I haven't read what others have written yet- but I think getting a dog is supposed to be a lifelong commitment. And not just time and energy, but financial too. It's funny, because I was just lying in bed with my dog snuggling next to me thinking I was sorry for anybody who didn't have a dog- but there are times when she ate the bottom of a bookcase (she was a puppy) or when she had an ear infection AGAIN, or when she wakes us up by throwing up at 4 am that do try your patience. My other dog was worse- he had been tossed out for having bad hips (he will likely need to have total hip replacement surgery on both of them, costing around $4000), and had been a stray, and when we got him he wasn't housetrained properly. We crate trained him, but he would poo in his crate when we left and then roll in it, and it was a big disgusting mess. Again, we love him dearly, but if we hadn't been committed to him it might have been tempting to get rid of him (and that would have been bad for him, since he was a week from getting put to sleep at the humane society when we got him).
I don't think you can count on kids to take care of dogs, though they certainly will have good intentions to, and they will entertain the dog for sure. It has to be something you know you could do on your own if needs be.
Ultimately, I do think you need to know you want a dog, and be committed to the dog for the long haul, whatever happens.
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Re: Advice needed from dog owners...
