Lavenders_Blue Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 (edited) As per the title, I am hoping to be able to give a home to a rescue dog. I am in the fortunate position of working 4 days a week from home and only having to go out a few hours at a time, meaning that hubby and I should be able to offer a very happy forever home to a dog who needs one. However, having chatted this through with hubby, and contacted the rescue centre (we are hopefully going to go and see a couple of dogs soon to choose one of them) a worry has started to niggle away at me. It's likely that hubby and I will have a baby in the next couple of years and the more I think about this, the more I think that having a dog and a baby might not be a good idea. I am not so much concerned about the dog not accepting the baby, as we have lots of kids in the family and one or two friends with babies, so we'd be happy to get the dog used to being around littlies. The two dogs the rescue centre have suggested are both okay with children anyway. My concern is, am I absolutely bonkers to think I would be able to offer a dog the time it needs with a little one around? How easy it is to walk a dog with a child in tow? Is it totally impractical to think I can strap a baby into a pram or one of those backpack baby carriers and toddle off for an hour with the dog? Will I regret it in winter when I'm dressing myself and a little one in 55 layers of wind-and-rain-proof clothing before heading off to the park? Some practical advice would be really appreciated here. Hubby and I would really like to have a canine companion, but I want to get this right. It would break my heart to rehome a dog only to find I can't cope in a couple of years time when a little one comes along and I have to find him/her a new home, and more importantly, it wouldn't be fair on the dog either. Your thoughts please? Edited January 20, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 This is a tough one and something I would struggle with too. I do some voluntary work for a greyhound charity and they tend not to rehome to anyone who is actually expecting a baby - unfortunately, we have seen too many greys returned when their adopters' priorities change when a baby comes along. However, there are LOTS of people who have babies after adopting a grey and get on fine. Have to say though, if you are having these doubts, maybe now is not the time to commit to a dog? Maybe you could foster (a dog, not a child!) for a while so that you don't have the same commitment when baby comes along? Hats off to you for thinking this through though!!!! Good luck with whatever you decide! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 It is a tough one; we didnt get a dog til our girls were 10 and 8 because little ones are time-consuming/expensive/hard work when you are bundling them in and out of buggies etc. BUT, having said that, if we had had a dog before the children I think we would have coped. it does also depend a lot on what sort of dog you have - eg I'd say not something like a collie which needs masses of both mental and physical exercise to be a happy dog. a small dog is not necessarily the answer either - big personalities, can need just as much if not more input from the owner than a bigger one. greyhounds are couch potatoes, so might suit? and like bramble says, tons of them need homes. my parents always had a dog and a cat from before I was born, and there is somethign really special about growing up with a pet. how would your husband feel about having to walk the dog when you were too tired because you'd been up all night with the baby? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 We had a dog before children, and found it just worked out naturally. It takes a bit of practice (for you and the dog) to walk with a pram but it doesn't take long. After all, children and dogs both like,and thrive, with lots of fresh air,and both like playing with toys, so they do have a lot in common. I'd go for the dog now personally, and worry about the rest later when I'm sure you'll cope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I'll echo what Bramble says as I also do homechecks for a hound rescue charity or two. I have seen it happen time and again and applaud your sense in questioning whether it is right. Having said that, my daughter was brought up with my elderly lurcher at the time and they got on fine, I was also a single parent but managed to fit it all in with having to go back to work full time as well. If there are two of you then you will have more hands available to do the necessary care for both the baby and the dog. Perhaps you could offer to foster a dog for a while and see how it fits in with your lifestyle and whether you think you'd be able to cope. We are all different, and while some folk can fit it in, others don't have the time. Lurcher Link and Kerry Greyhounds are always looking for foster homes for their hounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 You are doing the right thing by thinking carefully before you take the plunge. I was devoted to my 2 dogs and when the children arrived it wasn't a huge issue. The dogs were never top of the muck heap and so there were no issues as far as jealously etc. Towards the time that my first child was born I reduced the amount of exercise and attention that the dogs got slightly. This just meant that if I couldn't maintain the length of walk that they got it wouldn't come as a great shock. I had a GSD and a medium x breed and almost never used a pushchair as we live in the country and walked across fields and brideways. I mainly used a sling and then backpack but the dogs quickly learned how to walk alongside a pushchair if asked. When the children were too large for the backpack they walked! The dogs never missed a days walk and it is actually a great thing to have to get up and out with a baby. Babies are generally much happier when out in the fresh air and a gentle walk gets them off to sleep a treat. I found that I wouldn't necessarily go that far but the dogs would be out for just as long. Walking with a toddler is a slow process when you have to stop and look at every flower and insect but the dogs learned to run around and entertain themselves or I would take a ball on a slow day. A child's live is so much more enriched when