What is the appropriate age to have your "own" dog?

[Herschel]

Recently, there have been a few threads on here with very young people showing interest in adopting puppies. I know lots of children (think Mia and Cole) have puppies that they grow up with, but those are family dogs.

So what is the right age to adopt a puppy and call it your own? If your parents take the dog out while you are at school, etc. is it still your dog? Do you need to be financially independent to call a dog your own?

When I was in high school I knew next to nothing about dogs so I didn't even think about it. In college, I was far too busy and I was having too much fun, so again I didn't think about it. After starting grad/med school and purchasing a home, I still didn't think about it. Only after spending a vacation (with my girlfriend) at my brother's home and interacting with his dog did I catch puppy fever. I was 21, and we "bought" Herschel a month later.

By the way, if you are a breeder/rescuer, do you have a minimum age requirement? (I just spoke with a woman in the park today that wanted to rescue a Golden but their minimum age requirement was 25!)

 

[jess2416]

I dont think there is an "appropriate age". I think it deals with the level of the maturity of the person...and the ability to provide adequate care for their pet...

 

[milos_mommy]

I call Milo "my" dog. (i'm 17) I live with my parents. They bought him for me, signed the paperwork, the pay for vet care and food. I train him, i exercise him, i feed him, i make all the decisions about him. When i move out, he will come with me. My parents bought him for me for my 16th birthday. When my mom talks about him, she says "my daughter's dog." When she talks about her wheaten, who is pretty much a family dog, she says "my dog." I say "my mom's dog." Everyone in the house...well, me and mom, take care of him. My brother takes him for walks and stuff i guess.

I think until someone is 18, if they get a dog, their parents are partially responsible. It can still be their dog. I think a child as young as ten can have the primary responsibility for a dog (not financially, obviously), but it drives me nuts when a kid promises they'll feed the dog, they don't, and the parents throw it in a shelter. I just want to scream " YOUR KID IS SIX! DID YOU REALLY EXPECT HIM TO BE 100% RESPONSIBLE?".

 

[Toller_08]

I think it very much depends on the person. Definitely no younger than 13 though. I'm "young" and had a really tough time finding a breeder who would sell me a dog because of "what ifs..." as far as further education goes and other life plans. I wouldn't have gotten Dance/even thought about getting another dog if I knew I wasn't going to be able to take care of her properly for the rest of her life. My family takes care of her while I'm at work or wherever, but when they're not around, I also take care of their dogs. Financially, I do absolutely everything for her. My dogs are my life. I don't have a social life. My family and my dogs are all I have, and when I'm home, I only spend my time with them. I don't go out with the few friends I do have, as providing Dance with the exercise and whatnot that she needs is my priority. I consider myself to be very mature for my age, and I know I can provide adequate care for my dog. I hope that made sense. It's hard to explain exactly how I feel about the situation over the internet.

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

Interesting question...when my oldest son was 9, he begged to get a dog...so we got Traveler as a puppy. We considered her "his" dog, but also a family pet. BUT--he was indeed responsible for her care, and training--obviously we helped with all of this--especially getting through puppy-hood. My son attended all dog training classes with me and the dog, he fed her, walked her, he cleaned up after her....did his fair share of taking care of her. Now that he is 20, and busy with school/work--Traveler is cared for by the rest of the family. But for a 9 year old boy--he did a great job! So don't discount younger dog owners--with the right support, they can do a great job!

 

[Herschel]

My dogs are my life. I don't have a social life. My family and my dogs are all I have, and when I'm home, I only spend my time with them. I don't go out with the few friends I do have, as providing Dance with the exercise and whatnot that she needs is my priority. I consider myself to be very mature for my age, and I know I can provide adequate care for my dog. I hope that made sense. It's hard to explain exactly how I feel about the situation over the internet.

That is really honorable. How did you know that you would be willing to give up so much?

There was a young (high school age) couple that started puppy kindergarten with us. Our vet was the instructor so she knew all of us pretty well. They were so excited for the first few classes, then they started getting frustrated that she would pull, chew on things, and have accidents. All of a sudden they stopped showing up--and they stopped showing up to the vet. The vet was pretty certain she went back to the shelter. Sad story, but I have a feeling it happens often.

I think its a matter of dedication. If you're willing to stick with the dog through anything, then I think a very young person can make it work. For others, and probably myself at that age, giving up is a lot easier.

 

[Herschel]

Double post. Sorry.

