Involve kids in dog choice or surprise?

[Anonymous]

I chose the breed after very consideration of our situation and limitations. (Beagle.) I knew I would not be able to run with the dog every day, so it couldn't be a very active dog that needed tons of exercise. I knew that I couldn't wrangle the dog all alone if it weighed more than about 30 pounds. I didn't want to spend lots of money on foreseeable medical problems associated with certain breeds like hip issues. I didn't want to spend a lot on grooming. It had to be a dog bred for gentle family play and not a big barker. Once I chose the breed, I then had to choose a breeder who raised this type of dog in a way that would prepare them for a family. I was lucky enough to find a kennel with an excellent reputation that had a dog almost ready for a pet home. They had to inspect our home and interview me. They went through an extensive "training" in how to care for this breed. I had to have new fencing put up to make sure that the dog could play safely outside without escaping.

My son went with me to meet the dog once we were approved and knew that we'd be getting him. Then we waited a few more weeks until he was ready to come home with us. This breeder has their pups stay together for a full 3 months to help with their socialization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I chose the breed after very consideration of our situation and limitations. (Beagle.) I knew I would not be able to run with the dog every day, so it couldn't be a very active dog that needed tons of exercise. I knew that I couldn't wrangle the dog all alone if it weighed more than about 30 pounds. I didn't want to spend lots of money on foreseeable medical problems associated with certain breeds like hip issues. I didn't want to spend a lot on grooming. It had to be a dog bred for gentle family play and not a big barker. Once I chose the breed, I then had to choose a breeder who raised this type of dog in a way that would prepare them for a family. I was lucky enough to find a kennel with an excellent reputation that had a dog almost ready for a pet home. They had to inspect our home and interview me. They went through an extensive "training" in how to care for this breed. I had to have new fencing put up to make sure that the dog could play safely outside without escaping.

My son went with me to meet the dog once we were approved and knew that we'd be getting him. Then we waited a few more weeks until he was ready to come home with us. This breeder has their pups stay together for a full 3 months to help with their socialization.

This sounds extreme as how do they do out of state home visits? And, a fence for outside. We made our yard dog proof but we'd also never leave our dog outside alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We chose the dog and told our kids we were going to get it that weekend. One kid complained the whole way and back and took weeks to warm up to the dog. Other kid likes another dog at the breeder better than that we were getting. If Id left it up to the kids, we would have no dog.

Mine said no dog for a good six months and now I have to yell at them to leave to dog alone. Kid wanted a cat. Not happening.

[Anonymous]

"This sounds extreme as how do they do out of state home visits? And, a fence for outside. We made our yard dog proof but we'd also never leave our dog outside alone."

Well, I lived in DC at the time and they live about 2 hours away. They made the trip after finding a convenient time for us. They are very responsible about making sure that any dogs they breed are placed into safe and loving homes. They have a huge wait list for their puppies, so they don't have to worry about finding people outside of the Mid-Atlantic to take their dogs. But they travel all over for dog shows and to have their dogs breed with other dogs, so maybe they'd do visits then. I just know that I would be uncomfortable financially supporting a breeder who doesn't care about the homes they're their placing dogs into.

Our dogs love to do backyard perimeter patrol every morning for a good 15 minutes before coming back inside for breakfast. I spend that time making my coffee and scrambling my eggs. It's no big deal, especially since we have underground barriers on the 6' fence to prevent digging out.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand this idea of intentionally hiding how life works from your kids. This is isn't sex and violence that needs an age gate. Adopting a pet is a regular part of life and kids learn about life from being involved in their family.

[Anonymous]

I chose the dog breed. We had to have a specific type of breed to help with allergies. I found the breeder and reserved the dog. But, I let my kids know every step of the way. They weren't involved in the decision making, though. I've had many dogs. They've never had a dog. I knew what I was looking for. The dog is awesome and a good boy.