Pets??

maliksmommy wrote: We don't have any pets but our neighbors have 2 little dogs and I took Malik over there yesterday because they were outside and the dogs seem pretty scared of him so they kept barking at him and everytime they did Malik would just start laughing uncontrollably. I have never heard him laugh so much it was the funniest thing. I almost want to get a dog just to watch him with it I was just curious how your babies acted with your pets if you had them.

supermom replied: We never had any trouble with any of our pets and our kids when they were little. When my older kids got older, I had a small dog, and she was VERY protective of me. She didn't like anyone moving her or picking her up when she was in my lap. I finally got rid of her, because of the kids, even though they were older (12-10-8) it didn't work out.

However, now, we just had a dog that is absolutely wonderful (we lost her about 2 mos ago) but Anders just loved her (he's three) but we have had her quite a while. She was always great with him, and so is my hubby's cat. They got along GREAT!!

My recommendation if you are going to get a pure-bred, is to do some research and get one that has a reputation for a good disposition with kids. There are some dogs that "belong" with children and there are some that don't. The American Kennel Club has some good info on their website - www.akc.org - and also talk to local breeders. They are really willing to answer questions about "their" breeds and if you can find a good one, they would also be a good source for a puppy.......

Also, check with your local humane society, they sometimes have some appropriate animals for children, and will tell you (pretty straight) about any dog they have any knowledge about.

jdkjd replied: We have two cats and Bailey squeals with delight everytime they get near her. If she just giggles, they'll let her *pet* them but if she grabs or shrieks they run for their lives...

dhoppygirl replied: We have a puppy, Cole, who is one month older than Peyton. He is a Havanese, which is a breed that loves children. We have pictures of them sleeping on the floor next to each other. Peyton loves it when Cole is nearby because he loves to grab his hair and pull. Cole likes to lick and play with Peyton's feet. Cole sometimes tries to get Peyton to play with his toys, but usually Peyton just tries to put them in his mouth!!

dhoppygirl replied: Here's them sleeping!
Oh, I also had a cat, who was 18, she died last month, but she just ignored Peyton and tried to sit on my lap everytime I tried feeding Peyton. Interestingly enough, the specialists say to watch out for cats because of the milk issue, but Cole is more interested in the milk than my cat ever was. He loves cleaning up Peyton's spit-up and if he finds one of my nursing pads, you can be guarenteed it will be chewed to death!

MommyToAshley replied: OOOHHHH NOOOO!!! Now TLCDad is really goign to pressure me to get a doggie!

TLCDad replied:
Absolutely!

momofajcl replied: We have two Dalmatians and two cats. Dalmatians have a bad rap when it comes to getting along with children, but our two LOVE the kids. As with any breed dog, some Dalmatians aren't good with kids and some are. We've had the female Dal since she was a puppy (she's 10 now) and we got the male a few years ago through a Dalmatian rescue group. I think that is the best way to go if you want a dog because the dogs are screened in every situation so you will know if they are good with kids or other pets, housetrained or not, etc.

Anyway...the cats stay clear of Nicholas because they were grabbed at by Andrew and Christian (when they were babies) enough to know their tail is in trouble when they get too close! LOL! The cats seek out the attentions of our two oldest boys now though. One even goes into their room in the morning meowing to wake them up. It is hilarious! LOL!

I'm going to attach a picture of our male Dal, Buddy, getting a belly rub from our oldest son. This picture was taken about 1/2 hour after we brought Buddy home for the first time.

Schnoogly replied: We have 3 cats and they pretty much ignore him except the little one has claimed him as her human and keeps trying to sit in his lap!! The middle one is afraid of him and the eldest (who is kind of a pest) is jealous and tries to get attention. For the most part he ignores them too although he will sometimes watch them. The middle one is also kind of protective although scared (she's a very gentle kitty)--she will come to investigate when he cries and sometimes cries with him!!

Steph

Here I am with the little one & Iain at about 1 month.

MommyToAshley replied: THAT'S THE LITTLE ONE???

5littleladies replied: We have 1 cat right now (about 4 months ago we had 5!!) and he is awesome with the kids. They will sit on him and drag him around by his tail and he doesn't even protest. He is a great cat-he even fetches! We did have a dog for about a year but she started biting the kids whenever they got near her so if you do get a dog be careful-make sure they are good with kids. (Oh she was a lab/shepherd mix and they are usually pretty good with kids) Dh says our next dog will be a golden retriever-they have an excelent reputation with kiddos.

Schnoogly replied:

Steph

MommyToAshley replied: I didn't know cats got that big!!! Are you sure they are not baby tigers or lions or something like that....LOL

You can tell I don't have any pets. I got bit by a dog when I was young and have always been scared of animals.

aspenblue1 replied: We have 2 dogs and a cat. She loves the animals. They are great with her. They let her pull on them and they lay next to her when she is on the floor.

jdkjd replied:
Oh crap! Our cats are about 13 and 16 pounds. They have been on diet food for a year too!

Here's a pic of Ollie (he's my snuggler)...

Schnoogly replied: Aw, he does look like a snuggler!!!