child or dog?

[Shanna66]

the fiance and i know we want to have a child and a dog at the same time one day, but the question is, which to get first? we have no idea and making a list of the pros and cons to both hasnt helped at all. im leaning towards getting a dog first but then i have to wait until its out of its puppy phase before we can have a kid, and if we have a baby first the fiance wants to wait until it can either walk or is old enough to go to school. either way ill have to wait a few years before i get the other and at the moment i just want both. darn my inability to wait and be patient xp

with a kid i would have 9 months to prepare for its arrival. a kid would also live longer, but me more work. and i wouldnt have to walk it on a leash and could tak it into all the stores i go into lol

with a dog i would have until we can afford to get a new fence since the one that came with the house is mostly chicken wire and the dogs behind us are always digging under it. wouldnt take 9 months but it would still take a little while. dogs need to be walked and that would mean that i would walk more, i hate walking alone so i never walk anymore. plus with a dog i would feel safe wandering around while preggers or with a baby.


ive talked to my family bit they are all biased and what us to have a baby right now. im the oldest blood related grandchild and my grandmother, aunts, and cousins all want me to get going on that baby making lol the wonders of living in a close family xd


though one of my aunts says that if i get a big dog ill have to get rid of it before the baby comes so i wont have it for very long. load of bull of course. the fiance grew up with big dogs and he turned out just fine. she also says ill have to get rid of my reptiles because they might hurt the baby rolleyes you guys know me well enough so you know what i think of that. ill be a good parent and make sure i leave all the cages and tanks open, and let the snake sleep in the crib with the baby while im in the other room. or leave the baby alone with the cats or future dog while im in the shower. nothing bad will happen with that right? [/sarcasm]


so people of the guild, help me out. which would you suggest i have first? though im sure alot of you are biased and will say get the dog first lol XD  

[JetAlmeara]

Why don't you get an older dog? Then you wouldn't have to fuss with the whole puppy phase at all, I got a 5 year old Golden Retriever while I was pregnant with my first child as my husband was always away for work and I felt uncomfortable being home alone all the time..and on the plus side all that walking meant I didn't gain an excessive amount of pregnancy weight from all my cravings.  

[Shanna66]

JetAlmeara

Why don't you get an older dog? Then you wouldn't have to fuss with the whole puppy phase at all, I got a 5 year old Golden Retriever while I was pregnant with my first child as my husband was always away for work and I felt uncomfortable being home alone all the time..and on the plus side all that walking meant I didn't gain an excessive amount of pregnancy weight from all my cravings.

i would love to adop an adult but the fiance wants a puppy. though i want to check the shelters first before we go to a breeder so maybe i can convince him when we are face to face with a calm, adult animal.

i know with our newst cat he really wanted a kitten and we got reign since she was so tiny. she turned out to be a year old though and he didnt seem to mind since he had already grown so fond of her within that first week

i know im going to gain so much weight when im preggers. i have horrible eating habits now, i can only imagine how much fatter ill get when im eating icecream late at night gonk  

[JetAlmeara]

lol you'll be tired too..I swear I couldn't (and can't again now) Keep my eyes open for more then a few hours at a time..having something that MAKES you get up and go out really helps when you can't motivate yourself lol  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

I would say get the dog first because of this...

A dog is a 15yr or more commitment. A child is a 18yr or more commitment.
A dog can be crated while you are out working, a child requires you not work for several months. A dog SHOULD be taken to at least one obedience course, a child MUST go to school, requiring supplies, transportation etc.
A dog needs a few vaccines in the first year and should get a yearly check up and may require emergency vet bills. A child will be seeing the doctor practically every month in the first year. They get sick constantly, they need vaccines throughout their whole childhood.

All in all, a human being is a HUGE responsibility that will cost you an absolute fortune. You have 9 months but it takes years to be ready for that kind of commitment. Especially financially. Are you going to work? Are you going to be a stay at home mom, if you stay home, what will you do when the kid grows up and you don't need to stay at home?

As much as I hate when people get a dog as "practice" simply cause the dog then gets put aside when the kid arrives. A dog IS still good practice. Especially a puppy, needing constant supervision and needing you to get up in the middle of the night to let him pee etc.

I personally think it would be harder to get a puppy when you have a kid, than to have a kid when you have an adult dog.

That's just my opinion. I'm sure there's no wrong way of doing it.  

[Shanna66]

you both bring up great points, thanks.

im actually going to the shelter today after the fiance gets off work. i was on their website, which i look at every couple weeks or so. and i saw a dog who i have a very strong feeling about. they didnt give much information and she has only been there a few weeks but its such a strong feeling that i just have to go and see her in person


also @ gaby
im a housewife, or will be in a couple days. the most i plan on doing are small part time jobs or volunteering just for some social interaction. after the child starts going to school ill probably get a small job just for some extra spending money

either way im fine with getting up every couple hours in the middle of the night. ive done some rehabing work with baby birds before, lots of sleepless nights there lol at least with a puppy or a baby i dont need to constantly check on their bedding temps. though i know that caring for either for a few years will be alot more work than caring for baby birds for a couple weeks  

[Krissim Klaw]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

As much as I hate when people get a dog as "practice" simply cause the dog then gets put aside when the kid arrives. A dog IS still good practice. Especially a puppy, needing constant supervision and needing you to get up in the middle of the night to let him pee etc.

