My DH and I have been talking about getting a dog for awhile now. We've never had a dog before (we have two cats) and are a bit scared that we're walking into this without knowing 'the real deal' about being dog owners.

We basically want a dog for a companion for us, and for one of our cats, who is young and playful, but definitely alpha-cat, so we don't think another cat would be the best option. So obviously it would have to be a dog that got on well with cats, and since we're planning to have a child (hopefully sooner rather than later) then we'd want one that would adapt well to a growing family.

So, I wanted to ask your advice. What kind of things should we consider when looking for a dog? What kind things should we expect upon bringing a dog home? Etc. Etc. - I'm not even sure what questions to ask ... like, how difficult is it to housetrain? Would we be better off getting a puppy or an adult dog? Do you let your dog roam the house when you're not at home or crate him/her? On average, how much do you spend a year on your dog?

When I bring an animal into my home, it's for life, so I want to make sure I'm prepared about the realities of adopting a dog.

Any words of wisdom or caution would be much appreciated!

Puppies are pretty high maintenance. You'd also want to look for a dog that is good with cats. If you get a dog from a shelter, they can generally tell you the history of the dog if it isn't a stray. There are certain dogs that in general don't do well with cats.

Do you want a small dog? Medium? large? What would you like to do with your dog? Do you want a dog that would be good off leash? (Not that I recommend that but some dogs absolutely need a good fence and always to be leashed) Some dogs are fun to play with and can walk but have limits to how much they can walk. Other dogs can walk and walk and walk.

we got a puppy a year ago and OH BOY! It's basically like having a baby. You have to get up in the middle of the night to take them out when they are really little because they can't hold it. He cried to be fed at 6am everyday, and we could play with him for HOURS and he NEVER got tired! And then there is the chewing! In the end it's worth it, but if I could do it again I'd probably get an older dog. A lot of times they are already housebroken and aren't so energetic! Labs are great dogs and they are good with kids and cats...

I raised basset hounds and loved them. They can be stubborn, but are outrageously loyal and loving. Mine always got along with cats, sometimes getting beaten up because they wanted to play with cats who didn't return the feeling. They don't have a lot of genetic problems that more popular breeds can have. They love to be walked, but aren't high energy or high maintenance. They don't like being left alone for long periods of time, but if you have a cat for him to be around, then that's different. There are basset rescue organizations all over the place. The Georgia one is having an adoption event in Atlanta at the Petsmart at 1801 Howell Mill Rd NW May the 5th, from 2-4 pm, and May 20th at the Petsmart in Buckshead also from 2-4PM, just in case you want to have a look at them.

I have two mini dachshunds. They can be a handful when they are puppies, but by about 4 months old they have matured alot. For the first week or so the pup might cry at night if you crate it, and you will more than likely have to get up atleast once to let it go to the bathroom for the first month. You have to make sure they have lots of toys because they will teeth on your nice oak table if they don't have a good workout for their mouth as puppies.
I had to get a second puppy because I started needing to be away from home longer and I didn't want the other one to get lonely.
I would say that you should get a boy dog and have him neutered if you don't want a dominant dog. They are seriously more affectionate than female dogs, and not any harder to train if they are neutered.

Good luck! I want a Pomeranian, but I'm just not home enough, and we live in an apartment, so not much running around room. When we buy a house, though!

We found our dog in a private shelter five years ago -- he was 10 months old -- which meant he was already housebroken but still young enough to train in other ways. He is a black lab and great with our kids both when they were babies and now. Quite the horse though. My I recommend petfinder.com -- that's where we found him -- it tells you if a dog is kid-friendly, housebroken, etc. -- gives a picture and lets you search by bread, age, area of the country, etc.

Vet bills are a few hundred dollars a year -- plus frontline medication for for ticks/fleas, heartworm meds. Our dog roams during the day, but didn't as a young dog -- he was crated (but I'm a SAHM so it was never for more than a few hours). Exercise level matters if you work full time, you don't want a "hearding/high energy" dog, because being locked up all day stinks! Ours "runs free" in our fenced in yard -- I don't believe in letting your dog roam the neighborhood. To me, it's not a lot more maintenance than a cat -- just bigger "piles" to clean up!!

Good luck and great job making an informed decision. My sister is a veterinary technician and sees lots of dogs given away/put to sleep by people who don't realize the commitment.

Agreed.

Another option besides the shelter, if you're interested in a particular breed, is a rescue organization. Most breeds have one. If you search the Internet for the breed and rescue, such as "beagle rescue," you can find one in your area.

These places often have more history of the dog because people specifically use them to avoid kill shelters. Also, these sites can give you some background about the dog's characteristics and help you decide whether the dog may be a good fit for you.

Our beagle-girl is 6 now and, while the puppy years were interesting (I highly recommend puppy day care), she's wonderful and I wouldn't trade any moment!

WARNING: Tacky mother showing "baby" pictures!

We plan to get a beagle once we purchase a townhome. It is kind of funny in that some of the main features we want in a townhome are to accomodate any dog that we may get. We want a small yard, we want plenty of areas to walk a dog, access to a park and easy access to a doggy park. Our shelter regularly has beagles and they even had a 1 month old available recently. We do want to get a puppy or an older dog that is used to cats because we have a cat.

If you've never had dog before, even as a kid, I'd go mellow - lab or something like that. Very trainable (that's why they use the for seeing eye dogs!) Great with small critters and so on. Even though they are big, they aren't high energy and don't need lots of exercise to remain sane. I've had much smaller dogs that needed a lot more space and exercise to behave themselves than my labs. DON'T get a breed that has a high prey drive with cats in the house. Personal experience speaking here - I have a samoyed great with people, not so great with small critters like cats. We have the house divided like the Korean Peninsula. The cat gets her half, the dog gets his half, and ne'er the twain shall meet. The dog - we've now trained (it took more than a year) to leave the cat alone, but alas cats aren't trainable and she still gets mad, puffs up and hisses if the dog so much as comes in her sight. He now ignores her, and I think her puffing and hissing is a little less every day. Maybe in five years there will be a cease-fire. Get a rescue dog if you can, the world has too many unwanted dogs that need homes. Get a potty-trained adult and make your life infinitely easier. And most of all the number one rule about doggie ownership - a TIRED dog is a GOOD dog.

I agree, Luja. Tired is good!

Thanks everyone, for your responses - I really appreciate it and you've given me a lot of great info!

We've decided to wait a bit and really examine what kind of dog we'd want (not breed-wise, but activity level, age, etc.) and also wait for me to get a job (I'm in the process of looking) so a) we'd have more money to support the care of a dog and b) so a dog doesn't get used to me being around all the time and then suddenly I'm not anymore.

Catherine, thanks so much for taking the time to actually look up where the basset hound adoptions were taking place.

Jill, we would most definitely adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue group. My two cats were adopted (one from the humane society, one from our vet after he'd been left there one day) and with all the unwanted animals out there, I feel very strongly about adopting one and making it one less animal who has to be without a home.