We had our first dog several years ago and it was a terrible experience. Our son received the puppy from a neighbor and it was so cute that we weren't able to say no. We didn't know much about dogs at the time. It was a big breed (German Shepherd) with a lot of energy and basically destroyed all the furniture in our house. Long story short, we decided to get rid of it and said we'd never own a dog again. Fortunately, we were wrong as we're looking to get one now. We feel we're way more prepared and better at knowing what to choose and what to expect - and this is all down to this book. It's a great guide for anyone wanting to own a new dog. If this'll be the first time you're getting a dog, I'd really encourage you to first read this book about how to choose one.