I think it's up to you to choose. If you want one, you can get one. If you don't want, don't get. But don't do something just because your parents tell you to. Follow your own heart.
If you already wanted a dog, then it might be a good idea to try. You can always either return it to where you got it or give/sell it to another person. But if you have never owned or wanted a dog, then getting a dog to be a "band-aid fix" just because your parents suggested it might easily be a bad idea.
If you have never owned a dog and trained one, in the worst case you'll end up with a wrong breed (it's really important to consider the dog's breed, remember there are about 400 hundred breeds plus all their mixes), possibly a breed with many health problems, you'll end up hating to wake up early to take the dog out at least four times a day, you will end up taking the dog to vet/surgeon all the time because of health problems. And if it's a puppy it needs to be taken out much more often. And if you can't train the dog, it might become a barking terror who destroys your stuff and barks day and night and won't walk well in leash and will attack other dogs. You will end up hating the dog, and hating your life, and wishing you never had a dog so you could do whatever you wanted to do originally. The dog will become a burden that prevents you from living your own life and making your own decisions. It will become like a "trap". You might still want to ctb, but you can't anymore before you get rid of the dog.
In the best case scenario, the dog's breed and individual personality will be right for you, the dog will be healthy, you will end up enjoying training and walking and playing and living with the dog, you'll get a new best friend, you'll end up meeting new friends while walking the dog, you might even start practicing agility or obedience or tracking and find new friends and a new gf. It's much easier to meet new people while walking a dog. And to add, I read about a woman whose husband died, and she got over her depression and loneliness because of her dogs. And I personally know dogs can bring so much joy to life. My life was much better when my dog was here.
So, think carefully, write your thoughts down. Some breeders and places also offer some kind of return policies. So you can get a dog, and return it at any point during its life if something unforeseen happens. For example, a couple might take a third dog, but then suddenly the husband will die in a car accident, and because the widow can't take care of all the three dogs, the breeder agrees to take the third dog back. It also signals that the breeder is good and responsible if they accept to take dogs back for any reason.
I like your profile pic! Persona 5 is one of the best games ever!
