From being man’s literal best friend to greeting you with a smile every day, dogs enrich our lives in many ways. Depending on your lifestyle, they’re far superior to cats as household pets, but there are plenty of things to be aware of before you bring Fido home. Let’s dive into some of them.
1. Health Benefits
Dogs keep our brains and bodies healthy—frequent walks and their endless entertainment ensure we get our steps in with a smile on our faces. Walking also boosts our mood when we’re feeling a little down or need a break from our screens.
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2. Great Sense of Smell
A dog’s nose does so much more than find the cookie box; their sniffers are strong enough to identify colorectal, lung, or breast cancers (among others) thanks to the change in our scent. Dogs with proper training have shown promising results in successful identification.
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3. Efficient Workers
Whatever your stance on dogs, there’s no denying their work ethic. They’ve helped with anything from visual impairments to epilepsy, keeping people safe by fetching medication or guiding their owners. Service dogs can also alert people of blood sugar spikes or soothe panic attack symptoms.
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4. Man’s Best Friend
We’ve essentially evolved alongside dogs—they’ve quite literally been domesticated for thousands of years at this point, making them our best friends. They’re loyal, helpful, and most of all, part of the family.
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5. Easier to Train
Technically speaking, you can train cats but it’s far more annoying than training a dog. Dogs thrive on using their brain and it’s a good bonding experience to teach them basic house rules or new tricks.
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6. We Laugh More
Studies actually show that dog owners laugh more than cat owners—even those without pets had higher laugh scores than cat owners. Maybe it’s because Fluffy won’t stop knocking down our water glass.
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7. Meeting People
Dogs are great socializers, which is especially helpful for social anxiety. Meeting new people on your own can be tough, but between folks at the dog park or on daily walks, you’re bound to make at least one new friend. Dogs are beneficial for dating lives, too.
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8. More Adaptable
It’s often less troublesome to bring home a newborn or move across the country with a dog than a cat—cats are pretty set in their ways and aren’t known to accept big changes. Dogs, though, are more adaptable and just happy to be included.
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9. Protection
The chances of Fluffy scaring off an intruder are pretty slim. Dogs, on the other hand, are well-known defenders of their territory, so it’s added peace of mind knowing they’re on your side. Their protection makes those nighttime walks a little easier, too.
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10. Warm Welcomes
Some (or most) days it seems like cats don’t care if we come or go. But dogs? You’re their whole world, and seeing a wagging tail and happy face is the best way to end a long workday.
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That being said, dogs can come with several drawbacks you just don’t see in the average cat.
1. Plenty of Noise
Dogs protect you from intruders, but they also bark at candy wrappers blowing by. Leave your pup to look out the window and you’ll quickly discover that just about everything can incite a barking spree, which is much louder than the odd meow.
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2. More Attention Required
Cats do their own thing, and though that aloofness makes us cry inside, cat owners have peace of mind that most dog owners don’t—their pets are fine on their own. Dogs, on the other hand, need all kinds of attention from constant walking and playtime to more petting and space.
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3. Personal Space Invaders
Speaking of no space, cats don’t invade ours the same way dogs can. Dogs easily jump, sniff unmentionable areas, or bark when someone enters the house. Cats eye you with contempt and hide in their apartment.
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4. Shorter Life Span
Dogs may be man’s best friend, but they just aren’t around long enough. While most cats can live to 18, dogs leave us far sooner with their average lifespan clocking out at 14 years. Though this shouldn’t deter you from welcoming a new friend, it’s something to keep in mind.
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5. They’re Expensive
At the end of the day, all pets cost money. Toys, medical care, food, and treats chip away at any pet owner’s wallet, but dogs are surprisingly more expensive than cats—in fact, the average dog owner spends roughly $1,500 more each year than cat owners.
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6. Destroying Toys
The worst thing cats do to new toys is ignore them. The worst thing dogs do is rip them apart, eat the squeaker inside, then rack up hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in vet bills. Though some dogs are perfectly fine with their stuffies, others are why we can’t have nice things.
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7. Little Beggars
Cats may knock glasses off the table, but dogs steal food off of them. Trained dogs don’t have this problem, but pups left to their own devices will snatch that slice of pizza right out of your hands.
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8. Needy Behaviors
Though cats meow in our faces at dinnertime, the neediness stops after you fill the bowl. However, dogs can whine, bark, or even require special vests on account of their separation anxiety, all of which can prove tiresome for some.
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9. Bathtime Hassle
We admit it’s a little unnerving when cats do that weird leg thing during bathtime. That said, cats handle their own grooming, as opposed to dogs where it the whole family to wrestle Fido into the tub.
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10. More Space
Cats are great in small spaces, even studio apartments because they don’t need a ton of room to live a happy life. Dogs, though, need a good size backyard and a decently sized living space to properly work their minds.
