Hotel For Dogs + Your First Puppy = Kids Off The Couch

First Puppy Bo Obama is cute, cuddly and... no doubt the cause of many a parent-child tussle around the country. The first couple did it right by promising the pup as a reward for surviving the campaign, and that extended longing does make the early days of puppy parenting all the more rewarding! After years of listening to her kids agitate, our good friend decided the time was right to adopt an abandoned pup, and made a 4-year-old Maltese part of her family. As devoted dog owners, we know that even though the price of that doggie in the window may be minimal, there are lots of hidden costs to bringing a new dog home -- a small price to pay for the love a dog bestows upon his human friends, but a price nonetheless. We compiled our inside tips on all things puppy for you to bone up on before you head to a shelter. Not knowing how much work goes into raising a dog is exactly why animal shelters are full of abandoned pets, as our kids learned by watching Hotel For Dogs (just out on DVD) a story of two orphaned siblings who turn an abandoned Manhattan hotel into a 5-Star retreat for strays. Our kids were mesmerized by all the tekkie contraptions the hotel boasted, like bone-throwing and feeding machines, and fell in love with the canine cast. Ahhh, puppy love! Click here for more about how to adopt a pet in your city and for a chance to win a copy of the movie.