National Pet Parent's Day 2024 is on Saturday, April 27, 2024: i want a dog but my family don't :( how can i persuade them?

Saturday, April 27, 2024 is National Pet Parent's Day 2024.

Sponsored Deals
Amazon Gold Box

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

i want a dog but my family don’t :( how can i persuade them?

Unfortunately, it's your parents' house, your parents' money and your parents' rules - until you have a job and get out on your own. Ask them to let you get an easier pet to start and show them that you can take care of that properly. Maybe they'd let you get a rabbit or a guinea pig - they're not as much fun as a dog, but they're easy to keep, live in a cage, don't have to be walked or trained. You could volunteer at a local shelter - many of them love to have kids that can help walk, feed and socialize the puppies.

Dogs require a lot of time, energy and money to take care of properly. If the dog isn't properly trained, it can chew up your house and your stuff. If it's not housebroken, it can ruin your floors and your furniture. If it's not properly exercised, it can have a wide variety of behavior problems. Your parents may assume that you'll get bored with the dog when you start playing sports and dating and go away to college. You can't keep a dog in a dorm or in most apartments. They don't want to be stuck taking care of a dog for 12 years if you can't handle it.

A good pup can cost $1000 or more. Even "free" dogs cost money to take care of. A crate, books and supplies can cost up to $300. Puppy shots are $200, then $100 a year for boosters. Annual Heartworm test and preventative medication $100. Professional trainer $600 and up. Going on vacation? Boarding kennel $40/day. Spaying? $250. If you can't afford to pay for a good dog, maybe you can't afford to maintain one either?

BEFORE you get any dog you should read some great books on training. (Try not to pick books randomly - there are a lot of bad books out there also!) These are some of my favorites and you can get them on Amazon.com

What All Good Dogs Should Know - Volhard

Good Owners, Great Dogs - Brian Kilcommins

Dog Tricks : Eighty-Eight Challenging Activities for Your Dog from World-Class Trainers by Haggerty and Benjamin

Don't Shoot the Dog - Pryor

Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method - Volhard

Dog Problems - Benjamin

Cesar's Way - Cesar Millan

Also, watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan is the best trainer I've ever seen on TV.

If they ever say yes, find a good breeder by going to www.akc.org or talking to people at dog shows. You can also find info about the breed clubs on the AKC site - they probably have a rescue group where you can get an older dog for less money. The best breeders will be members of their breed club, promoting healthy dogs with great temperaments. They should ask you a bunch of questions to make sure their puppy will be getting a good home. If all a "breeder" seems to care about is whether your check will clear, you can be sure he won't care a week later when the pup is dying from distemper or parvo and you want your money back.

Whatever you do, DON'T go to a pet shop, a flea market or buy one sight-unseen off the Internet!!!! You'll pay top dollar for what is usually a poor quality puppy mill dog. And you'll be supporting one of the cruelest industries in the country. The breeding animals are often kept in deplorable conditions - spending their entire lives in small wire-bottomed cages. They probably haven't been vaccinated against contagious diseases or tested for any health or temperament problems or genetic diseases - that costs money and cuts into their profits. A female is often bred every time she comes into heat. When her poor little body can't take it any more, she is often clubbed in the head and tossed into a dumpster or an open ditch. Most puppy mills ship their pups to pet stores at wholesale prices and many pups die before they even get there.

Any one selling cheap rots?

Any one selling cheap rots?

When getting a Rottie, "cheap" is NOT the way to go! Cheap Rotties often have lousy, unstable temperaments and bad hips. With any big dog like a Rottweiler, it's a really good idea to have the parents' and grandparents' hips and elbows x-rayed and certified by the OFA. The pups will be much less likely to have hip displaysia. Too many young dogs have to be put down because of bad hips.

Even "cheap" or "free" dogs cost money to take care of. If the dog isn't properly trained, it can chew up your house and your stuff. If it's not housebroken, it can ruin your floors and your furniture. How "free" is a dog that does $1000 in damage to your house? Many "free" dogs turn out to be sick - how "free" is a dog that costs you $800 at the vet because he has Parvo or distemper or heartworm?

