Did you know that Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas hit single is based on a story around Christmas time when Mariah was young and wanted a puppy but could not have it because of her father’s allergies and did not have the knowledge to maintain it? Like young Mariah, many teenagers today want a dog but may not know the pros and cons of dealing with a dog. Anyone considering adopting a dog should consider the pros and cons before deciding whether or not pet ownership is right for them.
Advantages
In order to buy a dog, you need to know the advantages of purchasing a dog and the impact along with the responsibility it takes to maintain the dog. Sometimes, people are lonely and not motivated to do anything. With a dog, you need to be on top of it. Meaning, you need to feed it, exercise it, and groom it. A dog will give you companionship and will be there with you to face all the obstacles that life throws at you. They will motivate you to get up in the morning, and will be there to greet you when you come home. Dogs also have a positive impact on your health physically and mentally.
Dogs require a maximum of two hours of exercise or more to maintain health. Often, when a dog does not have exercise, they have plenty of energy. This energy does not calm down, the dog will not know what to do and will get excited. This excitement can be bad because the dog will begin to destroy and break things around the house. When the dog is exercised, it does not have energy. It is worn out and will be sleeping all day. As a result, you will see less destruction. Walking your dog can help you with your blood pressure, reduce cardiovascular problems in the future, and control cholesterol problems.
Dogs also help people with stress related issues. When people have stress, they believe that they aren’t understood and are constantly judged. Dogs cannot talk or judge you, so they are a perfect outlet for stress and offer relief from problems.
Disadvantages
To make an accurate decision, make sure you know both sides of the story. A dog can bring many problems that will require your attention. For example, vet bills. Depending on the size of your dog, you may pay a lot at the vet.
Training is very vital in a dog’s health. If you don’t train it properly, then you get a very aggressive dog that will not be friendly. Many pet owners are interested in buying a dog but have pets in the household. You need to make sure that the dog is calm with other pets and not violent or overprotective. If the dog is not calm, then you have to train it to be calm and get along with other people and pets.
Dogs require a lot of attention too. They want your adoration and love. For some, that is great because they want to feel needed but for others they just want to come to sleep and not worry about having to pat the dog on the head. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, humans work 8.8 hours daily. Now, a dog cannot be alone for 9 hours in your house. It is not fair. As a result, you need to choose whether you want a young dog or old dog. Young dogs usually take a lot of time and effort. But when you have a middle-aged dog or a old dog, they are not really time-consuming. You still have to walk them every day, but often all they do is lay around.
Dogs bark to communicate and get their handlers attention. Sometimes, they bark too much and you may get formal complaints.
Background on Author’s Dogs:
I have three German Shepherd dogs. I know a thing or two about handling dogs and caring for them. I wake up everyday at 7am to walk them around my block 6 times in total. It is intense, but in the end they don’t destroy anything and will remain relaxed. I am going to introduce them to you.
This is my dog, she is named Penny. She is 6 and half months old and the cutest thing ever. She knows how to sit, walk, eat, and is crate-trained. I have been by her side since day one. She lives with her mom and visits her father Oliver often. Oliver lives with my father.
Penny loves playing in the Yard with her mom and uncle.
Estrella is the family dog. She is Penny’s Mom. She is two years old. She is a beautiful and sweet dog. I was with her from the day she gave birth.
Estrella is still learning how to play but she loves to chase me and my brothers.
Last but not least, Major the brat. He actually is a pretty good dog. He is two year old and is the brother of Estrella and the uncle of Penny. He is the family dog. Major was abused before we got him. My mom showed him love and compassion. He is very grateful. In this picture he refuses to stand still, so he grabs a mulch and starts barking. (He can be a little bratty.)
He is a very loyal dog and protects my family so much. All three of these dogs are young so they require training, exercise, and time.
Now, Sargey was an exception. He was a bomb-sniffer in the U.S Military. We rescued him at 5 and half years of age. He developed a disease in his hind legs and we had to put him down at 10 years of age. He protected us and wasn’t scared of anything. Our entire street knew not to mess with us because we had a dog who would do anything to protect us.
Now you have seen my dogs and all the care needed to purchase a dog and decide if it is the right choice for you!
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Benefits of Owning a Dog for Your Mental Health [Video]
Dogs really are great companions. I had a dog named Lucy, a red-nosed pit, and she would always try to protect us even when we weren’t in any danger. We had to put her down 2 years ago because of cancer, but she was the best dog my family ever owned.