Many of us seasoned dog lovers already know the importance of doing your homework before bringing a new dog into your home. They are not only a huge emotional commitment, but a financial one as well. Do not make the mistake of seeing a certain breed and deciding you must have one of those. This is something I did years ago before we got our first weimaraner. I just knew that these were very unique-looking, beautiful gray dogs.....and I wanted one! Little did I know at the time that weimaraners are very high-energy dogs, prone to separation anxiety, needing lots of exercise, strong-willed, the list goes on and on! I absolutely adore weimies and we just adopted our second one, Cassie, but when we got our first one fourteen years ago, it would have been smart to study the breed before making the commitment....trust me!

Xin Lu over at Wisebread posted this week about things to consider when getting a pet. This post hits on many of the important things you need to look at when getting any new pet.