I've just done something really silly (although very exciting! lol). A friend of mine was looking for a home for her dog, she's split up with her partner a while ago and he kept the dog. He's now moving in with his new partner but can't take the dog, and my friend has a child who is constantly in and out of hospital so she doesn't feel it's fair to take the dog on. I asked her about him (I know her mainly online, haven't seen her for a while so don't know the dog) and she said he's great with kids - she has 2 with her ex and he has 2 teenagers with special needs, all 4 kids have pulled the dog around and he's never snapped.
So I've said I'll give him a trial for a week We always had dogs when we were kids, and seen how envious my kids are of their cousins who have a dog, and have always wanted them to have the experience. My partner doesn't live with us, so it'd be really hard to exercise a dog when it's dark, raining, etc, with no-one to stay home with the kids, but this dog is a Yorkie and won't need as much exercise. We can walk him to school with us, take him out in the daytime and he's got use of the garden too.
Someone has commented to me on Facebook that we shouldn't have dogs if we're minding!! A childminder friend of mine had a dog much bigger than this one. Surely if we risk assess and make sure the kids aren't left alone with the dog, and they don't pull him around, etc, then it's no different to having my other animals? There's a corner in my living room between two sofas where he could have a bed and no children can access it without climbing over the arms (which they're told not to do), so he would have somewhere to go, away from the kids.
I'm really excited, we're going to give him a try, and my older 2 girls are at their dad's so have no idea. Can't wait to see their faces!!!! So... do I need to text all the parents to let them know?! Should I have done that first? I'm fairly sure none of them will have a problem with it, but now worrying myself that I've done something stupid...!!!!!
xx
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