Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The Dog Question

The Girl is desperate for a dog. Desperate. I told her back when The Boy was a baby that we had to wait until Chase was two.



Guess who turns two next week . . .




Part of me would really like my kids to grow up with a dog. Part of me isn't completely sure I'm ready for the commitment. One thing I know for sure is there will be no puppy in this house. Ever. I know I'm not ready for that.





My mom believes that for safety reasons you shouldn't get a dog if you have children under five. Problem is, that means waiting until Talia is eight and I'm not sure I want to wait that long. I think The Boy being two could work, provided the dog is the right fit for our family. I mean, we already have the fence and a walking path behind the house.

You see, I need a dog that is good with kids and not inclined to eat the cats.

Whenever we do get a dog, I want to get one  that is 1-3 years old. I want a young dog, just not a puppy. I'm leaning towards a lab or lab mix because they're just great family dogs. Plus, you can always find a lab or lab mix at local humane societies or other no-kill places. Apparently they are the most popular dog in the country. Honestly, I looked online the other day and out of the 250 animals available at the local humane/rescue/no-kill places at least half of them were lab/lab mixes. Of course, half of those were lab/rotweiller or lab/pitbull and I am not enough of a dog person to go there.


I think part of my dilemma with the dog question is the amount of work involved with a larger dog. Problem is, I just don't like most little dogs. Also, the larger the dog the more food it eats.




So what do you think?









2 comments:

  1. As a dog person (we have 2 big dogs),I recommend a dog at anytime. With young children, you have to be more careful with picking a breed and the temperment of the individual dog. The rescues should be able to help you out with that. (Even if they recommend all kids over age 5, you can still do it with young children, it just takes more vigilience.) Small dogs are no less work than big dogs. I recommend a short haired dog to minimize the required grooming time and the shedding does't pile up as much. With any new addition, there are going to be ups and downs, discipline is very important and your kids will get knocked down and about, but I personally think that is part of being a kid. (My son is 20 months.) We have a word trained for the dogs to go away/back off......This is helpful when they are being too rough or if they are being too abused by my son, we say "go" and they walk off. This offers space and the easy ability to head issues off. Sit or down would work too. However if you are not ready to spend the time training......you should probably wait some more.

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  2. Thanks for the advice. I figured with summer around the corner and The Girl home from school I'd have more time available to work with the dog.

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