Is it better to ease into parenthood if you have a dog first to break you in, or will you regret that decision once you have a baby and then a dog to care for as well?
It’s a personal choice, and can be tough to make a definitive call in this debate. There are advantages of both choices–you have to take a good hard look at both sides of the question, do some research, and consider the needs of your family.
There are many pros to bringing a dog into your life before having a baby. For one, having a dog first can give you a huge sneak-peek into life as a parent. You can learn how to come up with creative solutions, solve problems quickly, and come to grips with the fact that your pup needs to come first (no running off for a weekend trip on a whim without planning for doggie-care first).
If you’re planning on having kids some day, but can’t resist getting a dog first, make sure that when your home is filled with both children and dogs, it’s a good place to be. Catch them both in some of the cutest pictures ever to mark their early years. Hear your baby laugh with delight when licked by the family dog, and find joy as some of the first words out of your kid’s mouth are “dog” and “woof.” Young children won’t forget their furry sister or brother.
Getting a dog after you have children can be another choice for families, especially if the thought of managing a house with both kids and pets is overwhelming. Some couples choose to have children first because they want their kids to have the experience of growing up with a dog and making it a family decision. That way, their children can learn how to care for the dog and recognize his needs from the beginning.
Waiting to get a dog until your children are older means that there are more of you to help with doggie care, especially when your kids beg for a dog, and they promise to help out with the walking, feeding, and playing.
A downside to waiting until your children are older to introduce a dog into the household is that children who don’t grow up around dogs can develop a fear of dogs, both large and small. This is simply due to their lack of experience with them. Also, recent studies have shown that exposure to dogs in the first year of a child’s life helps protect against certain allergies.
Whichever decision you make, realize that having a dog at home is a huge, life-long decision, and should not be taken lightly. Consider how you’ll need to make changes in your life to accommodate a pet before you start looking around for one.
