Should I get a puppy dog?

By:  Teresa Hestekin

Do not buy on impulse just because it's cute and snuggly, hey its going to grow up someday you know! This sweet snuggly and cute little somebody is going to take endless hours of work, commitment and responsibility! Having a family with a special canine included is not for everyone.  Dogs take a huge amount of responsibility, some people are just not meant to handle such a huge responsibility. 

You as the potential adoptor and care giver "to be" of this animal should be doing your research, your homework, and you should know exactly what you are getting into before you accept the responsibility of adopting this pet. Maybe we should refer to "adoption" as a purchase due to the fact that an adoption is meant to last forever... In Either case, you should take the responsibility to ask questions, educate yourself and learn all that you can before the adoption of any species, not after.

Why are shelters/rescue facilities so full of dogs? Animal shelters are an easy way out when the purchaser is in a bind or tires of their dog, yet breeders are the ones blamed for this! Did the breeder put the dog in the shelter? Pets are surrendered by people who invest thousands of dollars or sometimes only hundreds of dollars but in either situation they are almost always surrendered by someone who did not do their homework prior to their purchase.   If a situation such as this ever presents itself to you, you simply are guaranteeing me that you will be responsible enough to return this puppy dog to me so that I can aid in placing him/her in a new loving home.  Our puppies are not placed on a trial basis, but may be returned to us at any time in their life and for any reason. You as the adoptor are fully aware that no refunds will be given. At no time should this puppy dog be placed in any rescue organization, shelter, pound or any other such organization, and/or for any reason.   I do not ever want any of my dogs to ever ever end up on death row at any shelter, please link here to read:  How Could you?

Sometimes your living situation may change, maybe you just got married, or you have a new job, or even a baby on the way…  Please Please be sure that you understand “if you can not keep my dog for any reason, at any time in his/her life you are making this promise to me “that you will return him/her to me”.   Dogs can live for 10-15 years or sometimes even more and I want to be reassured with 100% certainty that my puppy dog will have a life long forever home.  If you can not for any reason keep him/her you will kindly return this little some body to me and I will find a new loving family to take over where you left off at.

Do you have to work late nights, are your kids in a lot of after school activities, has someone developed allergies, did you just get a new job, did you switch hobbies, go through a divorce, a job layoff, failing health????  If you can not for any reason keep him/her you are making a promise to me and also to this little puppy dog that you will kindly return this little some body to me and I will find a new loving family to take over where you left off at. 

Dogs are expensive, maybe you can no longer afford to maintain the care needs for your puppy dog.  Training and lessons too expensive, veterinary care, grooming needs, if you can not for any reason keep him/her you will kindly return this little some body to me and I will find a new loving family to take over where you left off at.

Maybe you had to make a move, down size into an apartment, move to the city, you no longer have a fenced yard or a nice dog park for those dog walks, if you can not for any reason keep him/her you will kindly return this little some body to me and I will find a new loving family to take over where you left off at.

Maybe you are just burned out from the forever work of caring for your family, working long hours, cleaning up puppy paw prints from the furniture and your home, if you can not for any reason keep him/her you will kindly return this little some body to me and I will find a new loving family to take over where you left off at.

How about if your puppy dog is having training issues, house breaking is going backwards and not forwards, maybe he/she is chewing on everything and anything in sight, if you can not for any reason keep him/her you will kindly return this little some body to me and I will find a new loving family to take over where you left off at.

Puppies do not go into new homes already trained; you need to be prepared and ready for this long emotional roller coaster.  If you are a person who gets frustrated easily or tends to give up rather then follow through with issues in life you have promised me that if you can not for any reason keep him/her you will kindly return this little some body to me and I will find a new loving family to take over where you left off at.

Dogs are pack animals by nature and will not thrive without interaction with family members. A bored dog is a destructive dog and a lonely dog a vocal dog. An untrained dog is a burden!  You have promised me that if you can not for any reason keep him/her you will kindly return this little some body to me and I will find a new loving family to take over where you left off at.

