We had a maltese and a yorkie when I was a young child and it was the best experience ever
They were the babies of the family! I cannot imagine having grown up without them...It would not have been the same. The yorkie was 3.5-4lbs and the maltese was probably 8lbs. I think it all has to do with the individual family. A child who grows up with a small dog learns from a very young age how the dog is to be treated. I know some people have kids and forget about their dogs, but I think those people might not be as dedicated to their dogs as most of us here are. My husband and I are a young couple and we have an almost 3 yr old yorkie who has had health problems from the time that we got him at 12 weeks. We have spent lots of money on emergency vet bills, surgeries, and all kinds of spoiling, and he will ALWAYS be a priority in our family regardless of if/when we decide to have children. He gets medicine every single day, and we have to take special care of him. Just a couple of weeks ago, we made another addition to our famliy, and got an 8 month old maltese girl. She is like our baby too. Our dogs will always remain top priorities. I don't see why having a child would change the way you treat your dog. I really feel like they are my children, and I certainly wouldn't stop caring for a human child once another human child came along, you know? I'm glad that you assess each situation individually because I think any child that comes into this world can be taught to treat a dog properly.