If one’s family was thinking about getting a new dog, they may be excited about how great it will be to have a new companion. Although, not all people may be qualified to take care of the pet effectively and give it the love it deserves. Senior Amanda Bone has a dog, but believes that a dog should only be bought if a family has time to play with it all the time.
“It’s really not fair on a dog to be left alone all day, so if your parents work full-time or you’re always busy, then you can’t give it the time it needs,” Bone said.
Bone also believes that if one doesn’t have enough space for the dog to roam around, then it’s not a good idea to purchase one.
“Most dogs aren’t suited to life in an apartment; they need a garden to run around in and plenty of room indoors,” Bone said.
Bone claims that as a child, it was hard to take care of her puppy, which frustrated her parents.
“When I was younger, my mom would always yell at me for not picking up my dog’s poop and grooming it,” Bone said. “[Kids] don’t appreciate how much commitment a pet needs, and they may soon get tired of walking and feeding a pup.”
Senior Jessica Renfro, a cat lover, claims that having a dog is more expensive and more trouble than owning a cat.
“All I have to do is leave a small bowl of food for my cat every morning,” Renfro said. “Cats groom themselves and dogs are high maintenance and hard to travel with.”
Senior Rachel Marble is currently dealing with an elder dog.
“My dog is deaf and blind,” Marble said. “It is a bummer to not being able to play with my dog like I use to.”
Marble’s dog is a golden retriever and is currently 14 years old and approaching its final days.
DHS alumni Devin Wilhem recently lost his dog. It was a traumatic loss.
“The worst part about having a dog is dealing with grief when it dies,” he said. “It is worse than dealing with the death of a person and I always feel bad for people who have to deal with it.”
It may seem that having a dog may create a lot of burdens and may not be suited for everyone. To own a dog will take a lot of work but to some, it is worth all the effort.
“Regardless of the pain of losing my dog, growing up and taking care of it was the best part of my life,” Wilhem said.
