How prepared were you for your first dog?
I wouldn't say I was really "prepared." I mean, I was 18, had suddenly said "I want my OWN dog!" We had a family dog living here at the time, my dad also had a dog, we had grown up with two big dogs who had passed on, but I never had a dog that was solely MINE -- that slept in my bed, that I trained, traveled with, paid for, took care of, etc. So I started looking online and literally 2 weeks later, I had Jackson. A few days before I was going to pick him up, shelled out $200 at the pet store for necessities. I did not really do breed research ahead of time, I didn't look at breeders, I didn't know about puppy mills and BYB's. I got him from a chick in Baltimore City whose dog got pregnant. So yeah, in that sense, I was totally unprepared.
But for some reason, I took RIGHT to puppy ownership. I think my parents both secretly "knew" or thought that this dog was going to end up becoming theirs but it so never happened. I really loved every minute of it -- I remember us on our little routine every day, potty training, waking up in the middle of the night, having him sleep on my bed for the first time, when he started learning all his tricks, I really became into it and a good 'dog parent' from the start. Maternal instincts, maybe? LOL.
No, I don't know. Even though I wasn't prepared in a sense (no research, quickly found a dog on the internet, lol) the other part of me was so ready for the responsibility that came along with it and I also made a quick new best friend. The next time I get a dog, I will certainly do things differently in the beginning, but for the most part, I am so happy with Jackson. He turned out nearly exactly how I'd want a dog and he's a special one for sure. Nothing can beat your very first dog, ya know? Maybe I just got lucky and got a great dog to be a first dog.