Babies and dogs-Opinion please

LOL! Well, I haven't HAD any kids, but I've been a kid who grew up with dogs and I've watched my sister, who is six years younger, grow up with dogs, as well as seeing my friends who have raised kids with and without dogs.

The kids who grow up with dogs being important family members are just 'different.' They are less self-centered and seem to find it easier to look at life through compassion's lens. They also have more respect for other living beings of all kinds - provided, of course, their parents have raised them to treat their pets with respect.

had both..still have both..works just fine..the human heart is amazing at it's ability to expand and expand..a child is not a dog..a dog is not a child..and you can and will love both differently and at the same time..see my no film thread i posted yesterday..i will go find the link. here tis
http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5280 just takes some extra effort in the training and a bit of common sense..if Jory was here all the time, Vic would know and be fine,,but since he just arrived from Texas..and Vic is so hyper i thought it best to take it slow.

I have always heard also that kids that grow up with dogs or cats tend to have less allergies as an adult. Probably lower blood pressure too. Animals make you happy.

Well they make me happy as I am sure they do all you.

You're right about the allergies, Bogo - even the medical community has decided that's true.

Bogolove, that is totally untrue (the allergy part). People can get accustomed to their pets, but they will still be allergic to others. I've had severe pet allergies all my life even if I have always lived with cats. It just wasn't too bad with mine except when I left for a couple weeks or more, then it was hell when I came back. If I visited people who had cats, it was bad as well. I went through 7 years of shots to get rid of it, it never worked. I still have pets though, and I do get used to mine, but other people's pets still make me sick.

I have 3 cats and a dog, and I'm working on getting pregnant as we speak, and I still want another dog later. I agree with Renee in the sense that children that grow up with pets are often more sensitive to other living beings as a whole. Honestly I couldn't imagine have children without pets. You have to be careful with dogs though, but if you have pugs at least they are less likely to hurt a baby when trying to play.

Although, I don't think that you will be able to compete much with your pets for a while. Some 7 year old kids will love dog shows, but under that age you won't really be able to take care of the dogs AND the children - unless you find someone else to take care of them when you are showing your dogs. Bottom line, if it's too far from your house it will probably not be possible for a while, because children require lots of attention and I don't think it would be fair to leave them alone one week end every month for shows.

I'm not familiar with the dog competition world, but I think that you will have to take a break from it when your children are small. But keep in mind that you will have all your life to show your dogs, but not that long to have children.

Fran, Bogo's right and the science finally proves it, but it doesn't always work for everyone. Guess you just got stuck with the rarer condition.

Part of the allergic reaction some people have to animals other than their own, especially in different environments isn't necessarily to the dander, either, although it can be. Animals - particularly cats - pick up all sorts of allergens from the environment and carry them on their fur.

Franz 27...I only show locally about 1 weekend a month and I don't spend the night. We stay at the show for about an hour and a half. That's it, just long enough to show and go! I have an incredible husband who will be as much of a parent as I will to the baby and he will be there to cuddle the baby while I am in the ring for 15 minutes! On occasion we may go to a hotel etc. The baby would always come and my husband would be there as a supportive helping hand as he has always been.

Thanks to everyone for their encouragement. I truly believe that kids need a ton of loving attention and I would never ignore that need, but showing my dogs is in my bones and I don't know if I could live without it. If we have a baby, the baby will be part of it, and not left behind My young nephews attend my dog shows and love it!

When we first moved to our house the next door neighbor raised and bred Husky's. She had 2 show dogs. She also had 3 children, the twins were only 4 when we moved here. I dont know how she did it before we moved into our house but I know she continued to do certain dog shows. The kids would stay with their grandparents when dad had to work so she could do the dog shows.

it isn't so much the dander..it is the saliva and body wastes.. i have extreme allergy from long term exposure..that is what the doc said to me..he never saw such a reaction to dogs..i get near a kennel or shelter and i about suffocate..tho i worked in one for two decades. If i am around unwashed dogs i get the same thing...Mom had a dog that licked herself all the time and being around her was like sniffing laundry soap up my nose..i wash my dogs twice a week (their coats and skin are just fine..in fact better than anybody else's dog i have seen and they smell a lot better too) so that takes care of the problem completely.

Well, you are the first person I have ever heard of that happening to, I have never personally known anyone who has had pets when they were younger that developed an allergy. Plus, I have read articles about it, so please don't jump down my throat when you want to disagree with my opinion. Just state your facts and I promise to read your opinions, be an adult, and not jump down your throat. I didn't mean anything personally about it, I had just read it before in articles and never knew anyone that has developed a pet allergy after having them. I know plenty of people that have never had them, and are severely allergic to them. So, if everyone I know backs up my theory, I wouldn't know any different, would I?

