8 Signs You're Ready to Get a Puppy ...

A puppy needs a whole lot of attention, girls, and if you’re working nine to five, chances are, you aren’t going to have time to give it what it needs. Healthy, happy dogs grow up with lots of human contact and care so if you’re potential puppy will have to spend whole working days locked in the kitchen, you’re schedule’s just not ready for a dog.

Those of you with dogs will know that training one is no easy task. It involves lots of mopping up puddles and disposing of mess, and it also requires that you are infinitely patient. If you’re the kind of person who snaps and gets angry all the time –because of stress at work or whatever the reason – you’re going to find a puppy very trying. Young dogs respond best to a firm but ultimately forgiving attitude; there’s just no place for real anger in training a dog.

Even a little dog needs a substantial amount of room to roam around in. If you’re living in an apartment with a concrete yard, your dog will need to be walked a couple of times a day and in a place where it can really stretch its legs and run around. Unless you have a garden, or a vast, dog-friendly park around the corner, you’re probably better sticking with a cat for the time being.

Before you get yourself a puppy, you need to ask if you can afford the cost of dog maintenance. Regular visits to the vet for check-ups as well as injuries are not easy on the wallet, and neither is dog food. Be sure to look into your budget before you take on this kind of financial responsibility and only go for it if you are confident you have enough cash.

It’s very unfair to get a puppy, bond with it and then emigrate a month later. A dog, like a child, needs stability – at least for the first part of its life. You should only consider getting one if you know you won’t be jetting off in the very near future.

If you’re in a job that requires you to travel all the time, you can’t have a puppy. Unless you have a partner with whom you share dog responsibilities, puppies are just not reconcilable with the jet-set lifestyle. A dog that spends most of its life in kennels is not really yours, after all, and it’s certainly not enjoying the best life it could.

If you are very house proud, it’s probably not a great idea to get a puppy. They’re messy little things, particularly during their infant and adolescent years, and if you value your carpet more than a dog, then having one in your home is just going to cause trouble.

A lot of people nowadays want dogs – usually of a particular breed – for a whole range of really suspect reasons. A puppy is NOT a fashion accessory and so buying one to put in your handbag is not an option. Similarly, you don’t want to buy a dog only for protection; a dog that lives outside in a yard and whose sole purpose is to bark at potential burglars will not be a happy animal. When you get your puppy, you should do it because you genuinely want to share your life with the animal, not relegate it to your purse or chain it to a kennel.

Ladies, if you can’t genuinely say you tick every one of these boxes, you shouldn’t get a dog. To me, these 8 signs you’re ready for a puppy are non-negotiable; what are your thoughts? Anything to add?

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