Kids and dogs, your opinions please??

It's good that you are making up your mind now. It won't be such a new thing when the puppy arives. Maybe knowing so far ahead of time you can get things ready for your son to be used to having a dog around. I know it can be tricky, because you are moving, but maybe if you put the dogs food and water dish out and leave it empty your son will get used to seeing it there and not be tempted to go near it in a couple of months when there will be food in it. It will also give him reminders of what to look forward to. Kind of like a second nursery would when you have a new baby coming. I don't know if you plan to get a dog bed too, but it might be good if your son is going to crawl all over it, to do it now when it's not covered in hair, plus the new dog will have your sons scent all over it too.
Have fun preparing. I think Labs are great dogs and if you are committed to owning a pet, then I'm sure you will be good at it.

Best wishes

I did it - in fact I got my weimaraner when I was 6 months pregnant, he welcomed my first daughter without any jealousy, then my second daughter 19 months later. He's the best dog as he learned to be careful around kids. He knows the difference between children and adults and never ever has jumped up or knocked down a kid. Big deal for an 80+ pound dog.

I just recently got my 2nd dog - a JRT. She's a nut, growls, bites the girls but this is because the girls are older now (5 + 4) and chase her, grab her, hold her tail. With me however she's a very gentle dog.

It is a lot of work - housebreaking, then the food dish was a big issue at my house because my oldest daughter would emulate the dog and go drink & eat from his bowl... ANd cleaning up pet waste... fun times while still changing diapers. I swear, I've seen my fair share of *kitten*!

Oh, and the romantic idea of taking the dog for a walk alongside the stroller... well, if you can do it, kuddos to you.

But I would never change having my weimaraner when I did - he's the best dog ever... the JRT, still some regrets.

PS - One thing to consider: having to deal with the death of your pet at a youngish age...

Dogs and kids are a great combination! Puppies and toddlers, no way, no how!

I foster for a rescue. For those who say they want to know the history and why the owners have given the dog up, I can promise you in 99% of the cases (I foster golden retrievers and golden retriever mixes), it's because the owners were horribly irresponsible and it's not the fault of the dog. Any reputable rescue isn't going to place a dog that they aren't 1000% sure is good with small children in a home with small children. We do this for the dogs, and we want them to finally have a real family to love. We sure aren't about to set them up for failure by placing them in a home where they're just going to get dumped again.

Now, I have fostered over 50 dogs and puppies. For the last 6 years, we have only done puppies. We have fostered approximately 35 puppies over that time, so I think I am pretty much an expert at raising puppies. I would NEVER do it if I had a toddler or an infant. With most puppies up to 4 months old, you have to get up once and sometimes twice a night to take them out to potty. You also have to take them out at a moments notice while you are housetraining them so they don't have an accident in the house. They chew, they bite, they don't understand that a baby isn't a chew toy. They scratch you, they bark and they cry when you put them in the crate or wherever you choose to keep them while housetraining them. They don't care if it's baby's naptime or bedtime, they will still bark and yip and howl until they get used to the separation from you (and initially their litter).

My foster puppies are with me for 2-16 weeks depending on their age when they come in and how much training they need. I have had some that I absolutely would not adopt to anyone with small children. These are puppies that are "landsharks" in that they just can't seem to control their biting. When my puppies leave me, they are basic obedience trained to sit, down, shake and wait for their food. Plus they are normally almost completely housetrained.

Please urge your friend to spay her female. It doesn't sound like you are in the US (though I may have been mistaken), but allowing a dog to breed with whatever male comes along is irresponsible regardless of the country you live in.

We have 3 dogs and 3 kids. Our oldest dog and kid are about to turn 14. The dog followed our duaghter where ever she went and would scrtach me if he felt I let her cry too long. the other two dogs came along after my ywo other children were born. We have had nothing but good expereinces and will be devestated when our oldest dog passes away. That will be the hard part. Telling my kids that there "brother" is dead.

BTW we have a terrier dauchstun (sp?) mix (the oldest), a minatire schnauzer and a rottweiler australian shepperd mix.

Regardless of whether or not you take this pup, could you please suggest to your friend to have her Lab spayed?

I've worked in shelters and animal hospitals, and it's heartbreaking the number of pets who are put to sleep simply because there's not enough homes.

Seriously! In this day and age it is unconscionable to have unaltered dogs roaming into yards impregnating other unaltered dogs, ridiculous really. SEE MY AVATAR!

I'm also a huge advocate of adopting older pets. I agree, with shelter dogs, you don't know their history. But a lot of rescue group foster the dogs in homes for weeks or months, so they've give the dogs a head start on basic obedience and house-training, as well as a pretty solid glimpse into their temperament. Many are fostered in homes with children, with other dogs, with cats, etc. I've known several rescues that became therapy dogs.

THIS

My number 1 bit of advice - learn about canine body language and behaviour (language first)!

Just about every story in the papers can be explained through a lack of understanding of the basics of both; all those 'he/she attacked with no warning' are almost always total rubbish, what has happened is the owners have not seen the signs of problems the dog is giving off or worse, have punished behaviour such as growling (simply the dog's way of saying they aren't comfortable) so the dog no longer shows it and goes on to attack 'without warning'.

Such horror stories are completely avoidable with just a little bit of knowledge and care. LIttle things like making sure dog and child can both get away from each other if they need to; not leaving dog and child unattended together; knowing the dog's basic signals that say 'I am not comfortable' such as growling, but also things lip lip-licking; turning away from the child; recognising an anxious expression and so on (not at all difficult if you take the time to learn a little bit - Turid Rugaas has written many excellent things on canine body language and signals that would be worth a look).

That said, I agree with what others have said - a puppy is just like having another baby and will require just as much work. An older dog can work and a lot of rescues will use foster homes which allows for a much better assessment of the dog's temperament (because it can be seen in the sort of environment it'll end up in - can't see a lot of interaction with people/kids out and about if the dog's in a kennel!). And a reputable rescue will be honest and help you find a good match. Rescue doesn't necessarily mean the dog has problems - my own lab came to me at 6yrs old after a relationship breakup, I can't fault her, she's spot on with everyone and everything, just fabulous and a very steady dog.

And do try and persuade your friend to get the mother spayed - no idea where you are but the rescue situation here is at breaking point, thousands upon thousands of dogs needing homes and the same again being PTS for lack of homes because they shouldn't have been bred to start with