This is something I don't say lightly, and I don't like to say 'no' to my dogs at all because its negative and its also not very productive or constructive.
You are a human though, so I am going to.
No, you cannot have a puppy.
D'you see that? I said no.
Why?
You don't have the time do you - because you are out for 9 hours a day, and then you want to sleep for 8 hours a night, and on top of that you want to fit in an hour in the gym, and a couple of hours on the sofa with your partner, and maybe you would like to clean the house, eat, shower, catch up on Facebook...
All that adds up to around 21 hours out of your 24 a day - 3 hours per day is NOT enough time for a puppy.
But other people do it....
And how is that working out for them, really?
Some of these other people will rehome the puppy when its 8 months old and they are DONE with the puppy chewing up stuff, barking, shitting on the floor and weeing over everything.
Some of these people will chuck the puppy in the basement most of the time, or out in the back yard.
Some of these people will hire a dog sitter, send the dog to daycare, hire a walker and spend a fortune on someone ELSE spending most of their time with a dog they rarely see.
At least in the latter situation the dog is not the one suffering, but how sustainable is that really?
But I want to...
I know you do - why do you want a dog? To spend time with that dog training him, walking with him, snuggled on the sofa fussing with him?
Not to have him crying himself to sleep, sitting around in his own mess with just four walls to stare at until you decide you are done with work and play and computers and friends and cooking and cleaning and Facebook .....
If you WANT to own a dog - set your life up right!
Take a job where your dog can come too, work from home, go self-employed or retire.. wait until you can do those things.
Get a job where you earn enough to pay for the care you cannot provide yourself.
Choose an adult dog whose needs already mesh neatly with what you CAN provide him.
The harsh reality is, whilst legally you can buy any number of animals and there's nothing I can do to stop you - owning an animal whose needs you cannot meet is immoral.
All those dogs sitting in rescues and pounds around the UK and across the world - MOST of those animals got there because someone thought 'hey, so I don't have much time but, aww he's so CUTE and I WANT him so I will GET him and all those mean folks saying I don't have the time or the money or the right house.... well they can just STFU cos I'm gonna do what I want anyway'....
And they found a puppy farmer or a puppy importer or some irresponsible idiot who would happily sell them a puppy and not give a damn if they can actually care for that animal for the next 12+ years... and they went ahead and did it anyway.
Nobody needs a puppy RIGHT NOW. Nobody. NO.
You don't.
Your kids don't.
Your elderly gramma doesn't.
Your uncle and aunt don't.
Your partner doesn't.
The one thing absolutely everyone CAN do is.... wait. Until they have the time, the money, the home, the patience... the ability.
If you can do that, if everyone could do that...
Puppy farming would die a death, because puppy farmers are the ones supplying these dogs bought on a whim by those who don't have the time - reputable breeders and rescues do not allow people without the time to have a dog.
You would find raising a dog fun, enjoyable and easy, because you would have the time to do the job properly.
Fewer dogs would end up in rescues.
Aren't those all GOOD things?
