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I will be honest with you. I have no idea where to even begin with this. As a father of seven children in the house, ages four-19, a dog is probably long overdue. After all, we have plenty cats, chickens, ducks, goats and even some pigs on my little farm. We have never had a dog in all this time, though. That is about to change.
Yet, I have no idea what to consider or look for when getting a dog.
Without a doubt, a dog can be very rewarding for a family. At the same time, I must prepare myself for the fact that getting and training a dog will take up a lot of my time, initially. To be sure, not every dog will be a perfect fit for my family, so I need to do some research to determine what would be the right dog for my daughter, and for my entire family.
As I am also a foster parent, there are often many children living in my home at the same time.
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We live in a warmer climate and the dog will spend a great deal of time outside, running and playing, throughout our property, and with our children. It will be important to select the right breed for this environment, and for our family. As I am also a foster parent, there are often many children living in my home at the same time. It is important that I find a dog that is friendly to all, and I will need to do my research on just the right fit for the children. Furthermore, as our family is one that is not only very active but is also a household full of high energy people, I also need to consider what type of dog would best fit with this lifestyle.
As my wife is a doctor of nutrition, you would imagine correctly that our family is one that pays close attention to what we eat. A healthy and nutritious lifestyle is one that is a priority in our household, and all benefit in a number of ways. As a potentially new dog owner, I would like to see my dog have a similar diet, one that is healthy and nutritious. After all, I want to ensure that I provide the best nutrition for our newest family member. Through a little research of my own, I was pleased to see that there are many options in this regard, including dry or canned food, grain free or gluten free, raw or even frozen.
To be sure, there are other considerations to be made, and I am no expert in dogs. Yet, with a little research, a little thought, and a little planning, our family will soon have a new family member; one that will bring even more love to our family, in the form of a dog.
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