Choosing a suitable dog for Home

To own a dog or not

Most of us who have had the privilege of keeping a dog at some stage in our lives will vouch for the fact that dogs make excellent companions and give tremendous amount of unstinted love, affection and happiness. When raised properly, adequately trained and loved, dogs make a useful, loyal and devoted member of a family.
Notwithstanding the innumerable advantages of having a dog, there are many homes which are just not suitable for having one. You should decide to bring home a dog only if:

• The family environment is conducive for having a dog i.e. adequate facilities exist and all family members, especially the lady of the house, if she happens to be a housewife, love dogs and is in favour of having a dog as a companion. Further, there will always be someone at home to take care of the dog and the family is willing to spend some quality time with the dog everyday.
• You are willing to incur expenditure which will include the following:
  • Initial purchase price of the puppy which could be anything from Rs. 5,000 – 35,000 depending upon the breed, quality, pedigree and source i.e. pet shop, ‘puppy mill‘ or a reputed breeder.
  • Veterinary surgeon’s bills for routine examination, emergencies, deworming, initial inoculation and subsequent yearly boosters.
  • Equipment such as chains/leashes, collars, bedding, food/water bowls, toys.

• Shampoos and anti- external parasites treatment.
• Training.
• Boarding, as and when required.

Purebred, crossbred or mongrel

Mongrels and crossbreds, in general, are considered to be constitutionally more robust and less prone to ailments than their purebred cousins. It is a fallacy that purebred dogs are more intelligent. Mongrels are infact, equally intelligent, highly trainable and under a suitable household environment make excellent companions. Advantages of acquiring a mongrel include no or minimal initial purchase cost, lesser veterinary bills and satisfaction of doing a good deed by giving home to a needy dog.

Purebred dogs, on the other hand, have their own charm. There is wide range of breeds to choose from depending upon your need, home environment and personal liking. You can also predict with reasonable amount of accuracy how will your puppy with known ancestry develop which is impossible incase of a crossbred or a mongrel. Breed characteristics and the temperament of parents will help you to a great extent to choose a dog you want.