Do I Really Want a Pet?

So I am thinking about getting a pet.  I have narrowed it down – I’m a dog person.

Fish are too boring, lizards are too lizardy, and cats are sneaky and stuck up.  That’s how I see it anyway.  But I guess my main concern is how do you keep a clean house and a pet?  I have walked into one person’s house and smelled wet dog even before I crossed the threshold, but on the other hand, I’ve gone to another person’s home and didn’t even know there was an inside pet there at all.  What was the difference?

In hunt for the answer, I found some great information for those of us contemplating becoming dog owners.  These are a few tips that I thought were helpful:

• Think seriously about the breed you want.  For instance, some dogs shed very little, think Labradoodles and Schnauzers, while others, such as the Akitas and Siberian Huskies, have so much fur they are what the vet world calls “double-coated.”  And remember, April and September are typically the shedding months.
• Ideally, all breeds should be brushed a few quick times each week.  Better to do it beforehand and a little along versus after fur starts to fall everywhere and only once in a while.
• To avoid cleanup, it is best to brush your dog outside.
• On the norm, bathe your dog at least once a month.  Any more would disturb the natural oils in their skin.
• Keep your dog healthy.  Nothing like cleaning up dog puke.  Yikes!
• Keep pet food in covered containers.  This will to ward off unwanted pests and rodents.
• Decide which parts of the house your dog is to share with you.  Be firm about this.
• Have specific feed times and places.  But if you will be gone all day, leave out water and dry food only. 
• And lastly, if you have white carpet on your floors and woven fabric on your sofas, you might want to think twice about a dog.  It’s going to be mad crazy to keep clean.  But for those of us with hard wood floors, tile, and leather or vinyl sofas, we have a more doggy-proof home.

In the end it’s like anything else, if you want it, you’ll make the adjustments.  Me?  I don’t know…still on the fence, but at least now I’m more informed.