Tips
Time, budget, breed energy and honest expectations. Our checklist before you fall for the first wagging tail.
Every year we meet families who chose with their hearts and planned with crossed fingers. The happiest adoptions we see share one thing: the decision survived a boring, honest spreadsheet before the exciting part began. Dogs cost time first and money second, and both bills arrive daily for a decade or more.
Our five-question checklist
- Who is home, and when? Puppies under six months should not be alone more than a couple of hours.
- Does the breed's energy fit your real week — not your holiday week?
- Have you budgeted food, insurance, training and the inevitable swallowed sock?
- Is everyone in the house genuinely on board — including the cat?
- What is your plan B for holidays, illness and the teenage months?
Answer those on paper, then come and meet dogs with clear eyes. A good breeder or shelter will interview you as hard as you interview them — if nobody asks about your circumstances, that is your answer about them.