Getting Prepared

Getting prepared to bring home a puppy means getting in the mind set of "I have to care for a dog."

What I did to get in the mind set: I started thinking like a dog owner.


What do I need to buy?  I made a list of items I thought the puppy would need. (For example: Food and water bowls) Then I thought of the different ways I could satisfy that need.
-water and food bowls; Plastic, versus Stainless Steel
Plastic is cheap- can be bought at a dollar store, is light and easily upturned by enthusiastic eaters (causing a mess)
Stainless steel is more expensive- bought at any pet supply store, heavy, harder to overturn, often available with a raised "platform" for big dogs to avoid inhaling food and bloating.

My verdict, heavy dishes are sturdier, less likely to be used instead of a chew toy, can be raised to promote better eating habits. I'll buy one set of Sturdy dog food dishes and they should last him several years. Expensive at first, but worth it.

Other items I thought of:
-collar
-ID  tags
-Leash
-training collar
-toys
-a wire crate
-dog bed
-grooming tools
-food

 Then I went through the list and realised I needed to research different kinds of dog toys.
I also realised I could make a dog bed.

Then I thought of things I needed for the puppy, like book shelves to get my books off the floor. Hangers to hang up my clothes, Tupperware to organize my craft stuff- generally things to help "Puppy Proof" and keep the dog safe in my house. Some people like to get gates to keep the dog safely out of certain rooms. That won't work in my apartment, but is something to consider for the future.
I also had to think of all the chewing hazards I have lying around my house, such as printer cables, my phone charger and my Paintball bag or Squash bag.

 Budget your purchases
In the planning stages, before I reserved B7, I looked at my income and my spending to see if I could afford a dog. I took into consideration the price of a pup from a breeder, food, training classes, daycare, litter bags, toys and supplies and anticipated vet bills- with the knowledge that accidents happen and I could and up with a major (or minor) vet bill at any time.
The Pup was a set price and easily calculated.
The Vet bills are somewhat uncertain, even though I went to several veterinary offices and asked for their exam fees, blood test fees, consultation fees, immunisation fees, heart worm and flea treatment costs and fees for neutering. ( I have a very good price list) but unforeseen bills can come up, so the  vet bills are still hard to anticipate.

Where I knew I could save money was on the other supplies. I set myself a budget for "Puppy toys", Crate, Material for a dog bed, etc...

Once I had a list of supplies I needed and a budget, I asked myself:
Where do I buy it?
And so I started to Price shop! I looked for bargains and compared deals.Certain items like the Crate I looked for on Kijiji. (as long as the crate is cleaned before B7 uses it, there shouldn't be any issue using a "pre-owned" crate.)

I put my feet to the pavement and literally went Pet store to Pet store (even Walmart) looking at prices. I took pictures of all the price tags and compared them side by side later.


-Brandolyn

Next research: Dog Foods