Should I be getting a dog?

Question

A friend offered me a dog. Here's the information she gave me so far:
- One year old
- Black labrador retriever
- Already trained
- Free with a dog house

I plan on asking more questions about the dog.

My real question is, should I be getting this dog?

I am:
> a 13 yr old girl
> busy with sports (everyday after school (except on Wed.'s) until 4:30, sports on weekends, 8:00 1 hour practice on Wed's)
>I've had pet experience (2 rabbits)
>I'm responsible
>I live in a medium sized house
>I have a front and back yard
>I live in a safe and nice town
> no financial problems

I was actually planning on having the dog inside.

I'm still trying to convince my mom.

Answer 1

Yes you should get it. There are people who have jobs and work all day and still have dogs who are all right. He/she is already trained, so you don't have to worry about that. You have a front and back yard to keep it busy while your gone, and a free dog house for it to sleep in when it gets tired. Its not too old. I would say that you have a good deal.

Answer 2

I agree with the asking your parents. Especially with the "free with a dog house." A dog house implies that this dog will be outside. It is not fair to a dog to have him/her tied outside all the time and I think this is especially hard on Labs because they sooooo want to be part of the family. Is the dog HOUSE trained? That is a very important point to talk over with your parents. I would let my daughter (9) bring home a dog that wasn't trained at all because I know that I can handle training a dog while she is at school, etc and I feel that if the dog destroys something in the house, it was probably time to get rid of it anyway and the dog is more important than things. Most parents aren't like that. They will flip if the dog ruins the carpet or chews up the furniture and make their kids get rid of the dog. Be sure that they know all the information and that you all as a family have a plan to take care of the pup. One solution for nights you aren't home - ask your parents if a friend you trust or a cousin that lives nearby could come over and play with the dog to give it more exercise. There are lots of kids whose parents cant keep dogs who love them and would love an opportunity to play with one! When I was a teen I used to let my neighbor's Yorkie out when she wasn't home. She gave my parents the key and I just took it when I let her pup out.

Answer 3

I would say you should because a pet teaches you responsibility and to care for something. If you are busy with sports i's actually pretty great for the dog. Go practice and you can take your dog with you. Let him run around. Put the dog house in the backyard. If you have younger siblings than I would recommend making a small cage and letting the dog out all the time except when the little kids go outside. Good luck & hope I helped.

Answer 4

because of you being at sports games after school, r there any other people at home to be with the pup? You would need to find at least fourty minutes each day to walk and play with ur dog, Longer if possible. Dont let it get your rabbitts! Remember to take it to puppy school at ur local vet, you and ur puppy would learn heaps! If it is a bit too big for that take him to Dog trainingfor at least a term.

Ask more questions first EG.
-Boy/Girl?
-Lazy or Wild?
-Friendly or Grouchy?

Remember to check the dog out for a wet nose and no lumps on the skin if there is a lump on the skin it could be an infection from an injection or cancer.(get it checked out)

Because it is already trained it seems good to go!
And other than the sports you seem ready too.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

You seem like you would be a good dog owner, since you are asking this question before taking the leap. I have a black lab mix, and she is the sweetest thing, and she makes us happy, but we also walk her for an hour every day, so that she doesn't feel cooped up and gets plenty of exercise. If you can dedicate the time to walk the dog every day, then I think you should do it. 4:30 is not too late in the day to be able to get home and walk your dog. I don't get home from work until 6:00 everyday, but we still are able to walk our dogs.

Answer 6

First I would ask Mum and Dad if they will allow you to have this dog. Then think about all your commitments, do you really have enough free time to give this dog your care and attention as they need walking and grooming each day as well as keeping their bedding,eating bowls and living area clean plus cleaning up after they've been to the toilet? Dogs can be expensive to look after with food, vet bills (injections and check-ups) and then what about holidays, who will look after it when you and your family are away, could you afford Kennel fees? You will be taking on a BIG responsibility. Remember a dog can live up to 18 years old. My present one is 17 yrs old and still going strong.

I do hope this helps and if you do decide this dog is for you, then I hope you both have a long and happy time together. They are wonderful companions/friends.
x

Answer 7

If you're planning on it being an outside dog (mentioning the doghouse) then absolutely not.
Dogs are pack animals and their families are their packs. They don't like to be alone.
When people get "outside dogs," it's usually good at the beginning. They play with the dog and take it for walks. But then the novelty starts wearing off, and people start getting busy. Eventually the dog only sees it's people when they run out to give it food and water (if it's lucky)
This leads to a bored, unhappy dog. They usually start barking and/or digging and other things that become a nuisance to the family. So the dog gets yelled at to shut up or stop digging. The lucky ones don't get kicked. They tend to get dumped at a shelter.
Think about it, if you had to spend day after day in the same area with no companionship with nothing to do, you'd be miserable. Why do that to a dog?

If you're palnning on keeping the dog inside, then talk to your patents. They will be paying the vet bills. You are vbusy and it will get worse as you get older. Are they willing to chip in to help with exercise?

Answer 8

13 year old is old enough in my book.

Labs are very smart and need exercise. Since you're into sports, maybe you can consider geting him out for a walk for 30 mins everyday?

Rabbits are different than dogs in a sense that your dog needs to bond with you, and you need to train him to respect you. So you would need to spend time with him/her. I think you can still spend time with the dog if you usually have some TV time/something else you do for fun--you can use that time to walk the dog / bond with the dog by repeating training drills. :)

You mentioned you have no financial problems--does that mean you/your family is able to provide for vet bills or dog sitting bills?

Last by not least--what do your parents say? That would be the most important answer to consider.

Good luck.

Answer 9

The biggest challenge you'll face is to have enough to time to exercise and train your dog (trainng never really stops). Also consider that labs have an average lifespan of 10-12 years and you'll probably be going to college or to work in about 5 years and possibly be moving to place where you can't keep a dog. Are your parents willing to take it on at that point?

Answer 10

The big question is are your parents willing to let you get this dog? Next question, does your back yard have a fenced in secure yard? As busy as you are, you will definately need help from your family. He will need to be walked and exercised daily. I would also find out why this person wants to give this dog away. Good luck with your decision.