Getting a Dog

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I'm moving into an apartment this Tuesday. I've been telling myself for years that once I've gotten my own place and got my feet under me, I'll get a dog. But the last thing I want to do is adopt a dog and then realize I can't afford or take care of it. How do I know if I'm ready to get a dog? What kind of dog is best for me? Here are some things that might contribute to it:

- It's a two bedroom, 700 sq ft apartment. I'll be living there alone.
- I work a full time job. My schedule changes every week, and the only constant thing is that I'll work 40 hours and it'll be in the evenings, usually 12:00-9pm.
- I get paid roughly $745 every other week. Rent is $450, plus utilities. I also need to buy groceries, gas, insurance, internet, phone, etc.
- The landlord's rules say only small dogs are allowed. I'd also like it to be short haired, since there'll be less shedding, but I can make exceptions to that. Since I'll be at work 40 hours of every week, it'll need to be one that doesn't need to be constantly exercised, but I'd still like it to be playful.
- I enjoy going on walks, so the dog would never be without that.
- As of right now, I'm thinking my best options would be a boston terrier, pug, or something along those lines.

That's about it. Anyone have any advice?

Yes. Forget about getting a dog, especially if you work odd hours. It's not fair to the dog if the beast s crated for more than 8 hours a day.

Congrats on getting your own place. I have had many dogs over the course of my life, all of them were mutts, no pure bred. I never thought I would like having a small dog, but two years ago we found a Chihuahua mix in bad shape and nursed him back to health. He has been such a great dog! So I would never steer anyone away from getting a chow mix. Mixes are usually better tempered than pure breeds. Terriers can be very high strung and yippie.

There is a show I think on Animal Planet called Dogs 101 where they feature a different breed on each episode and tell the pros and cons. Maybe they show it online somewhere? Or maybe it's on DVD? Being a pet parent is a big commitment. The dog is dependent on you for everything. So doing some research on different types of dogs may be well worth your while.

You might want to get two dogs so they have each other when you are not around. Just a suggestion.

The cost of vet care varies greatly depending on where you go. You might want to ask around. Are there any Tractor Supply stores wherever you live? Several times a year they offer vaccines for $5.00 and also microchiping. Around here it's much cheaper to get a dog neutered or spayed at a shelter than at a vet's office. Around $35 at the shelter and $235 at the vet's.

The bigger the dog, the greater the cost for food.

If you go to a shelter to find a dog, don't overlook the ones that are older because they often are house trained already and they will be past the puppy stage where they want to chew on everything.

Since I am not very good at conversation, I like walking one or all three of of our dogs because people will often stop and talk about the dogs. So I can have attention drawn away from myself and to the dogs.

I hope you soon find your new best friend!

If you know anyone with an appropriate dog, ask if you can babysit it for a week. That won't really tell you if you have the financials for it, but it will tell you if you have the time/patience/etc.

You could also try fostering a dog through a local rescue. The dog will eventually get adopted out, so if you find that you're unable to handle the responsibility/shedding/smell/etc, it's only a temporary situation. I believe most rescues pay for essentials like vet care and food, so you can evaluate based on that whether or not you'd be able to afford one on your own. Also, if you're particularly fond of the dog that you fostered, you can always be a 'foster-failure' (as long as the dog hasn't been adopted yet), and adopt that dog yourself. Or some rescues have a 'foster-to-adopt' option.

I would not suggest getting a pair; the second dog will double the cost at least, and quadruple the work required. Get the first dog settled in and trained before evaluating whether or not you want/need a second dog.

Some good, if a bit crude advice about dog etiquette in apartments (warning: some not-so-nice language).

Unless you have experience with terriers, I would suggest being very sure you want one and can provide for them. Terriers are still working dogs - diggers and ratters - and just because they are small doesn't mean that they can handle apartment living and a couple short walks a day.

There are plenty of 'what breed should I get' quizzes out there online that can help you narrow down what kind of dog you can lean towards. Even if you end up looking for a mix, doing research on the individual breeds will give you an idea of what you have a chance to end up with (if you get a puppy... adopting an adult, you already know how they turned out).

As a side note, adopting a dog that has already been fixed saves a lot of hassle and money.

I want a dog

my goal is to have a dog but be able to look after it properly

I want a dog right now but I cannot

I agree with the post that said you should not get a dog if you are going to leave it alone for a long period of time. But if there is more than one dog and they keep each other entertained that would probably be okay. Since you don't have a big place you should probably get a small dog or two small dogs. Remember to keep an emergency fund in case they have a health problem and need to go to the vet.

