Anyone here with Pets?

[Pluto13]

oh lovely, cockers are great dogs, so nice to see them out working as well.

We have 4 Staffordshire Bull Terriers and an American Bulldog, great dogs with LOTS of energy! I adore them we have so much fun with them

 

[saffy1978]

Aww. I love staffy's. I used to breed them about ten years ago. I miss them. Got my hands full with the others for now tho! (Along with four kids and a baby on the way )

 

[ladypotter]

I have a 6 month old American Eskimo. She is wild, so we are trying to train her to not jump and stop "nipping" at legs and hands during play. I think she will be ok. Just trying to remind my daughter not to rile her up too much when they play.

 

[Pluto13]

Really, cool, staffords are great dogs, we have shown one of them she placed 2nd in Crufts but no plans on breeding, they are all just pets.

Eskimos are beautiful dogs, a friend of mine runs a Sled dogs rescue, she has every kind of husky type imaginable... I find a big Yelp and a no when they are mouthing helps loads. If Im playing with my dog he he gets overexcited and wont leave if I shout OUCH! he immediately drops the toy

 

[PhoenixRising]

I was quite interested to read this thread as I have two dogs (a dalmatian and a labrador cross) whom I would never give up and it's been really encouraging to hear other people manage ok! yeay!! PS I'm only WTT at the moment so not a major issue yet

 

[LankyDoodle]

I have 2 horses and 2 cats and none of them are going (well possibly one of the horses, but that is because he may have to be put down), and at the first possible opportunity (ie, as soon as they can walk unassisted) my child will have a pony of their own. Animals are good for children.

 

[cath]

We've only had a couple of people ask this as most people know how nutty I am about my dogs. Yes, they're big and bouncy but there's no way on this earth I'd get rid of them, they're part of the family. Obviously we'll be careful with introductions & not leave them together unsupervised but I dont see it being a problem.

 

[IdLoveAPink1]

Ohhh such an interesting thread!
We have 2 dogs, an 8 year old cross collie/spaniel and a 6 year old Rottweiler. It's the Rotty that we're worried about as he's always been the baby of the family and he gets very jealous when my DH holds a baby or even tries to hug me. He tries to stand in between us! He's 55kg so is powerful enough to knock me over. Not sure how I'll manage to control him when DH is at work. I'm so scared and nervous already and I'm only 11 weeks. We're trying to train him with a Baby Annabelle doll that cries, laughs and gurgles but he goes absolutely crazy when it cries etc. The last thing I'd want is for my DH to give up his furbaby but I'm soooo scared. Any opinions would be so welcome, thanks girls x x

Sam x

 

[LankyDoodle]

why on earth would having a horse effect the baby? eh!

I think so long as people are aware that no animal should be left alone with a child then you should have no problems. Obviously animals will be curious and this is only natural so its better that they get a proper introduction and learn boundaries!

It's because horses take a lot of time and a lot of money (my two cost me about 3k each a year) and some people do end up getting rid of their horses; but I won't be!

 

[Sweetie]

I have two dogs, a Chesapeake bay retriever and a Boston terrier. They LOVE my daughter, they let her hug them, share their toys with her. It didn't take much adjustment, we made sure that they were exposed to small children from the time we found out we were expecting and spent a lot of time re-enforcing their obedience commands as well.

As much as people say not to I do trust my dogs with my child. I'm likely to get chewed out for this, I know... I have pushed my dogs to their limits, to the point that I basically forced them to snap at me. I know what that point is and I know what their triggers are. They also recognize that as much as she is part of our "pack" she is higher up in standing then they are. That all said I don't leave them for extended periods alone. Mostly I'm just in one room (same floor) and they are in the other or I run downstairs to get dinner from the freezer or change the laundry over

 

[_Vicky_]

We have three dogs (labs) they arent going anywhere - no way!!!!!

