How can you know if you’re ready to become a dog parent? Do you love the idea of having a loyal companion who’ll cuddle up beside you whenever you want? How about one who’ll walk beside you obediently across the park? Of course, us first-time dog moms DREAM of this! But how do you know if you’re truly ready? Well, I knew when I was able to answer these 4 questions.

When you’re preparing for a puppy, no one gives you a heads up about the sleepless nights, your favorite shoes being destroyed or the pee puddles you’re going to step in with your socks. Well, I’m here to tell prepare you, friends. 

Keep reading to see if you’re ready to be a dog mom!

As A Future Dog Parent, Can You Answer These 4  Questions?

In looking back on Henry’s puppy days, I thought about our process and put together the list of daily conversations we had before getting serious about becoming dog parents. It basically came down to these four questions:

Have you considered the additional expenses involved in becoming a dog parent?

Will you still want to be a dog parent when you know the costs involved? Yes, there’s the cost of the actual dog, but there are a bunch of added expenses that we don’t always think about during the initial excitement.

Of course, there is pet insurance, (which I highly recommend by the way, you can read why here), but it doesn’t cover things like vaccines, routine vet visits or the surgery for spaying/neutering your dog when the time comes, for instance.

When we were preparing to bring Henry home, we made a whole checklist of all the puppy essentials. This blog post goes through them in detail. I also recommend reading this blog post by Tori Mistick that was published in the Wall Street Journal. As an experenced dog mom for over 20 years, Tori details all the costs involved in owning a dog, and how to save on certain recurring expenses!

Other expenses to consider can be things like puppy school, clothes, leashes, collars and other accessories as your puppy grows. My advice: wait a few months before investing in the nice expensive accessories. Your fur baby will grow out of stuff before you know it!

In looking back at Henry’s Instagram Posts and Story Highlights and reminiscing on the puppy days, I realize how quickly they flew by. And, like most dog parents I’m sure, I wish I would’ve taken even more pictures and videos of him. It wasn’t always easy, but thankfully Juan and I are a great team. We shared all the responsibilities, which made things so much easier.

Having friends and a community to go to for questions and tips is amazing as well. We’re thrilled to still be in touch with our breeder, who is always so helpful and kind. Would we ever consider getting another puppy? You’ll just have to wait and see!