Dog Community

my sister is crazy

Posted : 11/22/2006 9:26:23 AM

I need to vent for a second about how crazy my sister is. My dog comes almost eveywhere with me, including to my parents house for family events. My sister is somewhat afraid of dogs and has always been concerned that my dog will startle her daughter or knock her down. My niece is 18 months old. As a result I have always kept a very close eye on the dog, usually Abbi will just cuddle next to me the entire day or chew on a rawhide in another room. By the way my niece likes my dog- I am really happy that she is not picking up on my sister's fears.
I have been asked to keep the dog away from us during meals so that my niece will not be distracted from eating, which is fine.
My sister is also complaing now that when Abbi is around I don't pay enough attention to my niece, who by the way is at the clinging to mom stage anyway. If I try to even touch my niece or play with her, she screams because she only wants mom.

So there is no way for me to win with the dog there and if I leave her at home my dad would be mad at me and I would miss her all day and have to leave early to let her out.

My sister is under the impression that I need to be more like her brother in law and his wife who don't take their puppy anywhere with them. These are people looking to rehome a

uppy after 4 months because they didn't realize how much work it would be and it might be too much for them after the have their baby. I wish I could take their puppy, but my husband thinks one dog is enough.

rwbeagles

Posted : 11/22/2006 9:47:53 AM

My sister is somewhat afraid of dogs and has always been concerned that my dog will startle her daughter or knock her down. My niece is 18 months old. As a result I have always kept a very close eye on the dog, usually Abbi will just cuddle next to me the entire day or chew on a rawhide in another room.

Nothing wrong with this IMO, dog bites on toddlers are high percentage "the dog you know" or "the family dog"...much more so than a stray (not even because of the dog...but because of the child, and the situations the adults allow to happen). I would think she is quite vigilant and so are you....that's good.

I usually don't bring my dogs places where I know there is someone afraid or uncomfortable around them for whatever real or imagined reason. It confuses my dogs when people don't like them, and I think they pick up on it and it kinda bums them out....so I don't.

The rest? I don't allow dogs around when people are eating either....nothing to do with my kids. I prefer not to be stared at and moaned and groaned at while I eat, lol. My dogs have crates....I use them. They are not free range over my entire home...there ARE places they are not allowed.

The family dynamic is weird at times, I agree...and stressful. So I certainly feel your pain there.

Different strokes for different folks!

spiritdogs

Posted : 11/22/2006 10:04:43 AM

I agree that you shouldn't allow the dog to bother people while they are eating, and perhaps he should be contained at that time. As for me, I really prefer to keep my dogs away from most toddlers, lest the dog get hurt - or blamed for some perceived indiscretion by a hysterical parent. But, if your dad loves the dog and wants to see him, you could let dad and dog play together in a closed bedroom or den, and the weenies in the family can enjoy the day, too. BTW, if it makes you feel any better, I am often accused of the same thing - apaying more attention to the dogs in the family - and I really *do* prefer hanging out with dogs to fawning all over some kid who would really rather that I disappeared LOL.

pointerspice

Posted : 11/22/2006 10:37:18 AM

I don't understand why your sister would get a puppy in the first place if she's going to have a child. A puppy IS a lot of work, and obviously so is a human baby. Was she unaware that she was pregnant when she got the dog?

seashell

Posted : 11/22/2006 10:46:10 AM

I honsetly don't know if her sister in law got pregnant before or after they got the puppy, I am not sure how long they waited to annouce the pregnancy.

I wonder if they have thought about how much work a baby is going to be before they decided to have one.

DPU

Posted : 11/22/2006 11:20:56 AM

The picture (hard for me to see) of the dog looks like a Pointer to me. How could anyone not want to be around a Pointer? Unfortunately you do have to respect fellow family wishes when it comes to your pet. There are a lot of emotions here even the possibility of your niece bugging her mom to get a family pet. Your sister may have a point about the bond between you and your niece. You are with the dog and the dog is liked by niece. I would suggest your dad visit your home and also at the same time do some odd jobs around your house. In my opinion, you missing your dog every now and then will make you appreciate the little fellow more.

As for your brother-in-law and wife, 4 months is enough time to see that the work of raising a puppy diminishes with time. Their situation is not at all that unique and I think they need to discuss their decision further with a third party.

jones

Posted : 11/22/2006 1:18:37 PM

Bring your dog and his crate to your parents' house for the holidays. I can understand not wanting to leave him home alone all day... I usually bring Russell most places too. But the crate will be a godsend during the meal, it is a safe place for him to eat his own food, and it is a fair compromise with your sister as far as having some dog-free time during the day together.

griffinej5

Posted : 11/22/2006 1:35:19 PM

One of my dogs is going to daycare for Thanksgiving (which we are having on Friday because my sister has to work on Thursday). Millie can't go to daycare since the only dog she likes is Max, but life would be much easier if she could. My sister likes the dogs, but her boyfriend is terrified of them. Last year, both dogs were at home, and it was a very difficult situation when I had to sneak Max outside to potty and then back afterwards. The dogs knew people were here, and went nuts the whole time. This year, life will be much easier with Max at daycare. He'll have fun, my sister's boyfriend won't be so stressed out about the dog, and I won't have to deal with him being all over me in the kitchen while i'm cooking. So, i'll put the turkey in the oven and then i'll go drop him off, and i'll pick him up after we eat. Even if my sister and her boyfriend are still here when I have to go pick him up, he'll be exhausted, so he won't bark like a maniac in his crate the whole time. I think it's a much better arrangement, and while you probably can't do that this year, perhaps it's an idea for next year.

olinda

Posted : 11/22/2006 3:18:05 PM

Why are the holidays so hard with family?

Mine for example comes to Houston from all over the world, supposedly to see me, but they don't want to be around my dog, some for phobias, others for medical reasons, others because they are haters..etc..

Since I am the one who cooks, and I am the one who is already at her house, the rules are simple: we rent a dining hall (50 people total) I bring the food, Romeo is only home alone for a couple of hours and after everyone has been fed, I disappear and have a nice Thanksgiving dinner in the peace and quiet of my home with the love of my life. Only those who like Romeo are welcomed, everyone else can do whatever else they want. [

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sillysally

Posted : 11/22/2006 3:27:18 PM

My family isn't really into dogs coming to events either. With Sally, that's totally OK, because she would be stressed by all the new faces, loudness, and general chaos of our family gatherings. She's not a big fan of chaos.

Jack on the other hand, thrives on being the center of attention, and would love nothing more if everyone sat around and adored him, so I do feel kind of bad leaving him out.