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I'm 20 years old and live at home. For the past 2 years, I've been longing to get a pet. I narrowed it down to either a cat or a dog and through further discussion with my family, I will most likely be mans best friend.
Is having a dog a big responsibility? I work nights and sleep during the day, so will my dog be active or sleeping during the day with me? My parents have said the dog will be mostly my responsibility. I have no problems taking it on walks, playing with it etc.
Is it expensive? In my uneducated opinion, all a dog needs is food, a couple toys and a caring owner right? I get a discount at my work, so dog food, beds, brushes etc could be slightly cheaper. The main thing is dog food though... How much a month would that cost me? I would assume that I could just feed it some leftover meat that we cook or something to save costs. What about shots?
What type of dog is best? My family has ZERO experience with dogs. My parents are from a country where animals are ALWAYS outside so it will be a big change. I would assume that the golden retriever is a good option. I want a dog that is smart and low maintenance.
Lastly, where do dogs use the washroom? My parents do not want it doing its buisiness inside at all.
Your dog will sleep when you do, preferably in your bed. Mine do.
Most municipalities REQUIRE rabies vaccination. There is much debate whether or not a dog needs shots every year.
If you eat healthy, then feeding your dogs table scraps is fine.
Your dog will get scrapes, injuries etc that may require a vet visit, so be prepared.
I believe the initial cost of the dog is a small percentage of the total cost of ownership, so make sure to get the dog you like and fits your lifestyle. I wouldn't recommend a shi-zu to a river rafter or a lab to an elderly woman.
My dogs are part of my lifestyle and I'd have it no other way. They are wonderful companions and you tend to easily meet other dog lovers when you're a dog lover too!
Oh Man. You are so not ready for a dog. I'm sure others will chime in soon but I'll start.
Food: you must feed a dog quality dog food or cook for it or feed it raw with added nutrients. Grocery store food is not good. My dog has allergies so I have to buy expensive dog food at a specialty shop- not a chain. if I didn't feed her that food she would be a miserable scratching mess. Feeding table scraps is not good even as a special treat. This makes them beg in the kitchen when somebody is cooking or at the table and of course is not healthy.
Vet costs: neutered of course, shots, teeth cleaning when necessary, boarding when you are away and medical costs for emergencies as well as annual physical and blood work. I never leave the vet for less than $135 and that is for a completely healthy dog.
Housing: It is cruel and inhumane to keep a dog entirely outside. They get lonely- want human companionship. They are in danger of running off, being attacked in their own yard. etc. it is wrong.
Dogs shed and a lab does especially. You will have extra housekeeping chores even if you brush it regularly.
Training. You must pay to get your dog trained to come to you and to be a good pet. Especially since you have no experience with dogs. Housetraining is something which requires a great deal of time, patience and commitment. You cannot be gone all night, sleep all day and expect to train a dog not to poop and pee inside.
Exercise- dogs need plenty of it- not a walk on a nice day. They need daily multiple walks rain or shine- even if you have a contained yard. To just stick a dog outside is not giving it exercise.
Get a stuffed toy to sleep on your bed or get a cat. They will pee and poop inside- in a litter tray which must be cleaned several times a day.- DON'T LET THE CAT OUTSIDE. DON'T GET IT DECLAWED. CRUEL. MEAN. H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E.
If your parents have never had experience with pets you are asking for trouble cause you already acknowledge they will be instrumental in the care of this pet. They will likely stick it outside.
Wait till you are on your own and can be a good pet parent.
But I do give you kudos for asking the right questions. Too many people just say "Oh goodie. I would like to have a dog" without learning what pet ownership entails. The shelters and rescues are full of pets from people who no concept of what it takes to properly care for a pet.
Wait a few years until you are settled in a home of your own or get a cat. (If you are not willing to keep the cat inside 24/7 then get a turtle).
Do you realize how hard it is to find an apartment that allows dogs? My nephew adopted a stray he found but had to later re-home it because it was impossible to find an apartment that would allow a dog.
Unless you plan on living with the parents for the next 15 years it is best to wait.
