In all fairness, I only heard that the baby developed an allergic rash; nothing more. They didn't mention any breathing problems or asthma.

I was given a maltese when I was 14 years old, she was my baby, named her Baby even. When I was 22 I had my first child. Well I insisted that things would not change. But they do. The moment I walked in the door with my first newborn baby, the dog became my pet for the first time ever. There were adjustments we all had to go through. It is a very different feeling. I can almost guarantee that no one would want their child to be drugged all the time to keep a pet in their family. It would be a very sad situation. But I do not agree with people giving their dog up just because they have a baby and are overwhelmed or something. I get very upset when people say they just don't have time for the dog anymore or blah blah blah. BUt If the dog is making the child sick that is different.

[QUOTE=ldenise]wow so many different views here. i got to tell ya, i had a very small dog before i had my first born. that dog was a one person dog. me and him. well the day i brought my baby home from the hospital that dog wanted to attack the bassinette. i was afraid he would get in there in the middle of the night. so the dog went. it was either the baby or the dog. that was nearly 35 yrs ago.
now???? the situation has changed.
if my son were visiting and couldn't get along with my dog i would have to kick the son out. LOL


That's exactly how I felt with a baby and a dog AND how I feel with an adult child and a dog! Absolutely the same to the letter!

Not offended!
 

Junebug, we were married 7 years before we had our only child. During all that time I loved dogs a lot more than children. I went so far as to be annoyed by the thought that in an emergency I would have to be more concerned over the wellfare of a "snotty nosed" child than the wellfare of my beloved pooch. But perspectives really do change when parenthood hits. I still love dogs, and I adore my new baby yorkie Susan, but I can't imagine thinking more of her than ANY child no matter how bratty, dirty or unattractive. (Though I certainly prefer her company over that of a lot of kids!) I think probably most people were not offended by anything you said. Probably most people who have been through the situation just remember the transition. You can't imagine how you'll feel when the change comes. But there's something about a helpless human infant who you know is YOUR responsibility to protect and who you also know will grow into an adult who will hold you somewhat accountable for your treatment of him/her as an infant. It may be corny, but it's a fact of life.

From a breeders perspective, this is why we try to be so careful about placement. If choosing between a young couple and an older one done having kids. Older couple gets pup. Sounds unfair, but my first loyalty is to the puppy, not the people. Stability is a factor.
That all being said, I have placed puppies with younger couples. My lifetime return policy will allow them a measure of comfort if they have to someday make this hard choice. I hope that I have been careful enough in making selections that people wouldn't just be dumping the dog at the first sign of a rash, but would check all other possible causes before deciding to give up the dog.

Before my kids, I raised and showed Persian Cats. DS #1 was fine. DS #2 was ill to the point of almost monthly hospitalization the 1st 4 years of his life. I never even gave the cats a thought. At age 3 he was diagnosed w/ severe allergic asthma, but at that point too young to be tested. I began 'reducing' my cat numbers by having everyone fixed so no more kittens, giving some to other show breeders/friends. Finally when he was 6 we discovered he was allergic to every animal except dogs, all grasses, trees, plants (except 3). I then took another 2 years to find the perfect forever home for my last 3 cats. It broke DS's heart, but has given him a life without breathing treatments every 3 hours night/day 365 days/yr.

It is a very tough decision to make.

I agree yes I love my dog to death, but when it comes down to it there are some choices a parent has to make. We had to put a dog to sleep because of how it acted with my kids, he bit them (more than once) and could not be a rescue. It was like when the kids came something in his head snapped and he became so mean even to us. That was the first time I ever saw my husband really cry- as a parent you do what you have to do.

I'm not 100% sure that I want kids to begin with, but I can speak from my brother's experience. He has a big dog who is not an "outside" dog (whatever that is). I swear, this dog was my brother's BABY. He carried all 50lbs of this dog around like a baby and would sing to him, coddle him, the works...

My brother and my sister-in-law had a baby boy at the end of June and I swear that the dog has NO IDEA what's going. Its truly sad.

If I had a human baby in the next few years and s/he was allergic to Stewie, I'm not sure what I would do, but I cannot imagine giving Stewie up. He OWNS me.

Pets are not disposable and should not be given up at the whim of an owner. Making the decision to get a pet is a BIG deal -- you can even plan for it -- its not like they just fall into your lap like human babies sometimes do. Accidents happen.

If my human baby developed a rash, I would do my best to keep him/her away from my furbaby. If breathing problems developed and it seemed nearly impossible to have both, I would give Stewie to someone close to me so I could still see him and would know that he is OK (but I would probably wish that I could give away the kid. Let's face it -- I don't like kids ;) ).

Oh God...how awful! What a tragedy...it must have been a very sad time for you and your husband. Sometimes...we're not given choices.

Such an interesting thread.....
and I am not about to say anything that hasn't already been said... but I wanted to put my two cents in.

I am single - no kids. I didn't even have to give it a second thought - blood family first. I love my little Otis...but I would never put his needs before the needs of my own flesh and blood. This doesn't mean giving him away without a thought... it just means that IF it absolutely came down to it - it would have to be done. Hard to actually DO..but not a hard CHOICE.