Whose dog is it? When your child asks for a dog

Most kids love dogs.  Which is great because most dogs love kids!  The challenge that many parents face is that kids beg and beg for a dog, and then once the parents finally give in and get them the dog... don't take care of it.  The parents are shocked:  "How could my offspring not take care of this little animal that they spent years begging me for!"  But the reality is that a dog that comes into a family is the adult's dog.  So if you are not ready for a dog for 10-15 years, do NOT get one.

But my kids really want one....

The reality is that if you - the parent - are not willing to commit to taking care of (which means: feeding, walking, cleaning up after and paying for) a dog for 10-15 years, then you should not get one.  I bet that your children often ask for things that they can't have or that they shouldn't have.   If your child just wanted to eat candy bars and drink Coke for every meal, you would say no, right?

If you are not ready to make the big commitment to a dog, then you need to stick to your guns and not get the dog.  Dogs are not for everyone.

How do I know if we are ready for a dog?  We have never had one/I haven't had one since I was a kid.

You can always foster a dog with a local rescue for a couple weeks or a month to see if you are ready for the commitment.  Petfinder is a great resource to find a local rescue.  Not every rescue fosters dogs out to families, but if you keep looking, you will find one in your region that will let you "try before you buy".  Plus, you will be helping a dog that needs a temporary home before he or she goes to his forever home.  If you foster the dog in your home then the rescue can usually save another dog's life since you have freed up some space for them to house another dog.   The South Florida based rescue that I volunteer with, This is the Dog!, has a great foster care network and is always looking for foster families to provide temporary homes for the dogs in their care.

You could also pet sit a friend's dog while they travel to see if you and your family are ready for a dog.  I recommend that you keep the dog in your home for at least a week to really get a sense of dog ownership.

I think it will teach my kids responsibility.... 

It might.  But it might not.  It might just make you mad because they are not meeting your expectations.  And there are a ton of other great ways to teach your kids responsibility.  I think the best way is to have your child do chores.  Even little ones as young as 3 and 4 can help by folding socks or picking up their toys.  And as kids get older, they can have more complicated chores.

If you REALLY want to get a pet to teach your children to be responsible, get a fish.  Not to be cruel, but having a fish die is much less tragic than having a dog run away, starve, get sick or be given to the pound only to be put to sleep after you (the parent) is "tired" of your kid not taking care of the dog.  The ASPCA has a great guide with pet recommendations for different ages of kids.  

OK.  I (the parent) will commit to the dog for 10-15 years.  Now what?

Do your homework and make sure that you adopt a dog that has the right kind of personality for your family and lifestyle.  If you like to chill and watch TV after work, do not get a Husky or a Jake Russell, no matter how cute you think they are!

Be sure to research how much it costs to own a dog.  Make sure you can afford the annual outlay... it is typically around $2,000 - $4,000 a year to feed and care for a dog (assuming no major accidents or surgeries).

Be sure to think about which ADULT will be ultimately responsible for taking care of the dog.  You can assign your kids dog related chores, but at the end of the day, it is on you.  So make sure that you and your spouse or partner have a plan for who will do what with your new dog.

And spay and neuter your pet... we do not need any new dogs when over 3,000,000 (that's 3 million folks) are euthanized EVERY year in the United States.  And remember: adopt, don't shop!

by Gemma Torcivia
October 19, 2012

Essential Items for Your New Puppy or Dog

Items You Absolutely Should Have BEFORE You Pick Up Your New Puppy or Dog

If you plan to adopt a new dog or puppy (adopt, don't shop!), there are some essential items that you should have on hand before you pick up your new dog or puppy.  Oftentimes people will pick up their new dog or puppy and immediately take them to pet store to shop for them.  Unless you have no other options, do NOT do this.  For information on why it is important to vaccinate your dog or puppy and ensure that they are acclimated to you before taking them to the pet store, please visit this post.

1) A leash: A nylon leash that is 4 to 6 feet long is best.  Remember, in many places it is illegal to tie your dog outside, and very dangerous even if it isn't illegal (your dog can strangle himself, chew through the tie and run away or be stolen).  Your dog should always be on a leash when you are walking him to ensure he does not run away or get hit by a car.

A Martingale training collar is a good option for dogs.

