I’m new to Reddit, so please bear with me!
My wife 27F and I 27M, have been together since 2016, living together for about 3 years, and married for almost a year now. Ever since we moved into our home, she’s been asking about getting a dog. I was hesitant before because we were saving for our wedding and honeymoon, but now that those are behind us, I feel like it’s finally fair to seriously consider it. She’s 100% down to just go the a shelter or breeder right now while I am more a let’s think out the logistics first.
The more I think about it, though, the more questions and concerns I have.
We both work full-time—she’s a teacher (so she has summers off), and I work in healthcare. We also like to travel multiple times a year since we’re DINKs (dual income, no kids). My thought was that if we do get a puppy, the ideal timing would be at the start of summer so she could spend a solid 2–3 months helping train and get it settled. We also both grew up with medium size dogs so behavior wise we know what to expect.
Here are my main questions:
Where’s the best place to start when looking for a dog? I think we’d prefer going through a breeder. We’re both leaning toward a laid-back, medium-to-large breed (like a Newfoundland, Bulldog, or Lab), especially since we’d be out of the house from around 7 AM–5 PM most weekdays.
Would it be a bad idea to surprise her with a dog as a first wedding anniversary gift? Or is this something we should 100% go through together?
Financially, what should we realistically expect for the cost of owning a medium-to-large dog (both upfront and ongoing)?
We also travel a lot. Weekend trips. 2 full week island get away a year. Is it taboo to put them in a kennel or have someone dog sit. Is this one of those things you sacrifice when getting a pet?
Any advice or guidance would be really appreciated—thanks in advance!