WHY DO YOU WANT A DOG?

The first question you should ask yourself, honestly is .  .  .  Why do I (we) want a dog?
Show me an example
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If your answer is:

For my son/daughter/children . . . Trust me, this will be YOUR dog!  After the ‘honeymoon period’, the kids may only play with the dog, occasionally.  They may groan and grumble about any dog-related responsibilities, doing them, begrudgingly, only after significant prodding from you.  As children’s interests and activities change, over the years, their level of involvement with the dog will most likely be, inconsistent, at best.  Additionally, your children, especially, young children, will need to be ‘trained’ in how to behave with the dog and will need to be supervised when with the dog.

 For protection . . . I know some may disagree but, it is my opinion, that the only time is it a good idea to get a dog for the purpose of protection is in professional or agricultural situations and only when the owner/trainer is humane and knowledgeable of dog behavior and dominant dog training/handling.  In all other situations – probably 99.9% – an alarm system, security fence, or other measures are much more appropriate and effective. 

To breed puppies . . . If you’ve read the third paragraph of this piece and still feel this way, there is probably little I can offer to change your mind.  But, just in case, let me restate the case a little more thoroughly.  The breeding of dogs is a responsibility not to be taken lightly.  If it is not your intention to remain responsible for all of your puppies for their entire lives, including being willing to take back and care for those who may find themselves homeless, do not enter into this endeavor.  If you are planning on breeding for profit, understand that there are much easier, more profitable and ethical ways to make a buck.  Dogs are living beings and dog breeding requires a significant investment of time, money, labor, knowledge, both academic and practical, patience, and emotional fortitude, to be done responsibly and humanely.  Please visit a few of the shelter and rescue websites, or your local shelter, and witness the problem yourself.  View the faces of the homeless dogs and talk to the volunteers and staff who, all too often, must take that ‘final walk’ with them. 

Because BreedX is ‘Cool’, was in a movie you saw, is unique and exotic, is free/cheap, or other such nonsense .  .  . One of the WORSE reasons to get a dog, or any other animal, for that matter, is because of their physical appearance or popularity due to a movie, TV show, or other publicity.  Often, these venues feature exotic, rare or unique breeds that are, in the overwhelming majority of pet situations, unsuitable as companions.  This visibility may also draw out those ‘breeders’ whose primary motivation is profit versus health, temperament, structural soundness and the welfare of their dogs. 

And, remember to incorporate the same thoughtful consideration on whether or not to get a dog, and which breed or mix, when your friend, coworker or relative offers you one of Fluffy’s puppies.  Dogs are never really ‘free’ or ‘cheap’ and, in reality, require significant financial, physical, time, and environmental resources.  At a minimum, none of these, or other such reasons, are sound selection factors for getting a dog and selecting a particular breed or mix.  And, remember, if it is difficult for you to find information on a particular breed, or a breeder of the breed, it follows that you will most likely also have difficulty finding local support services that are familiar with the training, health care, and maintenance needs of that breed.