It was a Sunday afternoon. I remember we were watching a concert on TV when my boyfriend's little sister and her fiancé arrived to our one bedroom apartment with a gift for us.
It was a gorgeous chocolate Labrador retriever with a cerulean blue ribbon tied around her neck as a collar.
We named her Camila.
She was about a month old and weighted roughly four pounds. Her walking was impaired and she could not hear or see things clearly. I remember thinking to myself "Oh my God we've been given a blind puppy".
The next day of course I took her to the Vet and it was then that my learning about big dogs began:
In order to care for her and her needs we had to make many changes to our daily routine. Not only did we have to wake up earlier to walk her, we had to feed her just the right amount of food (or she could become overweight), clean her ears after a trip to the beach...in sum -we had to change our way of life.
Caring for a puppy is much like caring for a child.
I write about this mainly to emphasize the importance of knowing "what your are getting your self into" before adopting a dog, specially a large breed dog. It is sad to see how hundreds of dogs (big and small) are abandoned and neglected by their owners every day.
I can only hope for people who are planning on adopting a dog to first educate themselves about the responsibilities involved in raising and caring for a dog. Also to take the time to find the "right-match" for them.
It was a gorgeous chocolate Labrador retriever with a cerulean blue ribbon tied around her neck as a collar.
We named her Camila.
She was about a month old and weighted roughly four pounds. Her walking was impaired and she could not hear or see things clearly. I remember thinking to myself "Oh my God we've been given a blind puppy".
The next day of course I took her to the Vet and it was then that my learning about big dogs began:
-First Lesson :A puppy should not leave its mother and siblings before (s)he is at least 6 weeks old.After that we have had many more lessons but thanks to the Vet, the internet, books, and the guidance of my father -a man with vast knowledge in the nature of things, we were able to survive Camila's "infant and toddler" months and now live with a playful "teenager" who never ceases to challenge us.
In order to care for her and her needs we had to make many changes to our daily routine. Not only did we have to wake up earlier to walk her, we had to feed her just the right amount of food (or she could become overweight), clean her ears after a trip to the beach...in sum -we had to change our way of life.
Caring for a puppy is much like caring for a child.
I write about this mainly to emphasize the importance of knowing "what your are getting your self into" before adopting a dog, specially a large breed dog. It is sad to see how hundreds of dogs (big and small) are abandoned and neglected by their owners every day.
I can only hope for people who are planning on adopting a dog to first educate themselves about the responsibilities involved in raising and caring for a dog. Also to take the time to find the "right-match" for them.
If you are interested in adopting a large dog here is a list of large breed dogs that will help you in your decision.
Better to be prepared!
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