How do you know if you should or should not get a dog? Money

What kind of dog breed is in the picture?

Dogs are worth it btw

>>18106833

no one really knows. as a general rule the worst case scenario is that you give your dog a VERY boring life, but thats a lot better than the life they would have gotten otherwise. even if someone else did adopt them, some other dog would be suffering a bad fate. so adopting a dog at least guarantees one extra slot of boring life in place of suffering or ended life.

beyond that its hard to say. a lot of people dont realize how little yhey want to play with a dog. some dogs NEED to be played with all day or they're just sitting there depressed. others dont need played with at all. unfortunately you can't really predict personalities after homing as your first impression is just them excited to meet someone.

I love my dog and theres enough space for her but she doesn't know how to play on her own. i even bought a really expensive toy that moves on its own but shes just afraid of it. she can only play if someone else is playing iwth her and i worry its lead to a miserable life because i admittedly dont play with her for more than ten minutes or so a day (on top of about 20 to 30 minutes for a walk).

>>18106845
I did plan to go to a shelter first to see if they have anything that needs a home.

Knowing how much I hate the outdoors, any dog that needs plenty of exercise is out of the question.

Do different breeds have different tendencies towards needing someone to play with? My mother's dog is very affectionate but 90% of the time he just prefers napping on her feet, and I'd like that, but I live alone and I fear if I left that kind of a dog alone for full 8 hours for work her heart would stop.

>>18106863

some breeds need / want more exercise than other, yes. but even within those breeds dogs do have unique personalities.

your best bet is to not get a puppy. because they require lots of exercise and attention in general. they're also REALLY likely to be taken home by someone else anyway.

getting an older dog means they're already trained, already fixed, and beyond the heavy exercise part of their life. talk to the peopel who work there to see who is more relaxed, but as a general rule if a dog is relaxedi n meeting you, he is gonna be pretty chill at home.

>>18106866
That's kind of what I planned. Just go to the shelter and if they have a calm, quiet one that doesn't mind just sleeping on someone's feet.

If it weren't for the potential medical costs I could even consider an elderly one.