Are you ready to adopt a dog

Ornaments from A Couple of Artists for Wildlife Conservancy
10% of proceeds from ornaments sold will be donated to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

There are so many good points to owning a dog that it is too often easy to forget that having a dog entails a lot of responsibility. Too many dogs end up in shelters because their owners were unable or unwilling to properly care for them. Dogs CAN comprehend abandonment--don't unfairly raise a dog's hope for a love that he or she can't count on. Like people, they can get past troubled times and move on with their lives, but be kind. Avoid further scarring of a precious psyche. They will love you forever. You owe them the same.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF....

ARE YOU PREPARED TO...

Take full responsibility for this dog and all of its needs for the next 10-15 years?
This is NOT a task that can be left to children!

Invest the considerable time, money and patience it takes to train the dog to be a good companion?
(This does not happen by itself!!!!)

Always keep the dog safe; not running loose, riding in the back of an
open pick up truck or chained outside for hours at a time?

Make sure the dog gets enough attention and exercise?
(Many large dogs need several hours of both, every day!!)

Live with shedding, retrieving, drooling and high activity for the next 10-15 years.

Spend the money it takes to provide proper veterinary care including but certainly not limited to:
vaccines, heartworm testing and preventative, spaying or neutering and annual check ups?

Become educated about the proper care of the breed, correct training methods
and how to groom? (There are many good books available, invest the time to read a few.)

Take your questions to an appropriate professional before they become problems that are out of hand?

Have the patience to accept (and enjoy) the trials of puppyhood,
which can last for three years, and each stage afterward?

Continue to accept responsibility for the dog despite inevitable life changes
such as new babies, kids going off to school, moving or returning to work?

Resist impulse buying, and instead have the patience to make a responsible choice?

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Francis's Dog House