What made you wake up and say, “today is the day I am getting a dog!”

I mentioned above how I got to apply my questions to my own life. This question was the key as to why I didn’t get another dog. After put my girl dog GiGi to sleep, I wanted my boy dog Gentry to have a companion so he wouldn’t be lonely while I was starting to work longer hours. Hold on, being gone a lot wouldn’t be good for my new dog. I chose instead to have my dog-sitter spend a few hours a day with him when I wasn’t home. The point is that I realized that it wasn’t the right time to get another dog.

There are many different things that can affect whether or not now is the right time to get a dog. Take into account other things, deeper emotional things, that may be influencing why you have decided now is the time to get a dog. Have you recently separated from your partner? Did you move to a place where you don’t have any friends? Did your kids just leave for college? I love when people tell me they have wanted a dog for years but have been waiting until they had a house with a big yard for their dog to play in. Even while they weren’t getting a dog they were making a good choice for a dog.

Unless you are one-hundred percent sure the timing is right, you must walk away. If that one little thing you were ninety-nine percent sure wouldn’t happen becomes a reality, where will that leave your dog?

If you are (still) reading this I’m willing to wager you didn’t just wake up and think, “I don’t have anything better to do today. I’ll get a dog!” On the off chance you did, please don’t adopt a dog. At least not today.

By now you have an idea of what you need from your dog. You have also decided beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the right time to bring a dog into your life. This question is about the dog you dream about finding. It’s also about your never-ever-no-way-no-how-nuh-uh dog.

Imagine telling someone about your about your dog. How would you describe your perfect dog to them? What will you adore about your dog? You should also think about what has annoyed you about another dog you’ve met. (Don’t be shy, nobody’s grading your paper.) The biggest thing you need to ask yourself is what would make you think you adopted the wrong dog.

Are you hoping your dog will be Fearless? Affectionate? Energetic? Quiet? Mellow? Goofy? Playful? Independent? I have a trainer friend that loves to do agility trials so she adopts Border Collies. By nature they are extremely active dogs who like brain games. If you’re not someone who loves the idea of interacting with your dog like that, do not get a Border Collie.

While I’m not thrilled when I trip over Gentry because his religious beliefs require him to lie no more than six inches behind me, I need a dog that loves to be close to me so he’s still the best dog in the whole wide world for me.

I think dog drool is one of the grossest thing. When I met Gentry in the shelter I watched a puddle of drool form while he ate the treats I gave him. Like big strings of it hanging from his mouth. But even while I watched him shake his head and end up with drool on his back, I could still see he was exactly the right dog for me.

My hard-no is a dog that can’t get along with Gentry. Because of that I only go to shelters that allow people to bring their own dogs with them. (See why defining who your dog is has to start before you even leave the house?)

Will you find the dog that is exactly, in every way shape and form one-hundred percent, perfect? I’m going to go with no. There will be some coloring outside the lines. You just can’t allow yourself waiver if you see a dog do something you can’t live with. You’re hard no is a win for a dog because they won’t end up with someone who compromised too much.

Your dog will love living with if you can give them what they need. I’ll say that another way, if you are unable to give a dog what it needs, a happy marriage you will not make. Ask yourself what you’re bringing to the table.

How can you see what a dog needs while they’re living in a shelter? Toss some treats into a kennel. A dog that will hunt for a treat under their bed might love doing scent work. Do you have even the slightest bit of interest in that? While you’re outside do they just stand there and watch the ball you threw bounce away or run after it like a maniac? Did you just find the cruiser you’ve been dreaming about or wonder if you tore your rotator cuff again?

Is breed important? Yes and no. No two puppies in a litter are the same. The breed of that litter will give you a general idea of what they need. Each breed in a mixed breed dog will affect what they need. Let’s say you want a dog that doesn’t need a lot of exercise because, like me, you are a champion couch sitter. While visiting a shelter you see a German Shepherd mix happily thumping it’s tail while laying on their bed. They then roll onto their back so you have to walk to them to rub their stomach. Sheesh, that dog is so lazy they won’t even get up to get petted. No matter what that dog is doing in the moment, you won’t suddenly morph into a marathon runner so you can give the German Shepard half of that dog the physical activity it needs. If your idea of exercise is searching for the remote, don’t tell yourself that because that dog is mixed with a Pitbull, their idea of exercise will be turning their head so you can scratch their other ear. They may end up being the very first German Shepherd that’s a couch potato. Don’t bet on it. Adopt a dog that is a combo meal of lazy dog breeds.

Don’t set yourself and a dog up for failure because you cannot give your dog what it needs. You know that it is impossible for a dog to change who they are. Don’t expect that of yourself.

This isn’t about future tripping or visiting a psychic to predict your future. However, when you adopt a dog you are making a commitment that, come hell or high water, you will take care of them for the rest of their lives.

Everybody that lives in Houston knows hell and high water will come. It’s not IF there will be another hurricane it’s WHEN. You’ve gassed up the car and bought every single bottle of water you can find. You’ve got your generator ready to go. What else? Your dog. What’s your plan for your dog? Hint: they don’t serve dog food at disaster shelters.

If people followed the financial advice about getting a dog only the wealthy would own them. No matter what your income level you need to consider how you would pay for unexpected vet bills or hire a professional trainer should the need arise. As a trainer, I’ve got the first one covered. My plan for crazy vet bills is to use a credit card. I’m not saying it’s a good plan, but it is a plan. My Gentry has so many pre-existing conditions the cost of his pet insurance would be higher than mine. I do recommend that you explore that option for your dog.

This one sounds a bit morbid. Most owners don’t think about how their dog would be taken care of if something happened to them. It’s not that they don’t love their dogs beyond the beyond, they just don’t think of it. That’s not something you can put off until tomorrow. Lightening may not strike twice but it does strike.

When you get a dog, you are promising them that you’ll take care of them no matter what. How will you keep your promise? Use the Boy Scout motto; be prepared.