Quality dogs are expensive to buy and take care of. An adopted dog may cost as little as $35 - a good purebred pup can cost $1000 or more. Puppy shots are another $200, then $100 a year for boosters. Annual Heartworm test and preventative medication $100. Professional trainer $600 and up. Going on vacation? Boarding kennel $40/day. Spaying? $250. If you can't afford a good dog, can you afford the maintenance?

Rotties are terrific companions but they require early training and firm discipline and lots of exercise. Many communities are now trying to ban them as dangerous dogs.

BEFORE you get any dog you should read some great books on training, so you'll know what to do. (Try not to pick books randomly - there are a lot of bad books out there also!) These are some of my favorites and you can get them on Amazon.com

What All Good Dogs Should Know - Volhard

Good Owners, Great Dogs - Brian Kilcommins

Dog Tricks : Eighty-Eight Challenging Activities for Your Dog from World-Class Trainers by Haggerty and Benjamin

Don't Shoot the Dog - Pryor

Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method - Volhard

Dog Problems - Benjamin

Cesar's Way - Cesar Millan

Also, watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan is the best trainer I've ever seen on TV.

Find a good breeder by going to www.akc.org or talking to people at dog shows. You can also find info about the breed clubs on the AKC site - they probably have a rescue group where you can get an older dog for less money. The best breeders will be members of their breed club, promoting healthy dogs with great temperaments. They should ask you a bunch of questions to make sure their puppy will be getting a good home. If all a "breeder" seems to care about is whether your check will clear, you can be sure he won't care a week later when the pup is dying from distemper or parvo and you want your money back.

Whatever you do, DON'T go to a pet shop, a flea market or buy one sight-unseen off the Internet!!!! You'll pay top dollar for what is usually a poor quality puppy mill dog. And you'll be supporting one of the cruelest industries in the country. The breeding animals are often kept in deplorable conditions - spending their entire lives in small wire-bottomed cages. They probably haven't been vaccinated against contagious diseases or tested for any health or temperament problems or genetic diseases - that costs money and cuts into their profits. A female is often bred every time she comes into heat. When her poor little body can't take it any more, she is often clubbed in the head and tossed into a dumpster or an open ditch. Most puppy mills ship their pups to pet stores at wholesale prices and many pups die before they even get there.

loosing hope over our missing cat (update for anyone who has seen my previous questions)?

loosing hope over our missing cat (update for anyone who has seen my previous questions)?

Don't give up hope, there are many accounts of cats returning home after being away for months or even years. I also wonder if he may have got locked inside somewhere by accident, so rather than putting up posters in the vicinity, it might be better to deliver one to every home in neighbouring streets. (With so many people driving, they might not notice your poster). Put a copy of the poster at local bus stops and give one to your postman, asking him to keep an eye out for your cat whilst out on his rounds. Perhaps local shops, churches, petrol stations, schools and supermarket noticeboards would also be willing to display your poster. If you haven't already done so, contact local vets and any other cat rescues in your area as someone may have taken him there. Your local radio, TV station or newspaper might also make an annoucement for you.

It's good that you've posted his details on both the regional and national missing pet registers, because it's not unheard of for cats to sneak inside delivery vehicles and then end up many miles from home.

When I moved home last summer, our cat sneaked outside sometime during the night and was missing for over 24 hours. I searched everywhere, put up posters, called all the vets and rescues, but it seemed as though she had vanished into thin air. When I heard cats fighting in the early hours of the morning, I rushed outside in the hope it was her. It wasn't, but I spotted her face at the window of a neighbour's home. They didn't believe me at first when I told them she was in their house, so she'd obviously been avoiding them and their cat the whole time.

The person who called you may just have been playing a cruel prank. Years ago I lost a valuable ring outside my home when I was unloading my car and for insurance purposes I had to place a lost advert in the local papers. Someone left a message on my mobile phone saying they'd found it, but when I tried calling them back, they never answered the phone.

I sincerely hope that you find him safe and well very soon as I understand how worrying it is to have a much loved pet go missing.

Also on this date Saturday, April 27, 2024...