Pets and Kids

My girlfriend and I have a 7 year old nephew who lives with us, and baby twins (they're a bit over 3 months old).

My nephew adores animals, as do I. He has a pet fish, but he really wants a pet he can play with. Like any 7 year old would say, he says he'd take care of it, but I know my girlfriend and I would probably be stuck with a lot of the work (although he takes excellent care of his fish ). Now I actually want a pet as well, so I don't mind hugely.

But the question is what pet? I was thinking about a dog. Would a dog be unsafe in the house with baby twins, and there's also the drag of having to train a dog. Whatever it is, I think we'd adopt (cheaper and I prefer to adopt anyways). I was also thinking of maybe a rat.

Ooh ooh I know!!! We have the most adorable, friendly, sweet guinea pig/mini-dog. They can be picked up, never bite (mine anyways), love treats (raw veggies), aren't noisy (chirp very quietly), and can be bathed in the sink!

I really enjoy our guinea pig Ledgewood. They are kid-friendy, heck we even take ours outside for grazing. Loves fresh grass, I have a harness for him. Relatively inexpensive, and don't mind be loved on.

Hmmm, sounds like a personal ad (lol). Good luck in the decision process!

what about a rabbit or cat
both can be enjoyable yes you need to train a kitten but you could always get a older one from a pet rescue place cats can be great fun when in a playfull mood
dont get to old of one

Pets are great for kids.

There are TONS of options out there.

As for dogs, certain breeds tend to be better than others. I would suggest a lab, if you have the room, as they tend to have very kind temperments (keep in mind ANY dog can become agressive and must be trained to be gentle). Beagles can also be very kind, but they DO like to howl at things and bark, and need to be excersised quite frequently.

My aunt has a Nova Scotia Duck Toller crossed with we think a border collie, and he is very gentle and kind.

Myself I would stay away from the little dogs both because they can be very yappy and because the smaller breeds tend to not have as good a temperment in situations with kids. Especially poodles, jack russel terriers... but of course every dog is different abd sometimes these breeds do just fine anyways.

If you can afford it doggie school is a GREAT thing for dogs to learn the basics training.

The other option for you is to adopt a dog that is slightly older and has a good reputation with children. however, USE CAUTION when doing this - because you never know when a dog may have been abused or has certain triggers from the family it was with. Most shelters though have a try it out period where you can take the animal to evaluate him. Also try taking your kids to meet the dog, be it from the shelter or from anywhere else.

it is COMPLETELY possible to train a dog to be good with children. I would be hesitant to get a puppy with the girls being so young right now though - it would be a big job to watch a puppy and them and your nephew all at the same time.

Cats are a good option, if you can get a kitten. This way they grow up around the kids and can be socialized to suit the children very nicely. I wouldn't go with an adult cat, because often they will get very cranky with kids antics if they haven't been properly socialized. Kittens however adapt pretty well.

Rats are AWESOME. I reccomend Dumbo rats or Hooded rats. Hooded rats are very smart and can become very affectionate. Here is the thing about rats though - Rats really should not be kept in singles. They are very social creatures and often don't do so well when kept alone. Getting two hooded rats, I reccomend males personally they seem to be least agressive. And really, two rats don't take up much more room than one rat, and really aren't much more care.

There are other options too - some reptiles can be good, although I almost never reccomend a reptile for a young child, both because of the salmonella risk and because they can be particularly delicate.

other options include bunnies, guinea pigs, mice

let me know if you want more help figuring this out

Thanks for the replies.

I want to make sure the pet we get is fine with being played with, and is awake during the day so my nephew can play with them.

Guinea pigs sound cute, I don't have too much experience with them.

The thing is with a dog, is that now that I'm in a wheelchair, I don't think I'd be able to walk it (unless I somehow tied the leesh to the wheelchair, and I don't see how that would work). If we get a dog, I want to make sure it doesn't need to be walked too often.

I'm sure the local SPCA would have an evaluation period- I can look into that. I'm not too sure about the puppy either (it's boys, not girls, by the way).

I'm a little hesitant with a cat, because I know a lot of cats don't respond well to being picked up all the time. My friend told me Siamese cats are a playful breed though- but I really don't know much about cats.

I'm a big rat fan myself, I know they're very bright- but are they awake during the day?

My girlfriend said she thought a reptile would be too dangerous. I like rabbits... but I heard somewhere they're very smelly I think?

I had NO experience with guinea pigs..Just a neighbor who did, and she guided me on bedding, food and such.

Heres just a little info if you want to look!
http://guinealynx.info/

Yes, a rat WOULD be up for some portion of the day. Though they are naturally nocturnal you should get at minimum a few solid hours throughout the day where they will LOVE being handled and given treats and such. Some people have had success with training their rats to be up in the daytime and sleep in the nighttime, but I kind of think this is somewhat unhealthy for their rythym. It would be kind of like us working backshift - can screw us up right?

Again, a lab would work well. I think that Sky or Sept has a lab (maybe? I am not sure) and is in a wheelchair too. She does manage to walk her dog ok But again the dog would have to be trained too.

