Too soon?

[bletheringboys]

We very very sadly lost our much-loved 19 year old JRT 2 weeks ago. He was an amazing wee dog with tons of character. I'd had him since I was about 11 or 12. We'd grown up together and he'd been with me through everything - teens, marriage, children, hose moves, the lot. To say I'm missing him is an understatement.
He was elderly and a bit doggy demetia, but very fortunately had been extremely physically active and able right up to the last - we went on a massive walk around the houses the night before he went off his back legs completely. After that, that was it - we had to pts. We came home after being out the next morning and he couldn't get up. He would have suffered massively and we didn't want him going through surgery or medication for the sake of hanging on just for us.

I'm absolutely gutted. He's always been there and now I'm really struggling!

I really, really need another furry face in my life. I know it's not going to be the same and that there'll never be another Ddog, but I'm seriously missing the doggy stuff.

We move house in April to a place of our very own and I'm due a baby in June. Would it be too crazy to have a relatively young pup and a newborn? I keep thinking it would be an ideal time, as I'd be off work, could do all the training/settling etc. Thinking about a Jackapoo (from the same line of dogs my Ddog was from - I want to pay homage to him in some way. Also, he was so great, I guess I'm hoping for similar character traits!) but am open to any breed really. Have considered a black lab also.

What do you think? Too crazy? Please be kind! I'm still a bit sensitive atm! Pg hormones not helping! lol!

Sorry for your loss.
I suppose if you got another dog now you couid settle it a bit before baby arrives and newborn and dog is probably easier than active toddler and dog.
I prefer larger breeds so might be biased but wht children I would choose a lab over anything with terrier in it.

I'm so sorry about your old boy but want to say Wow! what a grand old age he lived to.

Only you know how you could feel about a new pup. I have an almost 6 month old dpup and I had forgot completely what it was like to have a puppy again worse than kids :)

Of course it's doable, you've got a good while until the baby arrives. Some heavy duty training and some rules in place could be working very well by June.
Some things to think about -
Will you have your own garden?
Will there be someone else available to do dog walks when you can't?
Will there be enough room to separate the dog from the baby when needed?
I 100% wouldn't trust dpup to not jump up at and get overly excited around babies yet. She gets a look in her eye when she sees toddlers and she wants to go round them up and jump on them, we're slowly learning just to sit and watch them :) - but my pup hasn't had very much experience at all around small people. So that's maybe something you could work on early.

Good luck with whatever you decide Xx

You're not crazy at all. Start looking into it. Look around to find out what litters may suit you and look at rescue homes. There are loads of young dogs at this time of year for some reason. If you get a dog before the birth you will have a bit of time to do some training. Work backwards from June. How long will you need for the dog to bed down? We used a baby cage when the dcs were little to keep them safe. And we used a sling for the baby to go for walks, and the dcs became good walkers. Our dogs were not used to babies at all and for one of them it never really changed. It is awful having a dog-sized hole in your life. It was unbearable and needed filling. We miss our old boy dreadfully and think of him often. Everyone is different. If you can commit come hell or high water and you can't live without....

Not crazy IMO :)
However the phrase "pay homage" makes me slightly uneasy. I think you would have to make supreme efforts not to constantly compare a pup with DDog, particularly if you had specifically sought a puppy from his line.

I would go for a lab as it would be slightly more robust around little DCs, and also as a change :)

You know when you're ready and it sounds like you might be ready...

I got my little JRT/staffy cross at a rescue and overheard them tactfully turning down a pregnant woman who wanted to rehome a dog. And I can see why - the stress of a pup and a baby, etc. But... that said... you have had a dog most of your life, you know what you're doing and you could get dog settled in before baby.

I have had terriers all my life. A lot of rubbish is said about them - you've had one too. You love terriers, you have one. FWIW the only dogs to go for mine have been labradors. Terriers are full of character and if you're used to that, a bland dog may not be the right one for you. Between you and me, I look after someone's young cocker spaniel sometimes and it is so boring, I often think she might as well have a hamster...

The decision is, pup or adult? An adult from a good rescue who has been thoroughly assessed, maybe fostered so his character is really known, would not be a bad thing. Spoken from a place of experience as my pup is 5 months and I am certain I couldn't cope with her and a baby. When I was pregnant with my last son, we wanted a second dog and we got a 2 year old bull terrier. She was a dream dog - gentle, loving and even though she came from a breeder whose kids were grown up so had no kids in the house, loved them and was brilliant with them from the start.
I had a friend who had always had various breeds of dog but for some reason eventually got a staffy. She rang me up excited one day to tell me pup had just opened a door (by the handle). I never had a staffy that didn't! I said to her before she got pup, you won't believe how eccentric they are and how much personality they have compared to the dogs you've had before. Now she agrees and would never go back to having another breed of dog.

If you prefer a pup, you could get the worst of the housetraining etc, over with now. Whatever works best for you. Get the breed of dog, or cross, that is right for you.

Only you will know if it's too soon or not but if you feel ready and can cope with pup and baby I say go for it, my sister did and the dog and baby are now inseparable.
I like you missed a furry face in my life after I had my ddog PTS at 16 years old so got a pup after only two months.
I still miss my old ddog but Im glad I got dpup.