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Old January 7th, 2013, 01:43 PM
breezepup breezepup is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Canada
Posts: 9
Smile First time potential pet owner - need advice and help regarding dog breed choice

I never had any pets growing up as my sister and mom are very allergic to animals. I have been doing some research recently and have been looking to add a furry companion to my life. The chances are high that this will be a very long post, so please bear with me.

My original thought was to get a dog, but I am also completely open to opting for a cat if it will be happier and better suited to my lifestyle. My number one priority is the animals happiness. I have never had a pet, so needed some help deciding if I should choose a dog or cat, and if so, what breeds would be best. Please note that if I have been giving this a lot of thought, and If I choose to get a pet, I will be adopting from my local animals shelter.

I HAVE spoken to my landlord, and she will allow me to keep a pet as long as I clean up after it.

Here is some information about the way I live:
- I am a 20 year old female University Student.
- I have 2 roommates and we rent a sidestreet apartment in the city.
*I have spoken at great length to both my roommates, and both of them are open and completely willing/excited to add a pet to our home. It will, in a sense, be my pet as I will cover all of the expenses (to avoid future ownership conflict) but it will fall under all of our care. *
- Every morning, I wake up early and run for an average of 20 minutes (with the exception of rainy days and snowstorms)
- The majority of my classes are in the morning.
- I work as a waitress in the evenings (monday through saturday)
- I am home in the early afternoon for about 2 hours before work, and I am home at night.
- Between all three of us, someone is usually home and available for animal care.
- We have A LOT of visitors between the three of us.

Here is what I would be looking for in a dog:
- Small enough but not toy (high priority)
- Relatively quiet
- Relatively low-maintanence (minimal shedding)
- Jogging companion
- Friendly and can get along with lots of people.
- Good with kids (thinking about the future here)
- Enjoys activity (maybe one that can swim?)
- Intelligent and easy to train.

Remember, I would also be completely open to having a cat, but since I live in the city, I guess it would have to be an indoor cat. This is why I'd prefer a dog, because I think a cat would be sad cooped up inside.

As for dog breeds, I have been researching some of the following: Beagle, Boston terrier, French bulldog, Corgi, Pug, Puggle, American Eskimo and the Alaskan Klee Kai, mostly because of it's sheer beauty. Remember, nothing that sheds excessively. I would be open to other recommendations as well!

If one of the breeds I mentioned above is known for many health problems, please let me know!!

If I get some good suggestions and reasoning, I'll talk about them with my roommates. Then, even though I've done some research on bringing home puppies, I'll probably create a new topic about all the things I should look out for that have accordance with preparing my home, vet bills, food bills, grooming issues, supplies, etc...

Thanks for taking the time to read through this very long message!!

Last edited by breezepup; January 7th, 2013 at 05:43 PM.
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