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Original poster

To not take excited 4 year old to his first lesson

204 replies

JustSaltPlease · 16/09/2024 14:09

Arggg help me out. Meant to take son to first swimming lesson today, he's been asking about it for a while.

Problem number 1 is I have a heavy period, although this isn't a massive bother.

Problem 2 is my puppy sitter has let me down and my little pup isn't used to being alone yet, between school pick up and lesson I'd be gone around 1.5 to 2 hours. So please confirm that I have to let my son down!

Dp saying to leave puppy in kitchen but God knows what stress he will be under and subsequently what damage he will do!

OP posts:
HelpAGirlOut1234 · 16/09/2024 15:17

Blinkingbonkers · 16/09/2024 15:17

What on earth do you do with the puppy at night if it can’t be left alone for two hours?!

My point exactly! This is so weird

Blinkingbonkers · 16/09/2024 15:17

What on earth do you do with the puppy at night if it can’t be left alone for two hours?!

Shambles123 · 16/09/2024 15:16

I think puppy should be able to do 2 hours at 15 weeks.

HelpAGirlOut1234 · 16/09/2024 15:12

@sunsetsandboardwalks because a 13 week old puppy really knows when it's humans are upstairs or out of the house.... seriously?

Im a real dog lover, but this is just too much. If the dog is crate trained especially, it can be left at home.

EngineEngineNumber9 · 16/09/2024 15:10

Bandstander · 16/09/2024 15:09

This site is bananas 😂 choosing not to leave a little puppy for two hours isn’t prioritising a dog over a child, it’s basic common sense. A dog that hasn’t been left that long might display distressed behaviour which wouldn’t be nice to come home to- it might even chew through a kitchen cabinet, which happened to someone I know!

Thank god I read this post as I thought I was going mad! It’s not fine to leave a puppy alone in this scenario.

sunsetsandboardwalks · 16/09/2024 15:10

HelpAGirlOut1234 · 16/09/2024 15:09

Honestly, leave the puppy.

Your puppy has been left along much longer than that while you sleep, so what's the issue?

There's a huge difference between being "alone" while your humans sleep upstairs, and completely alone with nobody around.

OP doesn't say the dog sleeps alone at night either - lots of puppies sleep in the same room as their owners to help with toilet training and to help them settle.

HelpAGirlOut1234 · 16/09/2024 15:10

OP, what do you do with the puppy while you sleep? Are you crate training?

Bandstander · 16/09/2024 15:09

This site is bananas 😂 choosing not to leave a little puppy for two hours isn’t prioritising a dog over a child, it’s basic common sense. A dog that hasn’t been left that long might display distressed behaviour which wouldn’t be nice to come home to- it might even chew through a kitchen cabinet, which happened to someone I know!

HelpAGirlOut1234 · 16/09/2024 15:09

Honestly, leave the puppy.

Your puppy has been left along much longer than that while you sleep, so what's the issue?

Ablondiebutagoody · 16/09/2024 15:08

Hmm dog or child........?

sunsetsandboardwalks · 16/09/2024 15:07

You're doing fine OP, some of these responses are just ridiculous.

To all the posters suggesting it - you can't just leave a puppy for two hours when it's never been left before - it's cruel and could cause a severe separation anxiety going forward.

MrsSunshine2b · 16/09/2024 15:07

Pandasnacks · 16/09/2024 15:04

What? Tampon?

Show quote history

Reread the OP.

Katbum · 16/09/2024 15:06

People saying ‘leave the pup’ shows exactly why we have so many abandoned and badly behaved dogs in this country. It is a baby social mammal. Leaving it for 90 mins is as irresponsible as leaving a baby alone for that amount of time and the stress will impact its brain development. I understand that your son will be disappointed, but if a dog sitter can’t be found, you really do need to stay home with the dog.

Newuser75 · 16/09/2024 15:06

@Striebel I am very much a dog lover! I have always had dogs.
You are presuming the puppy will be distressed. I'm just saying I bet the puppy will be fine left for an hour with some toys and chews.

We will have to disagree I think.

CaptainMyCaptain · 16/09/2024 15:05

thekrakenhasgone · 16/09/2024 14:26

I would never prioritise a dog over a child.

It's not a question of prioritising the puppy it's about potentially inflicting damage that could take a long time to undo.

Pandasnacks · 16/09/2024 15:04

MrsSunshine2b · 16/09/2024 14:59

Can't believe this is a question. Put in a tampon and leave the dog fgs.

What? Tampon?

TwinklyAmberOrca · 16/09/2024 15:02

Put the puppy in its crate and prioritise your son. The puppy will be fine. Surely it sleeps on its own at night?

ErrolTheDragon · 16/09/2024 15:02

Sickalready · 16/09/2024 15:00

Your child needs to always come before your pet. Have you got a crate? Pop puppy in there it will be fine

But the swimming lesson wasn't a 'need'.

The op has found an excellent alternative so everyone is happy (except maybe a few opinionated MNersGrin)

Sickalready · 16/09/2024 15:00

Your child needs to always come before your pet. Have you got a crate? Pop puppy in there it will be fine

Debtfreegoals · 16/09/2024 15:00

Please don’t put the puppies needs ahead of your son. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but the puppy will be absolutely fine as it’s not a long stint and they have to get used to it.

Gremlins101 · 16/09/2024 14:59

I think you are doing the right thing.

Your son will be fine!!! However, could someone else watch the pup a couple of hours? That way everyone is happy...

MrsSunshine2b · 16/09/2024 14:59

Can't believe this is a question. Put in a tampon and leave the dog fgs.

Needanewname42 · 16/09/2024 14:57

I'd take your kid to swimming lesson, most lessons are 30min, the chances are you'll only be gone 1 hour.
I bet the pup will sleep more than that.

Striebel · 16/09/2024 14:57

Newuser75 · 16/09/2024 14:18

Of course leave the puppy!
The puppy will be fine but your son may not. Dogs don't need some wine with them 24/7 or else they never get used to being alone.
Leave the puppy with plenty of toys and chews and remove anything with they may damage or could damage them.

What? The son will be fine. Not sure about the puppy. When you have to balance actively distressing a living being and disappointing another one I think distress trumps disappointment.

Just want to add: I'm not a dog lover. I don't have dogs. I have kids. I l9ve my kids and I hate disappointing them but sometimes it can't be helped. It's not dog versus child. Op is not asking whether she should leave her son alone for 2h, which would cause him stress as well or her puppy. She's asking whether it's ok to disappoint her son so as to not cause distress to the puppy. Not going swimming is not the same kind of distress. What if she wasn't well and couldn't take him? Sometimes kids have to be disappointed unfortunately. In the grand scheme of things it's a good lesson that sometimes other beings do take precedence.

IWantKateGarrawaysHair · 16/09/2024 14:57

I didn't plan on getting a puppy yet but he asked and asked. Given his enthusiasm I thought "why not". So no, he didn't nag me into it.

He asked and asked - could be the dictionary definition of "nagged"