Pets MEGA Cats VS Dogs - POLL!

[xena]

pictures

yay! you got a guinea pig! i LOVE my boy piggies.

my males are named hammie and wilbur. i had them for about a month before the right names popped into my head. i think it takes time to figure out personalities before picking names.

congrats, though!

 

[xena]

I was thinking about that ... waiting a month or so to make sure I am totally up for wanting to take on another GP ...

i'd discourage you from adding a 2nd male guinea pig later. male guinea pigs can be very territorial, and in groups, there is usually a dominant one. if you purchase a 2nd dominant one, they'll end up fighting a lot. i had 1 guinea pig years ago, after he passed away i got the 2 guys i have now. they already lived together and i watched them for a while in the store to see how they interacted. one is dominant, but the other isn't, so there aren't any problems.

as far as extra work is concerned with having 2... i know it's basically double the work, time, and money, but sometimes it seems like way more than just double! it's worth it though. when they 'talk' to each other, they use types of squeaks that i never heard before. it's pretty neat.

i'd strongly discourage you from adding a 2nd pig to the mix at this point. if you really want to later, then talk to a couple of vets first, and check into the store's return policy.

enjoy!

 

[alicat72]

"harry's yard"?

its your yard. and to bad for harry, he now has limited access to "his" yard and you let him pass when you want, and when the baby is secure.

im sorry to say but your dog lost his freedom and privileges for the yard when he bit your babies head.

your gonna have to control where he is from now on if your going to keep him.

also from the photos, he does not look like a lab, he looks like a rottwieler mix.

my point was that the yard is where he uses the bathroom. he needs access to it.

he is lab/gordon setter mix. thats why he has the brown speckles on his face....

 

[alicat72]

^Perhaps you could change playrooms temporarily?

yes something is going to have to happen with rearranging things for now...

 

[SweetSpot]

i'd strongly discourage you from adding a 2nd pig to the mix at this point. if you really want to later, then talk to a couple of vets first, and check into the store's return policy.

enjoy!

I totally agree with what you said about 2 males fighting, but surely thats why it would be important to get the 2nd pig now, while pig no 1 is young enough to accept it? I think waiting and bringing in another male when the 1st is a mature adult would definitley lead to fights, don't you think...?
The thought of a solo pinny gig makes me sad

 

[eDDe9]

Get a female then.. and set up a guinea pig business as you sell their babies

 

[SweetSpot]

Wikipig:

Domesticated guinea pigs thrive in groups of two or more; groups of sows, or groups of one or more sows and a neutered boar are common combinations. Guinea pigs learn to recognize and bond with other individual guinea pigs, and testing of boars shows that their neuroendocrine stress response is significantly lowered in the presence of a bonded female when compared to the presence of unfamiliar females.[35] Groups of boars may also get along, provided that their cage has enough space, they are introduced at an early age, and no females are present.[36]

 

[MynameisnotDeja]

Dogs and small children don't mix. You really can't let one near the other and turn your back for even a second. I would suggest either finding the dog a new home (a real home with a caring family, not leaving it at an animal shelter to be gassed), or taking steps to keep the dog and the kid separate. It's not the animal's fault, it just acts on instinct.

Absolutely agreed. I definitely do not think the dog should be put down, it sickens me that this practice is allowed to take place. Maybe the doggie could be an outside dog, or you could just be really careful about having him next to the baby. People who are saying you should have beat up the dog are fucking sick. I'm sure he didn't mean it. Just be careful, if you have to, find him a new home but god, murdering him isn't the answer.

 

[eDDe9]

Damn Hugs

I just really really hope this doesn't have any long term effects on your baby

 

[Mariposa]

Please rehome the dog to a family without children, being honest about what happened, after medical complications such as a tumor are ruled out.

I had the same reaction as the docs and nurses finding out that this was a Lab -- they don't generally do that. I hope your daughter makes a speedy and full recovery.

 

[Johnny1]

alicat, I'm so sorry you are in this very painful situation.

I definitely do not think the dog should be put down, it sickens me that this practice is allowed to take place.

I respectfully disagree, as long as it's done humanely. It depends on how attached the dog is to its owners. If you give a dog away, will the dog's heart be broken? If you put the dog to sleep, all the dog will know is that it's loved and has a great life. Then it goes to sleep and doesn't wake up. No heartache, just love and peace.

