Hey guys
So the gf and I are taking the next step in our relationship and leaning towards adopting a dog. Not entirely sure if it will be good luck since it is the year of the dog, but we’ll just say it’s a coincidence.
Bare with me, it’s a long post below. I just wanted to make sure I cover everything.
We know we want to adopt, but we’re actually not too clear on the process. We will do a bit more research on our own and come back with any questions. We have volunteered at the Yong He/Zhong He animal shelter in the mountains and all the dogs we’ve seen there are Taiwan Tu Gou (土狗), which we aren’t really interested in.
We are leaning towards a mid sized dog. She likes corgis and I like shibu inus. However, the last few volunteer visits to the animal shelter and we rarely saw any of these breeds. We aren’t dead set on those two breeds, but it’s what we prefer. We are open to suggestions or maybe your friend’s friend’s friend’s dog just had a litter.
The situation as is, we’re in an old 5 story walk up, so not concerned about no pets allowed. I think our main concerns is we both work 9-5 and with a new pup, we don’t want to leave it at home everyday for that long. The gf has days she can take off, but my planned trips this year are already set in stone, so I can’t really afford too many unplanned days off. Both of us can’t work remotely. I know the first few weeks are tough on both parties, but I want to make sure it isn’t too harsh on us and the furry one if we’re away for 9 hours of the day. Question here is, has anyone ever adopted and had to leave the pup at home alone?
Lastly, financially, we will split the cost of living for the pup, but we have no idea how much extra we will be spending. Food, bed, collar(s), leash(es), toys, a better vacuum and a groom/doctor visits is all I can think of right now. Aside from the initial purchases their necessities, I expect monthly costs to be roughly 5000NT, not including grooming and doctor visits. I know there’s no pet insurance in Taiwan and doctor visits can be hella expensive, but I don’t even know what a huge ass bag of dog food from Carrefour or even Costco costs. Any insight on this would be helpful!