by Murina

Created on: July 20, 2008

The first thing a person should consider no matter what pet they are looking at getting is can they take care of the pet? I have seen so many cases of where this is not the case. A person gets a pet for whatever reason and then find out it's a lot harder than they had thought and the pet suffers for it in the end. In this case it is bad for everyone around; the pet owner may even face charges if the law gets involved. The pet may even have to be humanely euthanized. Although, this may not be the case for all neglected pets A lot are sent to shelters and do get adopted into loving homes.

If after some time of thought you still think you can take care of a pet the next step I think would be to pick out a pet that would be suitable for your living environment. If in the end you do decide to choose a dog you need to pick a breed that fits into that environment. If you live in a small place you probably shouldn't get a larger breed dog. A dog needs room to play and run.

Another thing to consider is where you will get the dog. Are you going to a shelter or will you find a breeder. There's nothing wrong with either but I have found you can find a dog in the shelter that is just as loving as one from a breeder. I adopted Maggie my Lab mix from a shelter some years back. She was as pretty to me as a full bred Lab and I didn't have to pay breeders price for her.

There is a lot involved in the care taking of a dog. More so with certain breeds for example Cocker Spaniels have a lot of ear problems. My family has had 4 throughout the years and at some point or another we have had to treat their ears. They also need grooming quite regularly. Their hair can become matted and get what I call "The Nasties" in them.

No matter what breed you choose you should always make sure they have plenty of food and water every day.I also found that having a few treats on hand as rewards for good behavior is good too. Not to mention plenty of toys to keep them occupied.

Training is always a good thing too. If you can't afford it you can also train yourself. I personally have trained my dog to sit, sit pretty, lay down, roll over and she is completely house trained. Of course there are times when there is the occasional accident. Positive reinforcement does the trick for me.

No matter what breed you choose always give your new pet lots of love, encouragement and in return they will do the same for you. There's nothing like getting kisses from your pet when you are feeling down.

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