Doggie!

My son can say 4 words and 2 sentences: 'Mama', 'Dada', 'Bath', 'Dog', 'I did it!', and 'All done!'. Of these the one most often used is 'Dog'. My house is a zoo, dog hair is my nemesis, but these dogs are my sons favorite playmates.

My husband has a pitbull. I know, I know, how dare I bring a pitbull around my child?! The stigma attached to the breed is horrendous, but Molly is my 12 year old sweetheart. Molly's previous owners had kids, and she tolerated the abuse from them for years with a smile on her face and a wag of her tail. The dogs I was a tad concerned about were my two wiener/chihuahua mixes. These dogs showed up at my house the day before I found out I was pregnant, and despite looking for their owner and not being able to find someone who was willing to give them a good home together, they've become part of our family. I only had 9 months to get to know these pups, and was worried that their hyperactive behavior and slight food aggressiveness would pose as problems with an infant.

As luck would have it all three dogs adjusted well. Molly would cower when my son would cry as though she thought she did something to cause it, so she spent the first couple months Nathan was home hiding in her dog bed in my bedroom. The bigger of the who wiener dogs, Chuck Norris, took to Nathan quickly and has been by his side since day 1. Chuck is now Nathan's dog and partner in crime. The littlest of the dogs, Bruce Lee, is still occasionally oblivious to the fact that he is no longer 'the baby' and that sitting on, sleeping on, or licking my sons face is a 'no-no'. Bruce has learned to love Nathan for the simple fact that he drops food.

Before my son, before my husband and I were married, back when I was 18 and living on my own I thought it would be a great idea to get a dog to keep me company. I went to numerous animal shelters before I found what I thought was the perfect puppy. He was a black and white Belgian Malinois whom I named Rufio. This dog HATED my husband, then boyfriend. He would bark at, bite and chase him on a daily basis. For 5 years my husband was attacked by this dog. We tried everything short of euthanizing or sending him back to a shelter.

When my husband and I married I was finally faced with having to make a decision regarding the dog. My dogs and I had been living with my mother while my husband was overseas. While there Rufio took to my mother like I had never seen him do with anyone before. I decided that if my husband and I were going to get rid of the one stressor in our life, and if we ever wanted children, I would have to part with my dog. My mother was at a point in her life that the companionship of Rufio was a perfect fit for her, so when my husband and I moved to Texas we left the dog behind. (My mother and the dog are attached at the hip now, and she has done wonders with the dog- more than I could have or was ever able to.)

I had the foresight to know I would not have been able to bring a child into a home with a dog as unpredictable and angry as he was.

Growing up I was taught that pets were part of the family- they were actual family members. Pets were not something you brought home on a whim and when things became inconvenient you got rid of them. Leaving Rufio with my mother was incredibly heartbreaking, but I knew he would be well taken care of. Before I had my son my pets were just one notch below my husband on my priority list. When I brought my son home from the hospital my priorities shifted; my son is number 1. I love my dogs very much, and they are still members of my family, but if faced with a choice where my son would benefit in us rehoming our pets I would do it for him.

Your children's well being should be above anything or anyone else- above yourself, your pets and even your spouse. I personally believe you should be willing to make this adjustment before deciding to have children.