Dog

[hannah]

Well, I gave in, bought my daughter a dog today.
I think III need to get a part time job to pay for what this might cost me in the future. How do you say no to your 10 yr. old daughter. I think we all had dog's growing up and I didn't want my daughter to miss out.
I just couldn't keep on saying no, I know III be the one up every couple of hr's taking him outside.
After all said and done I just talked to my daughter on the phone and what I heard in her voice, we'll let's just say, that's what's it all about.:)

[cdnputter]

You are a brave man, but have probably scored huge fav-daddy points.

Just curious, what breed did you pick? From a breeder or the Humane Society shelter?

[Golden Bear]

Ah, dogs aren't THAT expensive. The big cost is the vet bills, of course, but if the dog remains healthy it's nothing to worry about, and most dogs stay healthy for a long time before the big bills come. Besides, if you can afford to golf, you can afford a dog!

If you're concerned about those big vet bills that might come later, you might want to look into insurance. (Petplan is good, but stay away from PetCare.) It IS costly insurance -- a basic plan is twenty-something dollars a month -- but if your pet has something serious down the road, it saves you a bundle ... and can save your pet's life. My wife bought insurance for our cat many years ago, and it seemed like a colossal waste of money to me until he became seriously ill. With the insurance, we were able to treat him at minimal cost. Without insurance, we wouldn't have been able to afford anything but euthanasia.

But I fully expect people to roll their eyes at the idea of pet insurance, and I understand that.

Back to the topic --- good on ya for buying your little one the dog. It's a gift that will be a fond memory the rest of her life.

[hannah]

Just curious, what breed did you pick?

Bought her a Wheaton Terrier, and x with a mini Schnauzer, friends of our's her aunt has the pet store at MarkVille Mall, so I know the backgtound, Vet. gave it a clean bill of health, for the last couple of hr's the dog has been sleeping on my daughter's lamp in the family room at home, thank god for digital camera's, wife said she took many picture's of this, I think I've gathered a whole bunch of brownie pt's.

[nearace]

You see our new member of the house hes my avatar congrats on the new addition to your family,purinacare.ca is another insurance carrier for dogs.post some pics soon.

[Golden Bear]

for the last couple of hr's the dog has been sleeping on my daughter's lamp Uh oh ... buy that pet insurance NOW!!!

[hannah]

Quote:
Originally Posted by hannah
for the last couple of hr's the dog has been sleeping on my daughter's lamp

Uh oh ... buy that pet insurance NOW!!!


The dog is just starting to calm down, been shaking for a while, new surrounding's, I'm sure it will be tearing the house down before long.

[Greywolf]

Congrats, dogs are a great addition to a family, I am sure your daughter will be very happy!!!

[Leftygolfer30]

WTG Tom! You won't regret it.

A word of advice, get yourself a crate for the dog ASAP and a book on crate training. It will make the house training much, much easier. Personally, long ago I used to think they were unnecessary and a bit on the cruel side. I had the benefits explained to me by a vet and decided to try it with a golden retreiver we used to have - I had that dog house trained in less than a week! Also, dogs like having their own space and will make the crate their home.

[hannah]

WTG Tom! You won't regret it.

A word of advice, get yourself a crate for the dog ASAP and a book on crate training. It will make the house training much, much easier. Personally, long ago I used to think they were unnecessary and a bit on the cruel side. I had the benefits explained to me by a vet and decided to try it with a golden retreiver we used to have - I had that dog house trained in less than a week! Also, dogs like having their own space and will make the crate their home.

Thanks, did it and did it, family member had a good size crate and some book's, I think my wife and daughter also clean out one of the pet store's today, Walmart I tell her, but honey we were close to the pet store so we decided to shop there!!, the expense has started and most likely won't stop for a while, first vet bill today, $100, 3 mth shot and exam, I could of played some nice golf for that $$. :)

[Leftygolfer30]

Tom, honestly most of your costs will be up front. The vet bills will slow down after year 1.

The love you get from the dog will more than outweigh the money you'll spend.

[milhaus]

More uncalled for, but important advice. Spend the money and do the research to buy good dog food, spend the time to keep the dog well exercised and happy, and it'll save you $$ in vet bills, frustration in training, and make your life with your dog great. Congrats.

[dekker]

I grew up with dogs most all my life. My dad was a certified dog nut whose love for animals my mother indulged. We had up to 4 dogs at a time.I made sure my kids had a dog while they were growing and ours was a golden Lab. She was the best dog imaginable and we miss her dearly as she died 2 years ago. The kids are now out of the house but they are very animal oriented and all have dogs and cats of their own. You will treat people the way you treat your animal I was told and that's just about nuts on.

[STR82ACE]

A home without a dog is missing something IMO. Good decision. It's equally important to ensure your daughter gives it all the attention it craves...not only now, but more importantly, in the years to come. My daughter sometimes forgets that our dog is HER responsibility too, not just her mother's or mine.

A good dog will be a life long companion to your daughter, and the eternal guardian as well. With the proper amount of love from all in the family, a dog will become a valued member of the home.

[RexB]

Congrats Tom, kids and dogs just go together (memories that last for ever), Hannah must be thrilled. Is it puppy? Have you looked into obedience training?

[hannah]

Congrats Tom, kids and dogs just go together (memories that last for ever), Hannah must be thrilled. Is it puppy? Have you looked into obedience training?

Hi Rex, Hannah is thrilled, the dog is 3 mth's old and just a real charmer.
I have a feeling he will be very easy to train, he started to whine when I put him in his crate tonight when we went to bed, I went downstair's and said no and to lye down, this had to be repeated for about 3-4 time's and after the 4th time he just turned around, layed down on his pillow and put his head down.
It has been an 1&1/2 hr's and has been very quite.
Walking him tonight was a pleasure because he seemed to understand everything I was asking him to do. I might of hit paydirt here but time will tell, I just have a funny feeling about this dog, and like my neighbour said, he hasn't heard him bark once and is very playful but seem's to know when to stop and listen!!. Anyway's III tell you more when I see you at Bondhead Monday morning, hope for no rain for the 18 hole's, thank's Rex, Tom.:)

[Feherty Fan]

Congrats... Just to add some more un-wanted advice. Socialize the dog as much as possible, it makes a huge difference on how they handle meeting people or other dogs. I did this with my dog last year when I got her at 2-months old and now she loves other people. No barking or growling when meeting people or other dogs, just lots of tail wagging...