What’s it really like having kids and a dog?
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Anonymous
| I’m crowd sourcing advice because I really don’t know the reality of having a dog and kids. I have 3 active kids ages 11, 9, and 7. My middle and youngest deeply want a dog. My oldest has no interest. My husband and I both work full time. We have a large backyard that we could easily fence. I had birds and hamsters growing up so I don’t have the experience of growing up with a family dog. Thoughts?? |
Anonymous
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It’s a lot of work and mess and expense. If you haven’t always wanted a dog, don’t get one.
A fenced yard is fine for quick potty breaks but it’s not a substitute for regular walks. Thinking your dog will love “running around in the backyard” without you is a recipe for behavior problems. |
Anonymous
| It's a bit like hell. Don't get one if you care about your furniture or carpets or other nice things that could be chewed. Expect child to lose interest quickly and be nagged to take dog for a walk. Be prepared for dog to bark wildly anytime you sit down to an important meeting. Dog will want to play anytime you want to watch a quiet movie or when kids are all out and you want to sit and read your book. Your guests will smile politely at your dog that barks when they come to the door, smells in a way you can't smell so you don't realize it, and grimace when your dog wants to sniff or rub at them when they are all dressed up in their new dress. |
Anonymous
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PP is about as fun as a funeral.
Dogs and kids together are awesome. They love each other and are great companions. Having a large backyard is key as well. Yes the dog still will need walks (great exercise for parents and kids alike) but having a yard where the kids and dog can expend that extra energy together is great. |
Anonymous
As I finished typing that, my dog who has been potty trained for years, just pooped on my carpet and my son stepped in it and is now screaming and crying. My husband is shouting at both the dog and the kid and gagging as he tries to clean it up. I'm obviously far too busy doing important work to go help 
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Anonymous
Some of us have “guests” who don’t suck. |
Anonymous
Imagine if a man were typing that. |
Anonymous
+1 If you get a puppy you will have the intense troubles of a newborn baby (waking several times a night, crying, vomiting because puppies chew/eat anything they can explore/swallow). The training is also a pain because you have to be consistent without being harsh and they will test you until you just want to rest, give up and ignore their bad behaviors. Many dogs shed to the point they will leave a bit of themselves on all your clothes. The walks are the easy part but some dogs have anxieties that make the simple things way more difficult. For me, the most difficult part is finding a good pet sitter who will be available and make my dog happy while we're away. They will also feel incredibly worth it, if you can make it past the hard times. They truly want to be part of the family and have a social role with you all (unlike a hamster). If you make it through all that, you and your family will not believe how much you can love an animal and feel like they fit perfectly. Adopting an adult dog would save you from almost losing your mind from sleeplessness through potty training (they can hold it longer) and they have better manners as they are not teething and have grown out of a lot of hijinks. |
Anonymous
Ha. I get child-related gross tasks. He gets dog-related gross tasks. It's win-win! |
Anonymous
| Don’t do it just because your kids want it at the moment. Just like you wouldn’t have another baby just because they are asking for it. It needs to be something that you and your husband want, too. |
Anonymous
| It’s awesome. Having a puppy is not awesome. But DH and I think of the dog as ours, and our responsibility. We walk, feed, train, brush, etc. Do the kids ask if they can help/come with/do? Yes, often. But we rely on each other, not them. |
Anonymous
| A lot of the reasons above are why we got cats instead. They don’t need walks, you don’t have to potty train them, they are not needy, technology has made it so you can get self cleaning litter boxes, and you can leave them for a few days by themselves, or longer if you can find someone to check on them once a day. Ours don’t meow or make noise and they cuddle and play with our kids. They do sometimes scratch the furniture (even with scratch pads) but we don’t care about that. Ultimately, to be a pet owner, you have to understand it’s an undertaking and there will be sacrifices to your home, and potentially your sleep, and more. I think dogs are more work than cats (depending on the personality of the pet). I love dogs but I understood I wouldn’t be the best dog owner considering we have busy lives and kids and cats made more sense for us. For some of us, the downsides of a pet are totally worth it, but you have to know if it is worth it to you. |
Anonymous
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It's like having another child's. One that you always need to feed twice a day, one that needs to be walked several times a day, and one that also needs to go to the doctor occasionally, and be bathes occaisionally.
It's also unconditional love. That fuzzy face that is happy to see you when you walk in the door? Nothing beats that It's difficult to travel, especially during school holidays/breaks. Everyone else you know is traveling as well, and you need to find someone to care for the dog. And, best thing we ever did. Having a dog is awesome |
Anonymous
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I’d never live in a household without a dog. We have two actually, and also have three kids. It is an expense, it is work - veterinary care, feeding, walking, brushing, playing. You have to decide if that’s worth it for you.
In the case of full time workers, I’d also add in the expense of doggy daycare or mid day dog walkers. |
Anonymous
| If your kids end up doing any sports activities that will take you out of the home for large parts of the day on weekends, or travel sports where you will have to be gone on weekends, you will have to find boarding for the dog or take the dog with you. We only have one child and a very easy dog, but I still have to stay home by myself with the dog most weekends and miss my kid's games because its too hot to have the dog out for 12 hours. Also, when we go out for family activities - dinner, movie, party, etc., we have to always leave early and be mindful of not leaving the dog alone in the house for too long. Even though we have a large yard, you can't leave a dog alone in the yard for worries about the UPS guy leaving the gate open, escaping, heat stroke and just non-stop barking from being lonely. I would not get a dog with 3 kids (and I am a huge dog lover). |