Thinking of getting the kids a dog. I always swore I wouldn't. Is a dog a friend or a

[urban_mom]

burden, in your opinion? My kids are 5 and 3 and we aren't thinking of having any more. We are homeschooling, but live in the city, so we don't have a huge yard. I'm a sahm, though, so we could take it on walks, obviously. I didn't grow up with pets and neither did dh, but we don't want to deprive the kids of the experience and both of them love animals so much! DD might be happy with a parakeet though. WWYD?

[K&Rs Mom]

We got hermit crabs for the kids, because they're so low-maintenance. I'd LOVE to have a dog (and 3yo would love it even more), but I grew up with dogs and know how much work they are. We had a "foster cat" last winter for about a month, and that just cemented our decision - and cats are less work than dogs! In the summer it's easy to say you'd walk it, but in the slush of January you're going to wish your 5yo could take it out alone. Then there's the shedding, and accidents, and vacation dogsitter hunting....

[Sugarfoot]

since I love dogs so much. My children have always had at least one, we have 2 right now. Ours are Golden Retrievers, a bit over 100 pounds each. They eat a lot and shed a lot! The kids are so attached to them. They join us for school everyday and are just wonderful companions. If someone has a bad day, petting the dog makes everything better.:)

[Sharon in SC]

burden, in your opinion? My kids are 5 and 3 and we aren't thinking of having any more. We are homeschooling, but live in the city, so we don't have a huge yard. I'm a sahm, though, so we could take it on walks, obviously. I didn't grow up with pets and neither did dh, but we don't want to deprive the kids of the experience and both of them love animals so much! DD might be happy with a parakeet though. WWYD?

For us, our dogs are so much more than just a friend, they are family. We love them dearly and cannot imagine our life without them despite the shedding hair. ;-} Of course, YMMV. :)

[KH_]

I think it depends on a lot of factors . . .your personality and the dog you get, and many other things. I love dogs, and we used to have 2, but due to a number of factors, made the very difficult decision to give them away because of the added stress they were giving me (I was the main caretaker). Dogs are a lot of work - they take daily care, and training a puppy is even more work and a lot of responsibility. So I'd weigh all those things very carefully before you made the decision.

Maybe you could foster a dog through your Humane Society before making a final decision?

[Tammy in Germany]

We have a border collie that's just a big old sweetie pie. We love having a dog and we take her on walks daily and play with her. She has free run of the house with the exception of our bedroom and kitchen area. She's been trained to lay on the floor under the table while we eat, this way we can take her downtown with us out to dinner and she doesn't beg. We also had her trained here..she's very smart. Anyway more than you wanted to know....right!:D

[Soph the vet]

Dogs are great if you find one that fits in your family well (especially urban living) but with the great joy they provide also comes great responsibility. Puppies need to be housebroken, spayed or neutered, trained to obey and respect visitors, fed, cleaned up after, have medical issues addressed, etc. etc. I am not trying to immediately disuade you from getting a dog. My advice would be to get a more low maintenance pet first, something that doesn't live very long, like a mouse or a goldfish and see how that goes first. Your dc are old enough to do some care of a pet but in reality you will be doing the overwhelming majority of it. I have seen many families who are "outdogged" meaning they get a big dog that rules the roost and they have no control over. It becomes a real drag for them and for the dog and eventually the dog gets put up for adoption. Even some smaller breeds can be "overwhelming" in their own way. So before you go get a dog do lots of research on breeds, talk to dog owners, etc. etc.
Just go into it with your bases covered.
Soph

[SusanG]

We've had pets that definitely became burdens, so I know what you mean. We got a pug last year, though, and while she's a pain in the rear a lot of the time, we all love her. She doesn't like the outdoors, so pugs might be a great option for someone without a yard. She's a true lap dog - she wants to be in your lap, sleeping, almost ALL THE TIME. The rest of the time she enjoys playing fetch. She's very, very stupid, and she doesn't listen at all, but we're glad to have her, and I don't think we'll ever find her to be a burden.

[flutistmom]

Your kids certainly aren't going to be deprived just because they grew up without a dog!

I grew up with a dog, currently own 4, and wouldn't trade any one of them for the world and all that's in it! So my first instinct is to say, "Oh, you neeeeeeeeed a dog!" But what you really need to ask yourself is: Would you be getting a dog for the right reasons? I can think of a multitude of wrong reasons to get a dog, for example: To teach kids responsibility. (You're the one who, in the end, is responsible for the little guy, even if you do make the kiddos scoop poop!) or To allow the kids to experience the "miracle of birth." (Please, please, if you do get a dog, make sure you get it spayed or neutered!) The best reason I can think of to get a dog is because you want a faithful companion.

