HOW OLD ARE THE MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY?
If the youngsters in
your household are under seven years old, they are usually not developmentally
suited for puppies 5 months old and under or toy-sized (under 15 pounds) dogs
of any age. Puppies have ultra sharp “milk teeth” and toenails and often teethe
on and scratch children, resulting in unintentional injury to the child. The
puppy becomes something to be feared rather than loved.
Toy dogs are
fine-boned, touch-sensitive creatures that do not weather rough or clumsy
handling well. They break relatively easily and are quicker to bite than their
larger boned, mellower relatives.
Unless your children
are unusually sensitive, low-key, respectful individuals, a medium-to-large
sized dog over 5 months old is usually the safer choice. Regardless of size,
all interactions between small children and dogs should be monitored by a
responsible adult. When there is no one to watch over them, they should be
separated.
At the opposite end of
the spectrum, are there frail elderly or physically challenged individuals in
the household? If so, strong vigorous adolescent dogs are not a wise idea. No
aging hips or wrists are safe from these yahoos. People who were one-breed fans
throughout their lives may one day find that their favorite breed demands more
than they can physically handle. The new dog must fit the current physical
capabilities of his keepers with an eye toward what the next 10-15 years will
bring.
WHO WILL BE THE DOG’S PRIMARY
CARETAKER?
A decade or so back,
this was an easy question to answer– Mom. She stayed home and cooked, cleaned
and raised the family dog. Most families these days do not have that option.
All adults have to go to work and the kids head off to school. This leaves the
family dog to be sandwiched in between lessons and sports and household chores
and so on. One parent should be designated Primary Caretaker to make sure the
dog does not get lost in the shuffle.
Some parents bow to
the pressure their children put on them to get a dog. The kids promise with
tears in their eyes that they will religiously take care of this soon-to-be
best friend. The truth of the matter is, during the 10 – 15 year lifespan of
the average dog, your children will be growing in and out of various life
stages and the family dog’s importance in their lives will wax and wain like
the Moon. You cannot saddle a child with total responsibility for the family
dog and threaten to get rid of it if the child is not providing that care. It
is not fair to child or dog.
Choosing the family
dog should include input from all family members with the cooler-headed, more
experienced family members’ opinions carrying a bit more weight. The family dog
should not be a gift from one family member to all the others. The selection
experience is one the entire family can share. Doing some research and polling
each family member about what is important to them in a dog will help pin down
what you will be looking for. Books like Daniel Tortora’s THE RIGHT DOG FOR YOU
or The ASPCA Complete Guide to Dogs can be tremendously helpful and can warn you
away from unsuitable choices for your family’s circumstances.
How Much Can I Spend?
The price to obtain a
dog runs the gamut from free-to-a-good-home to several thousand dollars. It
does not always hold true that you get what you pay for. The price you pay in a
pet shop is usually 2 to 3 times higher than what you pay a reputable breeder
for a puppy of similar (or usually better) quality.
Too many folks spend
all their available cash on a pet shop purchase and then have no money left for
initial veterinary care, a training crate or obedience classes–all necessary
expenses. Remember, the purchase price of a dog is a very small part of what
the dog will actually cost. Save money for food (especially if it is a large or
giant breed), grooming (fancy coated breeds such as Poodles, Cockers, and Shih
Tzus need to be clipped every 4 to 6 weeks), chew toys (the vigorous chewers
like a Bull Terrier or Mastiff can work their way through a $8.00 rawhide bone
in a single sitting), outerwear (short-coated breeds like Greyhounds,
Chihuahuas, and Whippets must have sweaters and coats in the winter or in
lavishly air conditioned interiors), and miscellaneous supplies (bowls, beds,
brushes, shampoos, flea products, odor neutralizers for accidents, baby gates,
leashes, collars, heartworm preventative etc.).
And then, there is the
veterinary emergency! Very few dogs live their entire lives without at least
one accident. Your puppy eats a battery or pair of pantyhose, your fine-boned
toy breaks a leg, your big boy has bad hips, your dog gets hit by a car or
beaten/bitten by the neighborhood bully. These surprises can cost $500 or more.
Unlike our children, most of our dogs are not covered by health insurance.
But “How much can I
spend?” is not only a question of money. How much time and energy can you spend
on a new dog? Various breeds and ages of dog make different demands on our
precious spare time. In general, the Sporting, Hounds, Herding, and Terrier
breeds will demand more time in training and daily exercise than will the Guardian
or Companion breeds. A puppy or adolescent will need more exercise, training,
and supervision than will an adult dog. And the first year with any new dog
regardless of age or breed type will put more demands on the owner than any
other time, for this is when you are setting up house rules and routines which
will last for the lifetime of your dog.
America has become a
nation of disposable pet owners. Doesn’t your family dog deserve better? Choose
wisely, for when the bond breaks, everybody concerned suffers. Make selecting
your new family dog a life-affirming act.
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