Pups & Babes

Buffy puppy picture

sent from groomer

My husband and I were going back and forth about getting a dog for a long while. We always pictured our kiddos growing up with a big dog even though we didn’t have one. As if our lives were not crazy enough, we decided to finally bite the bullet and get a puppy while I was just pregnant with my second. Puppies are of course a lot of work compared to a dog, but we wanted to avoid any issues with introducing a dog to a toddler and throwing in another baby into the mix. We wanted to have a dog from day one that was used to kids and knowing that the kids came first and it had to take care of its little people. I would love to adopt one day just this wasn’t the time especially when you have really small kids in the mix.
I know we are crazy, but we were already in the thick of it and there are so many benefits too of raising your child with a dog. It makes them less likely to develop allergies (accustomed to allergens etc), strengthen immune system, companionship, a friend, someone to play who won’t fight back, responsibility (even little things like helping me feed the dog), unconditional love, confidence, less fear of animals, reason to get out (go on trail walks, daily walks with your pup) etc.

christmas card pic

Choosing a breed that is right for you and your family is a very important part of the process once you have decided if you will adopt or buy a puppy. My husband and I have always been a fan of larger dogs. My husband had some bigger dogs growing up, but I didn’t - the most I got was a Yorkie (who was adorable). Dogs like golden retrievers, bullmastiff, Irish wolfhound, great dane, husky etc.

But the one we decided on was a Great Dane. We wanted a breed that was large and intimidating enough (to make my husband feel comfortable when he would have to work late), but extremely gentle with the kids. Gentle Giant is this breed. And if you are thinking of this breed with kids I would highly recommend! The other added benefit was Danes are generally quite lazy dogs and they don’t require a lot of exercise since it’s not good for their hearts. So if we only did have time for shorter walks it wouldn’t be an issue. They have such big hearts and are very easy to train since they want to please their owners so much (not because of how smart they are..). Even though they are large someone may be worried about their size and if they may accidentally step on kids etc. But for us, our dog learned very fast how to maneuver and avoid brushing the kids. The only issue with little kids is their tail. For a 1-3 year old, their swinging tail is right at the kids height and it will hurt if they hit your kid. I only really found an issue with it when someone came to the door (since the dog and kids would huddle around the entrance and the dog would get excited and hit the kids with their tail). But they are ways to get around and avoid those occurrences (like restraining your dog until your guests come in).

Family walks

with new puppy

My husband found a breeder through the CKC (pure-bred : this was important to limit health problems since these big dogs are prone to certain issues like gastric torsion and heart disease) with these adorable mantle (mostly black with white chest and patches) puppies and he suckered me into getting one. We picked a female dog from the litter since females are generally more docile, maternal and smaller size-wise. When the dogs are really huge they can have major health issues later on. We got a good price for her especially considering her good pure bred parents since the breeder was starting out (both parents European Danes, the mother was imported from Europe) . My husband took a day to drive to Quebec with his dad to pick her up. We named her Buffy - the breeder asked too so she would start calling her that name before we picked her up. Yes I am a Buffy Vampire Slayer fan. She was also puppy pad trained so once she got home it took us 2 weeks to fully potty train her..so lucky! We immediately fell in love with her. She was so sweet, docile and loved giving kisses. Even though she was a puppy only 8 weeks old, she was already the size of a small border collie. She was growing so fast! She honestly slept so much and hated going on walks (Don't blame her since it was winter and my husband would take her out at 6am). My daughter loved her and gave her so many hugs and kisses and Buffy loved it too. She wouldn’t jump too much and we were really on top of it to make sure she wouldn’t accidentally hit Brooklyn. And by the time Charlotte came around, she was so used to kids she had no issues and she was always so gentle. The girls could do anything to her. Jump on her, pull her, grab her and she would just take it. I was so paranoid before I got her making sure I would always separate the dog and Brooklyn whenever I would leave the room, but once I met her and realized how quickly she loved and protected those girls - I wasn’t worried. She didn’t have a mean bone in her body.

Of course there is always drool and hair to deal with - but we do live with 2 kids so I was going to have to clean all the time anyways. And there are other factors to consider such as cost. Dogs do cost money and large dogs cost more in terms of food and vet bills (more medication). And if you do want to partake in overnight events with the kids you need to arrange care for your dog. But if you are willing to deal with all these factors, it really is worth it!

Definitely do not regret it especially seeing how much the girls have a bond with their doggy as they grow up <3