Are they a lot of work? Perhaps, at times (like combing time, if you have a Sheltie!) But you get paid in love and devotion, so I think it's a pretty good deal! If you do decide to get a dog, please look into rescue or adoption! If your heart is set on a puppy, you may find one through the SPCA or Humane Society. (Our Annie was about 6 months when we adopted her, and already housebroken.)

Good luck, whatever you decide!
-Robin

[Cadam]

just say no to picking up poo. Just say no to fleas. Just say no to crazy vet bills. Just say no to a house that smells like dog.

If you do decide to get a dog please, please, please, for the love of pumpkins get him some serious training. No, not the community puppy obedience class!

A friend of my dad's bought a dog from a breeder that insisted all buyers go through a 12 week intensive training. The same basic training given to police dogs before they go to police dog school. This dog does his business in a specific place. He rings a little bell when he needs to go out and on a cold night you can tell him to "pee quickly" so he won't spend his time smelling half of the yard. No one minds having this dog around because he doesn't annoy anyone, or try to get attention. He is well loved, and well mannered.

If hell freezes over and we get a dog again this is the type of training said dog will have to have. Right now I have a human toddler, no need for a 4 legged one.

[milovaný]

Our kids would LOVE a dog, too. I've put it off for three years, since our last one died. I just can't bring myself to go down that road again -- dogs are MUCH harder than cats. For example, we're going on our annual 5-day vacation this next week. We would have to find care for our dog. Our cat? Just fill a food and water bowl (or two), make sure she has litter, shut the door and we're good.

How about a guinea pig?

[Jann in TX]

We got our first dog when our oldest dd was 5 and her sister had just turned 3. We lived in a city and had a smallish back yard.

We went to a local rescue center and 'tested' (had kids take them for walks and play with them over a period of several days) several different breeds/types and we decided on a medium sized German shepherd mix. She was both smart and pretty and about 1 year old. She house trained very quickly and she adored our girls. She loved to go on walks and thus helped me loose a lot of weight!

Just this past Saturday we picked up our newest German Shepherd puppy--he is pure white (except his nose, eyes and paw pads). He is our 4th German Shepherd...(our first two have passed). I always research breeders when I purchase pure bred pups.

Yes, dogs take some work--but ours have all been loyal members of our family. We have never had a problem finding a quality boarding facility or a neighbor when we needed to be away from home...now that we live in the country and practically have our own zoo we tend to hire a local friend to house-sit.

We have had hermit crabs and other assorted caged critters--but nothing beats a good dog (or cat) for a 'furry baby' fix.

[GretaLynne]

We are definitely dog people in this house. We have four of them. Yeah, when the dogs outnumber the humans that's probably a bad sign.

Dogs definitely require some sacrifices. We hire a dog-sitter when we go on vacation. I vacuum the house at least twice as often as I would otherwise. We pulled up all our carpets and laid tile (which we like for a number of other reasons too). And I have to be honest about the occasional occurrence such as the one earlier this week where the chihuahua chewed up the brand new head phones that hubby had bought me for my iPod and I ranted about taking the chihuahua BACK to the shelter from which we adopted her.

But all in all they are worth it. At least to us. I think that having an obligation to walk a dog regularly is a good thing -- it's good to get the humans outdoors for fresh air and exercise too. :D Coming home to happy, loving creatures really makes a house a home. And adopting a pet from a shelter is so rewarding.

BTW, I personally wouldn't recommend a very young puppy if you are at all hesitant about this (which you clearly are, or you wouldn't be asking for input, right?). They are sooooooo much more work. Get a young-ish dog from a shelter. It's so much less stress and work than buying an 8 week old puppy. Two of our four came to us when they were six months old, young enough that they bonded with us just as well as a baby would have, but old enough that we didn't have to house-train them. Perfect.

We have:

Whippet (My personal favorite, she's my baby. Sweetest disposition. Wonderful with kids. Never met a stranger. Minimal shedding!)
American Eskimo Dog (Bright, sweet, and affectionate, but tends to bark too much and sheds like the devil.)
Rat Terrier (In a word: mistake. I do not recommend terriers, at the risk of offending terrier owners here. I'll never have another one. And I would have gotten rid of this one years ago if it weren't for dh.)
Chihuahua (DD's choice. A bit feisty, but very lovable.)

Mutts are always winners! Most of them have wonderful dispositions and tend to be very healthy physically too.

[Hebrews3:13]

We got our dog (almost 2) when he was 3 months from the pound. He was a cute little yellow, short-haired lab looking thing that was to have been part beagle. They swore he'd never be 35 pounds.

