Struggling with Whether or Not to Get Rid of Dog...

That is tough. This may sound silly but when I got married I had a really needy and awesome cat. I mean he slept with me, like in my arms, he was just the most loving animal. I ended up giving him to my mom when I got married because I was really concerned that he would feel neglected. So I would say if you do have to give her away it will help if you can find a home where you know their standards of pet care will match yours. I knew my mom would give my kitty tons of love and not allow him to go outside because he was declawed etc. It will all work out but if do have to give her away, knowing she is in a home as good as yours really helps. Best wishes and congrats on your new addition!!

We went through the same thing when our first child was about that age. Our dog had been our baby for 3 years, but when a 'real' baby came into the picture...well, it just wasn't the same. There was jealousy from the dog, less patience from us, and it just made me feel frustrated and guilty all the time. So I posted an ad on a local classified site online and explained the situation. I stated that I would be very particular about who our dog went to, but that I was giving our pure-bred Min Pin away for free to a loving home who would treat him like family. We found a Christian family with three kids who were so excited to have him. They even sent us email updates a couple of times after he went to live with them. I was very sad, and I even miss that darn animal today, 5 years later. But I never regreted the decision. It made for a much better environment for our family. And, as much as we loved that little dog, our human family had to come first.

I know it's a tough decision, but if you and your husband both feel this way, then now is the time. When the new baby is born, it will probably just get worse. And I agree with another poster who said that waiting any longer will just give your son time to understand that he is losing his dog. Right now, he would hardly notice. It's up to you guys, but don't feel bad. If you decide to find her a new home, it will be for her benefit and your family's. That's nothing to feel bad about!

Good luck!!
C.

We went through the same thing when our second child was born but we had three dogs. So we gave one away to my dad, who treats him better than we could have even tried to treat him, and the other two are outside dogs. I feel bad about them being outside all the time but they do get to come inside in extreme heat/ cold and the rain. Plus one of the dogs is really old and that has always kept me from giving him away since I've had him during his entire life and it's not fair to do to him now. So once he passes, we will let the other dog back inside.

If I were you and you want to give him away, I would do it now while your child is still to young to really grow attached and make some peace in your home with your husband. If you really don't want to do that then you could make him an outside dog with a few priveliged hours in the house a day and maybe let him sleep inside still.

Hello there,yes i went thru the same problem last year well we gave are dog away due to the baby it was to hard.we gave him to a family that had other dogs as well to where he had some body to play with.so it all worked out for the best.girl two babys and a dog no no thats way to much work and its not fair to your doggie.i woul give him to a good home if it was me.let him have a life with people that has time for him.i wish you well.god bless

We adopted a beagle puppy when my son was 2- and I'm a huge animal lover so I figured my patience and skills w/dogs would make it a smooth process. How wrong I was! Between potty-training my 2-yr-old and the puppy, I nearly lost my sanity. This beagle unfortunately was very, very stubborn and wasn't blessed w/ a full brain, so it made even basic training extremely frustrating (for me). We kept at it, and went through the puppy years, and let me tell, you, it really made me question whether I was a dog person after all! Now that she's almost 3, she's settled down a bit but still has issues with constant baying/ whining/ barking, peeing on one darn spot on the carpet, and hyperactivity in general. My husband saw my frustration at the end of the day- and suggested we just cut our losses and find her a new home. I felt incredibly guilty about it- she was my idea, plus I love animals and never even thought I'd ever need to find one of my own a new home. But I'm expecting our 2nd, and the daily stress this dog caused me isn't fair to her, me or the rest of our family. My son is still young enough that I'm *hoping* he will come through this okay. We placed her last week with a new family who has another beagle for her to play with and was really excited about her. It was really hard but I truly feel it was the right thing for her and our human family. My son was also starting to show signs of allergies, so it reassured us the timing was right. If you feel like you just aren't going to be happy with your dog, especially with a 2nd on the way, don't feel bad about finding a better home for your dog!!

Well, I'm a pet sitter by trade (at least for now), was a vet tech through my first run through college, have 2 dogs of my own, etc, so I am a HUGE animal lover!! I say, if you are feeling like this, and enough to ask for advice, it's probably time to find the pup a good home. It's okay to let him go to a good home, really, it is. You don't need to feel guilty (provided you find him a safe and loving new home) sometimes these things just don't work out like we thought they would. So, just work on finding an appropriate home, and know that it's OK!!!!!

Have you tried some "dog-training"? It's actually training for you, to help you communicate with/understand your dog and meet his needs. This is a fairly common issue, and many have found solutions that kept their "first-born" at home.

I'm sure that you'll want to know that you tried everything you can before giving up on him. Some people would say that this is the same as having a needy older child and learning how to tend to the needs of all members fo your family, however inconvenient.

Maybe a close friend or family member can take him if you find that you just can't do it.