Twitter: charliedogpets
March 22, 2013 at 11:37 am
This is such a great list of questions with the other considerations to take posted underneath each question. It’s so important to be sure the dog fits into the lifestyle of the human.
Puppies are such a huge responsibility and work. Not something I’ve been interested in taking on for myself. When I adopt another dog, s/he will be an adult. Besides my own considerations and knowing what I can handle, there are so many grown dogs in need of homes. Of course there are plenty of pups too, but my line of thinking (and I could be wrong) is that more people want pups and that leaves so many adult K9s sitting in kennels at rescues and pounds.
The last dog I had was able to go with me almost everywhere at a time I was VERY social and single, spending time with a large group of friends at various houses. And most of them were dog people, so having her tag along was like bringing another friend along.
March 22, 2013 at 7:46 pm
I agree with you, Laura – I wrote a post a couple months back that was in response to a status update posted by a local pet store that sells puppies from backyard breeders. They said that they wanted puppies from rescue groups, but there weren’t any. I responded that puppies are snatched up immediately. We adopted our puppies before they were 8 weeks old and had to wait a couple weeks before we could bring them home.
I’m with you; our next dog will be an adult. I’d really like to adopt a blind or deaf dog. So many need a home, I want to do all that I can to help.
I’m glad to know that you feel the same.
Twitter: thefurmom
March 22, 2013 at 8:13 pm
Backyard breeders = puppy mills…ugh! So sad and rather cruel places for dogs treated as puppy machines.
That’s good to hear that when you adopted your puppies, the rescue (?) had you wait til they were old enough.
I think much of the time unless puppies are acquired from a reputable breeder or rescue, they end up being adopted out or sold before they are old enough, which from what I understand “old enough” is 8 weeks.
But from what I’ve actually seen and heard from others who have gotten puppies it’s common to adopt them at 6 weeks. This is still too young.
That’s awesome you want to adopt a special needs dog. I could probably do something like that. But I might also get really emotional too, choke up a lot, because I’m so empathic. A deaf dog might not bring out as much emotion as a blind dog though. I used to have a deaf cat… I know, I know, a whole different animal.
March 22, 2013 at 8:25 pm
Our rescue group made us wait. And we had to sign a contract promising to have them fixed. They insisted on at 4 months, but I read that this was too soon so we waited until they were 6 months. I have pictures from when they came home – drowsy and sleeping. Rigo slept with me, because he cried at night. Poor babies.
We adopted Blue from a rescue group too (a different one) and he was 4 months old and already fixed. They started fixing puppies, because too many would end up having puppies, because the new families wouldn’t have them fixed. Why adopted if you’re just going to keep the cycle going?
I’m like you – very empathetic. I also get sad and cry when those ASPCA commercials come on or people on Facebook on Pinterest share images of abused or homeless pets. Breaks my heart. I’m glad that we have three dogs (and 2 cats – adore them too) to keep me positive about rescue.
Twitter: thefurmom