pets and small children

[WitchyWooWoo]

as some of you who have read the "petowners are nobheads" thread we have had to rehome our otherwise fantastic dog due to him being persecuted by my 2 year old. its heartbreaking but we're doing the right thing for the dog and for our son.

I've never been without a pet since i was 5. So its going to be very strange without a little furry creature in my home and i was wanting some stories/advice about pets and young children. I am not even considering getting a new pet at the moment, im probably going to be mourning for the loss of my pup for a long time, but in the far off future i would like to consider a new addition to the family, but i don't want this to happen again. my dog (Rufus) is going to a fantastic home this sunday, the new owners are going to love him and spoil him so much, but it still hurts.

I guess what im trying to say, and asking here is, is it insane to bring a pet (probably a cat) into a home with two young children? I know a lot about pet care, have worked with animals and tried everything with my dog before i had to come to the rehoming situation. I'm one of those people who enjoy the company of the four legged over the two legged as well. For some reason im expecting to be flamed here, but i know there are some very knowledgeable people on the pets forum, and i do believe children benifit greatly from growing up around animals.

thanks

im getting a new kitten in a few weeks (can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and i have a toddler and a newborn.

as long as the animal has a place to go where the children can't get it and you have the time to dedicate to it i don't see a problem.

No not madness. I read about your dog on another thread. You do still need to train the 2yo though. It's not easy at just two years old. But if you constantly remind them, it does eventually sink in. Dd2 is 3 and she is usually good around the dog, although she did have an accident yesterday. She did a somersault and misjudged where she was going to land. I didn't manage to catch her in time and she landed on the sleeping dog. There was a scuffle and she has a fat lip to show for it but in her words "I no roly poly near doggy any more mummy"

Can I ask, did you get a behaviourist in at all? My dog has started to show more aggression than usual. He has been to the vets and is healthy, the vet sees no reason why he should be pain. But he is growling a lot at the the children. Always after his walk when he is sleeping/resting and they are playing. It is something that needs addressing though, so I am speaking to his trainer after classes on Sunday to see if she thinks he needs a home visit.

He has always been grumpy, but it seems to be worsening. Saying that I have changed the time I walk him so that he is more tired on an evening. His main walk used to be at Lunch time when the children were out. So it's probably just that. I am going to try and train him to sleep/rest in the dining room after his walks, where he won't feel disturbed.

we took him to the vet to check him out for that shiny no health problems. it was strange, he would put up with so much and then just snap (luckily never breaking skin) i do feel it was just jealousy as he has always been a bit anti ds, perfect around anyone elses children, and just people in general. i taught my ds to be gentle when stroking doggies and not to scare them but sometimes he just got carried away. it was obvious to us that our dog was just unhappy with the situation and of course my son never learned from the warnings.

Hi Witchy- you do know that wasn't aimed at you don't you? I do really sympathise with your situation. FWIW, my mum had to rehome a toy poodle when I was little for the same reasons you outlined and 6 months later she got a ragdoll rescue cat, who was totally floppy and gentle and put up with children (my mum owned a nursery at that time so there were always kids in and out) from my experience of the rag doll breed they are chilled out little things and rarely scratch etc. Do you think you could take on an older rescue cat? This way you wot have to put up with all the crazy-kitten ness and just get to enjoy it with your dc's after it has settled in?

oh i know ishould dont worry, you were absolutely right in your comments, pets arent vanity items, or pieces of furniture.

if we were to get a pet, i would prefer to get a rescue cat because of my feelings of pet abandonment. our first dog as a family was an 8 year old collie from a rescue centre, and was a beautiful thing that had been very badly beaten (cigarette burns in ear) etc. we gave her a great life afterwards (she actually took a fancy to my fil, wouldnt leave his side so he "adopted" her from us and took her everywhere with him) she died last year :(

my only issue would be when an appropriate time to get one would be. do i wait until after dc2 is born so a new pet would have no more "surprises" or get one before hand to settle down before dc2 arrives.

tbh it could be a few years before we decide, im just someone who thinks of everything far far in advance.

Same here witchy- I'm planning my new puppy at the mo even though it's 4 months away!
How long is it until dd2 is born?

its due in feb, im only 17 weeks atm :)

little bit of an update. Rufus went to his new home yesterday. The new owner is amazing, she took the week off just so he could settle properly and bond with him. make me well up a little at her thoughtfulness. All good, plus she's going to email us little updates so we know he's doing well :)

Anyway, Dh phoned me today, he thinks we should get a new pet (cat) sooner than later. For purely selfish reasons, he's used to an animal in the house and feels utterly lost without one, but we want to make sure that everything will be ok for it. I do feel like we're betraying Rufus but tbh he didnt even notice us going, he was too enthralled with playing with his new mum and dad.

Any advice would be most welcome

just to put all info on one post, 1 2 year old boy, due another DC in february. Spoken to a friend who rescued a kitten and has a plethora of pets and a 1 year old, she said it would be fine, time to teach cat about room boundaries and other things we'll want to teach it.