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Dogs and kids?

I have a 4 and a half year old, 17 pound dog that looks like a teddy bear and is the love of H and I's lives. DH is deployed right now but when he comes home and I graduate from nursing school in May, we want to get another dog of the same breed. We came to this decision because my parents got her half sister from the same breeder and they LOVE being together. I worried about her being so used to getting all of the attention but H brought up the point that one day we will have kids and she'll share the attention anyways. Well that brought up a whole new point! I grew up with one dog so for those of you who have 2 or more dogs as well as kids, would you do it all over again?
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Photo bomb, yeah!

Re: Dogs and kids?

  • I don't have any experience with the child part, but is fostering another dog an option for you guys? It might give you an idea of how she'll react to another dog living in the house and sharing your attention.
  • Does your dog need a lot of exercise?  I don't have kids, but I have two dogs, and one is extremely high maintenance.  I couldn't imagine having two of her and a child...I'd probably go crazy.  Our other though is very relaxed and sleeps all the time.  If he goes for a walk, fabulous, if not then he'll sleep until you're ready to walk him. We could definitely have two of him and have a kid.

    Our hyper one will still be very young and with us when we try to conceive.  I know that it'll be a lot of work, but if you're like me, you always make it work with anything new that comes into your schedule...just might take awhile to get used to it.

  • We have no kids but 3 pups. We made the decision to get our second dog because our first dog needed a buddy. The people we got him from had 2 other dogs and he had bad seperation anxiety being an only dog. Our 1st dog is very mild mannered and gets along with almost all dogs. So when picking a second dog we picked one with a similar personality. She was a perfect fit! They are like 2 peas in a pod. When we adopted a puppy from the local shelter this past weekend, we chose one whose personality seemed like it would go well with the other 2. Our male gets along with almost anyone and our female gets along better with males. Our new pup is a male with a very friendly personality and they all get along pretty well. Our female has her moments when she gets jealous and irritates with the hyper puppy. We make sure to give the other lots and lots of extra loving so they don't feel left out. All our dogs are high energy and we make sure they get lots of exercise. If you choose to get another dog try to make sure tour old dog gets lots of loving. Sometimes we let the older dogs go downstairs and keep the pup upstairs to give them a break from him. Whatever you decide, good luck!
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    The most beautiful place on earth to me: Glacier NP
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  • If I foster a dog, it's all over. I would never give it back. I would have a zoo of dogs if I could. Madison can pretty much sleep all day. She gets hyper a couple of times in the evening and I throw toys or chase her around the apartment a little. When she's with my mom's dog, she is a lot less clingy and needy. They play until they pass out, rest, and then repeat. I feel like her quality of life is much better with another dog. At least when we get another dog, the new dog won't be a puppy anymore when we have kids so hopefully it won't be the circus that I'm envisioning.
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    Photo bomb, yeah!
  • I would like to get a second dog, but right now is not the best time. We live in a townhouse with no yard, so that means we have to walk Smudge four to six times a day just to potty. With a two year old, I could not manage walking two dogs and push the stroller/pull the wagon. When we move in the Spring, *if* we get a house with a fenced-in yard, we will either foster or get a second dog.

    Our dog is also 4.5 years old. I worried about how he'd do with our LO, but he's been great! I think it is less difficult when the dog is there to see the child grow--as opposed to being exposed to a grabby but loving 18 month old. Does that make sense? They both ( dog and baby) develop a sense of one another before the baby becomes mobile.

    IMO, if you plan to have kids in a couple of years, I would either wait or foster. As military families, we are nor guaranteed what our lives are going to look like down the road. Before we moved to our current rental, DH and I both felt that a garage and a fenced-in yard were "non-negotiable". Well, we have neither, but our location is fabulous. DH either rides his bike or takes the Metro to work. It is an urban-ish setting--lots going on that interests our two year old. Lots of places to walk.

    Good luck with your decision.
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  • We have a 4 year old and an almost 6 year old Doberman Pinscher, we didnt want Apache to be too old when we got a puppy, so we decide in feb for pup #2 Annabelle is a great dane and is 9months old and she really brings out the puppy in Apache... I dont regret it at all and I like having two dogs even if they are a pain some times.   With that being said, she is WAY more attached to him than he is to her.  and Hes still and always will be my Baby!! 
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  • We have two dogs and one kiddo and I wouldn't change it.  Sure some days it's a lot but I love seeing the dogs and DD together. DD is in a phase where she kisses the dogs ALL the time.  The dogs couldn't care less but I love it.  Anyway....two dogs and kids is totally doable
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