This much is obvious, but lately I've had more and more people asking me in-depth questions about dog ownership. I think it's an age thing - once you're over the quarter century hump, debts are paid off (except student loans - no-one includes those) and living arrangements become less hovel-esque, thoughts can turn to bringing a new little life in to the house.
If you're not ready for babymaking, the typical choice is cat or dog. People make much of being either a cat or a dog person, and the one you choose apparently says quite a lot about your personality. More after the jump...
Let's stop for a quick poll - what pet would you get?
Me - I grew up with cats, I think they're gorgeous and I respect their aloofness. But when I felt ready to get a proper pet - the goldfish experiment wasn't a great success but that's not for here - canine was the only way to go. I wanted enthusiastic affection, companionship and lots of cuddles, so I travelled all the way to Essex to collect Benji.
Nine months in to our time together, Benji's just turned 1 and has changed from a calm, obedient pup in to an adolescent with raging hormones and selective hearing (and yes, he has had the snip!), but I wouldn't change my choice for the world. Look at that little face!
People ask me the same questions about my dog:
1. How much time does it take to look after him?
I do a long walk in the park in the morning of around an hour, a shorter toilet break mid afternoon, a 20 minute walk round the local streets after dinner and another toilet break last thing at night. If I'm out in the day my local dogwalker usually comes over, otherwise he's fine to play with his toys and sleep until dinner time. As I'm home most days we get on fine. Dogs also need training and play time every day - you'll soon know if they're lacking attention because they'll tell you!
2. How expensive is it to feed and care for him?
After the initial cost of buying the dog (anything up to £700 depending on where you get them from), food, insurance and toys etc all add up, but you can shop online at sites like Zooplus and PetPlanet to save money. I'd say to allow about £1-£1.50 a day for food and between £10-£20 a month for insurance and make sure you have money set aside for emergency visits to the vet. Initial vaccinations and microchipping come to around £80 depending on what your vet charges.
3. What do you do with him when you go away?
I'm exceptionally lucky that my parents love Benji coming to stay, and if I'm on tour there's nowhere else I'd rather he was. I was actually quite jealous of his chilled out summer in the Suffolk countryside this year, though I did have fun on the world tour! If you don't have such lovely dog-loving parents, expect to pay £20 per night for a dogsitter (where the dog sleeps in their house) or around £12 at a kennels.
4. What are the best things about having a dog?
I love taking care of something smaller and less independent than myself - he may drive me crazy sometimes but he makes me laugh at least three times every day, I spend loads of time in my lovely local park and a curled up puppy is better than a hot water bottle any day. I've also met lots of local dog owners and actually say hello to people in the street - that never used to happen in London!
Do you already have a pet, you big grown-up you? What did you get and why?
Image courtesy of amayu's Flickr stream.
