You work full time, rent a two-bedroom flat with a small shared garden, and you’ve spent weeks scrolling through puppy photos. Before getting a dog, you need honest answers to five questions: how long the dog would be alone, what it would cost, where it would come from, what the law requires, and who in your household will do the daily work. This guide answers each with figures from UK charities and government sources.
This is general information, not veterinary or legal advice. For questions about a particular dog’s health or behaviour, speak to a vet or a reputable rescue. The legal and cost figures here are for the UK.
Before getting a dog: five questions to answer first
The list below shows what each question really asks of you. A “no” to any of them doesn’t mean never, but it does mean waiting until you have a plan.
| Question | What the sources say | Your honest check |
|---|---|---|
| Time | PDSA and Dogs Trust both put four hours as the most a dog should routinely be left alone | Can every working day be split into gaps of four hours or less? |
| Money | PDSA estimates at least £6,200 to £18,800 over a dog’s life, depending on size | Could you also cover an emergency vet bill? |
| Source | In England, puppies must be bought directly from a breeder, or adopted from a rescue | Can you visit, ask questions and walk away? |
| Law | Microchipping and registration by 8 weeks, with a fine of up to £500 | Do you know who is responsible for the paperwork? |
| Household | Every pet owner has a duty of care to meet the animal’s welfare needs | Who does the 6am walk in February? |
Time: how long a dog can be left alone
The PDSA’s guidance on dogs home alone says four hours is the longest dogs should routinely be left alone, though every dog differs. It adds that four hours would generally be too long for a very active young puppy but might be fine for an older dog. Dogs Trust advises avoiding more than four hours, and says to build up time alone very gradually, starting with a few minutes.
This is the question that rules out the most first-time owners. By these figures, a dog shouldn’t be left routinely from 8am to 6pm.
Example: you leave at 8.00am and get back at 6.00pm, which is 10 hours. A dog walker visiting at 11.30am and a neighbour or second visit at 3.00pm would split that day into gaps of 3.5, 3.5 and 3 hours, all under four. That means paying for two visits a day, or working from home on some days, and the schedule has to hold five days a week.
The PDSA’s choosing a pet page adds two points about space and exercise. A garden needs to be secure and big enough for a dog to explore and go to the toilet, and no matter how big the garden is, dogs need daily walks outside the home and garden. It describes dogs as very sociable animals that enjoy spending lots of time with us.
Cost: what the figures say
The PDSA’s cost of owning a dog page, calculated in 2024 from online prices, gives minimum estimates. They include insurance, and exclude the cost of vet fees if your dog becomes ill.
| Dog size | Start-up cost | Minimum monthly cost | Lifetime cost, at least |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | £415 | £69 | £6,200 to £12,000 |
| Medium | £531 | £83 | £9,000 to £14,000 |
| Large | £560 | £116 | £8,200 to £18,800 |
The start-up figures exclude the purchase price and microchipping. The monthly figures cover items such as yearly health checks and booster vaccinations, regular flea and worm treatments, insurance, food, toys, poo bags and toothpaste. The page also warns that if a dog develops ongoing care needs, such as a prescription diet, you are likely to pay more, and that an accident or health problem could increase costs dramatically.
Example: for a medium dog, £83 a month is £83 x 12 = £996 a year. Add £531 start-up costs and the first year comes to £1,527 before the purchase price, microchipping, boarding for holidays and any illness. Pay it into a separate account for three months before you commit, and you’ll know whether the monthly sum is comfortable.
If the monthly figure feels tight on paper, it will feel tighter the first time a vet asks for a deposit.
Where the dog comes from
Breeder or rescue
Since 6 April 2020, third-party sales of puppies and kittens in England are banned. The government says anyone looking for a puppy or kitten must buy direct from a breeder or consider a rescue centre, and that licensed breeders are required to show puppies interacting with their mothers where they were born.
Dogs Trust’s advice on buying a dog or puppy safely is practical. Visit the puppies with their mother, and ideally their father, in the breeder’s home. Don’t feel pressured to make a snap decision, and don’t be afraid to walk away. It warns that unscrupulous breeders and puppy farmers may rent a house to sell puppies from. Ask for a health report from a vet, including evidence of vaccinations and flea and worming treatments, and note that breeders must have microchipped any new puppy before it goes to a new home.
Choosing a dog that fits
Dogs Trust’s page on which dog is right for you says breed information can give you an idea of how a dog might fit your life, such as typical size and exercise needs, but that every dog is different. Some dogs are more outgoing and confident regardless of breed. Use breed as a starting point, and then meet the individual dog more than once.
The legal basics
GOV.UK’s microchipping guidance says all dogs in the UK must be microchipped and registered by the time they’re 8 weeks old, and that you are responsible for keeping the details up to date, for example when you move house. You can be fined up to £500 if your dog is not microchipped when it needs to be. The chip must be fitted by a trained professional, and you should ask for proof that a microchip has been fitted before getting a dog.
The PDSA’s new puppy checklist lists a collar and tag as a legal requirement. It also suggests registering with a vet, and insuring the puppy as soon as possible.
Behind all this sits the duty of care. The PDSA’s choosing-a-pet page says all pet owners have a duty of care to meet their pet’s five welfare needs: a suitable environment, the right diet, being able to show normal behaviour patterns, living with, or apart from, other animals as suits the pet, and veterinary care when ill or injured.
How long you’re signing up for
A dog is a commitment measured in years. The PDSA’s cost page includes life expectancy ranges in a footnote: 7.1 to 14.2 years for small dogs, 8.4 to 13.5 for medium dogs and 5.5 to 13.1 for large dogs. Individual dogs vary, but even the lowest figure covers several years of holidays, job changes and house moves.
Ask yourself where the dog will be if you move to a flat that doesn’t allow pets, if a partner leaves, or if a baby arrives. If you rent, get your landlord’s permission in writing before you bring a dog home.
Common mistakes
The first is choosing on looks. A breed photograph tells you nothing about the energy of the particular dog you’d live with. Use the breed’s typical exercise needs as a prompt for conversations with a rescue or breeder.
The second is underbudgeting. The PDSA figures are minimums that exclude illness, so a plan that uses them up to the last pound has no room.
The third is buying on impulse from a seller who pushes you to pay a deposit that day. Dogs Trust advises that you shouldn’t feel pressured to make a snap decision.
The fourth is leaving the plan unwritten. Households without an agreed rota end up with one person doing everything. Write down who does the morning walk, the evening walk, the vet visits and the weekend cover.
The fifth is skipping a trial run. For two weeks, act as if the dog is already there: walk at fixed times, home by a fixed hour, and see how many plans you have to cancel.
Your pre-commitment checklist
- No working day leaves a dog alone for more than four hours without a visitor, walker or someone at home
- A monthly budget at or above the PDSA minimum for your dog’s size, plus a fund for vet bills
- A secure garden or yard, or a realistic plan for daily walks without one
- Landlord or housing-association permission in writing, if you rent
- A breeder who lets you see the puppies with their mother, or a rescue that will match a dog to your home
- Microchip details, vet health report and vaccination evidence seen before you pay
- A collar and tag, a bed, bowls and a lead ready at home
- A named vet and an insurance quote
- An agreed household rota for walks, feeding and holiday cover
The takeaway
Before getting a dog, check whether your week has gaps of no more than four hours, whether your budget covers the PDSA minimum for your size of dog, and whether you can source the dog legally and safely. Write down the household rota, line up a vet and insurance, and choose the individual dog rather than the breed photograph.