He is HUGE! He is like 65 pounds and a horse. He looks like a lab with some hound in him. The first year was like doggie hell. He chewed up everything we owned, including the kids stuff. It was worse since most of mine were little then and they would not keep anything up. He chewed up bushes outside, pulled them out of the ground, shoes, clothes, toys- you know. We got him neutered right away, so he was never aggressive, although he loves to run and play.

Now, finally he is fairly calm (except when company comes) and he adores my kids. No one could walk in this house and touch them. I LOVE that. My youngest was barely 1 when we got him and they grew up together. He was a puppy she would play in his food while he ate. I always watched him, but now he is so not food aggressive. He could care less if the kids mess in his food. He is a really good boy, but it was crazy for a while.

You will probably end up bearing a lot of the load since your kids are so young, so be prepared. If you do get a puppy you will have to potty train, which is fun. To me, it is like a 5th kid. Since he was young, he was just like another kid, as far as work load, however he and the kids adore each other and that is gold.

Do your homework- find breeds to avoid with kids. Decide puppy or older dog. Older dogs can have issues with bad behavior or having been treated poorly and the like, but can also be SUPER dogs that people have discarded. We would get an older dog if we got another. I would rather avoid that puppy part again. Rescues are great places, as the rescuers have usually lived with the dog and know the dog's temperment, etc.

We crate-trained our dog. He sleeps in there and that is where he goes when we are away. I like that for security of what he is doing when we can't watch him.

Be sure to keep in mind possible costs- vet bills, food (larger dogs eat more), heartworm preventive, flea preventive, etc. Our neighbors didn't fasten our gate well and our dog got out and hit by a car. He was mostly unscathed, but there were bills for his ER vet trip and follow-up.

I also recommend some training with the dog, so someone will have to take the time to train him and it will cost some $ up front, but its usually well worth it.

Think through who will care for it if you go out of town and costs there. This has cost us plenty several times to board our dog. We just have no one else we can depend on to care for him.

There would be benefits to getting one now and benefits to waiting a few more years when the kids can be more responsible and helpful in the process. Either way, I think it is worthwhile for your kids. We always had pets and we loved them. They were part of the family.

HTH,
Laurie

[Jen3boys]

Your kids are young so I'd say start with some smaller, easier animals and work up to the dog. That's what my parents did. When we finally got the dog I was old enough to go to a training class with the dog and help out a bit with his care. Now, I'm a dog-lover, but like most of the previous posters said, it's a big responsibility. Also, I ended up spending quite a bit of money for healthcare on a beloved dog as she got older--I didn't have kids yet so I could afford it!

[Stacy in NJ]

Just a couple words of advice; Get a young but full grown female. Since you live in city, get a small dog. When you go to pick one out (go to a shelter if you can) pick it up, make sure it allows you to handle it without too much squirming. Look for calm, quite, but friendly. Listen; make sure it doesn't bark alot. Let your children handle it, watch closely to see how it behaves with kids. If on your first visit they don't have to right dog for you, leave and come back another day. I love, love, love my dog, but it's really important to get the right animal for your family.

[Tracey in TX]

I love dogs. I like many animals (except birds, fish, snakes, crabs. LOL), but dogs are so special to me. We've had a slew since we've been married. I'd have a houseful, except there isn't enough room in our home or yard.

I would suggest knowing WHY you want a pet. That will help you determine which type of pet is best for your family. As I dislike the aforementioned, it limits the possibilities. For us it has to be child-friendly, know where it comes from (which eliminates the pound or pet store) because this pet will be a full fledged member of our family.

Whose pet will it be? If the pet 'chooses' another owner, will the DCs accept this? Some pets favor one person. What size is ideal for your family? If you decide on a dog, research breeds. Some are obviously better for young children than others. Do any of these match your needs?

I hope you take this dog search seriously. Like a child, he'll become attached quickly and you'll want to make sure you find just the right puppy for you. If not, DD might like the parakeet.:D

[Tammy]

Bigger dogs seem to be more work....I have a little chihuahua/Maltese mix....and she is GREAT! She is small....goes to the bathroom on piddle pads (so I don't have to take her out)....I can leave the house without wondering if she can hold it, LOL....

You know....you could always start with a cat....they don't take as much work as a dog :) I have two cats too!

Tammy

[Ashleen]

Friend or a burden? Depends on the dog. Truly. We had a flat-coated retriever that we got when she was five. She was a joy. When she was gone, we got a Labrador retriever puppy and I was going to become insane and kill that dog! I was coming unglued. We found her a new home while she was still adorable and the people who adopted her love her. We then got a six year old Lab, and she is a joy. I am low energy. I need older, calmer dogs. No puppies, ever. But a dog over five years old is just my style (big dogs, though. Little dogs can still be hyper at any age; my grandmother had a 14 year old Manchester terrier that was still way too hyper and barky for me).

