Finding puppy wuv
How to find the right dog for you
By Kaitlyn Syring (Contact)
Thursday, April 10th, 2008
“You should choose your dog the way you choose your friends—very carefully.”
James McKee, 2005 graduate, offers this wisdom on selecting the perfect canine companion. His chocolate Labrador Retriever, Callie, was the result of careful planning and consideration. He says he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I needed to know that was the kind of dog that would fit into my house and my lifestyle,” McKee says. “And I needed to know that I would have the time to take care of her.”
McKee demonstrates a preparedness that a lot of college students don’t. It takes a lot of time to figure out if you should get a dog and which dog would be right for you. You have to think about several things—money, time, space, breed—before committing to a dog. Such planning will ensure you pick your ideal BFF—best furry friend.
Dog vs. life
One of the most difficult things about owning a dog when you’re in college is finding the time to care for the animal properly.
Callie Rost, a veterinarian at the Animal Care Emergency Room in Salina, says it’s very important that, before you buy a dog, you evaluate the amount of time it takes to have a healthy dog and you compare that time with your regular life. If you don’t think the two mesh, Rost says, then it’s time to reconsider having a dog.
McKee remembers how hard it was to take care of his Lab, Callie, when she was a puppy, and he was still in school. He says he tried to develop a routine that suited both of them. He got up early, around 7 a.m., each day to take her out and let her run around outside, he says. Next came chow time.
“I put her food bowl in the bathroom along with some toys, so she could eat while I showered,” he says. “She wanted to be around me all the time, and she wouldn’t eat if I was out of the room.”
McKee says that after getting dressed, he played with Callie for about 15 minutes more while trying to eat his breakfast. He says he kept her in the kitchen with a baby gate so that she couldn’t chew on things while he was away. He left for class each day around 8:30 a.m. and returned home when he had an opening in the day, he says.
“I came back to my house during a break between classes, around lunchtime, to let her out again and clean up whatever poopy mess she’d made during the morning,” he says. “I’d usually have to give her a quick bath because she had poop on herself, too, and then love on her a little and feed her and go back to campus.”
McKee says that his school day ended around 4 p.m. and was followed by cleaning the kitchen—and Callie—again.
“It was so tough,” he says. “I had this adorable thing that was so fun and so frustrating at the same time. I remember being kind of excited for her to grow up.”
Now that McKee is out of school and Callie is an adult, he says that things are easier. He can leave Callie alone much longer and his schedule is more relaxed, so he has more time to hang out with her and take her for walks.
“And I don’t have to clean up poop anymore,” he says.
Though McKee tackled the dog-owning process on his own, many college students solve the time constraints by having a roommate or significant other take care of the dog while they’re gone.
Kait Wilson, Topeka senior, gives a lot of credit to her roommate when it comes to balancing school, work and having Lupa, a Maltese-Poodle mix. She says she is lucky to have a roommate who is willing to help her walk, feed and play with Lupa. Wilson says she is always sad to leave Lupa each day, but the welcome she receives when she returns is unbeatable.
Students like Jill Kanterman, Chesterfield, Mo., senior, find it more difficult. She works in Kansas City all day three times a week and goes to classes most of the day twice a week. Her Golden Retriever, Louie, stays home. She, too, has some assistance from a roommate, but she says she makes it a point to find time to personally spend playing with or walking Louie.
“I would probably go insane without my Louie time,” she says.
Dogs require dough
Perhaps more than anything else, it takes money to own a dog.
Rost says that the first six months of owning a puppy are tremendously expensive. You have to pay for the dog, then for vaccinations and spaying or neutering on top of the usual food, toys, collars, leashes, flea and tick preventative and heart worm medication that all ages of dogs need each month. Rost estimates that most puppies will cost about $200 a month for the first six months if properly taken care of. Buying a dog from a shelter can be less expensive, Rost says, because these dogs will be spayed or neutered already and will have up-to-date vaccinations.
After spaying, neutering and shots are completed, the average smaller dog—fewer than 35 pounds—costs around $50 to $75 a month, says Kym Base, a dog breeder, trainer and groomer at Barks ’N’ Bows in Salina. A large dog—more than 35 pounds—will cost closer to $100 or $150 each month with a little room for emergencies or illnesses, Base says.
As the dog gets older, you also have to consider grooming, Base says. Some dogs, like long-haired dogs and poodles, need more grooming than others. Base adds that all dogs should be bathed regularly—every other week to every month—and need their nails trimmed about every month as well. A session at Base’s dog grooming shop varies in cost depending on the size of the dog and the amount of work that needs to be done. A full grooming treatment, which includes a bath, nail trim and haircut, for a medium or small-sized dog is about $35, Base says, while an owner of a large dog will spend nearly $45 just for a bath and nail trim.
