Pets And Summertine

We have an almost 4 year old Jack Russell Terrier. He is so hyper. I know this a trait of these dogs. My concern is: we have 3 babies on the floor and the tick problem is terrible here. We use advantage or one of those type products and mostly the ticks aren't on him, they fall off quickly...ON OUR FLOOR. So all summer we are on the lookout for them. He also sheds like crazy.

My husband mentioned yesterday that he is thinking about giving him away. Ok..I see his point, but we got this dog from the pound and from the description, his owners just really didn't care for him very well. Now that we have so many babies, I don't really want to deal with all the stuff that comes with this dog. And yes, I did think of that when we got him, but with one child I thought we'd be ok. The twins were such a surprise and one I never anticipated when thinking about owning an animal. I DO, however, believe owning an animal is a commitment for that animal's lifetime and honestly feel terrible and guilty for even thinking about giving him away.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this situation, safety wise, animal lover wise, practical tip wise?? TIA

 

I don't have any advice, just :hug99: s! I know this must be a difficult decision for you.

 

I'm in the same situation as you and I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I feel so torn, our dog deserves better. Let me know what you decied and heres a big :hug99:.

 

We have a farm full of animals (cats, dog, chickens, horses and ponies) so i understand how you feel. i would say as long as you can find him a great home its almost more fair for the dog to be in a home that has time for him. i had a show horse who kicked like crazy when you put him in a stall it was just not the life for him, it was very sad when i sold him but now he lives out side with a shelter and a lady trail rides him. He is so much happier. My point is that it was unfair for me to hold on to him in a situation where i knew he would be happier some where else. Believe me i cryed buckets over him and still think of him lots. Plus you can keep in touch with his new family with xmas cards and such. Sorry to ramble i hope that helps

 

Your right. Pets are a life time commitment. Maybe talk to your vet and see if they have any suggestions. Where there is a will there is a way.

 

We have two dogs and a cat. While they are in the way now, I figure later on they will be great fun for the kids. It's awfully hard to give them love and stuff b/c they are big dogs that are also quite hyper...so we don't like to let them loose with the babies. We do take them up to bed with us at night and love on them then. DH and I have thought about finding them new homes but we decided the same, it's a lifetime commitment. And like I said, hopefully when the girls get older we can all have great times together. Sorry I wasn't much help. I agree with the pp, talk to your vet about the ticks. We have shedding issues but we make sure the dogs are brushed at least once a day...even that does wonders and it's a bit of bonding. :hug99:

 

Through the vet or online vet companies there is a great tick collar called Preventic......we had an epidemic a summer or two ago before the babies were even concieved and it worked great along with the topical medicine.

We have deceided to gate in the family room where the boys crawl and play and let the dogs have the rest of the house. When the kids are in the kitchen area they are in walkers so we do not have to worry about the dogs being to hyper for them.

We have had our Shelby for 12 years and with her arthritis we will see her through to the end. Suzi our pekingese was rescued 2 summers ago and I do not have the heart to find her a new home....just make sure the boys have safe play environments and when they are together they are fully supervised until they are bigger and can play with her.

The dogs are still loved and played with.....not big exercisers now due to Shelby's arthritis and hip problems and Suzi is basically a indoor "queen" ...only goes out to lounge by the pool in the sun or to use the bathroom.

 

Remember that your kids will be older someday and will probably be begging you for a dog. It may mean extra work and worry now, but if it's mostly a question of getting through the next couple of years, I'd encourage you to think of a way to keep him. I don't have a dog so I don't know about ticks, but ditto the suggestions to ask your vet.

 

Ticks are really bad here as well, and so are fleas! So, we made our animals outside dogs... they have a really nice set up though... a huge cage with toys and lots of water...

I used advantage and tried everything, but it didn't work... I would rather put the animals out then risk my children getting some illness from ticks! We have the deer ticks up here!

 

I'm a small animal veterinarian. I definitely second the suggestion to try a Preventic collar along with a topical product ( I prefer Frontline, but Advantage is probably okay as well). Those collars are not safe for use on cats but work wonders for tick prevention on dogs.

