Getting a Dog 101

Hi everyone,

DS is begging for a dog. I grew up with dogs and cats, DH grew up with a turtle. DH wants a puppy, I'm ok with a dog that's a year old. I have some questions:

What do you do if you work FT? I'm a teacher, but that's still a long time out of the house, especially if I have meetings.

We tried looking into puppies at Islip Animal Shelter, but they said they don't get puppies often. Would North Shore Animal League be our best bet?

Any breed suggestions to keep up with a rambunctious 6-year-old? It needs to be on the smaller end since our house and yard are not that big.

Do you have pet insurance? How much does it cost?

Thanks to anyone who can help!

Re: Getting a Dog 101

North Shore definitely has a lot of puppies, but getting an older dog- about a year or two old- is a great idea. I always forget how much work a puppy is until we get one in the family! Potty training, chewing, their energy levels, just getting to know their quirks... it's a lot! You're going to have a hard time finding a purebred in a shelter. It's not completely unheard of, but it's also not the norm. We adopted our mutt 11 years ago at North Shore- he's a collie/golden retriever mix- and he's just the sweetest dog around. We also have a boxer/pit bull mix (another sweet as can be pup) that we found abandoned 10 years ago.

When we first got them, DH and I worked opposite hours- him 7-3 and me 12-8, so they weren't left home alone for very long. We did crate train, which one absolutely loved and the other wasn't crazy about, but it kept them out of trouble in their puppy stages. We no longer use the crate. The younger the dog, the more they need to go though, so that's another point in favor of an older dog. Otherwise, dog walkers, or since you're looking at smaller breeds, pee pads are options. My dogs are older now and we leave pee pads down for them, just in case they can't hold it since we both work 8-4 now.

I do not have pet insurance so I can't speak to the cost of that. Luckily, my dogs have been pretty healthy their whole lives, no injuries or illnesses except allergies which are manageable. North shore does low cost spaying/neutering- they are probably even already fixed depending on the age of the dog you adopt. The pit we found, we did low cost spaying through the ASPCA.

Good luck! I think 6 is a great age to be getting a dog- that's a best friend for their whole childhood!

Getting a Dog 101

I'd recommend an older (1-2 years old) dog with a younger kid. The puppy stage can be hard with young kids. You'll want to make sure that the dog is good around kids, e.g., no resource guarding, used to being touched on ears/tails/feet, etc. Also, with an older dog you can leave them for 8-9 hours a day without a problem. My husband usually goes home for lunch, but when he's busy he doesn't always make it home and the dog is fine from 8-5. Puppies need to be let out every 3-4 hours at first, because they can't hold it, and you don't want to encourage them to go inside.

If you do decide to get a puppy, I recommend getting a puppy that you can see with their litter, especially because a child is involved. You get to see a lot more about personality if the puppy is comfortable with it's litter. At North Shore, the puppies are usually so overwhelmed that their personality doesn't really come out. We got a puppy from North Shore and he seemed so calm there, but then after about a week at our house, he became a wild guy. Our second dog was from a breeder. His sister was clearly the wild one, while he was very calm and he stayed calm even after we got him home. I'm not saying you need to go to a breeder. Many rescues will get a litter of dogs, which would be ideal.

Getting a Dog 101

Oh also, you mention your son really wanting a dog, but make sure you really want a dog too. I know that may sound really obvious, but I know sometimes parents get a dog for the kids and then regret it because the kids lose interest and they're stuck with the dog. You sound like you know what you're getting into, but I thought it was worth mentioning that you need to assume you'll be the one caring for it.

Getting a Dog 101

fostering an older dog is a great way to get your families feet wet, foster to adopt. I got my dog when she was about 1 and it was great, no puppy training, house training etc.

Re: Getting a Dog 101

Older dog, one year or so. Puppies are really SO much work and it's not really a good fit if you work FT.

Getting a Dog 101

I got my Chi from North Shore a few years ago. He was 2 when we got him. Very low maintenance and easily adaptable. I agree with the PP with an older dog. Much less adjustment for the family and the pup. Good luck!!!