It’s a dog’s life

As a child everything I knew about dogs I learned from Snoopy.   Since then, I’ve worked at one of the largest animal shelters in Atlanta doing their communications, PR, offsite events and fundraising.  It was during that time, in addition to my own 10 years of owning dogs; that taught me lots about what works and what doesn’t for folks who are thinking about adopting a dog.

Adopt a dog that suits your lifestyle

If you’re active adopt a dog that likes to run, perhaps a retriever or shepherd.  If you live in a smaller space adopt a dog that suits that area, a dachshund, poodle or Yorkshire terrier. 

Puppies are cute, but not for everybody

Puppies will need exercise, socialization, lots of attention and will be much more work than you think they will be.  If somebody won’t be home most of the day during their first four months do not adopt a puppy.  If you do, they’ll be more difficult to house train, socialize and become responsible members of the house. 

Dogs take lots of time 

When you adopt a dog they will need time to adapt to where you live.  If the dog is coming from an animal shelter, where it’s noisy and chaotic, then they may be a bit jumpy at first.  Be patient, have some dog toys, a big fluffy bed and let the dog explore the areas of the house that they’ll be able to roam on a normal basis. 

Housetraining

Housetraining your dog is as easy or as difficult as you make it.  If you don’t give your dog enough attention then they will make it very difficult for you.  Ideally, you want your new dog to fit into your lifestyle and not to completely change your lifestyle to fit the dog.  If you responsibly adopt a dog that suits your lifestyle then housetraining will be much easier.   

Have you got children?

Small dogs disproportionately bite children.  That’s the ugly truth that some animal shelters will not tell you.  Ironically, most people want small dogs and most of these people also have children.  The child will try to play with the small dog too aggressively….and will bite the child.  Then the dog has a bite record that will follow them wherever they go and will now be scared of children, which may result in fear biting in the future.  Fear biting can be minimized through training, but can be very difficult to stop. 

Big dogs are clumsy.  They’ll knock down toddlers or their tales may snap them in face.  In very rare, unsupervised cases, the big dogs may do much worse and attack children.   Unfortunately, these are usually the cases that make the news for one reason or another. 

Regardless of how well you know the dog, never leave your dog alone with a child.  A dirty diaper, movement in the yard or child pulling on their hair may result in something uncharacteristic and highly regrettable.

 Dogs are expensive

Between boarding for when you go away on vacation, monthly heartworm and flea preventative, food, toys and emergency veterinary bills the expenses for dogs can add up.   Plan ahead, like get your shots from a cheaper source (or even do it yourself!), scout out different boarding places or pet sitters and it’ll save your bottom line. 

What about the bully breeds?

Bully breeds are pit mixes which some will say are unfairly maligned.    It is the breed, not the deed, as the folks in the rescue world say.  I’d class ‘bullys’ in the same oversight and warnings that I would with big dogs. 

Here’s a quick overview of the Top 10 Breeds of dogs in the US, along with a couple notes from my perspective.  

1. Labrador retriever.   A fabulous mix, perfect for families for those with a house.  If you live in a condo or townhome don’t adopt one of these as they won’t have enough space.
2. German Shepherd Dog  This dog is classic and smart, but needs room to exercise. 
3. Yorkshire Terrier  A perfect dog for the ladies and those that live in apartments, condos or townhomes.
4. Golden Retriever  A great dog for any situation.  These dogs get better the more they are around you, but do need lots of space to exercise and socialization. 
5. Beagle.  It’s the rare small dog that needs big space, mainly due to their bark.  They are a great dog, good with all situations and kids too.
6. Boxer.  Smart, but with ADHD these dogs are.  They will need to be trained a bit because they are manic, combine that with their tail and I’d avoid small children for these guys.  
7. Bulldog.  Because of their low center of gravity these dogs are very strong and may not be good around small kids.  Otherwise, they’re friendly, slobber loads, lazy and good with people and other dogs.
8. Dachshund.  These dogs are great small dogs, perfect for anybody really.
9. Poodle.  These dogs are great with their owner, but a bit nippy to strangers and children.
10. Shih Tzu.  It all depends on their owners, as they are smaller they can be nippy to children and sometimes to adults.

Bottom line 

Ideally, a pet is a lifetime commitment, especially so for a dog.  Whether you have children or not, a dog can add an entirely new, fun dimension to life, if you choose carefully.  Don’t think about what dog you want to adopt, think about what dog best suits you, where you are currently.