James wants a dog .

I have always said 'no way' as we already have two cats and two kids. I just dont know if I can trust him to take responsiblity for a dog.

Im not sure if I am being selfish though.

I know we could give a dog a loving home, but I couldnt cope with a smelly house (do they all smell?), dirt, poo and pee on my carpet.

Aimee would adore a dog, and I am sure Lily would too when she gets older.

For those who do/dont have dogs, can you offer any advice?

x

Smelly = not really, if you wash them they don't smell

Dirty = can be - especially in winter when they go for walks

Pee/Poo = only if you get a puppy really

Carpet + dogs = NO NO for me sorry! I have never had a carpet with dogs, always hard flooring

You can improve things on the carpet front by getting a non shedding dog (poodles, yorkies etc), Biggles doesn't drop hair ...but the flip side is they need a HELL of a lot more attention with their hair..more baths and grooming..Denny sheds a small amount and I hardly do anything to him..he has a Christmas bath and a brush every so often and he never really smells (except his dog breathe!)

I have plug in air fresheners everywhere anyway - and I do ask people to be honest and no says it smells

I recently looked after a dog for a girl I work with. He was a puppy and was a red setter in his defence but he has put me off having dogs for life!

he made me realise that hannah actually isn't that much hard work. but he is better now.
I think that you should maybe think about waiting until the girls are older. Even if you wait until lily is aimees age just now and that means aimee can actually help you choose the right breed and take part in a lot of its care as well. If you go to a re homing centre she can understand that she is giving a dog a loving family that it never had before.

That's just my opinion though. I've had one experience with a dog and he was a mental breed.

We had red setters when I was a baby - we had 2 before I walked and they were absolutely fantastic family pets...however we did live on a farm so they had LOADS of excerise - I wouldn't have a dog that big here.

Everyone has different opinions on dog breeds - I would now say anyone in a normal size town house is better off with small lap dogs like yorkies/jack russels - but thats cos I have these and they are fab!

my mum and dad have had cairn terriers and they are lovely wee dogs, and don't smell.

i disagree on the no carpet though, my OH parents dog struggles on the laminate floor and now that he's old it takes him forever to get up which is a real shame.

you seem to get everything crossed with a poodle these days so you could get something like that to avoid the hairy carpets (though my parents is never bad), my favourite is the cockapoo

and I agree with Steph, I'd wait til Lily is Aimee's age

We have a miniature schnautzer (sp) he's a lovely dog doesn't mault but have to have him clipped several times a year. He doesn't need loads of exercise. Down side to a dog they can be destructive if left alone, cost money ie food, insurance,vets bills, grooming etc. I wouldn't get a big dog, I like a size where you can pick them up x

coming from someone who got a puppy in december i would say hold off , i never realised just how much work a pup can be and i have older children that help out !
saying that we now have a crate so destruction has certainly come down ! but we did have to replace our house phone 3 times in 1 week , my ethernet cable , i need to get a new wii sensor and she makes off with all shoes and dummies and underwear !
i need to fix part of my wall that has been chewed , also need to replace my sons xbox headphones and mic oh and am iphone charger
i am grateful that only my stair is carpeted as makes easy cleaning for accidents.
just too add to it ! ,,,, i currently have no idea where my loo brush is !!!!! she has stolen it and im buggered if i can find it ,,,,, must check the garden

Michelle, thank you! You have made my mind up for me... well, for now.

In my heart, I dont think that James would help out enough and I would probably end up having a meltdown if I had to look after him, a toddler, a baby and a puppy.

I think we will get one at some point, but leave it for a few years until we do.

x

Honestly? I think you would be insane to get a dog at this point. puppy mess, dirt and dog hair aside here are my reasons:

James might want a dog but I get the distinct impression that you dont (you're not entirely convinced), you are the one at home with the kids and YOU will be be the one looking after and toilet training a puppy at the same time as looking after a newborn and a toddler.

I know James wants a siberian husky pup and having read a bit about them they are lovely dogs but require a lot of excercise - especially running and that would be rather difficult with two babies to watch at the same time.

They are prone to howling and destructiveness when bored and with the greatest will in the world there is no way you could give it the full attention it would need with the kids around and you also couldn't pop it outside alone for any length of time as they tend to howl a lot.

