Kids and puppies....

[Guest Anonymous]

Me an my girlfriend got into a pretty lengthy discussion last night so I though i would bring it here and see what you guys think:

I am of the opinion that every child, unless for some reason medically they cant, should grow up with a dog. She didnt have a dog as a kid and her family thinks that dogs should live outside in kennels and things like that. so when she sees me rolling in the floor talking baby to my dogs she thinks Im insane. When her friends comes over she asks me to put him outside and i tell her "Dreydin spends more time in this house than anyone, its HIS home." if your visitors dont want to socialize with him thats fine i will put him in a down by me, or we will just go in the bedroom...Notice i said "we". People that dont like dogs, I dont trust, and if my dog doesnt like you, I probably wont either. My boys have never steered me wrong in that respect they love people but when they do bark at someone or show a marked change in behavior i tend to distance myself from those people. My girlfriend of course thinks that ll of this is crazy and i put entirely too much into my dogs. I know that when i come in from work Drey is at the door waiting, she is off doing her thing and she makes her way over to say hi sooner or later but Drey could be outside, or eating or anything when he hears the car in the driveway he makes a dash to front door and then goes bonkers when i get in.

How can you not love dogs that much, I mean they love us that much and more and they never complain or nag and are just happy to be around, they dont gripe that you never do anything special anymore, or you never take me anywhere. they never ask if they look fat, they never complain that you are. They dont want to go shopping for the newest fashions and they dont yell that you spent too much when you do. They are the perfect roomate and friend. I cant imagine a life without a dog, Well to be honest i can its a scary lonely place, And im glad im not there.

[Shannon_C]

Rott'n'Pit

I so much agree with you there, dogs are like children they become part of your family and if family or friends don't like it, they can go and take a hike. At the end of the day its the dogs home, a place they are bought up in just like a human baby. You wouldnt get someone saying (Im not coming in your house if you have children running around) now would you ? Yes maybe dogs leave a few hairs and dribble on clothes, but it soon washes off...many times I have told my mother that when she visits (which isn't often) to wear clothes that don't pick up the hairs but honestly its like talking to a brick wall. Amojority of the time the dogs are outside playing, anyway if its a nice day, if not they are in the kitchen asleep.
As Im expecting a baby in eight months it helps with the dogs being in another room or in the garden....but they have been like this a while now.
They would rather be outside than inside, they never bark to come in or whine. Im not house proud by all means but the house is kept clean, and has to stay that way with our baby on the way.
However like most mothers who turn there dogs away, give them to someone else, I couldn't how can you do that to your own pet you have bought up over the years. When the baby is older the dogs will be introduced carefully and watched at all times.
It also gets children used to being around dogs, I see many terrified to walk past dogs, all because of there parents attitude towards them.

[Daisysmom]

Well, you should know that we would all agree with ya :lol: you should find the post that has the poem about these are my dogs, this is their home, from which we hope they never roam..... I have it on my fridge. Hang it up and it will send the message for you :wink:

[stacer126]

I agree every child should grow up with a dog.
I plan on every child I have when old enough will have a dog of their own.

[ellieangel]

I agree dog ownership teaches kids about all sorts of things,mine often comment on dogs that are not cared for properly that belong to their friends.
It teaches them respect which I feel many kids severely lack in......

However they are MY dogs I train them,walk them,feed them etc they are my responsiblity I would love to send them into the big wide world with a a faithful dog by their side but I won't because it is a decision they must make later in life,Jay is the one who desparately wants his own dog,a GSD and he would probably care for it well but as he is only 7 he'll have to wait a while and borrow other peoples !!!!

[Angelboddy]

I agree. :D
I grew up with dogs, and my children will grow up with dogs.
Now my hubby never grew up with dogs, I wonder if thats way, he is the way he is with dogs and animals. :hmmmm:

I want my children to grow up loving animals, not being scared or hating them. :-?

[Guest Anonymous]

People that grow up with dogs find it easier to express emotions and to feel sympathy and care about others. The pleasing quality is what i really like something that few other animals can compete with. treats are good but just a pat on the head or a good dog is all they really need and they will try any task you ask of them.

[marion]

Oh thanks for reminding them of the poem I posted Daisymom. Here it is again for those who missed it.

These are our dogs
This is their home
From which we hope
They'll never roam

They're faithful friends
We love them best
This is their home
You are a guest

So if dogs to you
Are just a peeve
Then by all means
FEEL FREE TO LEAVE

[meehs]

I totally agree! I don't understand people who don't like or are uncomfortable around dogs. Maybe that's not right...Anyway, I try to respect their wishes and keep my dogs away from them but I am always suspicious of them.

When you said:

if my dog doesnt like you, I probably won't either

I couldn't agree more!

