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Originally Posted by gracielove

When I purchased Gracie I thought she would mature at about7 to 8 pounds which is small, several pounds smaller than my Shih Tzu was. I thought that was a good size. As it turns out she has matured at 5 pounds and it took her well over a year to get there. I was not prepared for the frights a smaller dog can give you. I have never had as many near disasters with a puppy. Tiny dogs usually don't know they are tiny and tend to take risks that a bigger dog would do. They don't realize how fragile they are. They do attempt things that are very cat like and yet they are dogs that can break much more easily than a cat. I don't know if you realize how dangerous this situation is for your puppy. If a small pup living with adults can be subject to dangerous situations I hate to think what you are going to face with this tiny baby of yours. It's not a toy though it may look like one to your step son. You need to protect this little girl at all times from herself and from the other children.

Originally Posted by gracielove

I have to agree that a dog that size should not be around young children. Personally, a dog that size is a disaster waiting to happen. It may be very fashionable for some humans but they are certainly doing the dog no favor to breed them to such a tiny size. Too dangerous.

While I agree that tiny dogs and young children can be a very dangerous mix I do think it depends greatly upon the children and the temperament of the puppy in question. I have had a number of different dogs over the years and have 4 adult children and ran a day home for about 15 years and my brother-in-law and his wife have 8 children who come over to my house for visits. When my own children were young they would have been fine with a tiny dog but my brother-in-law would be nuts to bring a tiny dog into his home. Different children have different personalities and you have to be realistic about what type of environment you are bringing dog into no matter what the size of the dog. The dog's temperament also plays a key role. Some little dogs are quite patient and tolerant and some are more nervous etc. (Just like people)

This puppy is only 3 months old and so she won't remain so tiny but will still be quite small even when full grown and her safety must be a priority. I do not agree that a dog that size is a disaster waiting to happen and I do not agree with those who intentionally breed to achieve the tiniest dogs possible. However there are breeds of dogs who naturally run around 3-5 lbs, Prague Ratters for instance. My dog Lulu is a yorkie/maltese and while she is 3.5 lbs full grown she was not intentionally bred to be tiny, her brother is over 5 lbs. (I also didn't purchase her from the person who bred her, her former owners were unable to keep her. . . but that is a story for another day.) Lu is very tollerant of children but they are always monitored when they hold her and she doesn't run around on the floor while children are playing in my home because it is too easy for her to be tripped upon and injured.

Yes, little dogs do not realize they are little and must be protected from themselves and others and they do require substantially more supervision than a larger dog and so those sorts of things have to be taken into consideration. It is a huge job to raise a puppy, small breed or not and lots of people get themselves in the middle of something they didn't realize was going to be as much work as it turned out to be. My brother-in-law and his wife got a miniature schnauzer puppy several years ago and they discovered very quickly it was not the time to bring a puppy into the house and found the dog another home. (They now have an adult female lab that they rescued and that has been a great fit.)

It's not that it can't be done but my suggestion is to take a step back from the issues and honestly assess the situation and try to be as realistic as possible. . . consider the work and time involved with a puppy, (particularly a small breed puppy) family responsibilities and the personalities of the children (some children are less respectful and careful than others and hoping for it to be different will not make it so) along with the general temperament of the puppy (some puppies are much more tolerant than others) and the support or lack thereof from your husband. All those factors play a role in how you decide to proceed.