Replying to Getting A Puppy

Disclaimer: My age does not have anything to do with my ability to get a dog.

I am thinking about adopting a puppy mid-summer or in the fall. I've been talking to a lot of people and doing a lot of research concerning what I would need to buy, the overall cost of puppy supplies, the time commitment, among other things. I personally think I'm ready to have the responsibility of taking care of a dog. I'm in my third year of college, and my schedule doesn't have me away from home for more than 3 hours at a time. I will be living with two friends and two dogs, a golden doodle and a yellow lab, so the puppy would be very much socialized to other humans and dogs.

As a 20 year old, I'm very active, so the dog would get plenty of exercise while going on hikes, going to the many dog parks in my town, and we will have a large backyard for the dogs to run around in and play.

If you have a dog, how old were you when you got it? How much do you typically spend a month on your dog? On a scale of 1 to 10, how much joy has your dog brought you?

We just put down my childhood dog last week, so my parents no longer have a dog. I will be talking to my dad this weekend when I go back this weekend about what it all takes, and any advice, and he mentioned that they would be able to babysit if I need them to.