finding pu
How to find the right dog for you
By Kaitlyn Syring
ksyring@kansan.com
"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.
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.
"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."
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
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."
"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."
McKee says that his school day ended around 4 p.m. and was followed by cleaning the kitchen—and Callie—again.
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.
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.
Kait Wilson, Topeka senior, gives a lot of credit to her roommate when it comes to balancing school, work and having Lupa, a Malese-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.
"And I don't have to clean up poop anymore," he says
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.
Dogs require dough Perhaps more than anything else, it takes money to
"I would probably go insane without my Louie time," she says.
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.
own a dog.
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.