I'll share.
Myself and my partner for some time wanted a dog, we live very busy lifestyles and for about a year just dismissed the idea all-together!
Until late 2010 this is...
Approach:
So our approach to this was very much factual versus emotional.. its far too easy to impulse buy that puppy dog in the window that wins your heart there and then but have no plans for how you will care for it during its entire lifespan, we realised the fact of the matter is we didn't have the time or space for a bigger dog so if we were to take the plunge it'd have to be a very small dog... after narrowing it down we decided we wanted to get a Pomeranian... we liked them after all!
Plan:
How would we take care of it day in day out? Did we have time for it? Well the next thing we done is sat down together and laid out all of the dogs requirements and any concerns we had and put it all on paper pros and cons basically, we needed to ensure we could fulfil all the requirements for it and of course anything that we thought may be an issue had to be addressed! ie: "what to do with the pup whilst at work"
Decision:
Well that process took a couple of nights as well as a fair amount of research and we decided that it was the right decision and that we had indeed made the right decision as to what breed we we're after.
Choosing your Pup:
We managed to find a lady not too far away who had the pup we were after and we took a drive out there to check out the pup and his parents, he was born and raised in a nice clean family environment and the parents appeared healthy and to have very nice temperament. We chose him and picked him up a week later! I do agree with others though if you can rescue a dog and give it a chance at the life it deserves then by all means do it! your doing a good thing!
I will note a lot of people are out there breeding dogs purely to make a quick buck, this is taking advantage of an animal and wrong on so many levels! I think personally think these people should be shot.. I've come across a few questionable characters in my travels... some dog breeders are no better too so be careful.
Sorry if that sounds too factual and that its like making a large purchase or business decision but fact is if you can't fulfil the dogs requirements then it's best you don't have one.
8 months on we couldn't imagine life without our little dude, the first few months are a little tough but if you put in the hard yards early you will be rewarded in the longer term! A dog is a life enhancing experience in my opinion.
hope this helps.