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Originally Posted by Britster  I agree that if you have young kids, and then seek out a yorkie... it's probably not the best choice. But what about those who have yorkies first and then babies? My moms friend is obsessed with her yorkie, like all of us, and just had her first real baby and things are great! She still treats her pup like a princess, and includes her in their life, and the baby is now almost a year. And the dog loves the baby! I think that's how most people end up with yorkies & kids. I don't know a ton of ppl who seek out one when they already have very young children. |
When you have an existing small dog in the home and find a child in on the way, the couple has no choice but to realize what impact that could have on that little dog's well-being and take every possible precaution to keep the little animal safe. That's the extra responsibility the small-dog-owning woman of childbearing age and ability takes on and shares with her spouse when she marries and becomes pregnant. It certainly brings a whole added level of concern to having a baby when a little dog is there expecting to be kept safe and sound from that little one when it's old enough to grab or hold one!
To me, Yorkies are usually so small and fragile, I cannot imagine one around a very small toddler or young child after my sister's new Yorkie puppy was dropped on its head by one of our little nieces. She was about 4 or 5 and, as my sister was saying "Nooooo" and reaching for him, her mommie handed her little daughter the puppy suddenly and the little child just let go when he jerked his body trying to get out of her hold, I guess. He fell right on his little head, had seizures and was in the hospital for a brain bleed, on medication for a long, long time. He had a number of seizures afterward. He couldn't have taken another brain injury his vet said.
Later, her mommie asked her why she just dropped him and she said "I don't know", so innocently. She never intended on hurting that puppy - wouldn't have ever knowingly hurt him. She adored dogs, still does! She cried & cried when he seized, foamed, got stiff & they rushed him out to the vet. It all scared her badly and she was upset during the whole weekend visit, had nightmares. It was a bad thing for both the Yorkie and the child.
After that, my sister just put him in his crate anytime a small child visited and kept them there. In this instance, our SIL had asked to see Magnum, said she loved Yorkies and wanted to just hold him so my sister took him out of the crate, let her hold him and was standing right there when it all happened but she just wasn't fast enough to prevent it.
But for those who have a choice and don't have a Yorkie but do have a small child, I would sure recommend waiting until the little child is older before getting one. You never know what a little child might accidentally do.