They are prey dogs meaning they should not be kept anywhere near rabbits/birds etc and although I have read that if they are raised with cats around they would be ok with them I still wouldnt trust it with Rio and zizi.

They shed A LOT!!

Even if you were to go for a less demanding breed I know you are wanting anoother baby and with a toddler who will be potty training soon, a baby who will be getting more mobile by the day and a possible 3rd pregnancy on the cards I think you should wait before getting a dog.

Just my opinion hun - I love dogs but there is a very good reason my lab now lives with my mum and dad since I had the kids. The kids adore my parents dogs but I wouldn't even consider getting another untill they are a few years older because I know I couldn't give it the attention it would need and deserve.

xx

OHH my a Siberian Husky?! Yikes BIG dog! I think my answer to that would be NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - the hair alone would drive you insane! My mum has a small dog who loses alot of hair - she can vacuum the rug by the fire in the morning and by afternoon it looks like it hasnt be done in a week! So imagine a big dog!

I'd like to add here in defense of puppies lol - they don't all destroy the house - I had Biggles and Denny as pups brand new from their mums and the worst they ever did was Biggles chewed the top of my welly and Denny chewed the corner of a bit of skirting board. (and now they steal Izzys plastic spoons if she drops them!)

i dont think all puppies destroy the house just fliiping mine is one of them lol !
i think if i never had the kids i would be able to devote my time to the dog and would have been less destruction

siberian husky what a lovely dog !! ,,, alot of work though
i used to have a samoyed and omg , 2 years later we were still finding her hair in places ! ,,ours ate the hamster , they are natural born hunters
would invest in a good 3 wheeler for running with one of them:) x

Shih-tzu's are a great family dog. They don't shed..they are small and portable..and don't require a large yard or crazy exercise. The downside of them..they can be greedy beggars and you would have to get one as a pup to get used to being around small kids. I love our golden, she is a fantastic family pet, but she drops fur like crazy and its constant work sweeping up her orange toupee dust bunnies everywhere. I love how protective she is with the kids. xxx

There is no way on this earth that when the time comes we will be getting the husky!

No way, nada, not in a million years (and then some!)!

My brother has one in the USA and she is a total bugger. They will never, ever obey you 100% because they are born to trust their own instincts when they are pulling sleighs, etc. to avoid going off the edge of cliffs.

We may get a labrador, but Debs is right, I would be doing it all on my own, and there is no way I am doing that right now.

x

were also wanting a dog. i love the idea of alfie growing up with a fmaily dog and i think if we get one now alfie wont get jealous when we get one and vice versa. i want a pug but gav wants a staffy or a spaniel! x

I have a labrador collie cross (Frostie) and a labradoodle (Sammy) and as much as I love them dearly they are like two extra children and as demanding as Wil.

I have had both from pups and they are fantastic with Wil.

On the downside:

• they need walking twice a day for at least 1/2 hour each time regardless of the weather or your plans
  
• they can only be left (in crates) for up to 10 hours and not overnight
  
• there are very few activities you can do that work for dogs and a toddler
  
• if you want to go on holiday you either have to do a dog friendly holiday (which has its own restrictions), find someone to watch them or put them in kennels (I paid £30 a night for my 2)
  
• they need vaccinating, worming and flea treating regularly at a cost of about £100 a dog per year
  
• you end up having to vacuum more than once a day if you have a dog that sheds hair (Frostie does)
  
• you will find dog hair in everything (Wil regularly has it in his nappy )
  
• they need training and attention or they can become destructive and unruly
  
• mine have their feet washed every time they have been out and on a muddy walk it can take 1/2 hour to get each dog clean enough to come indoors
  

When the girls are older maybe you can think about getting a child friendly dog but I wouldn't do it while they are small simply because of the work involved for you and the difficulty in sharing your attention.

up to 10 hours in a crate ? wow thats loads !!!

ours does sleep in crate its either that ruined everything in morning ,,, but we usually are not in bed till 1 or 2 in morning so she goes in then and she is back up and out between 7 and 8 ,
we leave the door open throughout day and she goes in at her own leisure to have a kip or chew her toy
she does get secured once or twice a week for an hour or 2 while we get food shop