By far one of the cutest dogs out there has to be the bulldog. With so many dogs to love and adore, and so many other pets to do the same with, it’s tough convincing one’s self – or others – of a particular breed to invest care and emotion into. Emotional expense aside, one also has to think about the financial expense that will come into play when loving and caring for a dog, too. These key pieces of consideration are so important – and deserve expanding on when really opting in as a pet owner or pet keeper.
If not a so-called ‘garden variety’ bulldog, then a variation from other parts of the world could be a higher priority. When pursuing this, though, it can get really expensive – and perhaps being to deter one from the original ambition of owning a pet, a dog in particular. For instance, the French bulldog price in the northern hemisphere would probably be a lot cheaper, reasonable and ultimately more affordable than those found in the southern hemisphere.
This would largely be due to the exchange rate, with the dollar, euro and pound having a much bigger say on the markets – pet markets included – than, say the South African rand. A single South African rand, when weighed up the exchange rate, would be 14 euros, 16 pounds or 12 dollars – just consider how that would stack up when buying anything, let alone a dog. One shudders to think about the expense when approaching the thought on a shallow level. But dig a little deeper, and you will realise there is a lot more on the go than just being out of pocket.
Bringing another life into your life is a massive thing. If not a human baby, then a cat or a dog – in this instance the latter – is a really big commitment. Don’t deny it. Don’t try and play it down – it’s not something to be underestimated, and really needs a lot of thought and mulling over and through.
In a lot of weighs, when getting and purchasing a dog – perhaps a bulldog – it is like buying a house or a car. Although in this case there is a beating heart behind what you are acquiring, you want it to serve you – and bring value for money, sort of. If you are a parent, and you then are not making this choice alone, or even for yourself, then your children will have a major part to play. They will almost always be governed by emotion, so you will have to keep a level head on their behalf.
They will want to love it and play with it, but when it comes to feeding it and cleaning up its mess, well, that’s going to be when and where you come in. There is no hiding from that. So, yes, really think long and hard before getting into this – and perhaps enlighten your kids as to the commitment and work involved. It’s not just a play thing, it’s a living and breathing life form that needs looking after for a long time.