Google that dog
You’ve decided that you have enough time and money to own a dog. Now you need to figure out which dog you want. And you have a ton of options. The American Kennel Club recognizes 158 different breeds. This only includes pure-bred dogs, so mixed breeds make your options much more numerous. The most important thing to do when choosing a dog is research, Base says. She says you should find out why the dog you’re interested in was originally bred and what kind of personality the breed generally tends to have. This will give you a better idea of how the dog will fit into your life and complement your activity level.
“You don’t want to get a Basset Hound if you’re a jogging fiend or something,” Base says. “You’d give a dog like that a heart attack.”
Base says that you should never get a dog based on looks alone. Just because a dog is cute doesn’t mean you’re going to like how it acts, she says. In addition, Base says, a little research will tell you if a breed is prone to illness or other health-related issues such as arthritis or vision problems.
Barb Grimwood, owner of a private dog shelter in Manhattan, also emphasizes the importance of researching breeds before becoming an owner. She recommends using the Internet, reading books and talking to people who have the kind of dog you want. Grimwood says it is also very beneficial to spend time with a dog of that breed.
“You may think a Great Dane is awesome until he knocks you down,” Grimwood says.
“You have be around the dog a bit to know if being knocked down is something you’re okay with.”
After a girl in one of his classes asked him if he wanted to adopt her Dachshund, Jason Cook, Dodge City senior, researched the breed online to learn more about it.
“She was just kind of like, ‘Hey, you want a Dachshund?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know. Let me find out,’” he says. The girl chose to give up the dog because her apartment did not allow pets, and Cook wanted to make sure that he could handle having a Dachshund around. At the end of his reading and having asked his classmate several questions about the dog, he chose to welcome Jackson, a Dachshund-terrier mix as it turned out, into his home. He says he is very happy with his choice. Jackson’s laid-back personality and twinges of mischief make him the perfect companion for Cook, he says.
Rost, Base and Grimwood all recommend smaller and older dogs for college students. These dogs require less space, time and money. Also, older dogs tend to be calmer, need significantly less training and can be left alone more easily.
Rost advises checking the shelters first to find the dog you want. She says a lot of great dogs are sitting in shelters, and it’s extremely rewarding to adopt one. Shelters are also the best places to find the older dogs that will better suit college students’ schedules, Rost says.
Pet stores are not the best places to buy dogs, Base says.
“Puppies get treated like cattle at those stores,” Base says. If you have a specific breed in mind, Base suggests looking at rescue groups. Many organizations exist for the sole purpose of rescuing one breed of dog from poor living conditions and placing those dogs in new, happy homes, she says. For example, Grey Hound Rescue takes many Grey Hounds when they are no longer considered useful in races and finds new families for them. A large advantage to selecting from a rescue group, Base says, is that these dogs usually have all their shots and have been trained well by previous owners or by the rescue group.
If you can’t find the right dog through these avenues or are set on buying a certain pint-sized fuzzy puppy, Rost suggests going to a breeder. But, Rost says, you need to beware of breeders who are only in it for the money. She says it’s best to stick with people who raise just one or two breeds and have all their dogs in clean, comfortable and safe conditions. This will reduce your risk of buying a sick puppy.
A bad match
What if you buy your dog, prepare everything, follow all the guidelines, and you’re just not happy with the dog? What should you do then?
Base says that the first thing you should do is locate the center of the problem: What are you unhappy with? Personality, behavior, bad habits? Then, Base says, ask yourself if this is a problem that can be solved with a little work. She recommends enrolling the dog in obedience school or taking the dog to a trainer. A few sessions or weeks later, you might have a totally different dog, she says. She says you need to know if your problem lies within training or breeding. Also, Base says, simply spending more time with your dog might make a difference.
“Sometimes, they’re just pissed that you’re gone all the time, and they’re stuck bored in that house,” she says. “So they entertain themselves: ‘That rug looks fun to tear up. That couch leg would be fun to chew on.’”
If after several attempts to fix the problem you are still at odds with your dog, Base says the best place to go is a rescue group for the breed. The group will be willing to take the dog and find it another home. That way, Base says, the dog won’t end up at the pound, the last place any dog wants to be.
Bottom line: You have to do lots of thinking, talking and reading before you get a dog. You have to find out which dog would be well-suited to your house, your personality, your schedule and your activity level. Be prepared to spend some cash and shower attention on your new companion. Then, look around at a few shelters or rescue groups. A good friend might be waiting for you there. All these things will aid you in discovering possibly the best and softest buddy you will ever have.
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