Kids & dogs

Congratulations! You’re having a baby. By now you realize you have many new responsibilities to a little soul who will depend on you for everything. Nothing could be more important.

But far too often, in the words of Lady and the Tramp “when the baby comes in, the dog goes out”. Oh yes, you might sugar-coat giving him up with words like “We just don’t have time for him – he’ll be better off elsewhere”, or “he’s so big and likes to jump up, he could hurt the baby”, or even “we love him so much, but the baby must come first. We’re just trying to be responsible”.

Responsible, caring, loving, wanting what’s best for everyone. Or does this just mean wanting what’s easiest for you?

You see, you already HAVE a responsibility. That dog, the one you’re so willing to give away? Wasn’t that the same dog you called your ‘best friend’? The one who listened to you when you broke up with your boyfriend; the dog who went on long walks with you when you were lonely; whose antics made you laugh when you were sad? Your dog didn’t stop loving you….It’s you, under the guise of being a ‘good parent’ who is so willing to betray your dog.

Good parents teach their children by their actions. You say you love your dog? Be responsible and start preparing NOW to keep your whole family together. Spay or neuter your dog. Take your dog to obedience class – commit to practicing every day at home and attend a class at least once a week for six months (six weeks of classes or sending your dog away for training just doesn’t do it). Like life, you get out of training what you put into it.

Give your dog plenty of exercise (it’s good for you too) and get your dog out to meet people – babies, toddlers, and people of all ages. Crate train your dog, so your dog has a time out place too, when the baby becomes overbearing, or when you need to ensure your dog is safe and out of the way. Acclimate your dog to moving baby swings, and high chairs with food on them. Teach the command ‘leave it’. And don’t hesitate to consult an animal behaviorist if your dog’s behavior causes you to worry. Consider your time and effort to be a worthy investment.

And the dividend? Your dog will be there for you. When the hour is late and the house dark and the baby can’t sleep and you’re walking the floor, your dog will be there with you. When the baby takes his first uncertain steps, they will be toward your fuzzy family member - and that’s whose fur he’ll hold on to as he learns to walk confidently across the floor. The toddler who hurls food in the air with glee – your floors will be cleaned without need of a broom!

And who will be your dear child’s best friend in the world, the one he will fondly remember, even through those hard teenage years and beyond? Your dog. And as your dog grows old and dies his parting will be his final gift. Teaching a child to deal with love and loss, and that loss is a part of life and life and love goes on.

And if you make the effort, you will find that like any good investment, what you put in will be paid back to you in full and far beyond your original investment of time and love.