 

[NuKe]

complete rubbish. you dont need to get rid of any of the wee lovelies. now, i am getting rid of my cat but thats just before the baby comes, because she is WAY too unpredictable and plays very very rough- wouldn't trust her round a baby. gonna kill me, but there's no reason you should give up any of your wee babies!!

 

[Flick]

I have a crazy collie cross; a rescue dog; and I have to say I do have concerns. She is sweet as pie; adoring, trusting and gentle with people she knows, and people she meets outside of the house - but she in the house she *can be* territorial.

It's "fear aggression", so generally it's large men (or, fast/weird moving people) that upset her... but I am honestly terrified that she will think a baby is a screaming monster trying to attack us all - no way would I ever allow her within dog-reach of a baby.

I'd say, it was no worry, she can go to my mum... apart from, I may well be with my mum too (long story on the accommodation side of things!!!)

 

[BABYCAREY]

Well we have 2 shi tzus,and they were very very spoilt!! I was afraid what would happen when ben came along,well the 2 of them were depressed for at least a month!! Hardly ate and just looked miserable,so we gradually introduced them to him,but have to say i would never be so arrogant as to think" my dog would never do that"my dog wouldnt bite anyone" you just have to read the papers to see the mistakes some people have made.we keep them away from ben becos they are still that bit jealous and you just never know!! Do you?? It would be a horrible thing to happen any body

 

[1st_timer]

hi there...i have two brussels griffons who Iwould never give up. They have been around for a year or so now and we adore them...i am worried they will be jealous but i think you just have to deal with. If anyone asked me if i was going to give them up I would probably ask if they would give up up their first born if they were having another child...i adore my dogs.

 

[hibiscus07]

The suggestion to get rid of pets REALLY bothers me, as if they're just a disposable piece of property. It's one thing if they attack your child or something, but I believe you make a commitment to the pet for its life.

 

[Rozie_1985]

I have two dogs and you can see what me and OH think of them by my signature, they are our pride and joy and we would never get rid of them, you just need to make sure you go about things the right way once LO is here, introduce them properly don't leave them alone together etc, common sense really!!

 

[hibiscus07]

I have two dogs and you can see what me and OH think of them by my signature, they are our pride and joy and we would never get rid of them, you just need to make sure you go about things the right way once LO is here, introduce them properly don't leave them alone together etc, common sense really!!

Aww your pups are SOOO cute. I want one . We have 3 cats that I adore, but we'd both love a dog. Unfortunately, our space is pretty limited, esp with a baby coming!

 

[Rozie_1985]

I have two dogs and you can see what me and OH think of them by my signature, they are our pride and joy and we would never get rid of them, you just need to make sure you go about things the right way once LO is here, introduce them properly don't leave them alone together etc, common sense really!!

Aww your pups are SOOO cute. I want one . We have 3 cats that I adore, but we'd both love a dog. Unfortunately, our space is pretty limited, esp with a baby coming!

Thank You, we have just finished converting our garage into a dog room, and its so nice i wouldn't mind moving in there myself!! We managed to pick up a leatherette corner sofa on freecycle, got the room plastered wacked on a coat of paint on the walls and ceiling, hung up a few photos, laid a piece of carpet our next door neighbours gave us and voila! Very chuffed! Will be great once bubs is here as i can put them in there when we pop out and don't have to worry about them knocking me over with loving as we come through the door!! It also means they wont get to eat another £300 carpet!! Love them really!!

 

[Flick]

The suggestion to get rid of pets REALLY bothers me, as if they're just a disposable piece of property. It's one thing if they attack your child or something, but I believe you make a commitment to the pet for its life.

I agree to an extent But I also think that it can sometimes be in the pet's own interest to move on - for example, if I had to live in a flat, or was unable to exercise her for any reason, my dog would definitely go to my mum (who happens to live surrounded by fields, with a dog the same age as mine). I think *sometimes* our sense of duty/committment to a pet, can actually do more harm than good
Plus, honestly, I think if an owner is really giving up their pet for trivial reasons, it possibly wasn't in the best home anyway