you have a dog. Nothing like a wet walk with wellies and plenty of muddy puddles. You wouldn't do it without a dog I remember getting the dogs and 3 small children ready for a dog walk whilst my childless friend was still tying her laces. You get to be very efficient. I thing that I would say though is to think carefully about car boot space etc. When we chose our most recent dog we had to find one that could sit in the footwell of the car when it was fully loaded up for our holiday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken shack Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 My daughter has 3 KIDS 1,3 and 4 years of age, 3 cats, 2 ducks and a dog She lives in chaos most of the time and is skint most of the time but . So if you can cope with all that go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 Great answers and very encouraging, thanks! This question really comes from the point of view of knowing more or less the needs of a dog, but not of a baby! I was expecting to hear a resounding, 'No, you're mad, don't even think about it!' but to hear that others have not just managed with a dog and a baby but actually had a great experience bringing up dog and baby together is really reassuring. CM - your suggestions re taking a ball when you don't want to walk so far, or being out for the same length of time but not necessarily walking as far is a great idea... and of course hadn't occurred to me (never had dogs that are bothered by playing ball on a walk before) And of course, littlies love to run around in the rain and jump in puddles, why has this not occurred to me?! I'll have another talk through with hubby re how he would feel about taking on more dog walking responsibilities when baby comes, I think he thinks it will be okay now, but he needs to be realistic about it. He is out of the house from 7.30am - 6.00pm so needs to carefully think about how much he would actually want to walk a dog before/after a long day at work. I am also (like the rest of you) devoted to my animals and believe that if you give a pet a home, it should be for life, hence why I am thinking this through so carefully. If a dog comes... it needs to stay, which is why I need to make the right decision now. Thank you all so much for your thoughts - I will be reporting back soon (most likely with some exciting news) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Yes, look around, read up on it and see what you think. With regards to OH taking on some of the walking responsibilities... do remember that winter will mean walking in the dark/wet/snow etc, so think about the dog walking places that you have near you - do you have somewhere nearby that can be a shorter walk if necessary, and different places with different length/terrain walks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted July 3, 2011 Author Share Posted July 3, 2011 Well things have moved on a stage. After much discussion between me and OH about the practicalities of owning a dog, not just in the future when/if a little one comes along but also general considerations such as wet, dark winter walks, muddy paws, making arrangements if we need to go out for a day and a whole host of other things... we've decided to go for it. We visited the rescue centre today and met two lovely dogs, both of whom are very gorgeous, but the one we think would suit our situation best is a beautiful little staffie girl. She's approx 18 months - 2 years old so still plenty young. She has previously been living in a family with children and is currently in a foster family with several other dogs and gets on great with them all. She needs to put on a little weight, and seems not to have had any training whatsoever, however these are small things. She has been in her foster family just two weeks, and they have already found her to be very trainable, so I think we will book some training classes for her (and us!) to make sure we will be doing things the right way. We haven't said definintely that we are going to have her yet (although in my mind it's all sorted out of course!), the rescue centre asks you to wait a few days after viewing dogs to let them know whether you want to take one or not. I suppose this reduces the number of people offering to rehome on impulse, which seems sensible, so we will need to call in the week after we've had a few days to think about it, then we will have the home check (fingers crossed!) and following that, I hope she will be ours. She is a little cracker, and I think I will be having happy doggy dreams tonight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Very exciting. I would find out every bit of information about her background that you can including the reason for her being in a rehoming centre. Is she speyed/vaccinated? There is so much anti staffie feeling at the moment that you really need to make sure that she is well trained as like large breed dogs like GSDs and Rotties they are always in the firing line if anything 'kicks off' between dogs - very unfair but a reality non the less. You want to socialise, socialise and socialise some more. Get her used to babies noises and children as soon as possible. Also start as you mean to go on. Don't make her 'your baby' - there will be real babies before long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 How exciting!!!! Has she got a name yet? Don't forget we need photos!!! It's great that you are adopting a rescue staffie, the rescue centres are bursting at the seams with them! Fantastic, keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Fabulous news . Hope you can bring her home soon . We were told Riley is a Staffie cross but apparently they use that term very loosely for any mongrel that they're not sure about . