I was sitting on the floor playing with my chihuahua's 3 puppies just now, and I honestly don't think I will be able to get rid of them. I am almost crying just thinking about giving them away. Plus, I just don't know how I would be able to trust another person to take care of them well enough!! Is 5 chihuahuas too many??? If you think about it, they basically only equal 2-3 bigger dogs! And I'm sure I could get some sort of vet discounts on getting them all fixed at the same time. Is it ridiculous for me to be thinking this way?
There are a lot of things you have to take into accound. Think 15 eyars down the line, when they are all old. Senior dogs cost a lot of money in vet bills. I find I take my senior dogs to the vet almost every three months for some sort of ailment. Teeth cleaning, UTIs, skin issues, or whatever. Can you afford that?
Also, different communities have laws regarding the number of dogs you can have. Little or no, most communities require no more than three or four dogs per household.
I'm sure it's very hard to get rid of precious pups, but if you screen the potential homes well, you will fee much more comfortable with your decision on who gets your special pups.
WOW! That also makes me realize just how important my pets are and how expensive they can get! I had to take Katie to the vets this morning cause of her ears. She kept shaking her head and scratching them. It turns out she has a little bit irritation in them but at least no ear mites!! The vet gave me some drops to put in them as well as a shot(which Katie didn't like one dang bit). So she's sleeping.
I know those little buggers are cute, and you're in love with them already. Mom may be of a different opinion by the time they are weaned, however. Not every mother dog wants her puppies around forever. I had a dog who took excellent care of her pups when they were little, but she sure was glad to see the last of them at 10 weeks old. If you ever plan on fostering dogs in the future, consider it practice for then.
Well plenty of financial advice- I am bringing up a different point. Its not just money. Keeping siblings together, which two can play with each other until big enough to play with the adults, they still stay litter mates for life- devoted to each other.. We got Zubin at 4 months old, and his sister came at 10 months. However- by the time she came, both had already had an " established self" of their own identity- verses staying " juvenile deliquents" there whole life. However- I swear they knew each other right from the start. Now play becomes a way to build muscle etc- while still being indivuals. IN keeping two- I seperate them for several months in the past. Making two groups of you had two- having 3 you would have always have dogs that while bonded with you- really they prefer each others company as you can not play like a dog- and they have a strong pack sense to each other being litter mates. We are debatting now as well keeping two instead of one. If we did keep two- they would be seperated for at least two months-. While multiple teach pups the routine of the house faster than a single- that only means any dog with the pups. While your breed is really tiny, there is also a huge difference from a 4 months Borzoi and one that is 2 years and up. BIG SIZE difference. If you wanted to keep the pups- I would suggest no more than 2.. And remember the one that did leave would go have a life of their own with their own mental image of " self.". And I would suggest you keep different se*xes- meaning a male and female- not the same. That in its self has them see life differently.
I am sure where you live, do you have a pet smart near you? I only have one dog but I have him on their medical plan. It saves me a lot of money in that first year. You have three puppies so it would cost you a bit more.
I pay 16.95 per month and it gets my dogs nails clipped, tests for heartworms, gets everyone of their shots, gives them a full on physical at one year of age. If you upgrade to 21.95 per month then you can get your dog fixed. All in all so far in his 5.5 months with all his shots, heartworm and everything we have saved 300 dollars on him because puppies are so expensive with all the boosters. I find it easier than shelling out the vet bill all the time.
When they get past one year old then there is adult dog plans through them that cover more like the diseases and stuff. I think it is a good plan. The vet office is banfield, they are inside of pet smart stores. They are very good with our dog.
If you are committed enough you can do it. HOw old are you? If you still live with your mom and dad maybe you do some extra work around the house or go around the neighborhood and do stuff for people to make the money to afford them, that is what I did when I was a teenager and we had a dog, I would work and make as much as I could towards the care of my animals. If you are an adult I am sorry. There are so many young people on this board I wasn't sure.
Good luck in your decision and I hope you can manage with all those little pups running around
Petsmart sounds like it may be a good idea...I don't want to shell out the money to get them all of their puppy shots right now, but $16 a month per dog may be doable. Oh, and I am an adult, but a fairly young one...still in college. I don't blame you for not knowing.
I am also a young adult but with a family instead of college so I understand the financal hardships. Whatever you do I wish you the best of luck and it sounds like those dogs are lucky to have you. Good luck with your new "babies".
Keeping three puppies from the same litter will be much more than three times the work as they grow and develop.
The puppies will be better off in loving homes where they can each get all the individual attention they need.
It's much more difficult and challenging with 3 puppies to spend enough one on one time with each of them in order to provide the initial training and guidance they need to form them into lovable obedient pets.
If you're prepared to sacrifice both time and money to train and maintain a pack of dogs (even if they are tiny) then by all means do it.
If you have any reservations about being able to handle the situation then let them go to their new homes before problems develop!
I wish you the best on making an informed decision for the benefit of the puppies!
I agree with applesmom1 and the other posters on here..instead of keeping all of the puppies, maybe you can just take 2 or 3 of them and keep them instead. Managing a lot of animals is hard work(I know cause I've got five animals at home!-2 dogs, 3 cats!) and can be very expensive(unless you have a good job that pays well). But I wish you the best of luck with those little ones..and PetSmart is a good idea too. Good luck!
Well, the puppies have decided to make it easier on me, as two of them are little goobers and like to chew on things (such as the cord for my laptop, each other, etc.), and one of them is just as sweet as can be. So I'm just going to keep her, and find other homes for the other two. The one I am keeping is absolutely precious, she is the runt of the litter, and has a beautiful light fawn color, just a little darker than her daddy.
Originally posted by hobbitcutie: Well, the puppies have decided to make it easier on me, as two of them are little goobers and like to chew on things (such as the cord for my laptop, each other, etc.), and one of them is just as sweet as can be. So I'm just going to keep her, and find other homes for the other two. The one I am keeping is absolutely precious, she is the runt of the litter, and has a beautiful light fawn color, just a little darker than her daddy.
That's a great compromise! Best of luck with the new puppy and finding suitable homes for the other pups.
