Ooh, I think I want a doggie

In My Humble Opinion
1

Two years ago, I posted here on the Dope about making the heart breaking decision to put Angel, our nearly 13yro sheltie, down. The sweet old girl was in kidney failure and it was time to give her the last gift I could–a good death. Gah, tearing up, moving on.

We’ve been busy (Masters degrees, back surgery, the death of my father, and birth of our second son), but…I’m starting to want a dog. Our oldest son is nearly 5, and I know he would LOVE to have a dog. Our now-1yro son loves animals the way his older brother loves cars, and I know he’d love some big furry thing to wrestle (and I know my sweet older cat would love for someone else to be wrestled, hugged, drooled, and snotted over).

It’s my opinion that small child = large dog, as a smaller dog getting his tail yanked is more likely to be damaged (and less forgiving) than a larger breed that might simply go, “Huh?” So, on a whim last weekend, we went to a local no-kill shelter/breed rescue. I developed a liking for Chance, a lab cross (perhaps with border collie?) who was rescued from the kill line at a different shelter. He’s about a year old, and obviously has no training. But, in the one-on-one time we had with him in their bonding area, he quickly learned to walk on a leash for me, and was very in tune with me. He also fetched several times for my 4yro son, much to his delight (heh, he also knocked over my son in his eagerness to play–son whimpered a bit and called for me, then got up and went back to playing with the dog so obviously not traumatized). Chance went straight up to me and licked the baby, and eagerly took the younger Ruff’s pats and squeals.

I’m pretty skilled as a nonprofessional trainer and I know I could make a respectful, trained dog out of him. He was in tune with me and submissive, and just flat-out sweet. But, I also know training takes time.

The dilemma is, hubby and I are both teachers and we both have our hands full. We work full time, and then when we come home it’s all about taking care of the boys, feeding them, bathing them, putting them to bed…adding another sentient being to the mix could complicate things. And, I worry about the dog being home alone (he’d be in our fenced backyard)–a bored dog is a destructive dog. Training requires time and consistency, and some days it is insanely busy around here.

Hubby was gung-ho to get a dog, and we had one picked out until he was adopted by someone moments before we did. Now, hubby sees that as a dodged bullet–now, he thinks about how difficult it would have been had we adopted him. He loves dogs, though, and wants one someday. We haven’t decided anything and obviously aren’t acting–but I’m keeping an eye out on Chance here.

Am I nuts? And the shelter seems to connect energetic dogs with families with small children–what is the reasoning with that? Would an older, already trained but mellower dog be a better match? Whaddya think?

2

I would be mildly worried about a large energetic dog with a very small child. Not that I think it would try to hurt the child, but a sudden spurt of frivolity could knock a small kid flying or worse. Especially one that’s been cooped up all day and so has craploads of energy bursting to come out. Completely by accident, mind you - the dog certainly wouldn’t intend to hurt the child.

I’d go for the mellower option.

3

Ah, good point–large dog, good, large overexcited dog, perhaps not so good. I’m just wondering why the dogs described as energetic are recommended for families with children.

When we saw Chance, he was pretty overexcited just to be out of his kennel. But, after 5-10min of playing, he was happy just to sit next to me and pant happily while getting pettins. Not that I’m particularly attached to Chance, and not that we plan on adopting him, we just like him. Things are busy right now–youngest son’s birthday party is tomorrow–so there will be no adopting just yet. Yet. :slight_smile:

4

This tells me that you really are not a good fit for a dog who needs exercise and/or training. Perhaps you could adopt an older, calmer dog, and hold off on the cute young ones until your children are older and you have more time.

I adopted a puppy last year (I had to. He would have died.) I don’t have nearly the responsibilities you do, and still there are times when the job overwhelms me. Granted, he is a very energetic, strong, and demanding breed, but still …

5

would getting a dog in summer be a better fit? do you teach in the summer?

chance does sound like a lovely dog.

6

I guess the reasoning on getting an energetic dog is so they will want to run around and play with the kids.
With really young kids, though, I think I’d probably look for one of those gentle giant breeds who is very calm. Did you take a look at Goliath the St Bernard cross? I like the sound of that fellow. He sounds like a good family dog. :slight_smile:

7

Summer would be better timing, but spring break would be good too–especially since hubby and I have different breaks this year. It means one of us would be home for two weeks. I’m also considering the presidential holidays in February–a couple of three-day weekends in a row would be good timing.

