I recently got two puppies, and because they are like my children, I take the business of “raising” them very seriously. My husband does too, but already I've noticed how different our styles are when it comes to taking care of the pups. It's taught me that there are a few questions you should ask yourself if you're getting a pet as a couple.

Here are 4 tips to keep in mind if you and your significant other are thinking about getting a pet together:

1.    How much time do you - as a couple - really have? My husband and I are self-employed, and we purposely waited until we had traveled extensively, gotten our personal businesses set up and moved into a pet-friendly area before we made the commitment of getting dogs. Being self-employed means we can work from home and be around the pups a lot so they learn good habits early on. But it often means we get nothing else done. Watching a puppy can be a full-time job, and it's easy to under-estimate how much time it takes to raise dogs responsibly. If you can't work from home, can you take your dog to work with you? Do you need to hire a dog walker to come let her out? If you take her to day care, will she be socialized? Don't under-estimate the time commitment of getting a pet, and don't think that if you get tired of running in and out with your pooch, the other person will be there to willingly take up the slack. Try to be fair to the animal. Ask yourself if this pet is fulfilling only your needs, as you may neglect its needs in return.

2.    Have a plan for sharing responsibilities. Who's going to get up in the middle of the night to let them out? Will you trade off nights? Who's going to run them in and out during house-training? This can be an especially huge job if - as I do - you live in a big city in an apartment and going “in and out” requires running up and down flights of stairs! Even in well-thought-out situations, the bulk of responsibility often falls on one person. Are you OK if that person is you? Try to work out a set of shared responsibilities or a schedule of who should do what (feeding, walking) and when (in the morning, after work, before bed). Maybe one person takes care of one dog and one person takes care of the other dog. When people neglect their duties or hold resentment, it's the animal that suffers.

3.    What happens if you split up? This isn't a fun topic to touch on, but it's especially important to discuss if you're dating. And yes, many marriages end in divorce so it's important to lay some ground rules too. For people whose dogs are like their children, the matter of who will “get” the dogs after a breakup is not one to take lightly! Initially agree on who the pet really belongs too so if a break-up occurs, the situation is less messy.

4.    Enjoy your pets together! This, of course, is the fun part of having pets as a couple! You can take them with you to the park or to the beach. They curl up with you while you watch a movie and in many ways, your bond with them strengthens your bond with your partner! Eventually your small family is formed.

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