Would you buy a new car for your family without doing some research? Or a even a washing machine? Probably not in both cases. You will spend a lot of money and rely for years on these devices to reliably meet your needs and perform without causing you and your family problems. After all, nobody wants a wheel falling off at speed, or even a flooded bathroom. Yet very often people will bring a new member into their family by bringing home a puppy or a rescue dog without thinking through what this means for the long term. A dog is in every way a family member – as a pack animal it is genetically programmed to be exactly that – and it will often live with you for as long as it takes to bring up a child.
A critical factor in responsible dog keeping is choosing the right dog for your family and circumstances in the first place. Large types originally bred for guarding cattle will not do well in a small city apartment, very hairy dogs that continually shed will be a daily problem if you are proud of your tidy home and fashionable clothes. Selecting a breed that needs hours of energetic exercise each day to maintain good condition is fine if you are yourself a fitness devotee, otherwise the dog will become bored and probably overweight. And while any dog can be trained to good behaviour given time and effort, mixed breed dogs from a shelter with unknown previous ownership may present more challenges than you can cope with.
Finally there is the major question of should you get a dog at all? If you really don’t have the time or resources to treat this sentient family member with the care and attention it needs and deserves, maybe a cat would be better for you!
HGL believes in responsible dog keeping and operates dog friendly workplaces, sponsors and works with Gyuri Fehér who educates and informs about breed selection through his presentations and educational videos about responsible dog keeping. Here in Hungary, dog keeping is still very much a work in progress far behind Western European and American standards, but HGL are commited to working together with Gyuri so that we can close the gap in standards of care for our country as well.
