by Michelle Spencer
The question you must ask yourself is: 'I may want a dog, but would a dog want me as his owner?' The decision to have a dog should be a family one. It should not be made lightly and without a great deal of thought.

The dog, when you get him, will become an integral part of the family and is likely to remain so for many years. It is important, therefore, that every member of the immediate family should want a dog and be prepared to accept the duties that responsible ownership entails.

Dogs are traditionally seen as the number one pet. Although the majority are kept as a source of enormous pleasure as a household pet, many dogs still perform the jobs they were originally bred to do. These tasks include herding and guarding duties, as well as being employed as 'eyes and ears' for people with sight and hearing impediments. Dogs are also used to great effect in search-and-rescue situations. All in all, dogs are the most versatile pet humans could wish for.

Companionship

In return for food, shelter and affection, dogs offer unconditional love and loyalty to their owners. Owning a happy, healthy dog is one of the most rewarding pleasures in life, and it gives you opportunities to make new friends while walking your pet and taking him to training classes.

Having a dog - as with other pets - also has an advantageous effect in helping people relax and recover from illness, as well as keeping us alert and lively as we age.

Exercise and enjoyment

Walking the dog is not only essential for his well-being, it is also excellent for our health. Just a couple of 20-minute brisk walks help to tone our bodies and maintain cardiovascular fitness. Playing with and training a dog is good fun for both parties. Few things are more entertaining than a session of playing 'fetch' with a ball.

Affection

A dog's love of affection from his owners is what makes him special to us; love and loyalty are high on the list of characteristics owners require in a dog. Naturally social creatures that evolved as pack animals, dogs just live to please their owners, because in return they are provided with everything they need to survive comfortably. Some types of dog are more affectionate than others, so people who require such a dog should read up on the various breeds to ensure they end up with a pet that adores being made a fuss of and petted, as opposed to one that prefers more restrained affection on its own terms.

Security and independence

There is no doubt that, for those who live on their own, having another living being in the home gives confidence. To ensure that your dog remains healthy means that you have to organize your life to a certain extent to accommodate him, and this in itself helps people to maintain direction and order in their lives.

Dogs are efficient warning systems too - they are quick to alert their owners to anything untoward such as a house fire, and have also been known to save people in other types of danger, such as the presence of intruders. It is their acute sense of hearing that has made dogs invaluable in their roles as hearing dogs for the deaf, while their trainability enables dogs to act as guides for visually impaired people as well as act as 'home helps' for the disabled.

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