If you eat healthy, then feeding your dogs table scraps is fine.
completely disagree. a diet of only leftover people food is not health and does not meet their nutritional needs. Even people who cook specially for their dogs know regular people food is not adequate. I don't even feed table scraps as treats.
I'm 20 years old and live at home. For the past 2 years, I've been longing to get a pet. I narrowed it down to either a cat or a dog and through further discussion with my family, I will most likely be mans best friend.
Is having a dog a big responsibility? I work nights and sleep during the day, so will my dog be active or sleeping during the day with me? My parents have said the dog will be mostly my responsibility. I have no problems taking it on walks, playing with it etc.
Is it expensive? In my uneducated opinion, all a dog needs is food, a couple toys and a caring owner right? I get a discount at my work, so dog food, beds, brushes etc could be slightly cheaper. The main thing is dog food though... How much a month would that cost me? I would assume that I could just feed it some leftover meat that we cook or something to save costs. What about shots?
What type of dog is best? My family has ZERO experience with dogs. My parents are from a country where animals are ALWAYS outside so it will be a big change. I would assume that the golden retriever is a good option. I want a dog that is smart and low maintenance.
Lastly, where do dogs use the washroom? My parents do not want it doing its buisiness inside at all.
OK, the lest expensive thing about owning a dog is buying it. There's food, grooming and mostly, vet bills. Dogs require yearly checkups and vaccinations, just like people. And dogs don't "use the washroom", they require frequent walks. A dog needs to defecate at least twice per day.
You need to wait a while, kid. It doesn't seem like you're ready to take on responsibility for another living thing that can live for 10 - 15 years.
If anything, avoid a golden! They are very high energy dogs! Dogs sleep a lot during the day, and at night. They are most active (my dogs anyway) in the mornings when we get up & from the time we get home from work till bed time. They can be expensive! Vet visits are not cheap, and continued maintenance (like frontline and heartguard) are costly as well. You can feed table scraps but please do your research first, since there are many things that are bad for dogs that humans can eat.
My brother lives at home and has a golden/yellow lab mix. He is very high energy, very big, and my parents end up taking care of him most of the time.
I'd "borrow" someone's well trained, easy going dog for an overnight visit. See how things go....or better yet, you volunteer to dogsit for someone so you can see the dog in its home then try to visualize how being a dog parent might translate into your life. Or maybe you could look into fostering dogs.
Dogs without exercise get bored and become destructive.
I've had a dog since I was 11...but until I moved away from home, I always had others to help me care for it. Living in and apartment (and yes, it can be difficult to find one which allows dogs) isn't fair to the dog unless you can regularly take it outside and exercise it. Now as a homeowner with a doggy door and fenced yard, I think my current dog is a lot happier than my previous "apartment" dog.
Currently my dog has prescription dog food (for kidney disease), prescription eye drops (for uveitis), and cataracts. She also has fish oil supplements for her kidney disease, and an antacid to help settle stomach acids. Every six months she has blood drawn to check her kidney disease and eye exams to measure eye pressure from her cataracts. Then there's the typical annual shots and exams. I am financially able to afford all of this. I feel bad for pet parents who can't.
It's not always gloom & doom to be a pet parent. My dog provides me with so much more than I could put a price on.
I commend you for researching, asking questions and being informed BEFORE you get a dog. Also for realizing that you need to consider your family's lifestyle too since you live at home.
Food is $150 a month for a decent kibble (Natural Balance).
Vet care varies, but it is always more costly than you expect it to be, and if you should by chance adopt a dog who turns out to have some hereditary health condition, you could be in serious financial trouble, and that is always a possibility.
Just those two categories of dog care probably cost us $3000 a year for two dogs, but ours are very young and very healthy. In the last year of our previous dogs' lives, we spent a whopping $20,000 on vet care.
My big concern would be your time constraints. It just doesn't sound like you would be as available to a dog as he would require. You will also probably be getting your own place in the next few years, and having a dog will limit your options. To be honest, I always put off getting a dog until I had my own house. Not a condo, but a house with a yard. That was my personal choice for me, but it worked out well. I'm glad I was patient.
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