There are a lot of decisions to make and factors to consider before you decide to bring home a new puppy. Don't give in to impulse and take home a puppy at the wrong time. Do your research first. Learn if you are ready to have a puppy and find out how to get one responsibly. Get educated on how to prepare for your new puppy and how to raise that puppy well.

Puppies may be irresistible, but they are also extremely time-consuming. If you have never had a puppy, then you might not realize what you're about to get into. Raising a puppy requires an even higher level of commitment.
Young puppies need to be fed three to four times a day. They need to be taken outside immediately after eating or drinking so they can eliminate appropriately and become house trained. Puppies will have accidents in the house while they are still being house-trained. That can mean a lot of clean up.

A puppy might wake you up several times during the night. It might be because the puppy needs to go outside, or it might just be because the puppy is bored.

A young puppy can't be left alone for more than a few hours. The puppy should stay in a crate when alone; this aids in house training and keeps the puppy from chewing up everything in your house. However, after a few hours, a puppy can't hold its bladder (and sometimes bowels too).

Puppies can be destructive. They want to explore, chew, lick, and possibly even eat things in their environment. They don't know manners and may act unruly or hyperactive. All puppies need to be trained and socialized; they also need a lot of exercise. These things take a lot of time.

Are you prepared to come home from work midday to care for your puppy? Can you handle being woken up in the middle of the night? Are you able to spend several hours a week working on training and socialization? What about any other pets or people in your home? Will a puppy be too disruptive?

If you get a young puppy, be prepared to spend a lot of extra time with it, especially for the first few months.