And you beat me too it.



A dog is a great prep for having a child. Not only is it about the work but it will also tell you a lot how you and your husband will work together when it comes to matters such as training and deciding what methods to use and what behaviors you are willing to allow in your new canine companion.

On another note, I can't help but notice you aren't even married yet. Please, do yourself a favor and wait on the child. Give you and your husband a few years to enjoy the married life before you bring a baby into the mix. You need to get the full enjoyment out of that honeymoon after glow before you bring around a child that will kill your sex life, destroy your sleeping habits, and decimate your alone time. <___<  

[Shanna66]

Krissim Klaw

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

As much as I hate when people get a dog as "practice" simply cause the dog then gets put aside when the kid arrives. A dog IS still good practice. Especially a puppy, needing constant supervision and needing you to get up in the middle of the night to let him pee etc.

And you beat me too it.



A dog is a great prep for having a child. Not only is it about the work but it will also tell you a lot how you and your husband will work together when it comes to matters such as training and deciding what methods to use and what behaviors you are willing to allow in your new canine companion.

On another note, I can't help but notice you aren't even married yet. Please, do yourself a favor and wait on the child. Give you and your husband a few years to enjoy the married life before you bring a baby into the mix. You need to get the full enjoyment out of that honeymoon after glow before you bring around a child that will kill your sex life, destroy your sleeping habits, and decimate your alone time. <___<

well we have already been living together for a while and have been dating for a few years, but your right. its not something i want to rush into, but he wants kids sooner rather than later because he is so much older than i am. and his family and my family are expecting us to have kids soon.  

[xXGabriella-ShadowfireXx]

You really cant plan this hun. Even if you want a baby later then sooner more then half the time it doesnt work. Even with being careful and using double protection I got pregnant with my son. XD So even if you get a puppy you still might get preggo during the time you get it. I would say since you have cats you have good enough practice. LOL But I would say the baby first because puppies and young dogs can get very jealous of babies if you had the dog first.  

[Shanna66]

xXGabriella-ShadowfireXx

You really cant plan this hun. Even if you want a baby later then sooner more then half the time it doesnt work. Even with being careful and using double protection I got pregnant with my son. XD So even if you get a puppy you still might get preggo during the time you get it. I would say since you have cats you have good enough practice. LOL But I would say the baby first because puppies and young dogs can get very jealous of babies if you had the dog first.

i can try to plan it lol

and i know what you mean, my friend was using all sorts of protection and she still got preggers

i think my cats are going to hate whichever one i choose though lol  

[xXGabriella-ShadowfireXx]

Shanna66

xXGabriella-ShadowfireXx

You really cant plan this hun. Even if you want a baby later then sooner more then half the time it doesnt work. Even with being careful and using double protection I got pregnant with my son. XD So even if you get a puppy you still might get preggo during the time you get it. I would say since you have cats you have good enough practice. LOL But I would say the baby first because puppies and young dogs can get very jealous of babies if you had the dog first.

i can try to plan it lol

and i know what you mean, my friend was using all sorts of protection and she still got preggers

i think my cats are going to hate whichever one i choose though lol

LOL My cats love Cedric. Especially Artemis. Artie protects him and he actually attacks the other cats for getting too close to him. >.< It can be a hassle but it depends on the cat's personality. C= So far all my animals like Cedric and the bigger he gets the more comfortable they are around him.  

[MC scarlet96]

Krissim Klaw

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

As much as I hate when people get a dog as "practice" simply cause the dog then gets put aside when the kid arrives. A dog IS still good practice. Especially a puppy, needing constant supervision and needing you to get up in the middle of the night to let him pee etc.

And you beat me too it.



A dog is a great prep for having a child. Not only is it about the work but it will also tell you a lot how you and your husband will work together when it comes to matters such as training and deciding what methods to use and what behaviors you are willing to allow in your new canine companion.

On another note, I can't help but notice you aren't even married yet. Please, do yourself a favor and wait on the child. Give you and your husband a few years to enjoy the married life before you bring a baby into the mix. You need to get the full enjoyment out of that honeymoon after glow before you bring around a child that will kill your sex life, destroy your sleeping habits, and decimate your alone time. <___<

I agree with u. smile  

[kage no neko]

I'm planning on getting a puppy as soon as I get a job (that's the rule he set down) and can afford one myself. I imagine having a kid will come a few years later, once good habits are well established and it's properly trained, so I won't have to worry about the puppy phase AND a baby.