Help me find a good family dog.

[dvansmom]

Thanks ladies. I have a lot to think about. I have 12 month twins and a four year old. I'm worried about how to keep the dogs food and water safe from new toddlers.

[dvansmom]

We have an acre of property. Half fenced in. My medium size I'm looking for no more than 30 pounds or so.

[Nerissa]

We have a yellow lab that is amazing with our children. I wouldn't own any other dog. She is my first baby.

[anne_josh]

The way it has worked here the dog's food is in our bedroom (she sleeps in there with us and eats at night) and water is outside. She goes out several times a day to drink and to go potty.

Honestly if I had twin toddlers and a 4 year old I would rethink getting a dog. You have so much on your plate already. Not to be discouraging, just knowing how much work kids are and all..

[EmsMom]

Originally Posted by anne_josh The way it has worked here the dog's food is in our bedroom (she sleeps in there with us and eats at night) and water is outside. She goes out several times a day to drink and to go potty. Honestly if I had twin toddlers and a 4 year old I would rethink getting a dog. You have so much on your plate already. Not to be discouraging, just knowing how much work kids are and all..

I agree! My kids are 7 and 5 and we just got our first dog lol.

[mommabritt]

Not small but I could go on and on and on and on about our Cane Corso. He is absolutely the best dog I have ever been around and everyone who meets him dotes on him and agrees. He adores our kids and is very docile in nature. He is playful when they ask for it and obedient to all of us. He is my dream dog for sure.

[essential1892]

Originally Posted by cdeweese Our BEST and healthiest dogs have always been mixed breeds The shelters have a lot to choose from and many try to socialize them before they are adopted out. If you aren't stuck on a purebred its worth visiting a few shelters and seeing what's available.

Our first dog was from a rescue and he was the best and most loving dog ever. Unfortunately we had to put him down about 2 years ago due to liver failure- we still miss him so much!

We also have a purebred min pin and though we love him, he is not anything like our other dog (they did not really mesh well). Don't get me wrong, he is really good with our kids and is extremely patient with them (not with anyone else) but I would never pay as much as we did for him ($900- my husband bought him because I wanted a little dog and min pins looked the most manly; I had just had a miscarriage and he was trying to make me feel better).

If I were you I would go and "meet" dogs to find one that you like.

A little more babbling here: When my husband and I moved in together we wanted a cat. He went to an animal shelter and they showed him a cat and said that she was going to be the next one euthanized- she was gray and had no tail. My husband felt so bad for her and decided to bring her home. She was the best cat ever (we got her before our beloved rescue dog- they got along great). She did no like the min pin my husband bought and one day she got out of the house and just never came back. We never found her but to this day I have a feeling that she left because she hated the new dog and that she found a new home- she was a street cat before we got her so she was a tough little kitty.

Rescuing an unwanted animal is the most rewarding thing you can do, as long as you find one that will fit in with your family.

[crunch!910]

My general rule of thumb is when people with small children and babies want a dog, I ask, are you ready for another baby? Some people are taken back by this and confused. If you wouldn't plan another child right now and feel you'd have the time and patience for another child, then you certainly don't have the time and patience for an animal that so many people see as disposable if it "doesn't work out".

A 4yr old and twins... my advice is to wait. Adding a puppy to that is putting a lot on your plate. I know me personally, my youngest is 7 months, and hope my nearly 13 year old dog hangs on for awhile longer because I personally probably would not get another dog until the youngest child is AT LEAST 3 years old.

[waterisntsomething]

I'd start patrolling the shelters. Look for a shepherd mix b/c they will be driven to herd the chickens, not eat them. I would probably go with a puppy too...easier to teach to protect the chickens.

[hilaryisinked]

Is there a Golden rescue near you? We have a 4 year old Golden that was given up by her owner and she is wonderful. We got her in April. My kids climb on her, grab her bones and treats, get into her food, pull her fur (we stop them but we don't always catch them before they are tugging on her) and she just keeps on smiling. She is wonderful. She doesn't jump and I never have to worry when we have playdates here because she is sweet and calm with all children. She's truly a people person....dog.

ETA: There is extra work, a lot of it, like PP mentioned. That was what I was worried about when we got her. Really worried. I felt so anxious when we got her because our late Husky was very high needs. Lola is actually very easy and doesn't seem like hard work at all but I know we are lucky. Some dogs are not this well behaved and that definitely is something to consider.