I’m torn about the mellow/not mellow thing. Boy 1.0, age 4.75, is HIGH energy, and not the most delicate. Some of the dogs I’ve looked at I fear would be overwhelmed by 1.0’s energy, and I also wonder if 1.0 would be frustrated by a dog not as interested in bouncing around or fetching.

I’m perusing another shelter’s dogs–one thing is for certain, there is no shortage of sweet, adoptable dogs that would be good additions to our family.

8

Aw, he is a cutie LavenderViolet. Heh, I do know hubby has repeatedly voiced not wanting to clean up the poop of some of the really big dogs–we walk by them, and he comments, “Aw man, I’d hate to clean up after that thing…”

Boy 1.0 did like Dadgum, the really large coonhound, because he was–well–really large. Dadgum doesn’t like other bigger dogs and otherwise doesn’t sound like a match for us, but it does show 1.0 likes bigger dogs.

9

Ruffian - I was looking at dogs on Petfinder (NOT because I’m in the market for a 7th dog!) and saw this cutie. Doesn’t she just look like an all-American TV kind of dog? I hope she gets adopted - only about 1 in 6 animals at the pound survive the experience.

StG

10

I know many people with lives that are similarly hectic, and they have no trouble adding a dog to the mix - often the dog is less trouble than the kids! The dog will quickly learn what is “too much” for the kids to handle in terms of energy and being knocked down, and will become their protector and friend. My parent’s neighbours had a big Golden when they had their second son, and that kid spent half his time hanging onto the dog’s tail and the other half on his own butt, having been knocked over, and he didn’t seem to care a whit. Just get back up and run after the doggie, who was perfectly content to let the kid torture him! Labradors generally make good pets for families with kids.

Personally, I think you should get the dog, because it’s pretty clear that you do want one and you know you’ll make it work. It will take some time to train him, but as long as you are firm and consistent in your handling of the dog when you are home, I’m sure he’ll learn fast enough. Provide him with lots of toys, and perhaps crate train him for the first few months when you’ll be out of the house or at night until you know his personality.

And Chance is just that cute. Get him! You know you wanna…! :slight_smile:

11

Aw, StGermain, she is a cutie. Glad she’s in Tennessee!

Heh, hubby and I had an amusing conversation this morning…

Me: “I have a confession to make. I have been looking at dog adoption sites.”

Hubby, chuckling: “You know, in most couples, it’s ‘I’m having an affair’ or ‘I have put us in debt.’”

Anyway, he agreed a large dog would just be too much for our yard–too much poop, too much dog. And, high energy is not the best we agreed–so a medium, mellower dog is more suitable for us.

Petco is having a National Adoption Weekend today, so I pop over just to meet the shelters represented and see what dogs they have (and recommended). We’re not ready to take anything home today, I know. Nice just to research a little more.

Oh, and I’ve been checking out Petfinder too…I find myself coming back to Emma quite a bit.

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Ruffian - She’s a beauty! Maybe you should just take a look…

I went over to Marestare today, just to see if things are popping.

StG

13

Well, that was dangerous. I went to Petco’s adoption weekend today, and zeroed in on Ginger. All the other dogs were small, but she is a lab/shepherd mix with just the kindest eyes and sweetest disposition. She is 6yrs old, and her owner is giving her up because she’s about to have her 2nd child and is just too busy for her.

Ginger is very laid back and mellow, and mostly just wants to be in the room with her people. She likes to fetch and play, but isn’t hyper. She is spayed, up to date on her shots, potty trained, leash trained, and knows basic commands. She would come with all of her doggie things (crate, bowls, bed, etc.). She is good with kids (she licked Boy 2.0 right away), and only is interested in cats if they run away. Even sweet Angel would run after a cat that ran, but in the house, Inigo the Big Badass Black Cat ruled…and she knew it, heh. Ginger is also used to being in the backyard all day while her owners were at work, coming in at night, which is precisely what we would do.