Maybe you could look into getting a dog that is trained to be a companion/service animal AND is good with kids?

Siamese cats are pretty neat. They are quite playful for sure. They are also VERY vocal in most cases, so be prepared for at least some meowing. And again, I would go with a kitten for sure, that way they grow with the BOYS (sorry about that, why did i think you had twin girls? Dont mind me, Im just riddled with pain today and kind of foggy from the meds)and will get used to being picked up and hauled around, and tails pulled ect.

Bear in mind that even with an animal that is well trained or gentle, it is still imperative to teach your children to always be gentle and respectful of a pet. Even with three month olds, they will respond to tone of voice and will watch to see what you do and copy that.

oh and about the cats who dont respond well to being picked up - nine times out of ten this is because the cat was never completely or properly socialized, or that it had a traumatic experience somewhere in its past. This is another reason for getting a kitten in this instance. And if you decide to do that I can provide TONS of information on how to safely socialize a cat. ( I have had .. lets see.. too many cats to count in my life :P)

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mybestkids2 said:
I had NO experience with guinea pigs..Just a neighbor who did, and she guided me on bedding, food and such.

Heres just a little info if you want to look!
http://guinealynx.info/

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a quick note - it is not generally reccomended to use Cedar or Pine bedding as it releases potentially toxic fumes which can cause respiratory distress and illness.

TY for the link, I'll look into it

Yep, I wouldn't want to mess with their internal time. I'll still look into a rat though.

Oh, cool! I can maybe look into a lab then. I have some experience with dogs, although the dogs I owned were Pitbulls and Huskies (neither of which would be a good idea with children).

I can look into that, but if I wanted to look into a service animal I'm not sure I'd be able to adopt it- are pounds ever readily stocked with well trained dogs?

Maybe a kitten then, are they hard to house train? Also... would it try to hunt my nephew's fish?

I'll make sure I teach the kids not to bother whatever pet we get too much.

Thanks for the answers I've always been more of a dog person then a cat person, so I don't know much about cats.

i like rain have had a few cats in my time all from kittens and no they are not hard to train and rains right they do grow with the children
kittens are very playfull as well as they grow they form there own personalties and i dont think two cats are the same, if you start of as you mean to go on with a cat deciding if its a house cat or indoor and outdoor cat ours used to come and go as they please through a cat flap

i also tried hamsters but i found children do get fed up with pets after a while so make sure its something that you will want around as well
what rain says about dogs is right also we had a jack russel and he was into his barking and my children were older but he would still nip at them if they anoyed him

large dogs need a good walk or a large garden to get pleanty of excersise
you should be able to get lots of info from your local shelter

<font color="purple">I've had a guinea pig before, and they are REALLY easy to take care of- even if you don't have expirience with them. If you are going to get a cat though- I actualy would not suggest a siamese, because although they are playful...they aren't exactly the cuddly type, 2 of my cats are part siamese, and they really HATE being picked up (or even petted...unless it's on te head) it was the same way with my neighbor's siamese cats. Some cats though are so cuddly- you swear that nobody ever told them they were a cat!

I would suggest a dog that has been bred for good temperment (that's if you want a purebreed) or if you are going to adopt- then a dog that is good with kids (I'm not sure how it works in Canada, but in the US before you adopt a dog, they specificly tell you if the dog is not good with kids/other animals)</font>

Ah, didn't know that about Siamese cats, ty.

I called one of the local animal shelters this morning, and they said that they have a "colour-code" system for the dogs so you can see if they'd be right for you.

Browsing their website right now, I'll post back with some of the dogs that could maybe work. They also have guinea pigs, rabbits, rats and cats- so a broad selection to look from.

We had a chinchilla, very sweet disposition and sooo soft and cuddly.

When my son was born I had a year old Chihuahua and a two year old Siberian Husky. Both dogs were great with him and wouldn't let an adult near him. The Siberian was my baby sitter when he was in the back yard.

Right now I have a small American Eskimo about three and a Border Collie mix that I got from a shelter and he's about five. Lately I've had a youngster I take care of sometimes that's only 22 mos and both dogs are great with him. I'm so proud of my little eskie because she's not used to kids but he can do anything to her and she doesn't complain. They tend to be biters. The border collie on the other hand has been around kids but he's given him some warnings because he wants to jab his finger in his face.

I had a Keeshond that had a good temperment and was good with kids and very protective of them. The Dutch use them as babysitters.

The most important thing is that the young ones have to be taught how to treat a dog and if the dog loves you, he will love your babies. And, of course, temperment enters into it. Some dogs will tolerate a lot, but there have been two instances where I live that dogs in daycare centers have been teased to the point that they get fed up and bit a child and the dogs are the ones that have to pay for it.

Last but not least, my son had a male Rottweiler that would put up with anything and everything and enjoyed every minute of it.

I'n new here. I didn't notice this post went back to March. Sorry.

Ever given thought to a sweet little ferret (or two)?
they are like having the best of both worlds.. a dog and a cat.