Maybe...you could just be really careful about having him next to the baby.

NOT AN OPTION! Another attack may never happen, or it could happen again so fast that the baby would be killed or scarred before she could stop it. I'm a parent of a little girl, and I also love dogs, so I can't imagine the heartache alicat is going through, but having the baby around this dog again is not possible. No baby or small child can come near this dog. She has a responsibility to make sure this is the case. She was extremely lucky that her child is going to be okay after this incident.

People who are saying you should have beat up the dog are fucking sick.

Yes, they are fucking sick.

 

[syymphonatic]

I normally side with the animals in biting cases, but in this case, it's too severe.

I know it's not so cut and dry for you, but you need to quit questioning what to do and just DO - the dog needs to go. You need to get rid of him, period.

An animal bite that punctured your baby's scull is NOT something to be wishy washy about. You don't have that option.
If I were a legal authority, I would consider you for child endangerment if you kept the dog.
Even though there could be several reasons for his behavior, none of them his fault, you you can't afford to have a choice to keep him or reform him. He almost killed your baby.

 

[Khadijah]

Wat to do ? U should drownd that fucking mutt in the nearest sewer. i LOVE animals but that shit jus aint right. heeelll no. any dog bit my baby, in the HEAD no less and that mongrel piece of shit is goin down. Na Im wrong for that,realistically u shouldnt do sumthin to hurt the dog, but u should get rid of him humanely meaning go to sleep, doggy. i wouldnt b able to kill a animal in the way i said in my first sentence i was exaggerating becuz thas my first reaction even if it aint wat i would truly do. but my point is just that i dont kno how anybody could have that happen and be more worried about the dog than their own kid thats all.

 

[RoxiPoppyGirl]

Could you find a close friend to take him or someone to foster him for a few years? I don't think the dog should be put down, the dog doesn't know that what he did was wrong, in his mind he may have been protecting you for some reason but you're right, it's unexceptable behavior but you have to remember our pets are animals first, and pets second and they can easily revert to the ANIMAL side or part of them at anytime. Obviously something set the dog off.

I don't think it would be safe to have the dog and the baby in the same house.And it wouldn't be fair to the dog to keep him lucked up in a closed off area of the house. The best thing would be to foster him out for a few years also during those few years or whatever time he's being fostered he should be with a dog trainer and trained and have someone work with his aggression. I know you said he's never aggressive but if a dog does that once they are likely to do it again.

Please don't put the dog down. I don't think you will, it sounds like you really love him.He just needs to be away from the baby.

Thank god your little one is ok. That's a pretty bad injury she had. I'll keep her in my thoughts and that she continues to recover well.

RPG

 

[Ernestrome]

I'd get the dog moved out to a family member today, or at the very least put outside until you can have someone else take him permanently.

It's either that or have the kid adopted.

 

[LoveAlways]

Can you keep Harry outside???

This makes me very very nervous with a baby on the way and Liliko'i-3yr old pitbull as the big sister....I think I'm going to have to have a talk with my boyfriend

 

[alicat72]

i was thinking of building harry an outside kennel today. filling it with straw so that he'd be cool in the summer and warm in the winter....

that means that amelie would not be able to play in her yard. we would have to play in the almost non-existant front yard.

i have no idea. i'm waffling....

i do not even know if the vet would put him to sleep just because he bit a baby.

amelie comes home tomorrow when her antibiotics are finished. at that point i will take harry to the vet and discuss this with him.

thanks for all your replies.

 

[LoveAlways]

that means that amelie would not be able to play in her yard

what if you brought the dog inside while Amelie played outside? Or keep Harry on a leash tied to a tree while she plays outside? As she gets older she will realize the boundaries that need to exist between him and her.

I really think that there are other options besides giving him away or putting him to sleep.

 

[alicat72]

that could be an option. i do have an adjustable kennel/run.....got it back when he was a teenager (lol) because he was able to jump the fence back then. with the run, i was able to leave him outside and not worry about him escaping.....

when amie and i are outside, he could just be confined to a different part of the yard.....

thanks love

 

[DarthMom]

frankly, i am disturbed you are considering keeping the dog that mauled and nearly killed your child. and as sympho said, i would hope family services would step in.