Your Baby Does Not Need A Puppy

I was very saddened to see a pet owner on a group I am part of posting about having a son allergic to their dog. She mentioned bathing the dog and such and vacuuming often and how nothing is working. Many suggestions where given but it seems like that was not really what the owner was looking for.

She got her one year old a puppy to grow up with….

The baby is now 15 months and she says very sick because of the dog, she knows this because when they travel to others homes without the dog her son is fine.

She has not gotten her son allergy tested.

In the end, I think she has lost hope. I wonder what she was thinking though getting the baby a pet to start with. There are many reasons why people wait till children are older for pets.

• Small children have impulse control issues, this can result in hurting a pet. 
• Babies are often specially rough on animals
• Some animals are too rough with children
• Babies have been killed by seemingly perfect pets in the past
• Babies can not understand the responsibility of pets unlike older children.
• Puppies as they grow can be larger and stronger than baby and think they are dominate to the baby.

So yes, while my home has a new puppy and we have a near 3 year old, this puppy is not for the baby. In fact the puppy has a play area gated off in the house and the baby and puppy are never left alone in a room together and often are simply separated because neither can truly be trusted around one another. On the other hand, our 5 year old daughter is wonderful with pets and this puppy as are our older children.

In closing, please don’t get your baby a puppy. Wait till they are older or accept that the puppy is not really for the baby and don’t plan on raising them side by side.

P.S. If your talking about giving up your dog because your son has allergies, don’t then post about possibly getting a cat when you have not even had your child tested for allergies. -sigh-