Why getting a puppy right now is a *really good idea

The news surely gives us plenty to worry about, doesn’t it? Inflation numbers, economy stats, conflicting economy stats, war in Ukraine, gas prices, yada yada yada. It seems to never end! I wanted to write to you and let you know why getting a puppy right now is a *really good idea.

When the world seems upside down, sometimes our natural instinct is to crawl up in a ball and not move. There are so many reasons why getting a puppy right now is a *really good idea, and I’ll hope to touch on some of them here.

A dog keeps you outside, in the sunshine, away from tech

We are all tired, right?! Get up, work out, head to work, pay bills, head home, cook and clean, and start over. A puppy/dog, especially one like a Labrador retriever, needs you and needs outdoor time. They love to play with their people and they love challenges. We all need a little more Vitamin D than we are getting and there’s just something about that beautiful Labrador Puppy Face eagerly looking at the outdoors that gets us going again. A little sunshine, a little rain, some birds chirping and we start to remember how much we love the outdoors. Hey, throw in a little exercise, too, and we’ve got double the benefit!

The research is clear: dogs help people fight and overcome their malaise and even depression. If you are feeling down, there’s nothing like the loyal companionship of a dog to help pull you up.

The research is in, and it’s not controversial: owning a dog helps with depression. This, to me, seems so obvious that it’s almost unnecessary to provide proof, but I’ll go ahead and link to a few articles here.

Here is from NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness – How Dogs Help with Depression

Here’s from WebMD – How Pets Help Manage Depression

From the National Heart Association – 5 ways pets help with stress and mental health

Of course I’m in no way claiming that no one who owns a dog ever feels depressed or that owning a dog is bound to clear up any depression. I’m simply stating that, for many many people, the loyalty and responsibility of pet ownership helps boost mood significantly.

With budgets tightening, having more fun at home is an excellent idea

Many Americans are feeling their belt buckles tighten as we head into the second half of this year. I’ve read many articles about vacations being cancelled or other family budgetary cuts. If you are one of these families, camping and hiking and boating and fire pits at home are a memorable and sweet way to pass the summer. A new puppy brings some added excitement into the home, too, and is a great way to do something wonderful without breaking the bank.

Warmer weather is *usually best for house-training a new pup

I say *usually because we have definitely seen a group of pups who just LOVE the snow and rain! But, on the whole, their humans tend to be more consistent bringing the pup outside for nice long potty breaks if the weather is nice.

Dogs make us laugh, and laughter is good like medicine

I cannot tell you the countless hours we have spent giggling with a puppy in the house. Their yawns and flips and slips and little mini-barks are enough to send us into belly laughs and I’m endlessly grateful for it. I LOVE watching them try out their fierce barking sounds, I love watching them with a brand new toy they’ve never seen before, I love watching them run with all their might for several minutes before deciding it’s better to take a little nap in some awesome person’s arms.

Dogs are excellent security

One of the things I love most about English Labradors, or Labrador retrievers, is that they are everything I wanted in a family guard dog. They don’t have the overly-aggressive natures of other typical guard dogs (think Pit Bulls, Rottweilers and even some German Shepherds) but they are very loyal and can be very protective. This photo above was while we were getting some pics of sweet Piper a while back. Piper was right in the middle of treats and praise and some super fun runs with my son – and she can be very focused when she is in the zone. My daughter, a toddler at that time, took a little tumble behind us and was crying and Piper stopped in her tracks and gave this look. It was a very motherly, “checking-in-on-you” look and stayed just that way until she knew my daughter was ok. I love that when a labrador barks their “guard” bark it can sound very intimidating, but they also calm down much easier than other breeds once they realize the “intruder” is a dear friend or pizza man.

I am confident my dogs would warn us of danger and protect us if need be and I have never once felt uneasy about a baby or toddler or an elderly person with my dog – I know my fur babies, and they wouldn’t hurt a fly.

A puppy becomes a dog and a dog a best friend. And there’s never a bad time for that.

These dogs are everything to us – friends, companions, family. I can’t imagine life without their affection and friendship and there’s no wonder that so many families have felt the same.

For the 31st year in a row, Labrador retrievers have earned the top spot as America’s Favorite Dog. No surprise here! Read more here.

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Want to read more about our program? Here’s a few links to get you started:

Main Page – a brief overview of things at Kindred Pup, with lots of links and photos

Why Kindred Pup? – a small write-up on what makes us different

Our Leading Ladies – the queens of Kindred Pup

Our Upcoming puppy Page – any info on available or upcoming Labrador Puppies!

Until next time!