[courtnek]

Rott, I agree with you entirely....

if she doesnt believe that dogs know good people from bad people, tell her
my story about the so-called "animal control officer" who came to my house one night and asked to be let in to "see the dogs" - since I have nothing to hide, I almost unlocked and opened the screen door. As soon as I reached for the latch, BOTH dogs started to snarl.....not a warning
growl, but a snarl....I had never heard either of them snarl like that before.
They were basically saying "if you come thru that door, we WILL bite you....


I closed the door and called the police, and sure enough this guy had been reported all over town....fortunately no one let him in, maybe all their
dogs reacted, but he was definitely NOT an animal control officer....

I believe they know bad people who you think are friends, or neighbors, too. My old dog didnt like my bestfriends boyfriend. He wouldnt let him pet him, he would growl if he came near him. I warned her he was bad news, she didnt want to believe me, and when he hit her smack across the face
one night she realized myself and the dog were correct. They DO know...

[abker17]

I totally agree with all of u! :)
If it weren't for my constent nagging of wanting a dog, I probably wouldn't have one. :o My dad grew up with dogs, but my mom did not. Both of them aren't big animal lovers. I got my first dog when I was in 1st grade. :o She was a small toy poodle mix. I did alot for her. Then when I was in second grade, we got Cracker. With her I did even more. Now that I've gotten Abby, I do EVERYTHING! I feed her, walk her, clean her, play with her, whatever else there is to do. Now, I can't imagine life without a dog. When we came back from vacation, we couldn't pick up the dogs because the boarding place had already closed for that day. I found myself closing open doors, as to not let the dogs get out. :o I also woke up in the morning to relise that I had put up my baby gate. :o (I put it up to keep Abby in my room during the night.)
I believe that it is extremly important for a child to grow up with some kind of animal that is souly thier responsibility. Whether it be cat, or dog, or gerbil. It teaches respect and responsibility. :)

[bk_blue]

Of course I agree with you guys. :wink: Having always grown up with dogs I couldn't imagine having children who couldn't have the same pleasure. I feel sorry for people who are scared of dogs purely because they've never had a dog to love- they're the ones missing out! sure they slobber and are messy, boisterous, hairy, can smell yuck sometimes, cost a lot to take to the vet (however you don't need to pay school fees for a dog)... but what you get out of dog ownership is worth ten times what you spend on your dog. :angel:

[StarFox]

I totally agree, I think kids should definitly grow up with dogs. I still feel deprived because I never had a dog when I was a child, all I had was fish :( . Zebra is my first dog and I got him when I was 19.

Oh and don't even get me started on people who don't like dogs. I have 2 best freinds, one LOVES Zebra and comes over just to play with him. She has grown up with animals all her life and dosn't mind dog slobber or dog hair all over her new shirt. My other freind bearly tolerates Zebra. She gets all upset when Zebra runs up and licks her. She always yells at me to get me D@mn dog off of her. :x Well turns out that I have way more problems with this freind then the one that like Zebra. My thing is, if you don't want dog hair on you..then don't come into my house. My dog just comes before my freind, granted I have known my friends longer. But my dog has never lied to me, yelled at me, called me names, treated me like poo. Oh well guess I'm just a crazy dog woman! :wink:

[marion]

Ruby always goes to our neighbours at the end of the road when we come off the Heath, they say they love the dogs but it makes me laugh how they shut their front door as soon as they see them coming. We had them in for drinks the other Saturday, they'd never been in our home before. When they came in the first words were "WHAT A LOVELY HOME, YOU WOULDN'T THINK TWO BIG HAIRY DOGS LIVED HERE". :o I wonder what they expected. :roll: :roll: :roll: Yet one of my other neighbours with two very small children never bothers when Ruby runs in her house and pinches the childrens toys, but she has grown up with dogs as her parents used to live in the same house and they always had dogs and loved them to bits. Although her husband, who didn't grow up with dogs is not the same. :(

[mydogroxy]

alright, well i guess i'm going to be the party pooper! i do think that children who don't have pets growing up miss out on a lot, but i don't think that pet always has to be a dog. i grew up with tons of animals in my house but didn't have a dog until now (i'm 20). we had cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, snakes, lizards, frogs, and fish (still have 4 cats). i really don't think i've missed out on anything by not having a dog until now. i might even go so far as to say that some people who've always had dogs take them for granted. a lot of people think that i spend way to much time on my dog, but they're crazy!
it is sad though when people don't like dogs or are afraid of dogs for whatever reason. i have a neighbor who told me she didn't trust roxy (abpt) because she was once bitten by a german shepard. :o and my sister-in-law is so afraid of dogs she actually burst into tears at a family gathering when ginger the boxer gave her a big ol' kiss!!!