Are you sure you want a dog?

Are you thinking about adding a dog to your family?  If you are please take some time to make sure you are selecting the right dog for your family and home.  Spur of the moment adoptions hardly
ever work out and it really confuses the dog if you take it and cannot keep your commitment to it.

First decide what kind of pet would fit in your family.  We suggest going to "google" and finding out about the different breeds, their characteristics, medical problems they may be prone to and their personality.  This is no guarantee that the dog you get will match what the breed standards say.  But at least you will get an ideal of what dogs might fit your home, get along with your children (if you have any) and may not cause you financial difficulty due to an illness that dog is prone to.  No one wants to get attached to a dog and then find out that 9 out of 10 of their breed suffer from something like hip displaya in older years. 

Do you want and energetic dog or a lap dog?  Does someone in your family run and needs a partner? 
Do you have small children under 10?  If so, most small dogs will not be happy in your home.  They are afraid of children due to the way some children will try to pick them up and carry them all the time.  Often by their neck.  Larger breed dogs are really meant for children and will give them many years as a loyal companion. 

Do you have small children yet? Statistics show that 40% of the dogs in shelters end up there because they are brought into the home before the couple has children.  When the children come along, instead of working out the problems with the dog as a member of the family, the dog is dropped at a shelter at the first snap.  With the owner repeated saying "I can't have a dog that bites."  Many young couples start out with good intentions and get a dog to practice on to see if they are ready for the commitment of children.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Taking care of a dog does require a commitment on the couples part.  The only problem is many couples consider that dog disposable after they have found out they are ready for children.  Just take a look at Craigslist if you dont' believer the statistics.  Most problems can be worked out if you seek professional help or even work with the dogs from information that you find on the Internet if you cannot afford professional help.