Who Moved My Bone?

Breed Selection
With hundreds of breeds to choose from how do you know which breed is right for you? There are a lot of good resources that will tell you all of the important things to consider when deciding on a breed of dog. I am not downplaying the importance of that information as it should be heeded to. Instead I am offering up some supplemental information to help you assess your situation. Based upon my personal experiences I have developed some proprietary formulas which I am now sharing with you (I apologize to all of you math haters). These formulas, used in combination with the traditional advice, should help you in the evaluation of your new potential family member. Below are both equations each one followed by some additional information and an example.

Equation #1
People Multiplier * (Sum of pets weights) ÷ Your Home/Apt square footage =

People multiplier = the number of people in your household

Sum of all pet weights = the sum of all of your pets weights, if you are acquiring a puppy estimate its full grown weight.

Example:
There are three people in your 2500 square foot house. You currently have 2 cats (approx. 15lbs each) and two dogs (one 90lbs and one 75lbs) and are contemplating a new mastiff puppy. You estimate the mastiff will weigh 120lbs at maturity.

So,
3 × (15+15+90+75+120) ÷ 2500 = 0.38 lbs / sq.ft.

Interpretation – From my experiences anything over 0.20 lbs/sq.ft. and your “personal bubble” is no longer feeling personal. If you start to approach the 0.30 lbs / sq. ft. territory you are probably the crazy pet lady/guy.

Equation #2
Your Home/Apt square footage ÷ Total Number of Pets =

Example:
Using the same scenario as in the first example,
2500 ÷ 5 = 500 sq. ft.

Interpretation – From my experiences anything less than 500 and your house suddenly feels slightly zoo-ish. Anything less than 400 and well I think you know, crazy pet lady/guy.

Both equations should be used when evaluating the potential addition of a new family member. These calculations are not absolute just merely a guide to household comfort. If you are ok being the crazy pet lady/guy then feel free to ignore this advice (because you will) and keep being the crazy pet lady/guy. Also if math is not your thing feel free to send me your information my wife is a math teacher so we can probably figure it out. Oh, my numbers are 0.15 lbs / sq. ft. and 442 sq. ft.

Next post, so you’ve decided you are going to be the crazy pet lady/guy how do you pick the right puppy?

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