go for it. and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for leaving the dog alone while you work. if you are gone for a long time during the day, make sure you get dog with low energy. you could get 2 dogs to keep each other company, but that won’t stop any destructive behavior. perhaps get one that is crate trained.

I suggest you get one from the shelter. You’ll be saving a dog’s life, and helping to lower the number of animals being eutanized each year due to lack of space and too many animals. I also suggest you get an older, housetrained dog. Older dogs are better if you can’t be with your dog 24/7. Puppies need to be let out more often as they can’t hold it as long as older dogs, and they are more hyper and energetic. If you can’t be home to take them on walks or otherwise excercise them, they’ll find other ways to get rid of their excess energy, which can include, but is not limited to, barking, chewing, shredding, etc. The cuteness of puppies may cause you to want to get a puppy, but their cuteness goes away, along with your grandmother’s antique vase if you can’t be with him/her often enough. Too many people get puppies because they’re cute and end up dumping the pup at the shelter or on the streets when he/she grows up and isn’t as cute anymore. What may seem cute when a dog is young, like jumping up on you, may not be so cute when they grow up and knock you down onto the ground. If the owners aren’t willing to train the dog to stop, he/she’ll be gone. (It’s also easier to train a dog not to do something in the first place than retrain him/her after he/she’s began doing it.) Try finding an older dog who was taken to the shelter because the owner was elderly and had to move to an assisted living facility that doesn’t allow dogs, was moving to a place that doesn’t allow dogs, or had some other circumstance where the dog was otherwise fine. Some owners do lie about why they are abandoning their dog however to feel less guilty. I personally think that’s horrid, but it does happen. The lieing can go either way. Some say the dog is perfect and they’re moving to a place that doesn’t accept dogs, etc. to give the dog a better chance of being adopted when the dog really has behavioral problems that they either are too ignorant to face or simply won’t take the time to correct them, and others say that the dog attacked them or something like that to justify their abandoning him/her when the dog hasn’t done a single thing to them. Try doing some research on dog breeds to find out what type of breed and/or breed mix you should get. Look at several dogs before deciding on the one you definitely want. This way, you won’t get a dog, then a couple days later, returm him/her right back to the shelter. Don’t let the opinions of a few people deter you from a certain breed either. Dig deeper to find out the truth about each type of breed before crossing them off your list, so you don’t wave off a breed that could’ve been the perfect breed you were looking for. Take your time at the shelter. Spend time looking at each one. Don’t pick one just because of how cute they look or that they’re about to be put to sleep the earliest. You may regret that choice later unless you’re extremely lucky. I hope this helped. Sorry if it’s a bit long.

save a dog. just be aware of those that came from abusive homes some of these dogs may be overly agressive. also, if you get a puppy be ware of parvo, if they have it before you give them shots the shots are useless because it takes about a week for it to show up. i say get an young dog, not a puppy that needs a good loving home.

I paid over 100.00 for my Boxer 3yrs ago, and not only did she not have papers, but she is not a full blooded Boxer. She is a mixed breed; mixed with Labrador. But I knew if I didn’t adopt her she would be sent to the pound and later destroyed. And she has been the best investment I have ever made.

Good luck to you.

By the way, the only thing I have to say about leaving the dog alone is they tend to “act out” when alone from missing their owners so be sure to spend alot of time with your new pup so they don’t feel abandoned when you leave for work.

I think that it’s a great idea. I’ve been helping find homes for the pets separated from their owners during Katrina. And I’m only 13. And there have been really sad times where I saw dead cats and dogs and puppies. It was really sad and i cried but it was really rewarding at the end of the day.so I’d stay with the dog a few days with and leave for short period.

Most shelters have veterinarians on staff, which pet stores definately can not say. Shelter dogs come to you with a full set of the shots appropriate for their age and already fixed. Most have been given a check-up by a vet already, many have been surrendered by families who could no longer care for them and come with a complete set of veterinary records.

I have had three shelter dogs (two of them still with us), and all have been healthy, happy, wonderful dogs.

Having said that, if you’re worried about your dog being sick because you can’t afford or don’t have the time to take it to the vet, don’t get a dog. All dogs will get sick or have an accident at some point. It doesn’t matter where they’ve come from.

We work full time, and leave our dogs safely confined with toys that stimulate their minds. But when we get home, and before we leave for work, we are dedicated to the dogs’ care and well-being. We work with and train them every day, walk them a lot, play with them in the yard and spend time just hanging out with them.

Also, don’t get a puppy. Get an adult dog. Puppies need to be taken out to *** every half hour while they are initially house training because they’re bladders aren’t phyically capable of holding it for much longer. Even if you have to housetrain and adult dog, it’s a lot easier because they have larger bladders and only need to go out every couple of hours while in training.

Also, please do some research on dog-ownership that doesn’t involve asking random strangers who may or may not know what they hell they’re talking about (person who said that pound dogs are trained to run away and return so the pound can make more money, I’m looking in your direction). At my local library there are literally shelves and shelves of books on dogs, dog training and dog breeds. Read them.

yes it ia good isea to adopt a dog from the pund yuo are saving a dogs live

Most but not all of the animal shelter(pound) dogs are someone else’s problem . They commonly have bad habits such as excessive barking ,destructive chewing and running away by fence or wall jumping. The chance of medical problems increases because of the public petting dogs in the shelter. The dogs are affectionate for the most part and will lick people’s hands so the hands of the public petting many animals can and does spread some diseases such as kennel cough .
I would suggest trying to get a pet dog from someone trying to find a home for there pet because their circumstances no longer will allow them to keep their dog. For example people that have to move to a place that that will not accept their pet. You could be saving that animals life as well as the next stop for it may indeed be the shelter. But you will have a clear advantage over what is normally found in the shelters. You might try looking in some classified newspaper ads.

13 years ago we adopted a mix puppy. It is the best dog ever. He can last up to 10 hours alone in the house. He does not drink much when we are a work. He has epilepsy. So not very healthy but very controllable with meds. Some times it is hit or miss with older dogs we tried to adopt an older dog @2yrs and he was very afraid of my husband. Abused Good Luck.

Adopting a dog from the pound is a great idea.If you have kids under the age of twelve I would say no, as you do not know the dog’s temperament.Maybe a docile dog like a lab would be OK from the pound.