[Deschodt]

I've liked all our dogs (note liked, wife/kids are closer to "love") but overall I'm more neutral, I can take pet ownership or leave it so I think I'm unbiased. It's definitely made impacts, on vehicles we buy (to carry said pet, unless it's chihuahua sized), on furniture destruction, on general wear and tear of the house (baseboards and wall corners get damaged or dirtier), the wood floors in 2 houses have been trashed from the dog's defective traction control system ;-) You need to clean inside way more often, and I have 2 robots on daily duty, one for hair and yard crap she brings in, and one mopping dirt. The yards have suffered greatly from traffic, turds & pee, digging, messing it up stuff out of enthusiasm, or simply turds galore that kids don't always pick up as they promise they would... Financial impact too at times, even with insurance, 2 of them got really sick and that was expensive, plus vet, food, etc. Then there's pet sitting for vacations, those dog hotels cost more than human ones, and you owe friends return favors... Also leaving for a quick w/e is over without planning, even for a day you gotta consider where the dog stays (in/out/sun exposure/potnetial barking annoying neighbors).. All in all it has quite a noticeable effect, but then you get joy out of it (mostly my kids, but it's cool to see) and some sort of home defense possibly. All this to say it's not trivial and you are right to think about it, best to do it now than after you get a dog. I would highly recommend adopting an older pet and skipping the puppy phase, for your sake (potty trained, not chewing everything) and that of the potential rescued dog, and also picking a breed that doesn't shed much, if you like your house clean...