 

[Tankstar]

I had a dog when I was 4 that was mine, but at 4 she wasnt really mine, my family called her mine, but obviously a that age i did little to help care for her, except play with her, I couldnt even walk her alone as she was a collie, and probably weighted in more then me at that age, as I grew older I took my responsibility for her, walks brushing (i was the only one she would allow to brush her) bath her feed her ect. She was put to sleep when i was 16, It was my decision to put her down, mom did pay the bill, but gave me the benifit of the doubt with what we will do (surgery or PTS). At 17 I was finally ready for another dog, I missed Lassie terribly, but i felt I could start over and get anoher dog. That is where Blaze comes in. He is mine, 110%, I pay all his bills (medical, food, toys) I walk him, brush him and bathe him. My mom brushs him once in a while, but that is becuase she wants to, not because he needs to be brushed, she just likes it. If I do need to o away for a weekend and can not bring him, he stays home. And my brother walks him, and I pay him to walk him for me. When I move out Blaze will follow. My boyfriend has fallen head over heals or him to and calls him his step kid lol. My BF did have to pay a meedical bill for him a few weeks ao as I just didnt have the money (and there was no way I could wait to get the money and then take him to the vet - piece of tail got cut off, there is no wait for that) He is my boy through and through.

 

[ACooper]

My son has "owned" Phoebe since he was ten years old, and he is now 18. He has been responsible for her care as in feeding, watering, exercise, cleaning, training (with guidance) and even taking her back at the Vet and having things explained to him (with me there too)

We have provided the $$ side of things, and he has pretty much taken care of the rest. Honestly, now that he is getting closer and closer to the age where he can move out and take her with him, I don't want him to, heheheheh

I think what you want to know is when are they old enough to care COMPLETELY for a dog? Well that would depend on when they are old enough to care COMPLETELY for themselves. Pay their own bills etc......even if they are still living at home, they could still take care of all their own expenses including a dog I suppose.

 

[malmo]

Interesting question...when my oldest son was 9, he begged to get a dog...so we got Traveler as a puppy. We considered her "his" dog, but also a family pet. BUT--he was indeed responsible for her care, and training--obviously we helped with all of this--especially getting through puppy-hood. My son attended all dog training classes with me and the dog, he fed her, walked her, he cleaned up after her....did his fair share of taking care of her. Now that he is 20, and busy with school/work--Traveler is cared for by the rest of the family. But for a 9 year old boy--he did a great job! So don't discount younger dog owners--with the right support, they can do a great job!

I love this story and it sounds like you are a wonderful parent to help him accept so much responsibility and have success at it.

However, it is the phrase I have bolded which I think best addresses recent threads. Not everyone is as lucky as your son was when it comes to parents and family.

 

[mrose_s]

I think it depends on the kid. My sister and I both got our first pets when we were 5 and 7 years old. My sister got Daisy the malteseX, she wanted a small dog because all the other dogs we had were 25kg+ and she was tired opf getting knocked oer with their tail.
And I got my Panda.
We both knew they were ours, we fed them and my sister walked and brushed Daisy and we knew when we moved out they were coming with us.
Its sad, we both wanted them till we were out of home and such but neither lived that long.
I also got given Buster, he was the family dog up untill a couple of years ago but even before that there was no doubt he was mine.
My sister and I now pay for Buster and Macs vet bills, though my sister not always as she only has a savings account and no income.

 

[Maxy24]

non technically the cats are mine, I care for them completely. BUT I don't pay for their vet visits and food so technically they are my parent's. They will be living with me when I get my own home though, so they are not exactly the family pet as Max was.

 

[malmo]

I don't believe there is a perfect time to acquire a dog. First-time dog owners especially are very unlikely, IMO, to understand the work and sacrifice that can go into ownership. (I say this as Milo was my first dog.) However, I do think that before you get a dog of "your own," you should be able to:

1. Have a concrete plan (time/scheduling and money) for how the dog will be cared for, trained, exercised, and groomed under your current circumstances and
2. have just as concrete a plan (time/scheduling and money) for any upcoming changes you foresee in the next 5 years.

Do I think that people who intend to go to college should not have dogs? No. Not in the least. But I do think they should have enough time, money, and flexibility in their schedules to allow them to continue to care for their dogs in the same way as the dogs are accustomed, if not better. If you will rely on family, friends, roommates to help, then those people should be informed and agree to their roles. That sort of thing.

That said, there are always unexpected things that come up. No one can account for those. But you should be able to open-mindedly account for your current situation AND any EXPECTED changes you will encounter in the next 5 years.

