Understanding Dog Ownership And What It Takes To Keep Your Dog Healthy

     A relational bond between a dog and its owner(s) is one of the most sincere relationships in the pet to human world. The benefits of that relationship outweigh the consequences of owning a dog. However, that being said, it must be understood that a dog is a living creature and therefore has needs that must be attended to.

     A dog is not a toy to play with only when you feel like it, and does not have an off switch anywhere. Before becoming a dog owner, it is important that you understand the level of commitment you are about to embark (no pun intended) on. Below are the minimal considerations you should take into account before committing to a dog and to keep your dog healthy.

 DOGS ARE NOT "FREE"

      Many people get caught up in the emotions of picking up or holding a puppy. But even if the sign at your feet says "free", know right now that it is only the price to hold the puppy, put the puppy down, and walk away.

     If you decide to walk away with puppy in hand, you need to understand there will be a cost associated with this financially. The "free" term stayed with the other puppies you left behind.

• Food - Dogs are not human. They should not be feed human food. If you took the puppy thinking you could feed it table scraps, you are wrong. You are going to have to lay down cash for the dogs food. And not just a one time shot, but for the remainder of your dog's life. Overtime the food bill could add up, depending on the size of the dog, to a pretty hefty monthly expenditure.
• Safety Equipment - This is referring to collars, leashes, and maybe dog runs or other things that you will need to control the dog from running out in to the street or perhaps chasing after other people, animals, and cars. These items are usually a one time cost, but if you purchase cheaply made ones to save some money, you may have to buy more than once.
• Vet Bills - Even if you do most everything at home to keep your dog healthy, you are still going to acquire vet bills from time to time. Initially, you are going to have to take the dog to the vet to get vaccination shots, and hopefully you being a responsible person, spayed or neutered. Then occasionally to get nails trimmed and clipped (unless you do it). But there are also times that you may have to take the dog to the vets for emergencies. None of these visits will be free.
• Grooming - Dog hair is not human hair. The shampoos are similar, but different in formulation. For example, Labradors have 2 layers of different type hair, one short and a little "oily" to protect the dog from cooler temp water, and the regular longer hair that you see on the coat, and on the floor, and on the rugs, and on the furniture, and on your clothes, and...well, you get the point. Bathing and brushing should be done regularly to control shedding, hair matting, and infestations. And speaking of that...
  
• Infestations - You are going to want to protect your dog from fleas, ticks, and other creatures like mites. The biggest reason, these creatures have no problem substituting humans for dogs. For the most part, they are after blood, not something only the dog offers. Go cheap, and you will reap the rewards by having carpet, bedding, and furniture infestations. This could create a bigger cost to rid your house of these little monsters. One flea laying eggs in carpet that most vacuums do not pick up can create thousands of fleas in a matter of days.

DOGS REQUIRE TIME

     People often try to mislead themselves when it comes to time requirement of a dog. They think, "Puppy so cute...it won't hamper my busy schedule too much, little time to throw some food and water down, open a door a few times a day to let them out...done!"

     These disillusioned people could not be farther from the truth. Dogs demand time and attention, period!

• House Training - Unless you don't care if your house's floor becomes a minefield of feces and urine, you are going to have to take time to train your dog that "using the restroom" means going outside of the house to find a spot. Time varies from dog to dog, but you are not going to get a magical dog that knows this from birth. And if you are thinking you have trained a child, so no problem! Think how long it took to train that child, oh, and one more thing, humans have much more control of their body functions when young than do dogs.
• Exercise - You are going to have to provide your dog with some sort of exercise. And the dog prefers that you join them in this. Play time and exercise time is a daily thing your dog is going to require. Think about it, you would go crazy if you did nothing but eat the same food, use the bathroom, and the rest of the time awake or sleeping somewhere on a couch, chair, floor, etc. Ever hear of the term "cabin fever"?
• ME Time - You bet! Your dog needs to have time when it is just you and them. The relationship needs that "bonding" time to relieve the dog of stresses they might otherwise experience. Time away from you is worrisome at best for the dog. You can leave the house when you want, visit with who you want, probably leave daily for work, and other social interactions that you take for granted every day. Your dog has...uh, lets see...you! That's it! You! So you can see why that ME Time is important.

SUMMATION

     Taking on a dog will more than likely create a lasting, trusting relationship that lasts for years, averaging a decade (10 years). If you keep your dog healthy, the rewards of that relationship is unconditional love from you dog regardless of how the rest of the world views you.

     There are some things that you need to understand though when taking on a dog for a pet or companion. Dogs are not "free" per se, there are costs involved with dog ownership. Some of these costs are unavoidable, and continue throughout the life of the dog. Dogs are not toys you can set on a shelf and only play with when you feel like it. They require a lot of attention and your personal time. Time includes training, bathroom time (outside), exercise time, play time, and ME Time.

     This article was not written with the idea of discouraging you to become a dog owner. In fact, it was written to explicitly explain the responsibilities you will face as a dog owner. Those big puppy eyes and floppy ears pull and tug on the heart strings of even the most closed off emotional human. And in that "zone" most people tend to forget or even purposely mislead themselves into thinking dog ownership is no big deal. It is the hopes of this author that you realize just how much goes into dog ownership and what it takes to keep your dog healthy.