Almost forgot ... my husband's ex recently told us that she would like to have the dog. So, it's not like the dog wouldn't be cared for and my husband would lose track of him. I say GIVE HIM TO HER!

Mom 2 4,
Sorry to hear about your dilemma. I'm sure I would be frustrated to. And I'm sure that's how my SO feels about my dog and my cat. But unfortunatley, we get a package deal when we fall in love. Is he okay with the dog being outside? Can the dog have an enclosed area of his own away from the kids? I would agree with your solution to give the dog to the ex. But if you're husband doesn't agree and is that coo-coo over the dog it probably won't happen. Good luck!!

Problem is, a dog can never really be trusted wholly and completely. I have two dogs and a five month old baby, and I while I am confident that they'd never do anything to the baby, I'm not trusting them completely. Not yet anyhow. The dog obviously should be trained to never, ever snap at the young child, and if it happens again, I'd dump the dog, whether DH likes it or not. However, like mom24 said, we do get the package. Hell, I'd take his dog over his kid some days, but I don't think he'll ever forgive you for forcing him to give up the dog if he's not ready to. Why on earth would you get a new puppy if this dog is so problematic?

One question...is his dog fixed? That usually is why they tend to pee on things...to mark their territory if they aren't fixed. Some dogs can't be broken of the habit though no matter what. I just couldn't live with a dog that pees all over my house! The cats tried that and they're gone. Much less stress than having to deal with fighting over what the cats are doing.

Was his dog used to kids before? If he wasn't, it's hard for them to get used to having little ones around. Also, when dogs get older, they change and don't like to be bothered as much and little kids like to bother them. I would keep a close eye on the dog and my kids no matter what because kids have a tendancy to pick and pick and pick and do things until a dog does snap at them because they're tired of it. That's the dog's way of letting the child know he's had enough and won't stand for it. I'm waiting for our Shih Tzu to snap at our 3 1/2 year old. The dog lived with my BIL and SIL the first year of his life and was mangled by their two little kids. DS isn't as bad but there are times I can tell Hunter had enough and I hae to keep yelling at DS. He doesn't think the dog gets mad or will bite or anything. So one day he'll realize Mommy is right. I know Hunter won't really hurt him bad because he's a little dog and not prone to being agressive. My Uncle went through the same thing with their little dog and their son. He bugged and bugged the dog and finally the dog nipped him, that's all it took and the kid learned to back off when the dog had enough.

I also agree that getting a puppy doesn't solve the problem you already have. DH spent so much time begging and begging to have a dog two years ago. We went to the SPCA and picked up a lab/husky mix that was so adorable. He loved having her for about a month. Then he was mad at her all the time. He couldn't stand that the house smelled like her, that she shed, that she chewed up things, that she peed on the floor, she barked, how big she was getting, etc. Yet I was the one home all day training her, correcting her, taking her out to the bathroom, feeding her, cleaning up her messes and everything else. She went outside over a year ago and is still there. I bawled for days because I was used to having her and then she was gone. I want him to find her a new home but he refuses to take her back to the SPCA because she may not find a home. I tried to convince him at the time to get a little dog but no, he had to have this dog. He loves our Shih Tzu so much now...because he doesn't shed and stink like a bigger dog, he takes up little space, doesn't bark, etc. But honestly I'm waiting for him to decide he can't take him when the newness wears off, I'm tired of getting animals that he tires of and then we get rid of and replace with another! This one is staying!

~Leslie~

No, his dog is not neutered. We thought about having that done, but we've heard that neutering a dog at his age won't make much of a difference. I suppose it would probably be best to check with our vet on that.

My husband loves animals. Apparently, even dogs that have gross habits! :-) He knows how I adore toy dogs (well behaved ones, that is), and it was his idea to get a small breed that I had owned previously and loved. He wanted me to have the inside dog I've always wanted -- a buddy to sit in my lap when I'm home working during the day. He got the ball rolling and I went with it. I don't regret getting the puppy! The puppy is not the problem. Everyone loves that little dog, including my husband. And it's already house trained, too!

Hubby's dog stays outside in a dog run (which is HUGE). Don't worry, he has a warm comfy house in his run. I'd be happy if he lived there and I never had to see him again, but yes, my husband takes him out to groom, play with him, etc.

This dog was raised around my SD and supposedly has never snapped at anyone before. But I also know that my S-I-L owned this dog's brother, and she voted her dog off the island when he bit TWO people!

Keep in mind that this dog is a breed that's supposed to be AWESOME with kids and always docile, never ever mean or vicious (this from breed books and the AKC website). Oh, and conventional wisdom from these sources says he's also easily trainable, too ... baahahahhahahahaha!

So, don't ever believe what you hear if you're shopping for a dog!

Hope you don't mind, but as a dog lover a couple of things stood out. I'm hoping this will help you see the other side of the coin. First of all, the dog didn't snap without provocation - a kid stuck a finger in it's ear! No animal should be asked to tolerate being treated poorly. In that situation, I would be more upset with the kid. That is why you should never leave a small child alone with a dog. It's usually not the dog that is the problem, but the child that doesn't understand boundaries.

Secondly, no matter what type of breed a dog is, it has to be properly socialized if you want it to behave well. Dogs are pack animals and learn their social skills from others in their group. When you get a dog, you become its pack. A dog left alone outside the vast majority of the time should not be expected to understand rules it doesn't get to see on a daily basis.

Just some food for thought. I'd hate to see this dog given up without being given a proper chance.

Good luck!

