Am I Ready to have a dog?

Before bringing a dog to your house, ask yourself two questions first:

Am I Ready to have a dog?

Am I aware of all the possible scenario when keeping a dog at home?

Be RESPONSIBLE is very essential when you have decided to keep a dog. You may regard them as one of your pets/friends/family members. To the dogs, you are the whole world of themselves.

As a dog parent, in addition to providing dogs with full of love, you’d better also pay attention to the followings to raise a dog in Canada.

Let’s talk about the preparing and first steps you need to be aware to welcome a new dog home.

1. Rain or shine, or even in a freezing winter day, be prepared to walk your dog to poop outside.

2. Save sufficient money for medical and miscellaneous expenses.

· From 3-month-old, the dog needs to take some deworming medicine, which is starting from $200/a box.

· Almost all dogs need to be vaccinated every year, especially the large ones. It usually cost about $100 to $300 to see a doctor for vaccinations.

· If you bring a puppy home, you may have to spend $700 to $2000 on the puppy’s vaccines, blood tests, and sterilizations.

· If your dog has behavioural problems, you may need to find a dog trainer and pay for the service.

· When travelling or be away from home for a while, do you have a friend to ask to walk your dog? Otherwise, you can also pay a foster family to take care of your dog.

· A long-term foster care can also be taken into consideration when needed. $20 -$50 per day varied depending on the dogs’ body type.

· The cost of dental care could exceed 1k when the dog getting old.

· If you don’t buy the insurance for your dog, can you afford the emergency or treatment fees? For instance, emergency surgery for swallowed objects could be from $2000 to $4000, joint surgery may cost $2000 or even $4000 for one foot.

· Some cities will require a license for the dog, which may start from $30 a year, depending on the dog's condition and the city’s rule.

· It is highly recommended to equip your dog with microchip, helping to increase the chance of finding the lost dogs. It cost about $60 and can be done in a vet hospital.

3. If you no longer stay in Canada, can you bring your dog with you?

4. Try to buy the best food for the dog within your budget. Some cheap dog food from the supermarket or Costco is likely to cause diabetes, liver and kidney disease in the future.

5. Feed your dog properly and do some homework when you want to prepare home-made dog meals.

6. Be aware, dogs may be active at night and bark, which could disturb your sleep.

7. When you plan your future, including marriage, new careers and etc., take your dog into consideration as well.

8. Like raising a baby, spend adequate time to play with the dog is quite important. Remember you are his everything in the dog’s world.