No aging hips or wrists are safe from these yahoos. People who became one-breed fans throughout their lives may find one day that their favorite breed demands more than they can physically handle. The selection of a new dog must match the physical capabilities of those it will be living among. She stayed home and cooked, cleaned, and raised the family dog. Most families these days do not have that option.
All adults have to go to work and the kids go off to school.
This leaves the family dog to be sandwiched in between lessons and football practice and grocery shopping and so on. One parent should be designated Primary Caretaker to make sure the dog does not get lost in the shuffle. Some parents bow to the pressure their children put on them to get a dog. The truth of the matter is, during the 10 - 15 year lifespan of the average dog, your children will be growing in and out of various life stages and the family dog's importance in their lives will wax and wane like the moon. You cannot saddle a child with total responsibility for the family dog and threaten to get rid of it if the child is not providing that care.