Should we adopt this dog?

Question

My husband and I really want a dog but with a three year old and a new baby coming in Spring we are cautious..he is very experienced with dogs and has suggested we get a grown one as puppies are just like babies. There is a 5 year old Staffordshire bull terier ***** who has been with a loving home (with kids and pets) all her life but now they are emmigrating and need to find her a good home....5 seems a bit old to me though...husband says its not old for a healthy dog...also Im wary of Staffies.....what do you think?

I cannot believe Yahoo had edited out the word for a female dog! Lol!

Answer 1

Here is what I just posted on someone elses question: "Depends if you have small children etc. If you have small children I would recommend a puppy. My husband, 1 year old and myself went to adopt a dog. We wanted to give an older dog a home. Well, we picked a Beagle who was very sweet. I even pulled on his ears tail skin etc, in case my daughter did if we adopted him. He actually loved the attention. Well, we spent about 2 hours with him before we made the choice to adopt. When we brought him to our car, I had my husband keep in up front in his lap, since we still did not fully know him. Well, not even 5 minutes out of the shelter as we drove away, the dog got a hold of my daughters snack, which had little chocolate chips in it. When my husband went to take it the dog went crazy and attacked my husband. Thankfully it only got a hold of his hand, but it was lunging for his face. Now, even while my husband said screw it the dog still kept on trying to attack him. I did a U-turn and brought the dog back. One shy person who worked there said under her breath that they has that concern with the dog, but someone else ended up saying they did not understand, that the dog had been evaluated and showed no signs of being aggressive etc. As she said this she gave the other lady a dirty look that had her shy away and not contribute to the question. They even tried to tell us we couldn't have a refund on the dog we just brought back, when clearly it wasn't evaluated properly. This upset me because this whole time my little girl had been with us, yet they still let us adopt the pup. It took 4 months to receive our refund too. Also, older dogs can be good, but you are also possibly getting into a dog who has set habits, and might possibly take longer to break then starting fresh with a little puppy." Hope this helps. All I am saying is if you do go with a dog, be very careful when you have small children. Also, I adopted two Dalmatians when I was little, they said they were moving out of state and couldn't take her. Well, I took the dogs, but they never actually moved, and after 10 years that have passed, they still live in the same house. I know this because I have to pass their house every time I visit friends.

Answer 2

Staffies make great pets. They have a horrible reputation which is just not fair, they are WONDERFUL dogs, my sister has had two and they are nothing but love. This dog sounds great, shes already experienced children and other pets, so I wouldn't worry about jealousy. 5 is not too old, shes got a lot of time ahead of her. I saw that someone told you that these dogs "WILL bite, because they are bred for aggression". NOT TRUE! Unfortunately, some are bred to be bad, but in all honesty, you can breed ANY dog to be aggressive. But if the dog comes from a good honest breeder and has been raised in a loveing home, there is absolutely NOTHING to fear. The only problem I've ever seen with these dogs is that they are stubborn, and you need to make sure to keep up with training, even when they get older so they don't start to misbehave. Staffies are cuddle bugs and all they want is some love.

Answer 3

i adopted an 11 year old Boxer dog because she was homeless (i wasnt as planned as you - i fell in love with her and then worried about the kids and practicalities!) But it was the best thing we did... its hard with kids and especially a new baby, but there is no reason why you cant enjoy the kids and the dog. Just lay down the ground rules, i.e. where the dog sleeps, and where it lives. Also 5 is quite young so it will need walking twice a day to be looked after properly, it is worth making sure that you know who will be responsible for that as it can cause arguments when your both knakered. our dog needs 2 half hour walks a day and she is older. good luck....

Answer 4

why not take the dog with all your family to a qualified trainer and spend the money for a 1 hour session. A good trainer will show you what the dog knows, evalualuate it with you and your child and give you tips on how to handle a dog and children and keep the children safe and the dog untormented.
Before the baby is born take your family to an 8 week training class and handle the dog yourself, so that you and the dog will bond.......You will be primary caregiver and are inexperienced. A trained adult dog is less work than a pup.

Answer 5

I myself own a German Shepherd, which were, and are trained for police/guard dogs. Although my girl is very protective of "her" property and our family, she is excellent with our 2y/o and 6month old kids. She will let them pull, bite, and poke at her without doing anything other then if it hurts cry out to us to get them to stop. Now although I trust her 100% with my family and children, if I ever had to find her a new home (I do not see this happening,) I would NOT send her to another home with children. You have to understand that the dog has been raised with those children, and may feel that they are her pups, as our female is with our children. Now, if she goes into a new home, she may not have the respect or loyalties to you and your children. I do not say adopting an adult dog is bad, but ultimatly you have to make sure your childrens safty is not in danger, even if there is only a 1% chance the dog will ever bite them or you. So as I said, their children are familiar with her, and she with them. Just because a dog is excellent with her own pups (children or her litter,) does not mean she will accept a "stray" or be the same with a different family.

Answer 6

I would be very wary of a Staffordshire terrier and a baby. They were bred to have strong jaws and be impervious to pain. Any dog can be frightened by a small screaming child or a child who yanks its ear. If a Staff clamps its jaw on the baby, it can be extremely difficult to remove. It might never happen, but my neighbor's "very sweet" pit/Staff mix attacked a visiting Labrador and nearly killed it Breaking up the fight took several people and a well aimed frying pan. I don't want to think what would have happened to a child.

Answer 7

My suggestion is you get a puppy and allow your baby near him as much as posibble with suppervision to know the temperment of the dog. Preferably a bully breed if you have the time and room.
Your husband knowing about dog he can agree with me that 5 year old perfect dog may not be perfect around new people and teritory, you would be changing his enviroment. I think is too risky for your baby. Again know the temperament of any dog you get for the safety of your child.

Answer 8

Is she spayed? First take the family over to meet her where she is. Watch how she and your three year old interact. If they get along well, try doing a home visit for a couple of days to see if they still get along. Make sure you NEVER leave ANY child alone with ANY dog. An older dog is definitely a better choice if you are expecting, however you need to make sure she can handle being around children. I say go for it, with cautious steps. Don't rush into anything.

Answer 9

I would adopt the dog. But, I would go down to the shelter with your kid and make sure it's ok. Also check out the other dogs too. Like the ones they might put to sleep if nobody takes them.

Answer 10

I would definitely adopt her! 5 isn't old for a dog, and it just means that she is more experienced with kids, so you know that you wouldn't have a problem with her around your children! That also means that you can save a good dog from being euthanized, or being put in a bad home!