Can you commit?
Dogs can live a long time, my little girl (staffordshire bull terrier cross jack russell) lived until she was 19 years old!
Make sure you are ready for the long term commitment of owning a dog and have an appropriate future schedule for that e.g. holidays, moving home etc.
Have you got the time?
Dogs, especially from puppies, are very time consuming and energetic, you need to make sure you have the time to look after your puppy/dog.
If you do work full time and want a dog it is possible, perhaps think of investing in a dog walker/sitter or get a family member or friend to look after/check in on your dog whilst you're at work.
Are you ready for the challenge?
Any sort of dog can be challenging when you first have them (and even after), but puppies especially need the most training and care; make sure you are prepared for the challenge of coming to own a puppy/dog, dealing with problems like, chewing, biting, messing on floors; consider training classes or research intensely about training behaviours from puppies/dogs.
Have you got the right home environment?
Do you live somewhere with a back garden or an easy accesible park area that you can walk your dog. Is it safe and comfortable for them in the home; warm places they can sleep.
If you live in rented accomodation, make sure you are allowed pets where you live.
What is the right breed for you?
Another important consideration to make is choosing the correct breed for you; this could also be connected to your surroundings, for example if you live in a small apartment then a larger dog such as a labrador may not be appropriate as they wouldn't have much space to roam.
Have you got the budget(s) for a puppy/dog?
It's ok buying or coming to own a dog but most people don't consider the costs that come after you own the dog, such as food, toys/bedding and most importantly vets bills!
If you have a bitch or a dog you may want to consider getting them spayed/neutered, which is costly, yet will stop silly behaviours and bleeding(from bitches) around the house.
Hopefully your dog will not become ill often, if at all, however it does happen and this, again, is very costly at the vets(they know we'll pay it for our loved animals).
Should you adopt/rescue or buy a puppy/dog?
Adopting and rescuing dogs/puppies are brilliant ways of coming to own pets, however can be challenging; dogs can be coming from troubled homes and may develop behavioural problems (try and get the background of the dog before adopting), if you are a first time dog owner rescuing a troubled dog is not necasserily reccomended, as a lot of time and training is needed.
When buying a puppy you need to make sure they are coming from responsible, registered breeders; a lot of breeders will be breeding dogs without the correct information, facilities and accredidation, and all of these qualities are very important when breeding dogs as environment, socialisation and health is vital when breeding puppies.
You can find accredited puppy breeders on the kennel club website:
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