She sounds just perfect, but there is one significant However. However, she has hip dysplasia. She is on a medication for it twice a day, and it seems to be working–she showed no sign of pain at all at Petco. Still, it is possible she may need surgery for it in the future–yowsa. That’s not just a big financial cost, but a big cost to the family as well. I don’t want my boys to see their dog in pain just a few years after taking her home.

The owner had tried giving her to a nokill shelter, but Ginger completely withdrew and became depressed. She got bad enough that the shelter operator asked the owner to come get her. Ginger’s pain from her hips had gotten so bad, and the owner so frustrated, she brought her to her vet to be euthanized. There is still a shaved spot on Ginger’s paw where they were going to inject her. But, the vet said no–this dog can be treated. I’m not putting her down.

Any Doper out there have experience with dogs and hip dysplasia?

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The rescue’s website has a photo of Ginger right at the top.

She’s a pretty thing.

15

My Australian Shepherd has it. She’s young (six now, and the surgery was more than 2 years ago), and she wasn’t in awful pain, just a little gimpy when she ran much and when she woke up. We took her in and got her x-rayed, went to a specialist, and got her worse hip replaced. It was a non-trivial undertaking- not just the cost, but the six months of recovery time, where she was in a crate 95% of the time, using a sling to pee, and unable to do any steps at all. My husband and I slept in shifts the first week because she didn’t do well with the e-collar. The dog’s fine now, no degradation in the other hip and the replacement is perfectly placed. No issues at all. It was a gigantic pain in the ass for us and stressful for the dog; we wouldn’t have done it if she hadn’t been young with a good chance of full recovery.

We did fine with it as a couple with no kids. For a family, it would be really tough.

16

We waited until our kids were 11 and 8. We got a labradoodle, who is very intelligent, loyal, good hearted and a little bit stubborn. We got him at around 3 months old - he’s almost 8 months now.

It was really hard, the first couple of weeks, but time and patience have paid off. Benji still needs some more work to get him to obey immediately in situations where he’s excited, but he is doing really well, and he has been great for the kids.

There are always solutions - dog walkers, obedience classes, coming home on lunch hour to walk or play. I’m glad that we waited until our kids were as old as they are, but there are lots of other people in our neighbourhood who have dog(s) and babies.

And because you can’t start a pet thread without getting pictures, here are some shots of Benji.

17

Vihaga, excellent input. That tells me we are not in a place to take in a dog that would require that sort of surgery. Do all dogs with hip dysplasia eventually need surgery, or are there some that successfully manage the pain with medication, diet, and exercise only?

I’m going to call the shelter today to follow up on Ginger. She sounds perfect for us with that one significant exception.

La Ministre, Benji is a cutie! That first picture is just squee-able. Does he have blue eyes with that dark coat? Wow. I understand why you waited until your kids were older, but my nearly-5yro in particular I believe would benefit from one. He has a ton of energy and could use a larger playmate to help divert it away from his little brother (on top of all the other benefits of a boy having a dog). A labradoodle–that must be quite the smart dog. Standard poodles are exceedingly smart, and energetic. That can work for and against you, heh.

We shall see! But c’mon, look at Ginger…doesn’t she just say LOOOOOOOVE me (and rub my belly)?

18

I have a 75 pound Rottie who gets monthly injections of Adequanand seems to be doing just fine.

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Interesting–a lot of the nonsurgical treatments for hip dysplasia mirror what I do for my horse for her arthritis. I don’t have her on Adequan, but it’s something I’m considering (right now I inject her with glucosomine, but I’m considering going back to a feed supplement version). Adequan, Cosequin, glucosomine/MSM, exercise, keeping weight down, keeping the joints warm, anti-inflammatories during flare-ups–some of the same options for both canine and equine.

20

Have you considered a greyhound? Big and mellow and all of the track rescue ones are crate trained (and love their crates) so you wouldn’t have a problem during the day when you’re at school although you would have to house train it, teach it to walk stairs and have a fenced backyard. I’m currently fostering one and she’s an absolute sweetheart. When her parents get back (they’re deployed military), I’m going to adopt one for myself. Here’s Christmas Cassie and Cassie just hanging out.

ETA Many of them are also fine with cats