Preparing for a New Furry Friend

    One of the best experiences in a persons life is getting a new pet.  You get all excited and can't wait for the day to arrive when you get to pick out your new furry little bundle of joy.  For the days before you just dream of what their personality is going to be like and how much your going to love and dote over this little dog.  Then if you already know they type and gender of your dog you get to make the most exciting trip to the pet store.  You pick out matching bowls, a little puppy collar and leash, toys, food, and a soft dog bed for the puppy to nap on.  I'm excited to say that next week a new pug will be joining our family.  I have the most wonderful pug right now and she is so much fun, so we decided to add a new little friend to our lives.  But, when getting a new dog how do you prepare for it, especially if it is a puppy? Well, here are a few tips!

    The most important thing is to decide on the type of dog you want.  I personally wanted a pug because they are a great family dog.  They love to cuddle and play and they always make you laugh.  It's important to look at your life style and to find a dog that matches the amount of time you can put in and the activities that you enjoy doing.

   Next, it is time to find a dog.  You can look in your local paper, research online, or check your local shelter or rescue groups in you area.
   Once you have a dog picked out you should puppy proof your house.  Puppies love to chew! make sure to keep small things that they could choke on off of the floor and to avoid having many electrical cords exposed.  Also, you may want to consider getting baby gates to bocok stair ways until  the dog is big enough to safely go up and down the stairs.
   Now it is time to go to the pet store.  This is one of the most exciting parts of getting a new dog.  You get to pick out all of the new toys, food, bowl, collars, leashes, and other accessories for your dog.  It is important to get chew toys for you dog since puppies love to chew, especially when they are young.  also, you should get a variety of toys so they don't get bored.  There are a lot of foods to choose from and you could consider doing some research to figure out what ingredients you do and don't want in your dogs food.  You might also want to consider getting a doggy tooth brush because it is important to keep a dogs teeth clean.
   After you've gotten everything ready for your furry friend it is time to go and pick him or her up.  This will be the very beginning of your new friendship!

Picture from:
http://petandbaby.com/2011/cute-pug-puppies/