Yes, You Should Get a Dog! 7 Surprising Reasons

Here you’ll find 7 surprising reasons you probably haven’t thought of for why you should get a dog for you and your family. 

I used to swear I would never, ever get another dog. I had to give my last dog away over a decade ago when my second child was born. The dog started reverting back to puppyhood. Not only did the dog become aggressive towards my son, but he also started leaving “surprises” on the carpet.

I just didn’t have it in me to change the diapers of 2 tiny humans and clean up after a jealous, mean-spirited 8-pound dog.

A Dog? No Thanks.

Then suddenly I was a single parent and I really couldn’t handle another creature to take care of.

But as the years went on, I felt as though I needed something to take my mind off all my problems. So why not add a living creature full of problems, right?

Well, yes. I chose a large breed puppy and she’s been a handful. But also fills our hearts.

Think you’ll never get a dog either?

Here are 7 Reasons Why You Should Get a Dog

Dogs Will Bring Your Family Together

Our whole family reconnected when we got our dog. I quickly realized the children were spending too much time on electronic devices before the dog came into our lives. We now had so many things to do that we didn’t before: feed the dog, go on walks, go to training classes, socialize the dog, etc.

The dog forced us all to exercise every day. She is a big dog and if she doesn’t get daily walks, we paid for it in other ways.

The social benefits to kids are numerous and of course, as a parent, you reap the benefits as well.

Related: How to Help Your Child Through the Death of a Beloved Pet

A Dog Can Bring Comfort

A dog doesn’t have to be specifically trained as a therapy dog to give comfort to your children. If you have a child that has trouble expressing herself and gets upset to such a level that you can’t calm her down, dogs can be very comforting. When my children were little and my son would have such huge fits that I couldn’t get anywhere near him, I would call his grandma to come over with her little dogs. All that was needed was a few minutes for him to cuddle the dogs. Then he could come out and we could talk.

You May Discover a New Interest

When we brought our puppy home, obedience training wasn’t optional. By 6 months of age, she weighed 50 pounds and could knock my kids down. I spent a lot of time researching puppy obedience and attending classes.

For a few months, I became obsessed with learning as much as I could about different training techniques. I found it was challenging to train a puppy but also a lot of fun. I never would have said this before I was forced to do it. I unknowingly found a new passion.

There are many avenues by which you may find a new passion. Just as a dog that forces you outside your comfort zone. Whether it be dog training, walking, hiking, or even studying animal psychology. The point is that you don’t know until you try it. And as adults, we often need to be forced into new situations. A dog will force you into many new situations.

Dogs Will Disrupt Your Life – In a Good Way

In this day of Amazon Prime, grocery chains delivering, and pre-made dinners arriving at your doorstep you almost never have to leave home. Which is awesome. But can also get you too comfortable. 

A new dog, or especially a puppy, will force you out of the house. A lot. You’ll be meeting with a whole new world suddenly. The vet, dog trainer, other dog fanatics at the dog park, frequent trips to the pet store, and on and on.

You may find that it gives you the confidence to step out in others areas of your life.

Bringing a Puppy Home Will Slow You Down

If you are constantly rushing around and think you don’t have time for a TV show, much less a puppy then that’s probably exactly what you need. Running at full speed all time is a hard habit to break. We need something to force us to stop (before our health does it for us).

Although puppies have a lot of energy, they also demand to be loved, just like babies. Sometimes they need to be handfed in the first few weeks of a new environment. You may have to teach him how to walk downstairs. You will have to teach your children how to interact safely with the puppy. All these actions force you to slow down.

Change of Perspective

Since we’ve had our puppy, life often revolves around her. And that’s so much better than life revolving around our silly worries and problems. I can’t believe I swore off dogs for so long. In fact, suddenly I believe all single moms need a dog. What is great about life is trying different things and watching yourself and your “firm” beliefs change and grow.

This post is part of a Passion Project Series. How do you find your passion? You keep trying different things. That’s the big “secret”. Even crazy things like adopting a dog – for life! You won’t know what sparks your passion until you keep trying new things.