jdawnc
Cathlete
For the first family pet I would also try a cat. Cats are great and don't need as much attention as dogs and can be left at home for long periods of time. My BIL has allergies to short haired cats but not long hair cats, weird.
A dog is a huge responsibility! If I knew what I know now I probably wouldn't have a large dog. You have to realize the amount of food they eat, the grooming that is required, the do do pick up in the back yard, and the training. We took our dog to training and it was the biggest eye opener for us. Hmmmm we bought a breed doing no research and bought him because he was so cute. Guess what, we ended up with a dog that is very protectively aggressive and only likes people he has already been introduced to. Training was a nightmare, we were the special ones in the class. The trainers were awsome and tought us a ton and we know our dogs behaviors and what to do in certain situations. The Halti was the best dog invention ever IMO.
We love our dog very much and the pros outweight the cons but they are very time consuming and you cant leave a weeks worth of food and a fresh litter box like you can with a cat for a few days. Not to mention it is a lot easier to find someone to look after your cat then a large dog.
If you already have a hectic schedule a dog will only make it that much more.
A dog is a huge responsibility! If I knew what I know now I probably wouldn't have a large dog. You have to realize the amount of food they eat, the grooming that is required, the do do pick up in the back yard, and the training. We took our dog to training and it was the biggest eye opener for us. Hmmmm we bought a breed doing no research and bought him because he was so cute. Guess what, we ended up with a dog that is very protectively aggressive and only likes people he has already been introduced to. Training was a nightmare, we were the special ones in the class. The trainers were awsome and tought us a ton and we know our dogs behaviors and what to do in certain situations. The Halti was the best dog invention ever IMO.
We love our dog very much and the pros outweight the cons but they are very time consuming and you cant leave a weeks worth of food and a fresh litter box like you can with a cat for a few days. Not to mention it is a lot easier to find someone to look after your cat then a large dog.
If you already have a hectic schedule a dog will only make it that much more.