Hi everyone! My name is Megs and my husband, 7 yo son and I are a few months away from our first puppy - a chocolate lab from a reputable service dog breeder nearby. We are lifelong 'cat people' and getting a dog just became a possibility for the first time for our family. My husband is a little bit nervous as he was attacked by a dog when he was young. So I am the one leading us on the adventure, but we are all involved and learning and looking forward to becoming a dog family for the first time. I am now trying to get ahead and budget/plan out what life will be like in a few months, and was very pleased to find a forum like this. We live in a very dog-friendly neighbourhood up in Canada, but it never hurts to find more people to learn from. If anyone has any advice on 1) a shopping list for an 8 month old puppy, and 2) on crate ideas for urban families with smallish living spaces, we'd much appreciate it. I realize that training is a much bigger deal and we are learning about that too, but for now just focusing on the budget. I tend to research purchases to minimize wasting money but it's all quite a bit much (much like preparing for a baby - lol!). Anyway, it's great to be here and I look forward to learning from you all.
Hi Megs and family, welcome to the forum! I grew up in a cat family, but with my husband and daughter I'm in a dog family now! I was a bit nervous too, but having a dog is awesome! I wrote a new puppy checklist for our sister site earlier in the year - it might help you. I'd love to hear what our other members would include on their must-haves list though! Good luck!
Ahhhh, the puppy breath, the happy squirmy, silly puppy antics. Enjoy! I'm happy for you all! Digs Mom Sher