[Karen sn]

It depends on the animal's personality.
Had you asked me 3 years ago if I wanted a horse I would have thought about all the responsibility and said, "No way, Jose! They are work, money, time..."

However, turns out the horse we loved for a year and a half was the best and easiest pet of all. (And we have a sweet Alaskan Malmute, 2 indoor cats, one stray cat we feed, and a small water turtle).

The horse was by far the easiest to take care of & had the least expensive vet (her accident emergency vet to the house was $80 - and the vet gave the dog a rabies shot while he was there. The turtle's vet at the vet's office was $140). The horse was also the easiest to love and bond with.

If you want a dog - open up to the universe, pray, whatever - a dog will find you or you will go to the pound or see an add - and there will be the perfect dog for you. My last 2 dogs found me. As soon as I looked into their eyes I knew they would be mine. At the time - both of them belonged to other people. Jake has been gone for almost 5 years now - I still miss him. And Zeus (the malamute) we've had for almost 3 years. (They were NOT puppies!)

The secret - if you get a puppy - spend lots of time with it!

Be patient. It took a few months to get my dogs.
And with Zeus I was a little sad about the loss of freedom to just get up and go out of town. I told an aquantance that and found out she dog sits for cheap. Now we are good friends. Dogs bring people together.

I think kids need dogs. I know I do.
Although now I realize I need a horse more.

[Karen sn]

Bigger dogs seem to be more work....I have a little chihuahua/Maltese mix....and she is GREAT! She is small....goes to the bathroom on piddle pads (so I don't have to take her out)....I can leave the house without wondering if she can hold it, LOL....

You know....you could always start with a cat....they don't take as much work as a dog :) I have two cats too!

Tammy


I have to disagree here.
I would NEVER own a small dog EVER.
They are generally yappy and nervous.

Big dawgs are soooo laid back and offer added protection.
I know that SOME small dogs are well mannered and not ankle biters or yappy - but they are the exception.

I've only ever been bit by small insecure dogs.

[LauraGB]

I like dogs, but didn't want to take care of one. At all. Dh doesn't like dogs because dogs don't like dh. But, the dc were asking, begging, pleading...for years. Finally, I gave in and said I'd be willing to look. Searched and searched until we found a 4 month golden who was living in some questionable circumstances and the people simply did not have time to take care of such a busy dog. She was not housebroken. I came very close to giving her away - I had just potty trained my kids and was so not ready for this! But, after a few months of training and getting to know her - I love her like my own kids. So glad we got her. She's a comfort, a friend, never asks for anything, but always offers a smile (or a lick - she's a compulsive licker :glare:). Everyone in our family, even dh (whom she adores), can't imagine not having her around. She's so included in our family, I'm not convinced she knows she's a dog - I think she thinks she's one of the kids. Plus, she helps out w/the housework - I haven't needed to sweep up after dinner in almost 4 years:D! (which is more than I can say for dc most of the time!)

So, I guess, imo, much like kids, they are work, but its worth it 10 fold. Just do your research - with dc as young as yours, you need to be choosy. Also, consider if your dc are tail tuggers or if they are gentle w/animals - this will be helpful in determining what kind to get.

[Mom to Aly]

We got a puppy 2 & 1/2 years ago--had had a dog when I was young, then cats for all my adult life. Living alone with my dd, everyone talked me into, even though I didn't want it.

SHE IS SO WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I might love her more than my daughter! I can't stand when she isn't in the same room with us! 5 months later we got another dog, so she'd have a playmate, and we love him just as much! I can't tell you the diff it has made in both of our lives--the responsibility it has taught her--she feeds them, brushes them, does their water, really takes care of them. If there is an accident, she cleans it up (she agreed to that beforehand, and will do it, although I hate the thought of that and sometimes do it before she sees it).

It took us two days to potty train our puppy (I know, we are truly lucky!). An older dog can be amazing, already potty trained, and you are saving a dog who otherwise might not have a home.

I have not had a moment of regret. We both adore our dogs, and are so grateful for them :). I hope you, too, find the kind of love in a wonderful, warm, huggable body that we did.

[WTMindy]

burden, in your opinion? My kids are 5 and 3 and we aren't thinking of having any more. We are homeschooling, but live in the city, so we don't have a huge yard. I'm a sahm, though, so we could take it on walks, obviously. I didn't grow up with pets and neither did dh, but we don't want to deprive the kids of the experience and both of them love animals so much! DD might be happy with a parakeet though. WWYD?

You couldn't pay me enough money to get a dog. But, neither dh nor I are dog people!!! :001_smile: