I mean, there are far more things to consider, but these are the top six that I should probably have thought about slightly more before buying my floppy eared hound…

1. Can I afford a dog?

Clover has bankrupt me. It’s not just the initial cost of the dog itself, but the cost of food, the vet bills, the insurance, the dog walker, the toys, the leads/collars/harnesses, the dog poop bags, the treats, her coats for the winter and her cooling vests for the summer. There was so much I just simply had not considered cost wise before I jumped in and bought the little princess. I’ve written a separate post called ‘how much do dogs cost’ with a breakdown of exactly how much Clover costs me and I would urge you to read it before you buy a dog. If you decide against buying a dog, can you send me some of the money I’ve saved you? (No, really- I’m broke.)

2. Is my home suitable for a dog?

When I bought Clover I was living in a house with no garden but a balcony. It wasn’t ideal. I thought the balcony space would be big enough. Like many things dog ownership related… I was wrong. Clover needed outdoor space more than I realised. We have since moved to a house with a garden and it is where Clover spends most her time. She loves nothing more than legging it round barking at the neighbours (another ruff reality story for another day-no relaxing in the garden for me!) Another point to note is if you are in rented accommodation. Just because your current landlord might be ok with pets, doesn’t mean all future landlords will be. What if you have to move to another rental property and you can’t take the dog with you? Do you have a plan B? What happens to the dog?

3. Do I have anyone to help me with dog care?

Do you have family or friends that can look after the dog when you go away? Boarding can be very expensive, and you are not always guaranteed to be able to book your dog in. They say it takes a village to raise a dog, and they’d be right! (Whoever ‘they’ are…). Clover goes to my mum’s house for a week if I am going away. She also has the option of staying the night at my brother’s house if I’m away for just one night.

If you don’t have anyone to help, then you will need to rely on boarding. If you can’t afford the boarding or they are fully booked then you can’t go and do whatever you had planned. It feels like an obvious point but, despite the help I have, I often wish I had other family living nearer to help out. I am fortunate enough to be able to work from home a few days a week, and the dog walkers who come and look after Clover whilst I am in the office are literally my saving grace. I’d be so lost without them- but obviously they come at a price (see point 1!). If you’re job enables you to be home for your dog all the time then great, but if you have to go to the office most days, you seriously need to consider what your options are.

4. Am I ready for a total change of lifestyle?

This may seem like an exaggeration but I can promise you after nearly three years of dog ownership, this is a biggie. Some examples of how my life has changed since having Clover include, but are not limited to:

– No lie ins at the weekend. Clover now has mostly free roam of the house at night, but it’s unfair to leave her until I wake up naturally. So I set an alarm every morning to get up for her. If I forget, she wakes me up by scratching at my bedroom door sometimes as early as 5.00am. Whether your alarm clock is digital or fluffy, it’s time to get up! Just what you need after a long week at work…

– No more spontaneous evenings out or weekends away (unless dog friendly of course!) Before Clover, I used to regularly decide to go for dinner at last minute, or book a quick getaway for the coming weekend. No such fun now. Everything needs to be planned around Clover and if I’m going out for even a few hours of an evening then I make sure Clover has had my attention all day and has had a long walk before I go. It’s ok though- you’ve got time to do that considering you’re now up at 6.00am 7 days a week 🙂

– Less ‘adult’ time. (Sorry if you’re reading this mum, but if I’m doing an honest post, I have to include everything!). Clover is a c*ck block. She can’t even let me and my fiancée have a cuddle without coming and getting involved… the chances of anything more than that are slim to none if Clover has anything to do with it. If we want to have some ‘us’ time we have to make sure Clover is in bed or otherwise pre-occupied. Once again, it revolves around Clover. No more spontaneous fun for us!

– No more nice things. For example, my once always immaculate car is now covered in dog hair, dog towels and a dog seatbelt. There is mud and dust all over the seats and my walking boots remain a permanent fixture. It is no longer my car, it is Clover’s. The house is a similar story. Our house is tidy and we look after it. But there is never not a half eaten chew stuck to the throw on the sofa, dog hair everywhere and dog toys scattered everywhere. My clothes are also now normally covered in dog hair or mud (see above photo!).

– No more tv programmes involving animals. I used to absolutely love watching David Attenborough but since Clover barks at every animal ever on my screen, we’ve had to give it a miss. Similarly, if watching a film and an animal comes on screen, my natural reaction is to hit to mute button in the hope that Clover doesn’t spot it. A fun game of ‘stop the dog barking before she starts’ for all the family.

– The list goes on. All minor points but they all add up. I have more… way more. I’ll do another post solely on this another day, but for now you get the gist…

5. Do I have time for a dog?

Take my blog on ‘am I ready for a dog?’ for example. Dogs are a big time commitment every single day. Mornings, evenings and weekends will now forever involve walks or playtime. You also have to factor in the time spent doing things like taking your dog to the vets, going and buying their food and organising care for them if you are not home. I am not joking when I say that organising Clover’s care for the days when I work in the office is a full time job in itself. I have to plan it month’s in advance. Then there’s the time it takes to train your dog properly. Unfortunately, they do not arrive at your house fully trained and perfectly behaved. It takes months of training and you have to stay consistent. Nearly three years in and Clover and I regularly have training sessions. It’s good for her brain and it helps her to behave… it also takes up a good deal of my spare time and I’m fairly sure she learns nothing but I’m trying to be a good parent here.

6. Can I cope with the heartbreak?

For me, the answer is no, and I wish I had considered this more. We all know that dogs have a shorter lifespan than us and that, inevitably, they will one day break our hearts when they leave us. Having grown up with dogs, I have dealt with my fair share of dog loss- but I was not prepared for how much I would love Clover. She is my best friend. If anything happened to her, my chaotic, expensive, muddy and dog revolving world would be shattered. The realisation of this hit me very early on into mine and Clover’s journey. I couldn’t have had her for more than a month when I thought ‘I can’t ever lose you.’ But the ruff reality is… I can and I will.


To quote Paul O’Grady “you don’t worry about the hangover when you’re at the party.”… Let’s just hope mine and Clover’s party goes on forever.

P.s. Paul O’Grady ‘for the love of dogs’ is another show that I am now unable to watch… see point 4 above.

Need more advice/insights into dog ownership? I’ve got you covered…

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