Pregnant & thinking of rehoming a dog

[CatLady11]

Hi, I am in very early stages of pregnancy, before I found out I was pregnant me and my partner were in talks of privately rehoming an adult pug. We went to go and visit a sweet little girl yesterday, and I am torn as to whether it's a good decision. She very lovely natured, great with the ladies 5 kids.. but the lady doesn't have the time for her anymore and the cost of feeding 5 kids etc, she feels like she will be better finding a new home.

She isn't a puppy and she is 2 years old. We do have 4 cats, but they spend majority of their time outside and I barely know they are here. Although I absolutely adore my cats, a dog is the missing piece.

I wouldn't be due for many months yet, we used to work a family members dog who not Long ago passed away, and walking their dog really helped my mental health, and it motivated me to get out of the house more.

Am I biting off more than I can chew with considering rehoming this dog?

I know there is pros and cons to any situation..

Any helpful advice is much welcomed

sorry walk a family members dog*

Get a full health check of the dog. It sounds like she was a lockdown puppy.

Not sure on the pregnancy part - but unless your cats really really like dogs I wouldn't be putting them into that situation (and not four of them!) without knowing it would 100% be a success. It would be worse for the dog, the cats and more stressful for you if it didn't work.

Several of our friends have dogs and kids, one was just saying today if they could go back they'd pick one or the other! I know my close friend struggled post birth with having to do the looking after of the dog (several walks a day, bending to pick up poop etc) whilst with a very very young baby when her partner had to return to work.

No, don't do it. Just don't.

She's had a health check from the owner, and I have friends with pugs so very good at knowing the right questions to ask/ what to look for, in terms of struggling breathing, teeth, nostrils etc. she's a well bred pug and has very clear breathing/nostrils. She's actually very small.

I think the main issue is will I cope when a baby is here next year. I have time at the moment to settle a dog.. My partner is very supportive either way, and will always support me with whatever we are going through

@bibbityboppityboo
Thank you for your input, this is why I feel it's good to take other peoples perspectives into play. My partner is super supportive and luckily we both work from home just part time, and he's amazing I cannot fault him. He does so much for me, our cats are no trouble at all. But yes I don't know how our cats would be.. We live on a farm and have the farm dogs come and visit where we live and they are 3 border collies and our cats have befriended them very well, but obviously they aren't in their living space :)

A dog is a lot more work than 4 cats.
But a pug doesn't need a lot of exercise, but will still need to be walked 3 times a day.
Thorough health check needed before you consider it - you might find it very expensive to get insurance.
Tbh I would be very hesitant to do this and I have had dogs and kids and cats and kids but never cats and dogs and kids! That's just a lot of feeding, cleaning, bills, etc...

That's a very clear answer ..😺

Don't do it to the cats. They're already going to have to get to know the tiny, noisy human.

Don’t do it!!! Everyone I know who had dogs before kids (and dogs for years!) couldn’t give the dog any attention and said it was the hardest thing. Quite a few had their parents take them over.

we've never done anything by half or to the book.. I think my main anxiety has been bringing a dog into the living space with our 4 cats. 3 of them are older but have been around dogs who live near us etc, but not in their living quarters.. I totally get where you are coming from, thank you :)

This X 1000

Just remember you will find there are not enough hours in the day to look after yourself when you have a small baby. You regularly don’t shower or eat proper meals.

When the baby's arrived and you've had no proper sleep for weeks and are so exhausted you can barely remember to keep your eyes open and look after yourself and the baby, never mind a dog... Then you'll thank me for that advice!!

One dog and a baby is absolutely fine, quite sweet really

but the real problems begin when you have any more children. A dog becomes like an extra half child and it can feel really full on

we did it, it’s manageable, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend.

@NeverDropYourMooncup

Yes this has been part of my doubts and questioning.. I think I've got a clear answer to be honest and its probably not a good idea at the moment, as much as I love the thought of it, my cats are going to have to adapt at some point to having a child around which will be a lot for them and I do love them very much!! Maybe ill join borrow my doggy, and see if anyone needs some dog walking help with their dogs instead hahaha

@massiveclamps No I appreciate the advice and its completely taken :)

I would say it isn't fair on the dog.

The dog will have to get used to a completely new home environment, with new people, new smells, 4 cats, then eventually a baby. If things don't work out you will probably end up rehoming the dog again and off she goes to her third home.

I know that you probably think you wouldn't re-home the dog again, but I used to work at dogs trust and took calls all day from people in tears saying they never thought they'd do this etc. A lot of those reasons were due to new babies as well. I just wouldn't risk it for the dogs sake

This 100%

Also I know you said that a dog is the missing piece, but you might feel differently once you have your baby.

I would wait until after the baby is born and eventually if you still feel the same you could then look at getting one 😊

I think all first time parents can underestimate just how all consuming a new baby is. With the best of intentions, a dog can inevitably be sidelined to an extent. Some dogs cope just fine with that, but some can start with behavioural issues due to the change. It's impossible to say how this one would cope. Concentrate on being a new mum and think about dogs later when you've found your stride with that.

@Ilovedavidmitchell

I have had a lot of doubts as to whether it's the right thing to do, and getting different perspectives from people in here has definitely been a big help to help me decide. I totally know where you are coming from. I have done a lot of volunteer work within dog and cat rescue so although I'd like to class myself as having a lot of understanding of both cats & dogs, I've still felt very torn on this scenario. But I agree its probably not the right time at the moment

We have a pug and honestly he is the best dog in the world. If you dream of an ideal dog who you can take absolutely anywhere and who loves everyone and is just an absolute sweetheart - this is him 🥰. We won the doggie lottery and he has no health issues that pugs normally suffer from. He was bred for health and has slightly longer legs, a slimmer built and a slightly longer snout. He is honestly the best dog anyone can dream of. He can also walk/run for hours or sleep all day on the sofa - depending on what you want to do that day. He's like my second baby 😍

This absolutely isn’t true for everyone, I found it really unhelpful to hear this stuff when I was pregnant. I always found time to shower and to eat properly.

oops ignore the Badminton trial tickets 🙈🙈🙈