How did you know your dogs need to rehomed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aggression seems like the only legit reason to me. Otherwise if you’ve adopted a dog, you’ve made a commitment to care for it. Annoying or not, inconvenient or not. Just because it’s less fun because you have a baby to watch now is irresponsible to me, you should not have gotten a dog in the first place.

This.

We did not know what to expect with our two dogs. I sent my DH home with some of the blankets that DS wore in the hospital so the dogs got to know his sent before he came home. We kept a close eye on the dogs with DS. We were already in the habit of putting one of the dogs on his leash when we had young kids visiting because he wanted to play with them and 60 pound dog with toddler is not a good mix. We kept him on a leash and by us so there was nothing to worry about. The other dog would go into the bedroom and curl up in her bed and simply avoid the visitor.

We had a separate play area for DS that the dogs could not get into. It was more so that DS had a place to move around and play and we could go to the bathroom knowing that DS was in as child proofed an area as we could make it. We kept his toys in that area so that there was not temptation by the dogs to play with DS squeaky toys.

There are ways to make the dog/child thing work but you need to make the effort.

If your dog is aggressive toward the child then I can understand rehoming but please make it clear that the dog needs to go to a house without kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aggression seems like the only legit reason to me. Otherwise if you’ve adopted a dog, you’ve made a commitment to care for it. Annoying or not, inconvenient or not. Just because it’s less fun because you have a baby to watch now is irresponsible to me, you should not have gotten a dog in the first place.

This. I deeply resented my dog while DD was a newborn - the dog just made everything harder. But we made a commitment when we got her. Fast forward a couple years, and it has been awesome to see the dog and DD together. They love each other.

We're now having to think about euthanizing our beloved dog because of aggression risk as she starts to get senile. IME euthanization is usually better than rehoming for aggression: it's rare to find a home that can tolerate the risk and where moving the dog is actually doing the dog a favor. I've seen it work with family members whom the dogs know, but for whatever reason don't live near kids.

Yeah well if you’re dog is starting to get senile it’s time to start thinking of euthanasia anyway, aggression issues aside. It makes me sad when people keep their dogs around much longer that what is best/most comfortable for the dog.

Good luck PP. Remember, it’s better to let your dog go one week too early than one day too late.

[Anonymous]

OP, you do whatever you think is best for you and your child. I have a co-worker who gave away their cat after 12 years because they had a baby. To me, it seemed harsh on the cat but if they felt that the cat could in some way be a problem with their baby then they were perfectly right to put the baby first. I don't see why having a dog around a baby would be a problem but it's your call.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Anonymous]

I would never rehome a pet, because they are my babies, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you are overwhelmed and don't know if you can cope. (I'm sorry you are having to ask this difficult question. Ignore the PPs.)

Yes. That's exactly why I rehomed my first born child after bringing home the second. I was just so overwhelmed and didn't know if I could cope.
So...out with the old and in with the new!

DP I like your sense of humor, pp!

To the op: Is there anyway you can hire a dog walker to help you in the beginning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Makes me sad to think people rehome dogs just because they have babies. But I know it happens and probably a lot. My dog was my first baby and I’m sure she’ll take the backseat for a while, but I can’t imagine giving her up.

You will rethink it when the dog nips at your real child.

You might also rethink this if your newborn has any type of respiratory or allergy illness.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes you have to regime pets for their sake not yours. Friends regimes their two year old dog because with a second child, they couldn’t give her the attention she needed. She began anxiously over licking and biting at herself. They were already at their capacity. The vet tried medicating her, but it seemed unfair to make her deal with side effects when she could get a new family. She went to live with in-laws and became a happy, healthy dog again.

[Anonymous]

Rehome not regime

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes you have to regime pets for their sake not yours. Friends regimes their two year old dog because with a second child, they couldn’t give her the attention she needed. She began anxiously over licking and biting at herself. They were already at their capacity. The vet tried medicating her, but it seemed unfair to make her deal with side effects when she could get a new family. She went to live with in-laws and became a happy, healthy dog again.

That's great. It's not ideal to rehome, but sometimes it can be for the better for the animal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes you have to regime pets for their sake not yours. Friends regimes their two year old dog because with a second child, they couldn’t give her the attention she needed. She began anxiously over licking and biting at herself. They were already at their capacity. The vet tried medicating her, but it seemed unfair to make her deal with side effects when she could get a new family. She went to live with in-laws and became a happy, healthy dog again.

That's great. It's not ideal to rehome, but sometimes it can be better for the animal.