Do you think that a having a newborn baby is a justifiable reason to get rid of your dog?

Question

Honestly I dont think it is. What is your opinion on this?

Answer 1

No. My babies loved their fuzzy buddies, and the dogs loved teh babies. Especially as they transitioned to big kid food...lol

Answer 2

It really depends. A couple years back, a dog had jumped up into a cradle and attacked the baby. The baby died, needless to say. The owners hadn't expected that out of the dog since he usually loved babies, was kind, fun and very obdient. But you never know.

I think that if you have the time to continue giving the dog the attention the dog deserves, than keep the dog. If you are not going to have the time to do this, than you should find a better owner for the dog rather than dumping it off at some shelter. It really depends on the owner.

The dog really deserves the best. If you can't provide the same attention and love, than you cannot keep the dog around. It is like a child. If you are going to neglect the child for some dog, than what is the point of keeping the child around? You're only provoking hard feelings between you and the child.

Answer 3

Ive seen it before too. I would never do it myself, BUT I guess if they feel they wont have the time to commit to the dog once the baby is born, then I'd rather see them rehome it then dump it at the shelter or just tie it up outside. I'm expecting my 3rd in about a month. We actually got another dog about a year ago, bringing the total up to three. I wouldn't have gotten a new dog if I knew I was going to get pregnant, but there is nothing really to do about it now. We have him well trained and I am absolutely not worried about the dog and the baby because I have trained him right. Dogs aren't disposable and the people are treating them as such...but like I said, at least they are finding them new homes instead of dumping them in a shelter or mistreating them. They probably shouldn't have gotten dogs in the first place.

Answer 4

No no excuse at all. The only way I think it would be MAYBE considered okay to replace the dog is if the child was deathly allergic to and I know for a fact that little ones till a certain age can not be tested or treated for a specific alergy. But first every thing should be tried first. As far as attention wise NO EXCUSE at all. You make a life commitment when you purchase or adopt a dog. People are stupid. And the dog should be introduced properly to the baby, and yes a eager or a excitable dog should be watched as so he don't hurt the child by accidently steping on or pushing the baby or think the baby might be wanting to play. The pet will look at as a pack member if the introduction is done properly. I don't have infants but I do have great neices that are very little I have 3 large dogs two happin to be "vicious"Dobes that are 1&2 go to nursing homes and they love them babies and lay next to them while they sleep or as close as they can be. God forbid any thing happen to them babies my dogs would flip out. They come to me when even the tots wiggle around in their sleep.

Answer 5

can i jump into this without getting flamed? i had to do just that........

my dog was SO jealous of our newborn son....... he was actually aggressive towards my baby boy, to the point that i was concerned enough to NEVER leave my wife and baby alone with the dog....... he was a house dog..... a blonde cocker, named Earnie, if that matters.

Earnie was my dog prior to my getting married....... he was there before the wife was........ and obviously before my son was born....... he made the transition accepting a new female into the household, but a baby was more than he could accept..... and that was sad.

but it was obvious that he would harm the newborn infant if given the chance. and God does work in mysterious ways..... the "old lady down the street" had a blonde cocker that died about the same time my son was born and she knew of our problem, and wanted Earnie.......

yes..... it was hard. it hurt. but it was best for everyone.

that will be 20 yrs ago this January. Earnie AND the "old lady down the street" enjoyed each other's company for many yrs..... both are gone now, the "old lady" outlived Earnie and had another blonde cocker when she died.......

AND...... no, this isnt a "wonderful story to warm your heart".....


when the 1-1/2 yr old son of a friend of mine was killed by the family Chow........ 1-1/2 yrs later....... i knew i made the right decision......

i havent done this, but Google the Edmond, OK newspaper, between 1989 and 1993....... it was a Chow..... the child was under the age of 2 and his dad was a friend of mine.....

if the dog is showing violent indications towards the child..... PLEASE do not take the chance..... i am glad that i didn't....

and please - dog lovers...... do not flame me...... this was real, it really happened and sometimes bad choices have to be made over the consideration of even worse consequences..... and only the people intimately involved can make that decision...... and then...... we live with that decision for the rest of our lives.......

Answer 6

No. Just watch how the newborn and the dog react for the first while. Maybe keep the dog separated at times that you cant watch until you know how he will behave. Some times a dog will think a baby is a different type of species, not human or dog. The baby smells different, make different sounds and moves different. But they learn pretty quick.

Answer 7

What happens when they decide they want a lizard? Do they get rid of the baby because of the risk of salmonella?

We have always had a dog and when we brought each of our three babies home, we left the baby in the front room and spent a few minutes playing with the dog. Then we brought in the bubs and put them on the floor for the dog (and cats) to sniff. The dog used to sleep under the bassinet and would come and tell me if they woke up. And yes she really enjoyed when they started real food!!

I think the problems start when people treat their pets like babies and then suddenly one day the poor dog gets banished from the house because of 'germs' or some such crap. Research shows that kids who play in dirt and around animals have far better immune systems than sterile kids.

People treating pets as disposable objects drives me nuts!!

Answer 8

Really touchy subject in my group. Having a dog is work. Having a baby is work. People who have a dog should be ready to shoulder the responsibility of both if they make the decision to have a kid. Period.
My rescue group has gotten a rash of dog returns this year because of babies. Most of these dogs had been in the homes for more than two years. Talk about cruel. One woman gave up the dog because it was waking up her new baby. Sure hope her toddler doesn't wake up the new baby.

Answer 9

Depends on the dog I love dogs and i work at an animel shelter and realistally there are some instances where if baby comes into the picture the doggy will have to go .If you have a herding dog they will nip at childrens heels .Say you had a dog for 5 yrs and that dog was your baby for those 5 yrs thats not neccarly a reson to dump doggie but some serious training will have to go on other wise dogs can become jelous .There is a big misconsteption about little dogs or puppy being better for kids in all reality if you have small kids you want an old relaxed big dog .Or a loveing big protective dog .if trained right pits ,dobermains and other gaurd dog make great family pets

Answer 10

I think it depends a lot on the dog. Some dogs do not react well to crying babies, in which case you may have some concerns for the baby's safety. In that case, of course you'd choose the baby's safety over keeping the dog!
If the dog is OK around babies, though, then no, it's not a good reason to get rid of the dog.

Answer 11

No. The stories you usually hear is I am 8 months pregnant and need to get rid of my 6 month old dog. Something similar to that meaning they were pregnant when they got the dog, so they should have thought if that first. People like that who can so easily give up a dog may not be a good parent either.