to get a dog..

[bigbitch90]

with a 1, 2 and 3 year old?

I've had afew comments from family and friends saying I shouldn't have a dog with young children.
I'm buying it as a puppy from a friend and have done alot of research online about the breed and its an ideal family dog and excellent with children. It wont have the run of the house as I have stair gates up so can keep it away from the children say if I'm cooking or cleaning.
So.. AIBU?

GetOrf, it is really sad re: the number of SBTs in rescues. At our local dogs home, every time I went, a minimum of 50% of the dogs were SBT or SBT mixes. Sometimes it was closer to 75%!

Can't believe anyone would consider buying one from a 'breeder' when so many are languishing.

BB90 the man is being irresponsible by breeding his dog with her dog if she isn't teh sort to care about where teh dogs end up.

think of it this way. if she is just in it for teh money and doesn't care where the pups go, do you really think she cares where her dog came from, whether it was a good match with teh male? do you really thinks she cares enough to have all it's health checks up to date? do you think she cares enough to look after the bitch properly while she is carrying teh pups?

can you now see why he has been irresponsible to breed his dog with hers? he cares as little as she does my love. he is not in thsi for teh good of teh dog and that is the only reason why anyone should be breeding dogs. this man wants your money.

I rescued a 16 week old SBT cross bulldog last year, she is the sweetest most wonderful dog I have ever known and is fantastic with children, there are so many rescue dogs out there needing homes. I know you have said that you looked at your local rescue site and they only rehome to people with children over 5, there is a reason for this, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE wait until your children are older and rescue rather than buy.

Hundreds of dogs are put to sleep every week because of irresposible back yard breeders who are trying to make a quick buck or alternatively those who are not responsible enough to get their dogs neutered, these are generally the ones who "want the dogs to go to a good home", funny how they don't care enough in the first place to actually get their animals fixed.

I volunteer for a local rehoming charity and the amount of wonderful dogs needing homes is unbelievable. One of the most recent cases I have come across are beautiful bulldog pups. They were the result of bulldog dad getting his own daughter pregnant, now because the idiot owners didn't get them neutered/spayed they have a litter of pups needing homes that no one now wants because of the incest.

I wish people would grow up and become more responsible, age has nothing to do with it, maturity and intelligence have everything to do with it.

Please listen to Val, she knows what she's talking about as she has to deal with this every day. I think it's so important to have animals around children BUT it needs to be done in the right way and at the right time.

I said go for it earlier, but please not a staffie. If you're going to go for a puppy from a breeder go for a sensible breed - one that's easy to train and socialise and known to be good with children. We went for a retriever, chose a breeder who did all the health checks and then some more (I would have been quite happy with a cross because generally they're healthier but a lot of crosses have collie in which I didn't think was great for our family set up). He's honestly a joy, has been very easy to clicker train, has a very soft mouth (prob because he's from a working line) and is a natural retriever (which I wanted for autism therapy- it's actually proving harder to teach my son to throw a ball than it is to teach the dog to bring it back).

The only problem we've has with him is that he can get a bit deaf around other dogs (wants to play with them all - he's only 5 months though so still excitable) so am trying to tackle that by taking him to weekly dog training classes in a room full of dogs.

Don't let having three kids put you off getting a pup, but do think carefully about the breed -the world of dog breeding is a murky one with lots of unscrupulous breeders out there, and lots of breeds do have problems now. You need to know what they are.

Dogs Today have published a great book - Perfect Pup and have lots of breed information etc out there - really worth exploring.

YABU, for all the reasons people have explained in great detail. Buying a Staffie pup from a backyard breeder? Isn't that the biggest cliche of irresponsible dog ownership?

Staffies can be great family dogs, but you would be much better off waiting a few years until your children are a bit older then looking for a suitable rescue dog, a good rescue should be able to match you with a nice dog that has maybe lived with children before or been fostered in a family home, and been properly assessed etc.

You could try looking at rescues now, but they will almost certainly be concerned about you having three pre-school children at home. Not because the dog would be a danger to your children, but because parents with young children generally don't have the time or energy to devote to a dog (and still less a puppy) and to give them all the training and attention they need, and they know from experience there's a good change of the dog/puppy ending up back in rescue or worse after a few months.

Feel a bit crap saying this after reading the thread, but i have a staffordshire bull terrier puppy, hes now about 27 weeks, had him at 12 weeks. I also have a just 2, and 3 year old.

Training hasnt been a problem. I cant afford classes, and couldnt get to one anyway as i have no transport. I do it myself, hes as trained as i need him to be everything he learns now is for his entertainment really. But we walk in the fields by my house with all the other dogs, he plays fantastically with the other dogs. Hes great with the kitten. Hes great with the rabbits who come in at night and become house rabbits for a bit

He is the easiest dog Ive ever owned, wish I'd ignored the stereotype, for both dog and owner earlier and had one to start with.

I do think rescue is amazing, you can put your name down for puppies at our local one, perhaps that could be an option? Our childrens ages blocked us from the close rescues, and as i said i have no transport to check out further a field.I feel very guilty about that. i didnt buy mine though, omeone we know took in a stray female, and she was already pregnant, poor thing, we had one of the pups that made it.

OP - i am posting this in the hope you do come back to this thread.

please dont think val and dooin were talking down to you. i have seen them on many dog threads and they both seem very caring commited dog people.

i have to admit reading through all the thread i did feel exasperated too. i was hoping each page to come across things like you had had a dog before, you knew parents, the breed was easier (no puppy easy) to train and became increasingly concerned by your replies.

i love staffies by the way. a friend works at cheltenham animal rescue (quite a large rescue) and told me a few months ago that 90% of dogs there were staffy types.

we have rehomed from rescues whilst i was fostering and believe me the checks were very stringent on suitability to be around children. social services insisted on this. of course we had to look around and made a few visits before finding our big softie.

as a foster carer i was a lot more comfortable with having an older dog (he was 1-2) at the time around children

my youngest foster child was three when we had our first dog. i really wouldnt advise having a dog with 3dcs under 3. if you really want one then i cant see why it matters waiting. i've now got 3 dogs and it was worth the wait.

regarding exercising a puppy, dont underestimate how hard it is to have a pup that wants to run but you have to restrict exercise. you cant just go on a two hour walk to tire dog out like you can when they are older.

OP - i think you mean well (not meant to sound patronising) and hope when you reflect you will listen to the experienced pet owners, rescuers, breeder on this thread.

as for the comments about leaving a dog all day