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 Ahh, thank you everyone. I am so excited, I couldn't sleep last night! I now just need to keep fingers and toes crossed that the home check etc will be okay, the lady at the rescue does seem quite fearsome! (I'm sure she's not). I asked about speying and vaccination (rescue centre have done both) and background (she has come in due to a marriage split - apparently neither person could take the dog with them ) She has come from a family with children, so should be pretty used to them, but we have lots of littlies in our family anyway, so I plan to get her mucking in with them asap. Training classes are going to be booked for soon after we get her home, so we can all learn together before too many habits are formed, and also socialise her. The dog walks in our area tend to be reasonably busy with dog walkers so hopefully she will get used to meeting lots of other dogs and people while she is out. We are fairly confident she is going to be just fine with other dogs as she is currently living with dogs ranging from a massive RottiexGSD to a tiny JRT pup and she is great with all of them. However, I do take the point that there is a lot of anti staffie feeling at the moment, and we will need to have her well trained and socialised for her own sake. My mum will be the first sceptic I will need to win over for starters! We've already said that she is definitely not going to be 'our baby'. Absolutely no sleeping on the sofas or in the bedroom! She'll need to learn when enough attention is enough and it's time for her to take some time on her bed. Anything else I might have forgotten? Oh yes - her name! Great name for a staffie, she's called............................................... Saffy! Photos of course will follow when (if???) she comes home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Great news. As CM has said, start as you mean to go on.... I'm another strict dog owner... no dogs on furniture or upstairs See if the rescue will let you have her for a couple of weekend visits or to foster her for a week or two to see how you get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 I was a very strict dog owner too . Until Riley impaled his chest on a low branch and had to sleep beside our bed so I could stop him getting at the wound . That was 10 years ago . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicken bark Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Really pleased you have got your girl. Looking forward to the photos. I am at home most of the time, have 3 young children, cats and a growing chicken empire and have been wondering about a dog and whether I'd be taking on too much so this has been an interesting read. I might look into fostering or some way or 'borrowing' a dog for a while to see how I get on. I'm not a complete novice though we took in all the waifs and strays when I was growing up and often ended up walking 10 dogs at a time. I just need my OH to want one then there'd be no stopping me. Good luck with your new home for Saffy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 See if the rescue will let you have her for a couple of weekend visits or to foster her for a week or two to see how you get on. The rescue operates on a two week trial basis before you officially adopt which is really sensible. It will give us all a bit of time to get to know each other, and to find out if it's going to work before we commit permanently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 That's a great idea. It usually takes them 2 weeks or so to settle down anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Finally, I am able to update you all with my dog rescue news I shan't bore you all with the long version of the story, but basically things fell through with Saffy. As far as we can tell (and this is a bit of a guess), the lady who is fostering her doesn't really want to give her up. It would seem that after our visit to meet the dog, the foster carer told the rescue manager that hubby didn't interact with or even touch the dog and was clearly there under sufferance - all total rubbish! So the rescue manager, quite understandably, was concerned and asked us to come back and meet the dog again. Unfortunately the foster carer became very difficult to get hold of after that, cancelling appointments at the 11th hour and so on, presumably to make things difficult for us. So, after several weeks and several wasted trips, we went to another rescue. We have chosen a very pretty terrier cross (you can help me play guess the breed if you like) and we will be picking her up this weekend! I tried to copy and paste a photo from the rescue website, but it won't allow me to do that (it's a flash site?) so here is the link. Our dog is Tango, and very gorgeous she is too! The rescue is set in a beautiful site, on the edge of some woods. As soon as we got there, we were handed a dog to take for a walk, because it had been picked up from the pound that afternoon and was desperate for some exercise. This was before we even got onto the subject of which dog we might like to rehome! I can see that I'll be volunteering some time there as a dog walker in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 She looks like a real sweetie Check out the legs on Arnie He looks like a real character p.s thanks a lot, I now feel the need to check out all of the dogs needing homes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 He is a proper pigeon-toed k"Ooops, word censored!"bly-kneed Jack Russell isn't he?! p.s. Sorry about posting the whole site, I did try only to post the photo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKMARCH Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 She looks lovely it will be great fun. Dogs and kids can be great we invested in a mountain buggy terrain not cheap at the time and an outlast snuggle bag completely waterproof and very warm and great for dog walks. My dog at the time learnt to walk with the pushchair well, using a carrier is a great idea but we found it hurt our backs so mainly used the pushchair. Now we have two dogs and they come with me on the walk to and from school and I walk them for longer after drop off so fits in well with our routine and they love seeing all the children at school who always make a beeline for their favourite dog! When you do have a baby you find that dogs are the easy option or maybe thats just mine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy chick Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Well done for re-homing a dog. There are so many lovely characters needing a loving home. Just wanted to say cool name, our chihuahua is called Saffy (short for saffron) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 She's a lovely looking dog! Rescuing our little dog is one of the best things we've ever done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
