what is required to own a dog? a pit / lab mix... will be about 2-3 months old when we get it.?

Question

my husband wants a new puppy--supposedly it comes with it's puppy shots, that's about it.

we live in the city.
what will we need to get for the puppy?
does it need licensed, more shots?
special food?
how much do these things cost???

will it try to hurt my cats?
can it be left outside or do we have to have it in our tiny little house with my 3 grown cats & newborn baby??

believe me, i don't WANT to get a dog!!
but my husband already has dibs on one that's not even born yet...
i sorta want to get an idea of how much it will cost so i can show him our budget & ask how we're supposed to afford a dog when we don't even have room in the budget for disposable diapers.

okay, so i've got NO answers that i have found useful-- i need to know what else is required, so i can tell my husband...

Answer 1

I spend about 500 a year on my dog. This includes all shots, heartworm tests amd meds, and Frontline (for fleas and ticks). Spaying/ neutering costs anywhere from 100 to 300. Check with your city about dog permits, some require them some don't (some will NOT allow you to have a pitt or pitt mix, and with reason). You will need a crate, a must have, those are about 60-150, a pad for the crate, and food and water bowls. Look at spending around $200 on 'stuff' aside from the cost of the dog. Don't forget lots and lots of chew toys, and ask the breeder if they can put a towel or something in the whelping box for a few days before you bring the puppy home. The scent of his mom and litter mates will be very comforting to him. Be preapred to lose a lot of sleep as puppies will cry the first few nights, plus you will have to start potty training right away and this requires yo to get up several times in the middle of the night. I have always bought Puppy Chow brand dog food. Vets will try to get you to spend mucho denero on expensive brands, don't buy into the hype!

Now that that's out of the way, I have to ask, why in the world would he want a pit bull mix around a BABY?? I have a lab and a pom, great dogs, but still watch them around my 3 y.o. I used to be a vetrinary technician and I can tell you from experience, that these dogs can have the best owner in the world and will still turn on them. All the vets I've worked with agree that this a breed that should be eradicated because they have undergone excessive uncontrolled breeding, thus the bad attributes are exaggerated in their temperament. I'm a huuuuge dog person, but can't stand this untrustworthy breed. I knew a guy who loved his dog, treated him better than most humans, and had to shoot his own dog because he wouldn't let him in his own house. A pitt of course. Dog was fine, never bit or acted agressive towards anyone, he just flipped. Pitts and Rotts have a hereditary health condition that should make you pause as pregnant woman. Their brains often outgrow the size of their skull creating pressure.The pressure causes the dog to act very, VERY agressive without notice. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if your dog has this condition until they've mauled someone. For an adult to assume responsibility is one thing, but I just don't believe in taking chances like that with kids. If I was you I would put my foot down and tell him absofuckinglutely NOT. I would leave my dh if he came home with a pitt! Seriously! Like, who do you love? Your kid or this dog? Know what I mean? Especially when you consider there are breeds that have excellent temperaments to have a round children, but will still act as guardian when needed.

If you have a small home I suggest getting a smaller dog, especially considering it will still be a lumbering puppy with no sense of size or proportion (stepping all over the baby, egaads)! I love the little Norwich Terriers, adorable, smart, guardian. Keep in mind how much you are willing to walk him and if you have a fenced yard or not. If you don't have a yard, walking is required and if you're lazy like me and you get an 'active' breed, well then my dear, that is a recipe for disaster!

I would suggest going to the pound, but I don't reccommend that for people with small children as the dog will have a 'history' and that's scary when with kids.

Good luck, hope this helps!

Answer 2

If they are stating the puppy will have it's shots already.... that's only the first set of them and you will have to get the others. Puppies need a series of shots during the first few months and then once yearly after that.
As far as food goes... you won't know until you get the puppy. For example: if you chose to feed him/her a low cost food, that might not work out in the long run b/c some dogs are prone to food allergies and have to have special foods (ESPECIALLY Labs!) and then if you continue feeding an allergy prone dog the cheap food, your medical bills will only grow higher and higher!

One other point I left out of your other question.... Do you have a fenced yard??? That is a BIG factor!!! We had just moved into our new house when our son was born and hadn't had a fence put up yet. That meant, SEVERAL times a day, when Lud needed to go potty, we had to take him out on a leash and wait for him to find the perfect spot to go. That only lasted for about a week, a fence was a MUST b/c I didn't have time to do that anymore w/ the new baby. With a fenced yard, you can open the back door, let them out to take care of their business, and let them back in. Without this advantage, it can be a pain in the butt if you are home alone w/ a newborn. You don't want to have to take the tiny baby out in the cold or rain several times a day if you don't have to.

(No worries w/ the cats. They will hate the puppy at first but be best friends in the long run. If it were a full grown dog who already has a different opinion about cats... that could be a different story.)

