A couple of weeks ago, my husband’s aunt mentioned that her friend’s Dachshund just had a litter of long-haired puppies. She asked if she should keep us in mind. We talked about it over the next few hours and then threw our hats into the ring.
Over the next few days we went over all the little things, good and bad, that would come along with having a puppy.
Puppy Pros
- CUTE! That is the biggest selling point. Puppies are freaking adorable!
- Will have grown up in our household. Our two dogs were middle-aged rescues that came with some issues that we can’t untrain. Miss Doxie is a racist and Mr. Pug is scared silly of small children for the first hour they are in the room.
- May keep Miss Doxie young. Miss Doxie is 13 years old now but small animals and kids seem to revive her quite a bit. She gets peppy.
Puppy Cons
- Time. I know I’d be spending significant time every day on everything puppy since Mr. BFS would only be home during the day on weekends and school holidays.
- Money. All of the shots and having a dog fixed adds up to a few hundred dollars right there. Then there are the basics like food and emergency funds to deal with.
- Potty training. I have never potty trained a dog…that would be messy.
- Teething. I remember one of my dogs growing up when it was a puppy – it chewed on everything!
- Interaction issues with our other two dogs – Mr. Pug and Miss Doxie. What if they didn’t all get along?
- Having three dogs at once. It would be alot and asking my in-laws to take care of three dogs when we go out of town would be alot to ask as well.
Okay, we aren’t stupid. I know that those cons completely outweigh the pros, but did I mention that puppies are sooooo cute?!
In the end, it didn’t matter. The puppies’ owners started asking $400 per pup. We didn’t even think about the fact that they may be asking big money for the little cuties. Mr. BFS and I both balked at the price and decided we were better off not starting a new adventure right now anyway. Plus, when we are ready, we rather adopt another rescue…they get puppies too. So, sometimes, things just happen the way they should. 
Have you recently avoided a bad decision? Or have been presented with a good one unexpectedly?
Well the whole puppy thing hits a note with me. We spent the extra money to buy an AKC registered Golden Retriever, only to find out 2 months into her life that she has severe hip dysplasia. The breeders wont compensate us, and we already love the dog, so we are stuck with vet bills for the duration. Bummer.
Growing up we always bought AKC puppies, but since my wife and I got married we adopted our first dog and have decide to never buy another one. Adopting is the way to go!
I’m a puppy sucker! At one point when I was thinking out loud to my husband about having more kids he suggested a dog. IT WORKED!
We fostered dogs for a few years and loved it. You can test run dogs in your home. Also we decided to just foster small dogs (we didn’t have a tall enough fence to keep a large dog in). We’d have up to 5 dogs running around at a time!
Visit the Humane Society and get a pooch from there! It will cost less, and you can get one that is already potty trained. Granted larger dogs may not be as cute, but that $400 puppy won’t stay a puppy forever! And you won’t have to deal with the hassle of potty training. Awesome that you thought about the costs prior to going out and getting a dog. So many people jump into it before they realize how much it will cost, and they end up not taking care of their animals properly because of it.
My wife and I adopted a dog from a breader (she had gotten older and was trying to get rid of some of her older dogs). While it wasnt as fulfilling as adopting from the humane society, it still felt good adopting a dog and felt good on the wallet. Also, we skipped the whole puppy stage which was great for us. Always a tough decision on dogs/puppies because of how loving they are, but there is definately an investment involved with time and money.
That’s why I stay away from puppies. I would instantly fall in love, and all reasonable arguments would go out the window.
About 5 years ago, our dog died! I did not want another dog, but my wife did. We adopted a 3 year old dog. Although I did not want the dog he grew on me. A bad decision turned good!
We recently made the very difficult decision to give our pooch to another family. She was a demanding beast, full of energy and so wild that our kids never really had the chance to play with here and bond. It was harder on me than the kids. There are several reasons behind our decision, unfortunately most people would never understand, but we made the right decision.
Puppies are so easy to fall in love with. We were lucky to have found Frankie when he was 8 weeks old, right before he landed in a shelter. The puppy stage is ROUGH and definitely stressed us out. We’re still potty training! $400 is a lot for a dog, especially when there’s so many in need of good homes at shelters. Maybe you guys can revisit the option in a few months.
I must ask – what is a recist? Is this a dog term? I think you made a good choice. There will *always* be dogs who need homes, and you should get one when the time/circumstances are correct.
I don’t know Crystal, those long haired dachsunds are pretty darn cute even after they grow up(my sister in law has one and he is a comic)! You might want to go into the puppy breeding business someday and a purebred would help you get there!
Our two beagles are 10 and 9, and after adopting the younger one through Beagle Rescue, I’ll always do rescue from now on. We also occasionally foster dogs through the organization, and it’s a great way to help out dogs in need. My 7-yo is already talking about being a vet because of our volunteer efforts. We also have insurance for our pets, and due to various health issues they experienced when younger, it’s been a big cost saver for us–it also covers their annual teeth cleaning. So, yeah, I’m a huge advocate for rescue dogs and encourage everyone to check out different breed rescues in their area.
When you do get a puppy, it’s easier to potty train when there’s already another potty trained dog in the house. Miss Doxie and Mr. Pug may be able to help out quite a bit!
Hi! I’ve recently started following you, and I love your blog. I will say that I have a dog (yellow lab) that is 9 and a cat that is 11. I love them both very much, but I will never go through pet “ownership” again. Other than everything you list for the cons…
1-any amount of spontaneous travel is cut short by trying to figure out how to arrange pet care. (especially now that my kids are getting towards high school, this is especially a consideration with Disney World trips, etc)
2-I love them so very much, that I’m not sure I can go through their passing with other pets ever again.
Puppies and Kitties are cute…but it’s as big of a committment as children are!
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[...] at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff thought about getting a puppy. I think she should have done it, but I totally respect her reasons why she didn’t (including [...]
[...] I mentioned in passing before, Mr. BFS has been interested in adopting a dog that would be mainly his own. We had been [...]