Two Big Things To Think About Before Getting A Dog

I'm a major dog lover, so you need to know that I think you should adopt a dog! But, as a dog owner, I know there are two major dynamics of dog ownership that many people do not think of before getting one. They are not problems, but rather just things to prepare for so that you can enjoy having your new furry friend even more!

Scheduling
You've had a long day. There is a game on you're dying to watch. Your best friend calls and says she and all your other buddies managed to land a table at the busiest sports bar in town—and it's right up the street from your work! How perfect! This day couldn't have ended any better! Just zip on over there and…oh wait! You have a dog who has been at home alone for 6 hours. He can't be left alone any longer. He will have an accident in the house if not painfully hold it in even longer because he is so well behaved! Not to mention, he needs dinner!

This scenario is all too common. You'll have to cut activities short or stop the day at awkward times to take care of your dog. Establish a friendship with a neighbor—this could even be a teenage kid—who is often home and can take care of your dog for you. Offer them a small fee. Maybe just $15 each time you call them up at the last minute to feed the dog and take him around the block. Make them a spare key.

My friend, a singing teacher, owned a dog who would happily sit under the piano as her owner taught teenagers how to sing better. She would get frequent strolls in between singing lessons. Then one day, my friend got asked to start teaching music lectures at the neighborhood community college twice a week. She was so honored! But—uh oh. She hadn't realized how lucky she'd been to set her own hours and work from home before. She almost couldn't take the teaching gig but luckily she arranged to have a neighborhood kid take care of her pup during the day.

A tiny accident can cost a lot
I once forgot to close a cabinet all the way that had my dogs liver flavor (and scented) painkillers in them. And he ate the entire bottle. He had to be rushed to the hospital. Forget the near anxiety attack I had at the thought of losing my precious pet, that all culminated in a $600 bill to have his stomach pumped and get him all sorts of recovery meds.

You need to develop sharp doggy-safety radar. You need to make sure every cabinet and door is shut tight. You need to make sure all chairs are pushed in at tables so the dog doesn't climb onto them. Make sure you don't have any snacks left in purses you have lying around. It may seem like a pain, but it's really just an extra five or ten minutes before leaving the house, versus an hour or three at the pet hospital and hundreds of dollars out of your pocket because you overlooked something.

Vera Esther covers topics in luxury living, healthy habits and relationships. Her articles and blog posts have been published on dozens of websites and her unique titles such as "How to Tell If You're A Dating Addict" and "Improve Your Voice With Your Computer" (an article about an interactive site created by a renowned Los Angeles voice coach) have grabbed the attention of various audiences.