yeah, it kinda has to be a family deal. I’ve owned a few dogs & I cannot imagine life without one (or three, as the case may be…), but they are a lot of work. a word to the wise: rescue dogs are the best, and puppies are a shit-ton of work (think crazy active toddler without the diaper and with amazingly destructive chewing potential). some dogs go through a really challenging “teenager” phase so a lot of people give them up between 6 months-2 years of age. find a trainer/training method that inspires you and invest the time: at least two 30-minute walks a day (on leash, with off-leash time as a reward for good behaviour), plus at least two 15-minute obedience training sessions followed by play (after/during walks works great). do that for 5 years and you will have yourself an amazing companion that you probably don’t need to walk/train daily (but you will probably want to). having a dog will limit your freedom: if you’re a renter, it can be really tough (like, next to impossible) in some cities. travel gets trickier. and, of course, dogs cost money (training, food, vet care, etc.) but it doesn’t need to break the bank — like having a kid, you will want to buy everything but 80% of it will be totally unnecessary. and all the pain in the ass will be super duper worth it because: creature love.