Now I'm worried; what breed is it? I agree with what JBspook says, in that the dog does need increased socialization. What I don't agree with is the dog being provoked and snapping. While there must be limitations set in what a child can/cannot do, it stands to reason that the leader of the pack, or those above the dog in the "pecking order" should be snapped at under any circumstances. That said, however, it's all part of the training process and socialization. This assumes that this was a valid snap, and not just a simple warning that the child has crossed boundaries. I believe the dog, with proper training, knows that you are going to take care of it, which means, you will prevent it from being hurt by another pack member. Without this faith, the dog is left to fend for itself. We've already begun training our two dogs that our five month old infant is off limits unless we are part of the training. The dogs don't even approach the baby unless we are sitting with her and urging them to approach. We have trained them not to snap or growl when we screw with their food and/or bones. Your dog will recognize the limits you establish, but in your case, as you said, it may be too late. Best of luck with the dogs and the child.

Thanks everyone for the words of wisdom! The dog is a corgi. He used to be an inside dog until I put my foot down when we moved into our new house. Because of his horrible marking, and his a nasty habit of eliminating in the house (believe me, my husband has worked long and hard to try to change this), I told my hubby that he either had to live outside or go, and he chose to have him live outside. Pet lover or no, I didn't spend a fortune on a new house for our family to have it ruined by dog piss. For the record, my husband agreed with that.

The dog's bad habits started long before he became an outside dog. And my hubby has spent lots of time with this dog, too. The dog can learn to play dead, but he can't pee outside.

Hopdrop, I agree that he should not snap AT ALL. I don't feel like I can trust him. And yes, I watch him like a hawk when he's anywhere near the kids.

I didn't start out hating this dog as I do now. My feelings (or lack thereof!) developed slowly over time from cleaning up after this potty and marking habits, the snapping and the massive amounts of hair he sheds and other disgusting habits he has. This dog will poop and then step right in it, tracking it all over. Duh-dumb! Dont know, I guess he likes the warm squishy feeling between his toes. They say animals won't eliminate where they sleep -- NOT SO with this one! He'll pee on our deck, hiking his stubby little leg right ON the french doors, and then lay beside to it! Big 'ol frigging yard, and he pees on the door! Yeah, duh-dumb ... I guess he's telling us he prefers to pee INSIDE the house ...

I guess I'm just venting because I know this stupid, nasty dog will go nowhere until he dies. Lucky me.

Mom__2__4,
I totally understand about why you put the dog outside! We've had to do this with cats after several months of trying everything and they kept using the house as a litter box! I didn't get a good reaction at the Pet's forum when I mentioned this once...about the cat being outside but it wasn't fair to us to live with a stinking house and dirty carpet. My DF and I fought constantly when the cats kept going in the house. He was so angry and he'd get mean with the cats. I'd try to defend them but it got to the point where I was just so disgusted myself! There was no reasoning behind why they were doing it! My DF finally sat and cried about the thing and told me how ashamed he was of our house because it smelled like cat pee in the living room and that's the first room everyone walks into in our house and spends the most time in. He also felt so horrible that our 2 year old had to play on a floor that smelled like that. There is NOTHING that can take that smell out but to replace the carpet and all and you can't do that every time an animal makes a mess. So out the cats went. Life has been better since then! Less fighting and the house is smelling a lot better. The ironic part is that the cat now only goes to the bathroom in one spot outside, when she has pick of the whole yard and yet couldn't use a litter box after how many months of no trouble...now explain that!

~Leslie~

Hey, I'm glad you had a happy ending to your story! Guess my hubby still thinks his Old Faithful Fido Friend has a sparkling personality and manners! I love animals, too .. and indeed have been VERY attached to several over the years ... but I draw a line in the sand. If that animal nips, snaps and has disgusting or unsanitary habits that don't seem to respond to training, etc., THEN IT'S TIME FOR THAT ANIMAL TO GO BUH BYE! My family's health and well being are FAR more important than having this dog around. There are homes more appropriate for him than ours. S-I-L's biting dog now lives happily on a secluded farm with no children!

OK ... I think I'm venting and rambling again. Sorry I got off on a tangent. I guess a part of me feels like my husband is putting his loyalty to this disgusting dog ahead of the people in this house!

Well, it's all a moot point now anyway. My husband's dog was sick, so we brought him to the vet. He suffered from total kidney failure due to his advanced age, and had to be put down as the vet told us he could not come home with no kidney function and there was nothing they could do to help him. Get this -- apparently they have dialysis machines for cats, but not dogs!

It was a very hard thing to do, seeing my husband have to put to sleep his pal of over 13 years ...

PS -- hope all of you had a safe and wonderful New Year's.

Mom_2_4,
Did you take this dog to the vet normally? Like for yearly check ups and things or when it seemed sick? Do you think that maybe a lot of his habits of peeing all over may have had to do with a kidney problem? That would explain why he kept going. Often they say when a cat or something does this often they have a urinary tract infection or whatever and I could see it being the same way for the dog. Our cat was healthy, however and just chose to go on the floor.

~Leslie~

Yep, he went for regular checkups. The vet told us this likely started several months back, but most people wouldn't notice the symptoms -- like drinking more than usual -- until he was dehydrated like he was when we brought him in. In any case, even if we had found out months ago, there is no treatment. The vet said while most humans die of heart problems, the majority of older pets die of kidney problems.

A co-worker of my husband has a lab I think it is. This dog is 20 years old. FOr the last 3 or 4 years she has been going for dialysis. They have to drive over 2 hours to get her treatments. I think when it gets to that point the most humane thing is to let them go peacefully.