Getting dog before or after baby?
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Anonymous
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We have a 4 year old and we have another one due in October. We really want a dog, but I'm wondering if the dog should come before or after the baby is born. I'm having these conflicting views:
Dog before baby: Dog will have time to adjust before things get a little chaotic. I will not have to deal with 2 crying "babies" in the middle of the night, since by the time baby is born, dog will have adjusted. However, then dog will have to adjust to baby and may get jealous and get into a competition for attention. Baby before dog: Will be more challenging and potentially more exhausting, but then when dog comes, baby will be a part of the environment, and not an "intruder". Does anybody have any input on this? I would be curious to know if anyone has been in a similar situation and how it turned out. I'm not really looking for opinions on whether or not we should get a dog, that decision is already made, we are getting the dog this year. I am more looking for opinions on the timeframe. Thank you in advance. |
Anonymous
| Wait until the baby is 1. |
Anonymous
| Wait until after you have the baby. You have no idea what kind of complications or issues you may have to deal with this time around. Even sitting down to nurse is a PITA when the dog needs to go out or be fed *at that moment* (because dogs are not very patient!). I would wait and see if you still really want a dog. You can always decide to get one later - giving one back is much more difficult. |
Anonymous
| Wait until the baby is 12 years old, |
Anonymous
| I would second the idea of waiting until the baby is 1 year old, or heck, even 6 months old. When you have two little ones, a dog is one more thing that needs food/attention/walks etc. |
Anonymous
| Wait. We had dogs when our baby and although I miss them terribly, life is definitely easier without them. That being said, we do want more dogs but will wait until preschool or kindergarten. Both dog and newborn deserve time, attention and love. As does your current child. Don't shortchange any of them by hurrying into this. |
Anonymous
I was going to say the same thing  . I know a lot of people that got the dog once the kids had their own interests. It became their 'baby'.
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Anonymous
| Wait at least until all humans are potty trained |
Anonymous
| Are you getting a dog or a puppy? I'd wait on the puppy until the baby is 6-12 months (sleeping through the night!) or get a two year old dog if you're doing it before the baby. |
Anonymous
| Wait until the child is old enough to understand how to not torture the dog. One less thing to worry about. |
Anonymous
| Wait until you have the time and energy to provide a proper home for a pet. |
Anonymous
| Wait until your youngest child is at least 5. |
Anonymous
| I appreciate all the replies so far, but like I said on the OP, we are getting a dog this year, so the advice I am looking for is simply about it being before or after the baby. The decision is already made: we are getting a dog this year, not 1, 5 or 12 years from now. |
Anonymous
| After, so you hopefully won't be like the hordes of DCUM posters who love their pets and then dump them as soon as baby comes along. |
Anonymous
| Another vote for after the baby is born. |