Dogs as Pets

Having a Pet Dog

Dogs are beautiful and loving creatures that depend on us for many things.  They indeed will be our best friend, but first, we must be theirs.     Dogs are dependant on us for almost everything, they need exercising,  grooming, feeding, vaccinations etc, and in return they will be one of the most loyal pets you could hope to have.

If you decide to have a dog as a family pet, it must be a decision reached by the whole family, as having a new dog in the home (especially if it is a puppy) will affect everyone in the household, and all will want to be involved in the care of the new family pet.

Having a dog as a pet is a big responsibility., but having said that, they are ideal pets if you are prepared to give them all the care they need.   When you have a dog as your pet, they will give you hours of pleasure - dogs are loyal, friendly, playful and they listen to every word you say.  Some even say they understand it all as well!

Often a child in the family will be the one who instigates the decision to  have a new puppy, but as the puppy grows and the tasks involved in looking after it grow, so the interest of the child can diminish.  The once adorable, playful and energetic puppy has now become a fully grown adult dog, and through the eyes of the once keen child, that dog has lost his appeal - it needs more walking, more grooming and clearing up the dogs mess gets less and less frequent, until your garden or back yard resembles one big litter tray!  Suddenly the puppy that was 100% the child's now becomes the parents dog.  This is why it is so important that the whole family are in agreement that they should have a puppy or dog as a pet.

When you have come to this decision, you have to think about where you will get your new pet.  You could go for a dog that is in a local animal shelter, although often you will not come across puppies in the shelters, you may be lucky enough to have a neighbour or a friend  whose dog has just had a litter of puppies, or you can buy a dog or puppy from a recognised breeder.

If you go for a puppy you must be prepared to spend time training him, and it can be quite time consuming even just to have them trained to go and do their business in the garden rather than on your floor!   There are however many guides to assist in training your new dog and with a bit of perseverance you will succeed, and find that having a dog as a pet is very worth while and satisfying.

On the other hand if you go for an adult dog that has found himself in an animal shelter, you must be prepared for some hard work to train your new dog into what are probably completely new ways of behaving.

Whatever age dog you decide to go for, you can be sure that a dog truly is a man's best friend, and as long as they are looked after in a responsible way, they are a fantastic bet.

As mentioned before, dogs are beautiful and loving creatures that depend on us for many things.  They will indeed be our best friend, but first, we must be theirs.