Answer 3

You say you live in the city. Do you have a fenced yard for the dog? Can it go out to do his thing? You will have to train it.

What do we need for the puppy? Food, water and a place to sleep, a doggy bed or as i do, my dogs sleep on my bed with me. You will need a lot of paper towels to clean up after the pup until it is trained.
Secure the garbage to keep it out of it. Don't leave anything you don't want chewed up laying around, remotes, the phone.

Most cities require a incense. To get that the dog will have to have a Rabies shot. You will have to continue the puppy shots until the puppy is about 5 months when you can get the Rabies shot. You also have to consider Heart Worm medication and flea protection. My Vet. provides a puppy plan that covers all the shots and worming and the necessary medication up until the Rabies vacation, about 5 months old for $250.00. Could run up to $450.00. Then every year you should get boosters of the shots. The heart worm and flea medication is not cheap.
A dog is going to part of the family and you don't want to let it slip by the side. Just as you would do anything for you cats.
Now for your cats. They are older and will put the puppy in its place in a hurry. I know as I have been through it. The puppy will be wild but the cats will not put up with it, they will teach the pup, don't mess with me. A claw in the nose does wonders.
If you are going to get a puppy it should be part of the family. Keep it as an indoor dog. A Pit/Lab should be a great dog. I have two pits that the most lovable dogs in the world. They adore my one year old grandson. When my grandson was about a month old and my daughter sat him on the floor in his carrier the Pit would go over and lay next to him and would stay there for an hour to keep an eye on him. I guess that why the Pit is called the "Nanny Dog". They are so great with children.

Answer 4

i hate to do this..but i agree with every one that said to wait.. wait till after your baby is born. A baby is so big.. why complected by adding a big dog to the mix,, you know?
I had a little Yorkie.. and when i was preg.. i let him stay with my father, i didn't want to deal with the dog and a new baby at the same time. I loved this dog, he was a bit possessive of me, it was just special to me.. well a few months after the baby was born i decided to bring him back home. Well he would growl at the baby, he would get so mad when i wouldn;t play with him bc i was caring for my baby... and once i found him trying to take the babies bottle.. well after about a month i made the very very hard choice to get rid of the dog for good. i was painful, and horrible.. but i asked my self..if this tiny dog got mad and bite my four month old would i ve lived to live with my self?? How could i choose to keep him, and put my baby in danger?
It was a hard choice.. but it was the right choice. She is now four years old... and are THINKING of getting a dog. We'll see... all will come at the right time.
I decided to share this with you just so you can think about... not to (in any way) bash your choice. OK? Just a friendly, sharing of stories.
:P

** It will be costly.. shots are not cheap. I've spend hundreds on just basic medical care for that yorkie (easy over a $1000 in the first year). call your local vet and ask for prices for the shots required.
Now food, for a large dog will not be cheap. I good bag of food atleast 20 bucks, then depending on how much he eat.
Some state require ins to own certain large dogs.. i dont know about the state you live in.. you can call your vets office, or even city hall.

I've found some wedsite that are very helpful!!

Answer 5

1.) Labs and Lab mixes 2.) Pits and Pit mixes 3.) Toy dog mixes (mostly mixed with toy poodle or chihuahua) 4.) German Shepherds and GSD mixes ETA: I also must add that there are a lot of GSD/Lab and GSD/Akita mixes here. People really like breeding those together, I guess. The Akita part really confuses me because it's not the breed you would expect.

Answer 6

I have 3 dogs that are inside dogs. We have a fenced back yard that they use also. I spend about 800 a year for check ups, flee & tick meds and worm prevention. Add about $200 every two years for shots. The license in my county is about 10 each. I go through a large bag of dog food a week so I use "fit & trim which costs about $18 at walmart. I buy them chew toys, vitamins, tooth paste every month which is about $50 (i buy when on sale). One of my dogs has allergies & I use the over the counter benedryl. Now if they get sick & need to see the vet just to walk in costs me $55 each. More for meds. I actually waited until my kids were teenagers before i allowed them to have pets. My dogs sleep on towels for they are just as good as a dog bed but much cheaper and easier to wash. Collars & leashes aren't too expensive depending on what type you purchase for your dog. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

"can it be left outside or do we have to have it in our tiny little house with my 3 grown cats & newborn baby??"

Why on earth are you getting a dog if you admit that you cannot provide a good home for it???

Why would you get a pit bull with a newborn baby...or any other dog for that matter.

Please don't get a dog!

Answer 8

not a good choice of a mixed breed for first time owners,, dogs LIVE INSIDE,, training a pup will take as much , if not more time than it does caring for a newborn....

wait

Answer 9

Don't get a pit bull because they are antisocial.