Almost every child’s holiday wish list includes a cute little puppy. Who doesn’t love the image of a cute puppy popping out of a box with a big bow on its head? If you are considering getting a family dog, take some time to plan and prepare.

For years, we resisted adding a family dog to the Healthy Hen house. Eventually, with the chicks’ clamoring for a dog, coupled with images of walks in the sunshine, running and giggling in the yard, and a buddy who is always excited to see us when we get home, we decided we were ready. After all, our dog would never need the vet, never go potty in the neighbors yard, wouldn’t eat or need grooming, right? So we made the decision, and talked about it with the kids. We thought that was the hard part, but then we started talking about what kind, when, and from where, and quickly realized this was going to take a lot of planning and preparation. Our talks went a little something like this:

1. What kind – at least two of us have allergies, so what breeds are hypoallergenic? Holy cow, there are a lot of options!

2. How big – should it be large so it can be a running mate, or small, cute and easy to travel with, as the chicks wanted? Not an easy issue to sort through, and apparently size really does matter!

3. Where – do we try to get one from the pound, a cardboard box in front of a grocery store, or purebred from a breeder? If a breeder, which are good and which aren’t? And how much would this all cost?

4. When – when would be a “good” time to add a dog to the family? Uh, good luck with that one!

5. Male or female? If you have boys and girls helping to pick your dog, good luck navigating this issue!

None of these were easy decisions, turned all of them into a fun and educational activity. We looked at breeds online, located and researched a breeder, daydreamed about what the dog would need and what we could do with it. Finally, we decided on a small dog, from a breeder, and once we located one, she just happened to have one little six month old puppy. We drove about three hours to “look” at it. Who knows why we thought we were really just “looking.” There is no such thing, at least not with the chicks involved. Once you “look,” it will be impossible to ignore your smiling kids, who so sweetly ask: “Are we going to get it?”

If you have thoughts and ideas for how to decide on the right dog for our readers’ families, please share them. And up next in Part II? Tips and ideas on supplies and how to integrate your new dog into its new home.