Irregardless of the dog, as some members have said, the best thing I can tell them is "I can't prove to you I can be responsible is unless I am already doing it" and "I don't know how to succeed until I've made mistakes of my own". Obviously, with the dog, it's their house their rules, but if they are already thinking about getting a dog, why can't I be the one to train the dog, why can't I take care of the expenses...I've never missed a single payment on any of my bills, never my auto insurance, never my phone bill, and not only have I never missed paying my CC on time but I've always paid it in full, so I CAN be smart with my money. Like dad told me when I asked him if I needed to change my meds because I went through my savings while unemployed, "You weren't focused, but once you're in a job and you're doing well you're focused and you do really great with your money." But if I don't have responsibilities to take care of, how else can I prove that I can be good with money if I don't have anything to work for? For example as a teenager I asked weekly for gas money. Once I got a job, they told me to pay for my own gas. I never asked for gas since then. I offered to pay for my own phone, they said I'm not ready because if I miss a payment I won't have a phone. It's been almost two years and not once have I missed a payment AND I was able to reduce the cost of my bills in half. I offered to pay for my auto insurance, they said if I missed a payment I'd lose my car. When a neighbor complained I drove too fast in the court, my mom said it's time to pay for my own auto insurance. This March not only did I renew my insurance for the first time, meaning I went one year of not missing a payment, but my car insurance was reduced for safe driving AND I paid this year's insurance in full and I saved $150. And at every job I've been I created an emergency savings, enough to get me through months of unemployment in order to pay my bills and while employed that I can use in case my car needs service. I've even handed over $400 from my savings to my parents when my car needed fixed, and their jobs dropped when they saw I actually had the money to cover it. I never once missed a payment on any of my bills, I baby my car and try to limit the driving, and I make sure that even in unemployment that all my expenses are covered. So yes, if I were to get a dog, I would treat the expenses as bills and have enough money in my savings to plan for the unexpected emergency. But I want them to see that yes, I struggle, but I am perfectly capable of the expenses, that I wouldn't take on another animal if I didn't think I could handle it, and they won't know that until they see me doing it.