House training is probably the most important thing your puppy will learn. You need to make training a positive experience and use love, praise, and affection to truly accomplish this task. Puppies can get confused very easily, so a set schedule and potty place are essential. Taking your puppy to the same place everytime will help him understand and catch on to what is being expected of him.

Place your puppy on a consistent food and exercise schedule: Feeding him at the same time each day will "train" his digestive system. Your puppy will need to go potty shortly after he eats, usually about 15-20 minutes after his meal. Take your puppy to his potty place and let him walk around. Take your puppy for his walk after his morning breakfast and his evening meals, after playing and also before bed time.

Your puppy should never have full run of your home. For house breaking purposes your puppy will learn faster if you confine him to a kitchen, laundry room, or bathroom, and train him one room at a time. If you catch your puppy having an accident in the house, you tell him "NO" in a loud deep voice and take him immediately outside to the potty area, if he finishes going and does so in the correct place, make sure you praise him. Praise is most recognized in baby talk and with an excited tone of voice.

Remembering that puppies have so much to learn and that they are expected to learn all of this in such a short time is really an important factor. It is very important that you have a schedule and try to do things the same way each time. Puppies learn best when they are praised and loved a whole lot by everyone in their family. They need to know when they do something right and also when they do something wrong and I have found it most important to use my voice as the answer to his right and wrong issues. Baby talk is playtime and praise, a deep loud voice is used as "NO" and naughty, and when neither praise or naughty is needed, just use your regular voice. Puppies do well when they understand and get clear signals from their owners! A puppy training class is wonderful and very helpful, ask around and find a trainer in your area. Most puppy kindergarten classes will teach you how to teach your puppy. No matter how many puppies you raise, you just never know it all! Good Luck with your new puppy and if I can answer your questions or help you in any way, just let me know!

Responsible dog owners do not let their dogs run loose, they could get hit by a car, lost or hurt. If you live in an Apartment you will need to find time to walk your dog. Dogs need daily walks. Homeowners need a fenced yard for exercise, or to take the time to go for that walk.

Your children and the new puppy: We all know that puppies and children go together and are just meant to be, it is important to understand that a child cannot be expected to discipline and train a puppy on his/her own. Indeed, a young child under six needs supervision when he plays with the puppy. Over-exuberant loving of the puppy, such as hugging him too hard, could cause injuries. As a parent you should realize that even though you may want this puppy to be your childs pet more so than your own, you should understand that puppy-raising responsibilities are yours. Include your child and assign certain duties for your child to help with, but do not expect any child to take on such a big responsibility alone. As your puppy matures your child can gradually take over more and more of the responsibilities.   Dogs who are adopted or purchased by parents who believe a pet can teach a child responsibility are often times dumped into shelters but you have promised me that if you can not for any reason keep him/her you will kindly return this little some body to me and I will find a new loving family to take over where you left off at.

Rare, Exotic and Expensive?

Are you a person who likes the finer things in life, something rare, something exotic, something expensive?  Well you need to remember that the initial purchase of a dog is the cheapest and easiest step of all when it comes to caring, training and spending time with this little some body.  Dogs are expensive and dogs are very time consuming.  A dog is not a possession like a fancy car to which you can park in the garage, pull it out on Saturday and shine it up for a Sunday drive, dogs are every day work, every day care and every day love.  This little someone is going to look at you with those loving eyes, he/she is going to depend on you for every single need in his/her life.  You will not be able to park this little someone off in that garage and just pull him out on Sunday, he is there 7 days a week and 24 hours per day.  You have promised me that if you can not for any reason keep him/her you will kindly return this little some body to me and I will find a new loving family to take over where you left off at.

I do not mean to scare you away, I do not mean to deter you for getting a pet, but you need to know that everything I have wrote here is true!  You need to know that dogs are not just fun, fuzzy, sweet, but they are also work, a big investment, and oh so time consuming!  Do your research and be prepared for the good and the bad, be ready for all that comes your way and please please remember that you have promised me that if you can not for any reason keep him/her you will kindly return this little some body to me and I will find a new loving family to take over where you left off at.

Thank you!

Teresa Hestekin

715-832-9091