2) A collar: I recommend a Martingale training collar like the one shown here.  Do not ever use a prong collar, and a Martingale eliminates the need for a chain collar (does the same job, but does not hurt your dog).  Puppies can wear harnesses, but they should graduate to collars by 6-8 months of age.   I like the all fabric Martingale for puppies and the ones that are half fabric and half metal for adults.  These are two brands that we use:






3) Two bowls that are metal or ceramic:  One for food, one for water.  The food bowl should be washed after every meal and the water bowl washed at least once daily with fresh water always available.  Plastic bowls are not recommended because they allow bacteria to breed and are easily scratched and chewed up.  I use metal bowls and typically am able to get over ten years of use out of them.

This American Bulldog puppy is 5 months old and loves her crate.

4) A crate that fits your dog:  I recommend getting a metal crate with a puppy panel that your dog can grow into; this means a crate that will fit your dog when they are full grown.  A puppy panel will allow you to move the puppy panel as she grows and remove it entirely when she is full grown.  Crates are available at any pet store, as well as at Walmart and on Amazon.  Amazon actually has very reasonable prices and free shipping so I often buy new crates from there.   For some good information on crate training (which we recommend for all dogs of any age), the ASPCA website is an excellent resource.  I have multiple crates at my home and use one crate for puppies and then "graduate" them into a larger crate.  I crate my dogs until they are 2 to 3 years old and fully over the "I-love-to-chew-random-stuff" phase.  When I am home, my dogs are out, but when I am at work or it is night-night time, they are in their crates.  A good rule of thumb for the proper size is that you dog should be able to: stand completely up, turn around and lie down in their crate.  If they can not do those things, the crate is too small.

These are crates that I own, love and thoroughly recommend:



An important note about crating your dog: You should NOT leave your adult dog in a crate for more than eight (8) hours and your puppy in a crate for more than four (4) hours.  

5) A soft blanket, towel or dog bed for the crate:  I recommend old towels for the first few weeks because your new dog may chew them up with the nervousness all dogs feel in a new environment.  Once your dog is settled in and/or a little older (6-8 months), I would purchase a dog bed that can become their permanent bed.  My dogs get nice thick blankets and towels from Goodwill until they are 6 to 8 months, when they get a big dog bed.    

I love this brand for it's durability - these suckers LAST!

6) A few dog toys: Good dog toys include Kongs, rope toys, toys made with fire hose; they tend to last a long time under the abuses of a dog's teeth.  Soft toys are fun for dogs, but they MUST be supervised while playing with them.  It is a dog's instinct to try to "gut" the toy, and if they eat the stuffing or squeaker inside, they can get sick or die.  Make sure you monitor them while playing with soft toys and throw out all stuffing and squeakers as soon as your dog removes them.  The same is true for rubber toys (including Kongs).  If your dog rips up the rubber, it is time to throw away the toy.  I like Kongs and the fire hose toys because they are pretty close to indestructible and typically last a year or two.  No dog toy will last forever, but I think it is worth a little extra to get more than 5 minutes out of a toy (the typical amount of time it takes one of my dogs to disembowel a stuffed toy or shred a rubber toy).  

My dogs' favorite fire hose toys:



7) Dry dog food: We feed all of our dogs dry food; it is better for their teeth and their breath and we recommend you do the same.  The brands that we strongly recommend are (for quality and freshness): Solid Gold, Wellness, Innova, Natural Balance Ultra Premium, Blue Wilderness and Orijen.  While other dog foods are okay for your dog, make sure that meat (not chicken meal or lamb meal) is the first ingredient listed.  Dog foods show ingredients just like people food and your dog will be healthier with a high quality food that lists meat as the first ingredient.  Your dog may not eat very much their first 1-3 days at home - this is normal as it is scary for a dog to be in a new place - if your dog has not eaten in more than 3 days, call your vet or the shelter or rescue where you adopted your dog from for advice.  

8) Bully sticks: Yeah, so these are bull penises.  I know that sounds gross, but they are the best treat/chewy for your dogs.  I don't trust Greenies or rawhides because there are countless stories of them causing obstructions and leading to sickness or death in dogs.  Bully sticks are natural, digestible and your dog will love them.  Seriously, they will go nuts for these things so just pretend they are a stick or something and feel free to give your dog one every day or two.  They last longer than most chewies, too - especially for a puppy.  All pet stores have them, but you can get them in bulk online for much cheaper.  I like Best Bully Sticks online for value and quality, but Amazon has a bunch of different vendors that sell them.  Some smell less bad than others which is partly why I like Best Bully Sticks - they seem to smell less than some of the other random brands I have tried.  The 12 inch ones are best for larger dogs (60 lbs and up), while the 6 inchers are good for smaller dogs and puppies.