Kids and dogs…When should ya get ’em one?

Yeah, everybody likes kids and everybody likes dogs, but ya gotta know when they are a good mix or not. Some grown-ups just decide to get a puppy for their little humanz and some older kids ask for a puppy, but it’s up to you parents to know if it is okay or not. And, ya gotta remember that the younger the kid is, the more work it is gonna be for you!

Kids and dogs…When should ya get ’em one?

Babies and Toddlers (that means babies up to 3-4 years old or so!) Okay, I am gonna be honest here and tell ya this is some scary stuff for us dogs, especially if we are only a puppy. When ya put two babies together there is gonna be trouble if a big person don’t watch over ‘em all the time. Yeah it may be cute and all to watch your human baby play with a puppy, but one of ‘em could get hurt and it most likely will be the puppy.

Little human babies like to grab at things and what better than a squirmy tail or big floppy ears. Us dogs got feelin’s too and we don’t think it’s so funny to get our tail or ears pulled…that hurts! We also don’t care for all that slobberin’, even if the kid is just tryin’ to “give the puppy lovin’s.”

When that baby decides to get up and walk, a puppy or even a dog is a prime target to chase and flop on. The baby is bigger and heavier than a puppy and could really squish a dog or break some bones. The puppy may even nip the baby cause he got skeered or hurt. Neither of them meant to hurt the other, they are just babies and don’t know any better. That’s gonna be up to you to keep them both safe n watch ‘em all the time.

Ya might think the puppy belongs to your little one, but the puppy will bond with you more cause he will think of you as the pack leader just like the baby does, cause you are the one feedin’ him and lovin’ on him, just like the human baby. They are both gonna want your attention and may become jealous of each other.

It’s a nice thought that ya wanna raise a human baby and a puppy up together, but be sure you are aware of all the work that’s gonna put on you, cause the baby sure ain’t big enough to help. It’s sad when a puppy (who is really just a different kind of baby) gets neglected cause he turned out to be more work than the people could handle. It’s even worse (and scarier for the puppy) when humanz change their mind and the puppy has to leave.

Somethin’ else is your baby or toddler probably ain’t been around many puppies or dogs. What if the kid has allergies? Before ya introduce a new puppy into yer house, it’s best to take the baby to other folk’s houses that gots dogs. See how your baby and the dog, or puppy, react to each other. Just cause you like dogs don’t mean yer baby or toddler is gonna.

You can even get a friend to bring a puppy to yer house for a few hours for you to try out. If you are exhausted after that, just be glad the puppy is goin’ home soon and maybe think about waitin’ til your own baby is bigger before gettin’ a puppy for him. I ain’t a tryin’ to discourage anyone from raisin’ a dog with their kid. I’m just hopin’ to help ya to give it lots a thought and know what you are in for. Dogs should get the same commitment as kids, I’m thinkin. So before ya get one, when you already got a baby to take care of, be sure you are up for all the extra work. The baby sure can’t be responsible fer any of the puppies care, but you can teach him as he gets older…

Well, I was gonna talk about older kids and the responsibilities they can handle as far as takin’ care of their dog, but I guess I done wore ya all out on the subject of babies, toddlers and puppies. How ’bout we talk about them older kids next time? Stay tuned for our next post!