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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My kids are eager to have a dog, but they're too young to grasp the responsibilities involved. Should I allow them to get one now and take care of it myself, hoping they'll take over as they grow older? Or should I wait for them to better understand what it would entail?[/quote]

[b]We adopted our dogs in our late 20s [/b]prior to having kids because we are bleeding heart dog people. The dogs are our dogs and we take care of them. If I had wanted my kids to actually take care of our dogs (feed, walk, schedule and take to vet visits, provide training, etc.) I would have waited until my children were 13+ and probably older. [/quote]

We did the same. That dog passed away when kid was about 9, and we adopted another (adult) dog that, if it lives a full life, will pass when kid is in high school. That timing is pretty perfect and even so, kid cannot be the primary caretaker.

If you get a puppy or young adult dog when your kid is 13+, that's going to be your dog when the teens move out, which is the majority of the dog's life. And you will still need to be the primary caretaker in the puppy stage, unless your teen is unusually reliable and patient and unscheduled. [/quote]

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