Any mother knows that having a puppy is like caring for a newborn baby.

 You’re lucky if you get in the shower by noon. Dogs are a lot of work.  You need the “patience of Job.”  They get into everything.

But having a dog is good for kids.  It teaches them responsibility and experts say it has health benefits too.  Before adopting a furry friend you need to make an informed decision.  No matter what the kids say, it’s your dog so you better make sure of two things – that you actually want a dog and  like the  breed the kids want.  If you don’t, dogs have incredible senses and will know if you don’t like them.  I’ve been in the process of searching for a puppy myself over the past few months and found a website that I think is very helpful.  At PetBreeds by Graphiq  you can compare breeds, read reviews, learn about ownership costs and see which breeds are good with kids and are growing in popularity.  I have also been picking the brain of several veterinarians, pet owners, and members of kennel clubs. The veterinarians I talked to all suggested the same family favorite breeds:Labrador Retriever or Golden Retriever for people who want big dogs, and Poodle, Goldendoodle, or a Maltese for people who like smaller dogs. They say all of these dogs  are great with kids, tend to be gentle and are easy to train.  They also mentioned Pomeranians but did say they yelp and do need a lot of grooming.  The whole key is to find the right dog for you. In my next post I’ll show you which dog I picked and let you know how it’s going.  It’s a big commitment. The dog is going to be with you for a long time. Did you know that small dogs tend to live longer than big ones? According to the American Kennel Club the average lifespan of a small dog is 10-15 years.  Chew on that if you’re on the fence about getting a dog.  Or better yet get a fence first so your life will be easier from the start.