The average cost of maintaining a dog is estimated at $450.00 - $500.00 a year.

That is very admirable. I wish more people out there would realize when they should/can not handle a dog, there would be a lot less mistreated dogs out there. I was in the same situation about 2.5 years ago, so I got myself a big stuffed dog. His name is Ralph, and I still have him. I kept on saying that I wanted a real dog but wasn't responsible enough for one, until my husband told me that he thought I could be responsible enough. So we went out looking and found Pixel. A year later, we moved to a duplex with a yard, and got Ruby.



I would not say 100% if you work 8 hours, you can't have a dog. But you do have to work much harder then, and end up with the right dog, and you may want to look instead into getting a cat (look into the more affectionate/dog-like cats; I think my front-runners are ragdoll, manx, and devon rex).

As I mentioned above, you probably shouldn't be looking into getting a pair.

And I totally agree with the emergency fund; figure out what pet insurance would cost for your dog, and instead of giving it to the insurance company, put it away in an account every month and use that for your emergency fund.



It depends on where you are, and how much effort you're willing to put in.

Around here, for a small (20lb) dog with low grooming needs (corgi fur: relatively short, double coat), it's $60 for tick, $30 for heartworm, $80 for the visit; $140 for yearly shots; $40 every 2.5 months for relatively inexpensive food (about $200/year). That's already ~$500, and we're not counting training/socialization classes, toys, treats, emergency vet visits, grooming (shampoo, hair brush, toothbrush/toothpaste, ear cleaner, etc), cleaning supplies (for shedding/accidents), repairs (when they chew/eat something they're not supposed to), equipment (leash, collar, crate, bedding, etc), or anything else I may have missed. The classes are really the only arguably optional thing on that list (though I'm a proponent of taking at least one basic obedience class, so you learn how to train a dog).
For our small/medium dog (28 lbs, not that much bigger), the cost of tick meds is doubled, and she eats 1/2 again more.

Your dog has allergies? You're probably looking at a much more expensive food and/or minimum one extra trip a year to the vet.
Your dog has long hair? Unless you want to learn how to groom your dog yourself (in which case you'll at least need a pair of scissors), you're looking at a trip to the groomers every 1-4 months, depending on the dog.
You have a puppy? More expensive (extra shots, extra cleaning supplies, extra repairs, getting them fixed, etc).
You have a senior dog? More expensive (mostly due to declining health in old age, so more vet visits).

Dogs are expensive because they are luxuries for most people or working dogs that can pay for themselves (else people would use something else that is worth the cost). And they are luxuries that you have to pay for for 10-15 years. You can decide to stop paying for your TV package, and then you just lose the service. Once you have a dog, if you want to do right by them, you keep them and pay for what they need for as long as they're around.

I think an older dog who is already house trained and used to being alone for long stretches might be the best choice for you, especially if you can find one with a more lazy personality. A shelter would be the best place to look for this. I definitely wouldn't recommend a young and/or active dog. Babysitting a friend's dog or fostering first would be a good idea to see how it goes. However, if you can't afford regular vet care and the occasional unexpected expense if your dog gets sick/hurt, then you really shouldn't get one just yet. To get an idea of how much vet care costs in your area, I would ask any dog owners you know, and call local vets to ask about their prices for routine care.

I also want to add that if you do get a cat instead like Dwarvyn suggested, which isn't a terrible idea if you like cats, make sure you get two who already know each other so they can keep each other company. Be aware that this will double the cost of food and vet care, but if you can't afford two cats, I wouldn't get any with your schedule. However, don't settle for cats if your heart is set on a dog because it will be harder to find a dog who can get along with cats if you're able to have a dog in the future. Also, it depends on their personality, but my cat would be absolutely miserable if he was left alone for hours every day. He's a dog-like cat, which is great, but he needs a lot of play and activity every day despite being elderly, and he gets upset with me if I go shopping and leave him alone for four or five hours on the weekend. He's always with me, very clingy, and is not the kind of cat who sleeps all day. Like dogs, cats also cost quite a bit to care for properly. You need to provide them with regular vet care (as well as enough money to be prepared for unexpected vet care), toys, scratching posts, brush, nail clippers, species-appropriate food (wet food for cats), beds, hard-sided crates to safely transport them to the vet and other places, etc.

I hope you can find a way to make things work!