We are seriously thinking/talking about getting a dog. The kids are, of course, ecstatic. They have been begging for one for some time. We are in the research/try to take educated steps-phase, and so we are looking into lots of dog books. Growing up, I had several dogs in and out of our family life...so, I thought I knew a little something about dogs. Turns out, not! Here is something that I honestly did not know; many dogs need a basic level of exercise and for certain breeds-something that seems like 'work' to them. Having a good sized backyard does not satisfy the need for exercise/play (I thought it did...) Looking up information on each breed will offer you an idea of a minimum walking time-and if the dog gets less than this, they will act out their boredom by tearing apart your yard, barking, and doing other undesirable stuff. I really did not know that. I guess it is a good thing we are doing all this reading! Sky wants to take his time with this decision and be ready for the dog, if we do get one.
Great homeschooling opportunities here- Meg and Josie are spending a considerable amount of time researching breeds...topic report, anyone? A pro/con report? Or how about a persuasive essay? (Mom is just getting started...)
Unfortunately, the girls' passion for research is turning up lists of obscure/exotic breeds. Ones I have never heard of, infact. I had to break it to them that we need to look for more common breeds we could actually find in our area, and that wouldn't be really expensive because they are not common, and one we wouldn't have to pay airfare to ship...
On our list to go meet so far,:
Beagle
greyhound rescue
whippet
labradoodle
soft coated wheaten terrier