Is Your Family Ready for a Dog?

If you grew up with a family dog you know the import role they played in your family and they are most likely the reason why you are considering bringing one into your family now. Knowing the right time to bring a dog into your family can be difficult, especially if you have children.

Signs Your Family is Ready for a Dog

Here are some important benchmarks to identify if your family is ready for a dog:

Comfort & Respect

Bringing a dog into your family with a child that has a fear of animals is not the answer. It is import to build up your child’s comfort with animals and specifically with dogs before bringing one into your family. Try visiting a shelter or with a friends dog to introduce your child to calm dogs that are older and experienced with kids, rather than introducing them to puppies. It is also import that kids respect dogs and other animals. Just because they want to interact with the dog does not mean they should, they must learn to be gentle and learn the boundaries of when they should and shouldn’t interact with dogs.

Maturity & Responsibility

Are your children able to help with household task and remember to brush their teeth before bed? It is important for kids to have a sense of responsibility and maturity before they are expected to help care for your family’s dog. If they are going to be the main one responsible for the day to day care of the dog it may be best to wait until they are pre-teen to early teens. Even at this age we recommend checking in to make sure they are meeting expectations.

Overall Family

Is your family as a whole prepared to make the commitment of taking care of a dog? Everyone wants to be there for the fun things like playing but we all know taking care of our dogs isn’t always fun. Your family has to have the right energy level to be able to give them the exercise they require on a daily basis. It really is important that the whole family is on board with the idea of taking care of the dog together.

Financially Prepared

Dog ownership can be a major financial commitment. Keeping your dog healthy and happy means that your family will also be financially responsible for feeding them, training them and regular/unexpected vet visits. This should be an important part of your decision whether your family is ready to take on the ownership of a dog.

There are lots of benefits to being a dog owner, and if you feel that your family is ready to make the jump into dog ownership we assure you that with the proper care your dog will bring you a lifetime of joy. The companionship, lessons in responsibility, emotional benefits and other perks will help your family to grow together.