getting a dog? 2nd 3rd... time moms

hst

My dog died this past weekend.  She was the love of my and my husband's life.  She was an 18 year old terrier, and even though I knew she didn't love children, I knew she was too old and weak (with worn down teeth) to hurt a baby.

Now I am really torn about getting another dog.  I really really want one.  It's hard for me to imagine not having one in my life.  I am 34 years old, and this is the only time I haven't had a pet except for my freshman year of college.

So here is the question.  Get one now (I'm 21 weeks) or wait until the baby is here.  I was thinking now, so that I would have time to get it into a routine before the baby arrives.

I would be getting an adult, from a rescue that is "kid friendly." 

Opinions?

TIA 

aps003

I say before the baby as soon as possible actuley the longer you have to get in to a routine and get to know the dog the better especialy before you have a baby I love that you are getting an adult rescue those can be the best dogs I have 2!!!

Dobie_Mama

I would wait.  I would have gone crazy trying to acclimate a new dog to our household in late pregnancy, or while DD was a newborn/young infant.

I also wanted to say that I'm very sorry for your loss.  I know how heartbreaking that is.

scottienme

I agree- I think an adult dog is going to get a sense of what is going on a lot faster than a puppy, and will pick up on it sooner if you get one sooner. I wouldnt want to feel weird balancing my attention between new dog and new baby by getting them around the same time, or risking that maybe the dog has jealousy issues.  I too, LOVE shelter doggies lol with the exception of my newest one, ALL my dogs have been excellent companions to children and were from shelters or dumped on us.

crashski13

I would say before as well.  We currently have a 6 month old beagle who we are hoping *ccrosses fingers* calms down in the next 5 months or so before the baby gets here.  Awesome idea getting an older dog I always get so sad when no one checks them out at the shelter =o( Now i've got myself all teary eyed!

hst

Thanks for the input everyone!

MrsMommyQ

I say sooner rather than later. You have a decent amount of time to introduce the new dog into your life, etc before baby comes.

I think it's great you're adopting. My dog (see siggy) was a puppy when we adopted her from a kill shelter. It's a great thing to do. Good luck with the new addition. Be sure to post pics!!

nopegoat

I would wait till you have the baby and get all settled in. We rescued our Bear dog from a family that let their guard dog constantly beat up on him... We had him for a few months, got him all settled, then we moved... Our other two were fine but we had to get Bear all settled again! Especially if you are going to get a shelter dog they need stability and I would be afraid that if you get a dog now then have the baby it would be a lot for the dog to handle and get adjusted again! ***edit sorry I don't know how I missed it but you asked for input from 2nd or 3rd time moms... This is my first... So sorry!***

smilejenn

When we were looking for our rescue dog, shelters really preferred not to give a new pet to a pregnant women. They were likely afraid that the dog would be pushed to the side when the baby came home. (and honestly, it can be hard to find time for anything other than a newborn at first, much less a brand new pet)

I'm sure you can find articles with professional advice on the topic, but I thought I'd pass that along!

Butterbean52

What kind of terrier was she? So sorry!!

Well, we have a 3-year-old son. We had trouble TTC #2, so we adopted a baby Wire Fox Terrier. Boom -- 2 weeks later I'm pg! So I'm raising a preschooler and puppy... all while 20 weeks pg. And I'm 39.

If I can do it, I'm sure you can too. Just make sure that dog is kid friendly!! Good luck! 

MarknCalsMommy

Butterbean52:

What kind of terrier was she? So sorry!!

Well, we have a 3-year-old son. We had trouble TTC #2, so we adopted a baby Wire Fox Terrier. Boom -- 2 weeks later I'm pg! So I'm raising a preschooler and puppy... all while 20 weeks pg. And I'm 39.

If I can do it, I'm sure you can too. Just make sure that dog is kid friendly!! Good luck! 

That's almost exactly where we are too!  Got our puppy in late October, got pregnant but had an early MC, then got pregnant right away again!  She's doing pretty well, but she's 8 months now, and I'm just over 3 months preggo, so we have plenty of more time to calm her down before baby.  Oh, and ours is a lab/terrier mix.

caymanbride

First, I'm so sorry for your loss    I love my dogs deeply, so I feel your pain.

 I would say get one before the baby! We got our 1st dog when he was 12 weeks old when I was 15 weeks pregnant with my first DS. We had time to train and bond with him before DS arrived. He was still young when DS came home, but it was great. We actually adopted another dog one year ago when DS was 8 months old, but he wasn't a puppy, he was 1.5. I think it's totally do-able, and my DS LOVES both of our dogs, and I'm so happy we have them!

summerskysmom

I am sorry for your loss. About 7 months ago our 11 1/2 yr old lab passed away.We were adamant about getting another dog so soon but will wait until the baby arrives. We are also going to adopt a dog within the next 6 months or so. I sure do miss having a dog though. We had our dog during my first two pregnancies and my kids loved him too. My dog protected all of us. You know what is funny is that when my kids were so used to the dog barking all the time, it didn't phase them when they were sleeping. They were so used to it before they were even born.

driveshorses

I'd absolutely get it now and get acquainted with your new pet well before the baby comes. My sincere condolences on losing your dog. I couldn't imagine losing my Basset who is the love of my life! She, too, is a rescue dog, and is wonderful with kids! Love those rescue dogs!! All 3 of ours are!

jlthompson19

I would wait.  It'll be so much easier on a dog to come into a situation with a baby already there vs. getting ALL the attention for a few short months and then BAM attention gone.  I'd wait until you're in a routine with the baby.  I'd also ask on the Pets board to see what they'd prefer (MANY are rescue volunteers and they can shed some light as to how rescues view the situation).

I am deeply sorry for your loss.  Honoring your terrier by adopting a homeless animal is a great thing to do.

mysticporter

I'm so sorry for your loss.  Honestly, I don't think it really matters much either way.  With an adult dog, you can still get one who needs a lot of adjustment (for example, one that isn't fully housebroken, isn't leash trained or under voice command, a chewer, whatever), and it's possible it may be difficult to get him fully adjusted before the baby arrives.  At the same time, now the dog would have your full attention, whereas if you wait until after the baby arrives, it might be quite awhile before you are comfortable enough in your routine with the baby to want to tackle another dog.  If you wait until after, though, you don't have to deal with the adjustment for the dog of getting into a routine and then turning that routine on its head when the baby arrives.  I've known people that have done it both ways, and both worked out.

Personally, I think I'd wait.  My worst fear would be adopting a dog who turned out to have behavioral/etc. issues that it turns out we couldn't fully resolve by the time the baby came, and being in a bind of not knowing what to do.  I'd prefer to wait until I was in a routine with the baby, and then adopt the dog when I knew we were ready to handle training and the baby.