But I appreciate another opinion on it, so don't get me wrong here.

i did..and big time..after talking to some people that also had been long time employees at shelters and such i found that they too had developed severe allergic reactions..i figured it was what Dharma from Dharma and Greg saying the universe was trying to tell me something..that it was time to move on. Twenty years of breathing concentrated dog put me in the hospital..i had pneumonia for two years..when i finally left the kennel cleaning to someone else..i got better. Now i have to stay away from such places. When i brought Victor home i was practically in repsitory distress before i got him bathed.

If I became allergic to animals, I don't know what I would do. I guess I would just have to suffer because I could not get rid of my furbabies. I guess you just bathe them a lot and vaccuum a lot? Does that help?

My best friend's boyfriend is allergic to cats and when he comes over to our house (they are out of town so they usually stay the night) and I have to super clean the house and especially the room they stay in. Then they bring one of those air purifiers and plug it into the wall and we keep the door closed so it will clean the room where he sleeps. Plus he has to take benedryl while he is there.

I always heard a person can be not allergic to something all their lives then develop an allergy to it later in life. Plus a person can be allergic to cats and not dogs. In fact I think I know of more people allergic to cats than to dogs. Who knows, maybe some of the allergies come from a shampoo a person uses on their pets, or something the pet lays in or on or plays in that causes an allergy. There are 5 of us kids in my family. We was raised on a farm and always had dogs and cats and other animals. When I was born we had a dog so we've always been around animals. 3 of us have bad allergies to pollens, and dust. But we all have pets and no allergies to them. I know a girl who was raised with a dog in her life. She never had an allergy to the dog but had a allergy attack everytime she got near a cat.
I dont think Fran was trying to be nasty, just trying to tell what she has found to be true in her experience. I tend to agree with the theory though about being raised around pets you wont have the allergies.

it wasnt until i became physically weaker that i developed so many allergies..i believe it was a stressed immune system that started it all off..Bogo my doc said i would have to immediantly get rid of my dogs and stay away from them for life..bawl baby i am was already dripping tears before he finished the sentence..i was raised with animals all my life..i knew in my heart there was no way i could exist with out a dog..so keeping the washed and taking allergy shots for about 2 years has done the job..i believe keeping the washed did more than the shots..as soon as they start smelling doggy..i start stuffing up..the bonus is they always smell like pantene and are wonderful to touch..it can be done..bathing dogs just ins't that hard.


as to babies and dogs..i wanted to add this..when Aaron was a baby i lost my milk at 6 months so he was a bottle baby..i was also bottle feeding a pup i brought home from the shelter before it's eyes were open..i had a large smock and kept the puppie's bottle in one pocket..and the puppy in the other so i could sneak him into places with me..i once got in and realized that i had AAron's bottle..not the puppy's and was at a guest artist speaker's lecture so we had to let the puppy suck on a thumb and try to pretend we didn't know where those whimpers were coming from...i have always had dogs and babies..just thought i would share the story tho i don't know how much it really has to do with the tread.

I could not live without pets. Even if it means I die 10 years earlier... All the doctor I've met tell me I need to get rid of them, and I tell them it's not an option.. I started having asthma at 5 or so, I just had to keep it under control but it was awful when I came back from vacations (we put the cats in a kennel). Usually it was pretty bad for 2 months then settled down, but at 14 it didn't, so I went to see a specialist. I got shots every week/month for 7 years. It helped a bit, so that now I get used to my own pets, but I still get red eyes/sniffy nose with others. It's not only cats, but everything furry (a trip in a carridge would take me straight to the hospital I think). Last fall when we put the heat on, I had my nose totally stuck and couldn't breathe through it for over 3 months... probably because we moved the bed and I was sleeping next to the vent and it sended all those allergens that way... I changed sides, and it helped. Other than that, I just need some asthma/allergy meds once a day and it's fine. Much better than living without pets for sure.

bless claritin and zertecd what would we doooooooooooooo without? Flonase is suppose to work but it gives me a sore throat.

I am so sorry that you have to go through all that for your love of animals. What a perservering love you have! Have you thought about getting one of those air purifiers? It may help. My best friend's boyfriend bought one of the expensive ones and she has a cat and he is allergic and it helps him a lot. I hate that you and smkie are allergic to something you both love so much. My hubby loves shrimp and lobster, and he is allergic to it and he can't stand that he is allergic to it. He tries to sneak it sometimes, and I get on to him because I don't want him to end up in the hospital. But shrimp and lobster don't compare to dogs and cats. I would rather give up shrimp and lobster.

Im also allergic to dust, fur, dog hair, especially cats. My noise starts to get really itchy and itchy throat. But I guess it isn't that bad compared to you fran27. I take claritin and it helps but it doesn't get rid of it completely.

my godmother had twin boys, and before she gave birth she bought a doxie.

when the boys turned 1 they got very curious about the dog, and would tug on his ears and get into his food.

the doxie was very food aggressive and ended up biting one of the boys on the ear...

so my godmom had to give the doxie away... it was so sad..

just socialise your pup and get him used to the idea of kids.


cheers...