What are the worries about adopting a new pet with a toddler in your house?

sarah_dtv: What are the worries about adopting a new pet with a toddler in your house?
Our daughter is almost three, and we were thinking of adopting a small dog. She is great around animals (her cousins have pets). Is it a bad idea to get a new pet when you have a toddler? Why? Is it fear that the toddler will hurt the animal, or vice versa?

We were thinking of getting one through a shelter. Do shelters not let you adopt a pet if you have a small child?

Thanks!

Answers and Views:

Answer by j-lo
well the pet can give the child allergys and other than that there is no harm

Answer by morning star
poop
crap
and if the pup dies
too much love

Answer by Alicia
My parents got me a poodle when I was three. I had a dog from the day I was born though. Make sure the toddler and the dog gets along well before adoption. Pick a breed that is good with kids and pick a dog that has a good personality. The child is bound to pick on the dog so you need a patient dog. Some smaller dogs can get nippy. If you get a puppy, I’m sure you won’t have a problem. They ‘ll grow up together and love each other. Puppies take a lot of time though and need training. The dog could jump on the child or nip, but nothing serious. I think it is a great idea to get a puppy for your toddler. My childhood wouldn’t have been complete without my Poodle. I’ve never heard of a shelter not letting you adopt if you have a small child. I’d take the child with you to play with the pup to make sure they click well. Good luck!

Answer by JR
Your best bet is to go to a rescue that fosters in their homes. THey will be able to tell you if the pet will be okay with small children.

When you adopt from a rescue they can go get another the is about to die in a shelter and test it properly in their homes for another family.

Answer by Davasauras
if you adopt a puppy it would be ok,you never know how full grown dogs have been treated prior to the adoption, if the 1st or 2nd master was mean to the dog then it may be mean to your child!just something to consider if you decide to adopt!

Answer by Elizabeth
If you get a dog try to get one that likes little kids and is some what used to them. I have 4 year old brother that is mean to animals and we got Jack Russel from a shelter but we made sure that the dog wouldn’t attack my brother when he pulled his ears.

Answer by Vera C
I think that the sooner you introduce a child to pets the better. Especially seeing where your toddler is already used to being around some.

Adopting from a shelter is also a great idea — you are saving an animal!

You would be better off with a younger dog than one that is older, unless the older dog has been around small children a lot.

Toddlers have a tendency to pull dogs tails, ears, etc. not meaning to harm the dog, but the dog can become defensive.

Make sure you have an area where you can keep your toddler away from the dog and visa versa. Also keep your toddler’s toys away from the dog as well.

Answer by Arther
It could eat the kid….depends on the dog but if it’s from a shelter then it could have a troubled past that makes it aggressive. Maybe not at first but in the right circumstances. For instance my old dog from a kennel use to be nervous from loud things and arguments and some times would attack the hover, brooms etc. and if there was an argument between two people he’d try and drag them apart by tugging at their trouser legs and sometimes make contact with the leg.

He was a very gentle dog at any other times but those things would set him off so obviously he didn’t have a good life before us. So you should be careful because there’s even worse treated dogs in the kennels and you never know how they’re going to react to different things or people.

If you do get one I’d suggest not leaving the dog alone with the kid until the kids older or start from scratch and get a puppy.

Answer by aattura
The shelter is the BEST place to go and ASK for advice. They may even have a Dog Behaviorist of Dog Trainer there who can answer your questions then and later.

With a toddler, you need to ALWAYS supervise when the toddler is with the pet. Although your child has a Head Start in getting to know and be around pets, Children up to about age 8, do not always know how to properly behave around and towards a pet– Your Supervision and guidance and example will help keep the pet from being injured and the child from being accidentally scratched or bitten — AND will show your toddler, as she grows up, how to act humanely towards pets and animals.

Answer by Flugel
Shelters usually spend a lot of time making sure that the pet you adopt will fit in with your life. They will try to make sure that the dog you adopt is happy with children and the sort of noise and playfulness you get from a young child.
When you first get the dog, never leave it alone in a room with your daughter and make sure that she understands what she can and can’t do with the dog e.g. she can pet but not frighten etc.
Having a pet teaches children responsibility so let her help with whatever she is capable of- perhaps grooming or throwing toys.

Answer by threesmyluv
As long as you are willing to except the responsibility of supervising the toddler and the animal, go for it.
Going the foster dog route is a good option as they can tell you how the dogs behaves in the home, etc..
I have had a lot of great animals from shelters, you just have to be knowledge about training, supervising, and willing to work at it.
Most shelters do have restrictions on who they will adopt to however there are so many out there, I am sure you will be able adopt from a few of them.
Good luck!
It enhances any childs life to have pets in the home!

Answer by Nandina
Some shelters will not adopt to families with young kids, because young children often don’t know how to treat animals. So they often pull, pinch, and poke, and when the dog does anything to defend itself, it’s the dog that suffers and gets labeled as “aggressive”.

I would check with https://www.petfinder.com/index.html , find a group near you, let them know your situation, and see if they can help you. If your child has experience with animals, they may be a little more flexible and able to match you up with a dog who has experience with small kids.

I would recommend getting a slightly older dog – around a year – whose temperament is better known and more predictable than a puppy’s would be (basically you have a better chance of “knowing what you’re getting”). Plus, a slightly older dog will likely be housebroken and have a little bit of training (or at least be ready to go straight into training). With a toddler in the house, the less dog-related stress the better! And housebreaking and training are two of the most stressful things about having a dog.

Don’t buy into the “I have to get a brandy-brand-new puppy or it won’t bond with my family” hype. Our last two dogs were adopted as seniors (12 years old) and they both bonded to our family like crazy.

Answer by Abriel Lokiskona
Shelters generally don’t refuse adoptions if you have a small child. There are many benefits to letting a child that young have a pet…they learn responsibility, empathy, appreciation for life other than their own, and exposure to animals that young can produce a healthier outlook towards wildlife. But there are some risks involved, for both child and animal. Toddlers in particular, until they learn empathy and figure out that it’s not a moving stuffed animal, can hurt a small animal like a small dog or otherwise by squeezing it too tight or touching body parts the animal might not like having messed iwth (ears, tail), and they sometimes also have a habit of bothering the animal when they are eating (some dogs in particular can be food aggressive).

If you want to get a pet, like I said the benefits to the child can be great, but you will always want to watch the child when she plays with the animal and do your best to teach them.

Also it depends on the individual animal. If the dog has a history of not getting along with kids for some reason (a lot of times having to do with coming from a home where the kids terrorized it), then they will be more ticky about adopting a dog out to a home with kids. But if you go to a good shelter most of them will know the history of their animals and will do their best to pair you with an animal that works.

And unless living arrangements make it impossible to do so, consider getting a large dog instead. Large breeds tend to be better with kids than small ones. Pit bulls, believe it or not, tend to be really good with kids as are dobermans, Rottweilers, retrievers, and labs.