Finally! I feel the same about dogs. Kids will ask for a fluffy puppy one day and the next their parents will get one from the pet store. With no supplies, even knowledge, any idea of training, or grooming needs. They'll get some tiny little teacup puppy that has all kinds of issues and is probably from a puppy mill. They'll keep it in a kennel all day with no exercise. spend about After about a few weeks the kid will get tired of the puppy and the parents will be worn out from the work. They end up being dumped. Ducks, chickens, rabbits, ferrets, hamsters, cats, and dogs, are like having a baby. A long commitment, a lot of work, money, and patience.
I dedicated every second to my puppy when she was little. And I still do, for both my dogs. It takes hours to wear them out. And they're 4 and 10lbs. And they need lots of grooming. Twice a day for 15-30 (depends on if they're tangled or if we're going somewhere) mins each time. They have long hair and high grooming needs (Yorkie and Maltipoo). They are also both very smart. I spend about 15 mins a day practicing tricks. When they were little I also taught them basic obedience of course too, like to stop barking when told, or not to jump on strangers, ect.
And potty training took time. They both have such small bladders. When Rosie was little we had to let her out every 15 mins. I'm not joking. We taught her to go straight outside and not on pads (pads feel like carpet to them, and it's inside). We've still had a bunch of accidents though. And of course where you get them is important. Either rescue one and prepare for lots of health issues and high vet bills, or get one from a good breeder and wait for a while and pay a lot of money ($1,500 - 5,550). Vet bill are very expensive too. Regular puppy shots, possibly worms, joint and hip for older dogs, and emergency costs. And those are only a few. And you'll need a good food brand. Something without lots of fillers like wheat, grain, soy, or peas. I decided not to go grain free since it's just replaced with peas which my dogs are very allergic to. I use Fromm, no recalls, good ingredients, made in USA, and has been around for 100+ years. Raw diets are great too. Dogs are carnivores and need high protein from meat.
Oh gosh, this is really long. Sorry about that xD
