dog advice needed

In My Humble Opinion
1

Mind you, I don’t have a dog yet. Sorry, this is a little long

My husband and I, after some deliberation, decided about a year ago that we’d be able to properly house and care for a dog. It had always been a long term plan to get a dog, and we figured we were finally ready.

So we’ve been looking on petfinder.com on and off over the last 6-7 months for a dog that would fit in to our 2 kid, 2 cat home. We found a sweet boy sounded really nice about a month ago and applied for him (2 yr old lab/husky mix, good with kids, familiar with cats, an all around nice guy). I particularly like the fact that this rescue organization was candid enough to mention the issues this dog has (car sickness, chewing toys). They did say he’d been rescued from a shelter, and they have no real history on this guy’s pre-shelter days.

Fast forward to now - we’ve been approved after the reference checks and a home visit. We’re just about to organize a meet and greet with this pooch, when one of the reps from this rescue organization calls to say that in the last 10 days or so, the dog has developed some new bad habits (digging in the backyard, refusal to go into the crate). The rep figures this was likely due to tension at the foster home (breakup between the mom and dad, dog not getting enough exercise). He’s since been moved to a kennel, where he’s getting rave reviews for his behavior. I should mention that everyone’s been very positive about this dog’s behavior until now. He’s been fostered for almost 2 months, so these behaviors are relatively new.

I’m not too concerned about the digging business, and with my part time work I hope to rectify the exercise issue. I’m more worried about the crate - until I can trust this guy around the house on his own, he will need to be crated for 3-4 hrs at a time while I’m at work.

I should also add that I’m 24 weeks pregnant, so with a little luck, this poor doggie will also be adjusting to a newborn as well as a new home in the coming months.

I’m still very much leaning towards meeting this dog and pursuing this adoption, if all goes well, as is my husband. Am I nuts for being a little worried? Anyone have any suggestions/tips?

2

How old are your other 2 kids?
Just my opinion, but I would strongly counsel against bringing a new dog into a household with an infant and 2 young kids. Especially a large dog with known behavioral issues.
Sure, with a lot of work you may be able to make significant improvement with most if not all of his issues. But MAN, you sound like you have enough on your plate.
Just my opinion. I’ve had dogs pretty constantly since I was in college. My old dog died when my kids were quite young, and we chose to wait until my youngest was 5-6 before getting a new one. And even atthat age, it was almost as much work to train the kid as the dog.

3

You’re 24 weeks pregnant - you’re *required *to be worried about everything!

I have two dogs. I’m single with no cats or children. There’s no way I can give you advice about bringing a dog into your environment, or forsee any issues that might arise when Baby the Third arrives. If you’re excited about it, you’ll find a way to make it work. That’s the way everything goes down.

4

It sounds like the dog will need a lot of attention and a good deal of training. While you have time now, do you really believe you can keep it up when you have the baby? Hopefully he’s better trained, but he’s a Husky/Lab, and they need a walk every single day or they’ll go nuts.

I have a Husky (7) and a Husky/Lab (2), and if I can’t take them for at least an hour of off-leash every day, I get the dog walker to come and take them out. If they go more then one day a week without, they get destructive and annoying, and they run around the house trying to get their energy out.

5

Good point. Huskies and Labs really require a TON of exercise to be happy - especially when young. There are many breeds that are more laid back, and might fit your lifestyle better.

6

Thanks, everyone, for your replies - I really appreciate the feedback.

My kids are 5 and 8. They have been exposed to dogs before. This particular dog was fostered with children around that age in the house, so we know he’s used to kids.

I know they need the daily exercise, believe me. I would never have considered a dog if I didn’t think I had the space in my life for it, because it’s like having another child. Also, I definitely would never have even dreamed of taking it on if my husband had not sworn up and down that he would be instrumental in exercising the dog. I trust him on this because he comes from a home where they’ve been known to take on some really high maintenance animals and I’ve seen him put the work in myself. I’m home much of the time, so this guy would not be left to his own devices for too long.

I have every intention of getting training for this (or any) dog. A dog that size needs to be a good member of the community, and I want all of us to be speaking the same language.

I’ve planned for a 20-30 minutes walk in the morning, 20 minutes running around in the backyard at lunch, and 30-60 minute walk at night. That’s the plan for my time - my husband may take on some of that time and/or add to it. Whatever playing and running around the kids get up to with the dog would be a bonus.

I do have some dog experience - way back when, I did have a husky/shepherd cross that my mom just brought home one day ( I was 12 at the time). We were in no way prepared for it - I’m not sure to this day what my mom was thinking, and goodness knows, she was a bundle of energy, but we did figure it out eventually. She was a lovely, sweet girl with a good heart, so we were able to make it work. She died at 16, about a month before my first child was born.

I should mention, I do have an out here. I can take the dog on a trial basis (for a month).

7

I’d go for it. You’re on the right track with an adult dog. The issues don’t seem that severe to me - car sickness? Mine got sick too, but grew out of it the more he rode in the car. Digging/chewing are probably boredom, and the crate thing can probably be rectified with training. Huskies can have high prey drive and “familiar with cats” is kinda wishy-washy wording (IMO), so that would be what worries me. But as a trial basis - sure. I see plenty of families with dogs, kids, strollers, around here - walking and having a great time - it can be done.

8

in my personal opinion, I think you are taking too much on at once. It sure sounds like you have given it lots of thought - which is commendable. You also appear to have made some solid plans.

My only concern: plans are utterly worthless when they intersect with reality.
Here’s another: past performance is no guarantee of future performance.
Here’s another: what can go wrong will go wrong.

I personally would recommend waiting until after you have given birth, so that you are only dealing with 1 newcomer to the family at a time.

9

Yeah, right. You bring thatsweetheart into the house and see how easy it is to show it the door in a month! :smiley:

Just kidding. No one knows your situation as well as you do, and whether the decisions you make would be right for me, at least you are asking the right questions.

10

I agree with Boscibo… what scares me is the fact that this dog is a Husky mix, and Huskies are NOTORIOUSLY bad with cats. I would want more assurance than ‘familiar with cats’ before bringing this dog into the home.

I am a dog lover, totally and completely, but there are some breeds that are on my ‘would not own if they were the last breed on earth’ list. Huskies are pretty close to the top of that list.

11

My old husky/shepherd got along fine with cats, but that may have had more to do with the fact that our cat was queen bitch (heh) and ruled the roost. Nothing scared that cat and she would not take crap from anyone.

Well, I have a lot to think about, I guess! Thank you so much, everyone, for your tips and advice, everyone here at the corvidae compound thanks you!