As far as whether or not to give them away, that is a tough decision. I do think you make a commitment to the animal when you adopt them but I understand that sometimes life changes. People are right that your kids may want a dog in the not-too-distant future and if you keep the one you've got, it will already be trained and a little (not a lot since it's a JRT!) calmer than if you got a puppy. If you are able to find someone to play with and/or walk your dog, you'll find he's a lot easier to live with. A tired dog is a good dog.

Good luck with this decision.

Suzanne

 

my vote is to keep the dog We have a little jack russell and she sheds and all of that too....but it would break my heart to give her back (we adopted her too). The kids won't be on the floor forever (crawling) It's just for a few months...

 

We have a pug that is extremely hyper as well and sheds like its going out of style.....her hair is EVERYWHERE! I will say that she was the biggest pain from when the babies were born up until they were about 9 months old. Now the girls laugh at her and want to touch her and you can tell that she loves them too. I HATE swiffing every day but I have to b/c we have hardwood floors and if I don't her hair rolls around like tumbleweeds and gets all over the girls. I don't allow her in their nursery and if she is being too hyper I put her in another room or out on our sunporch. It is getting better every day with her though. I know she misses all the attention she used to get from me and DH before the babies were born, but we keep saying that she will probably get more attention then ever real soon from the girls. Try, if you can, to stick it out. And I like the PP suggestion to gate off an area so there is a place that is doggy free.

 

Aaacckkk...we are thinking about getting a dog, LOL!! Our dog of 11 yrs passed away this last Oct. She was a wonderful dog & the kids loved her (even though they only really knew her during her old days). We miss having a dog...they are a lot of work & sometimes a pain but the joy & unconditional love is so worth it.

But I think you should do whatever brings you less stress. In a couple of years you will probably be ready for another dog.

 

QUOTE(LoriK @ Apr 7 2007, 01:51 PM) [snapback]209667[/snapback]
Aaacckkk...we are thinking about getting a dog, LOL!! Our dog of 11 yrs passed away this last Oct. She was a wonderful dog & the kids loved her (even though they only really knew her during her old days). We miss having a dog...they are a lot of work & sometimes a pain but the joy & unconditional love is so worth it.

But I think you should do whatever brings you less stress. In a couple of years you will probably be ready for another dog.


Buy why get another dog down the road when there is one right in front of her needing to stay home? Pets aren't furniture. They shouldn't just be tossed aside when they cause some stress. Is it really just ok to trade a dog off when they get in the way? :huh:

 

Op- You could also look into a spray for your back yard to help keep ticks and fleas out of it. That would also benefit your children. And check the dog when he comes in from outside to get the ticks off before he runs around the babies.

 

I have two dogs, and I am a dog lover, but I must say, that my feelings toward my dogs have changed somewhat since the babies were born. The problems like the hyperactivity, hair and fleas/ticks are compounded now that I have babies on the floor. Nonetheless, I adopted these dogs from rescue situations and we are their only family. I couldn't think of giving them away. So, I have to make some adjustments to make sure everyone's safe, clean and happy.

I would suggest finding a way to keep the dog separated from where you and the kids are during the day. I generally keep the dogs on the outskirts of where we are and what we are doing. During the day the dogs are usually outside. We have a porch, deck and fenced yard and they enjoy being out there. If they want to come in, they can, but they aren't allowed to be where we are, which is usually the family room and kitchen area. We have a finished basement and when we go down there to play the dogs can't come. The dogs aren't allowed in their nursery either. This keeps down the amount of hair.

There's also a little more clean up involved to control the hair. Every morning I vaccum the family room/kitchen area. It takes a short amount of time and it's worth it. I also keep them bathed and brushed. I brush my lab outside on the deck in the morning, and he gets washed outside with the hose during the warmer months by my dh. My beagle, I bathe in the laundry sink every few weeks or I just bring her into the shower with me and wash her up in there. I know that sounds crazy but it's a really easy and fast way to get her clean and get rid of the excess hair.

For parasites we use Advantix. It's the only stuff that kills/prevents fleas, ticks and mosquitos. Since you have such a bad tick problem I would invest in the good stuff and really try to keep the dog outside or gated off from the baby area. Maybe it isn't exactly what the dog wants, but it's better than being given away. I know life was better for my dogs before the babies came (and they were the babies) but I know that they love us and they have been very good about the adjustments. I know life wouldn't be better for my dogs with another family. We're their family, and you can't just get a new family, kwim?

Good luck and I hope this helps!