For my part, I got Milo before I went to grad school. He came with me, though, and I sacrificed and made it work. Now I have a new puppy in McGee. She comes to me just as I am preparing my applications for PhD programs beginning in 9/2008. However, I already have a plan for how I will care for her during that time. I know I will have to find pet-friendly apartments, because I have Milo. I have a network of friends and family who can step in when I have to travel for research and conferences. I have several local doggie daycares that I can use in the event of long days. I understand that I will need to replace all of these resources if I move.

So, do I think you can be too young to own a dog? Like most have said, depends on the person. However, when people get defensive or are unwilling to discuss their plans on how they will care for a dog in their current lifestyle AND for the next foreseeable 5 years, then I do get a little concerned.

I do not believe that anyone who frequents this board would intentionally put a dog into a bad situation. I actually think it's quite nice that board members try to help each other think things like this through and are willing to ask hard questions.

 

[lilprairiemutt]

I think it depends on the maturity of the kid. My eight year old has taken over making sure the cats have food in their dish. I didn't make him do this. One day he just told me he thought he was old enough to this job. I told him to have at it. I keep an eye on it, but in the seven months that he decided to take this on, I have only had to remind him one or twice.

He is a big one to decide he is old enough for things. The other day he informed that he was more than old enough to put away his own clothes when they came back from being washed, so to please just put his stack on his bed and he would take care of it. Um, okay.

Once he takes on a job, he rarely, if ever, shirks it. So if one day he told me that he was ready to take on a dog and would do all of the feeding and such, I would probably get him the dog. I wouldn't get a puppy for his first very own dog, but he would get one.

 

[~Tucker&Me~]

I think it depends on the maturity of the kid.

:hail:

I'm 15. I excercise, train, feed, and am financially responsible for my dog.

~Tucker

 

[Plushie]

I got my Neapolitan Mastiff when I was 5. My sister (then 4) got a goldfish (died within a week because mom forgot to feed it) and my brother, 7, got his cat, Romeo, a bit brute of a maine coon that made my little sister and my mastiff run for cover.

When my brother and I were 10 and 12, we literally beat the crap out of eachother over who 'owned' the german shepherd/dutch shepherd cross. He only lived for 15 months, sadly, after he was hit by a car when he ran right through the screen door.

Depends on how responsible the kid is, realy.

 

[smkie]

when you can work hard to pay for the shots and the food. Before that, it is the family dog. EVen if it loves you the most. IT isn't your dog until you are completely responsible for it.

 

[PWCorgi]

I got Izzy and Frodo at 16 and I'm responsible for everything for them. I used my mom's stamps to send in Izzy's CGC/TDI info, but that's the only thing that hasn't been provided by me. I'm also responsible for Balou and Inky.

I doubt 99% of the kids in my grade could do it though.

 

[ihartgonzo]

I adopted Gonzo right after I turned 13....

I have always been responsible for feeding, training, exercising, grooming, etc, etc. My parents paid for everything for him (until I turned 18) but I honestly feel that the time and effort it takes to raise a happy dog FAR outweighs the monetary costs. If Gonzo's care was in the hands of either of my parents, no amount of money in the world could make him happy, because they simply would not be willing to do all the things I do for him. I honestly feel that if it was up to my family Gonzo would've been re-homed years ago.

Thankfully, I realized at 13, that there are more important things in life than hanging out after school & going to sleepovers & dating perverted 13 year-old boys... my dog was more important! I had to learn to balance friends & responsibilities. And I still feel that adopting Gonzo, at that age, saved me from a lot of trouble & a lot of bad situations. He also helped me realize how much I love dogs, and how much I would love to work with them for the rest of my life.

 

[AgilityPup]

I call Zoey mine. And I call Sasha mine. My mom told me Sasha was my dog, and I could choose any one I wanted... With Zoey I had to fight a bit to get her, rather than her sister.

Mom and Dad by the food, and pay the vet bills, but I train, and play, groom, and usualy feed the dogs and water them... So, because I chose Zoey and Sasha and mom told me they were my dogs, even though she ought Zoey, and paied the stud fee to have Sashas mom bred, I still call them mine.

Just like ihartgonzo said, my dogs and Agility has kept me out of a lot of trouble, had I not had the respect for my parents I have, or my dogs, I would be out doing all the things my friends who have no pets do.

I think they taught me many things, so when I have kids, as soon as they are old enough to research a breed they'd like to have, and find out all they need to know about the dog, they will have one, until then, they get to share the dog I have when I have kids.

So, when the child can show responsibilty, then sure, they get a puppy. Until then, share with the parents, and if they dont have a family dog, play with friends dogs, that type of things.