The Hardships Of Owning A Dog

When I moved to Texas my husband and I discussed getting a dog. We both had dogs our whole lives. His dog, Dodger, died last Christmas when he came home for holiday block leave. I had two Pomeranians at my mom’s house and knew I would miss the quiet. We searched online for a rescue dog. When we came across Pete, an American Pointer mix, we knew he was the one. Two weeks later we adopted Pete. I never noticed the amount of responsibility a dog requires until I moved out and got my own. Owning a dog can be very hard because it requires a lot of money, care, and time. First, one of the hardships of owning a dog is the amount of money it costs: “The total first year cost of owning a dog is [approximately] $1,270” (Weliver). We met the lady we …show more content…
Pete is only two years old and because he is an American Pointer he needs a lot of exercise or else he will not go to sleep at night. Our one-bedroom apartment does not have enough room for him to chase a ball in, so we either take him to the dog park for a few hours or take him on long walks. Every time he goes to the dog park he gets covered in slobber and dirt, so he has to get a bath. Bathing a medium size dog is not easy. I think I walk out with more water on me and the floor than on him. An even harder task that needs to be done every two weeks is clipping his nails. I have to lay him on the ground and sit on top of him in order to complete the …show more content…
Pete was completely untrained when we got him. The previous owner said she tried everything to get him to learn simple commands like sit and lay down. She even took him to a trainer and he couldn’t get him to either. We tried multiple kinds of dog treats to try to get him to respond, but nothing worked. One night when I was cooking chicken he actually acted excited about the smell. The only way he would learn was with boiled chicken. It still took him a month or so to respond to the commands without the food. We are still training him to heel and fetch because he struggles with those two. Training is lifelong and will never end.
I noticed I have to clean the house more often because I have a dog. He leaves hair everywhere he walks or lays and pieces of chewed up toys all over the house. Though my apartment isn’t very big it still takes a while to vacuum the carpet, the couch, and his kennel. I have to clean at least once a week or my allergies will start to act up. Sometimes if I do not walk him enough, I have to clean up his urine or feces. Getting the smell out of the carpet takes