Is your family interested in buying a dog? A dog can be a good friend to your family, but if you choose the wrong kind of dog, it can cause you a lot of trouble. Family should sit down and discuss the problems before buying a dog. Even if the children in your family are the ones who want the dog, the parent are the ones who are really responsible (有责任的) for seeing that the animal is properly cared for. If you don't know much about dogs, it's a good idea to go to the library for books about different kinds of dogs, as well as books about how to train a young dog. Dogs of different kinds change in popularity(流行) as the years go by. One of the most popular dogs these days is the German shepherd (牧羊犬). This is because it provides protection(保护). The family should be warned that these dogs grow up to be very big, and may be too powerful for children. If your house is not big, a toy dog may be a good choice (选择). These dogs are very small and easy to train. They don't need to be walked daily.