Having a dog is like having a baby or child. You should have to provide for her needs like the food, vaccines, grooming, the toys and vitamins. But above all of that, you must be sure that you have time to take care of it. They also need love from thier owner.
I think you definitely need to consider the breed and the amount of time they're going to need from you. We have a Shih Tzu and he fits in great with our family and our lifestyle, but if you were to get a bigger dog that required a lot of exercise for instance, then it's going to depend on your own time limitations, the amount of space you have and so forth.
Yes, it is pretty much like having a toddler about. Unlike toddlers, however, they do tend to chew a lot of things, so keep this in mind and move anything precious to you away from chew reach lol.
The first thing you need to make sure that is 100% secure is that you can be able to take very good care of your dog because if you cannot provide good comfort for your dog, it is useless to having one.
The comfort of your dog is very important when it comes to getting one. If you can't provide that comfortable environment for the dog, it's better to leave it out. I have seen some people leave their dog out in the rain because they are not letting it inside the house.
You should consider having enough space for your dog especially if you want to get more than one dog. It's always bad to have a small space for your dog. It will be very uncomfortable for them.
What people who are yet to keep a dog pet needs to know very well is that those pets are a responsibility. If you're not ready to take on a responsibility, you should never get a pet dog.
I like my pets to be well taken care of so I would move to get a new pet if I am not stable enough to cater for it.
People are always advised not to buy dogs or any other pets if they don't truly love having them. If someone got them for you, it's better to reject them then to end up abusing them.
Make sure that you have money and a good home to care for the dog you want to buy. If you cannot take care of your dog, it's better to let the dog stay in shelter until you can give the dog everything to make living enjoyable.