SDR Education 
ADOPTING WHEN YOU HAVE CHILDREN
With so many dogs and pups to be saved and so few foster homes available, there is always a rush to ‘move puppies along’ and adopt them out. However, SmallDog Rescue prefers to keep puppies longer than is typical in rescue. We will almost always keep them until they are at least 7 weeks old, although we would feel safer keeping them until 12 weeks when there are children or other dogs in the home. Here’s why.
- DISEASE Puppies under 16 wks old are still quite fragile and susceptible to disease. Even though they may have had one or two in a series of 3-4 booster shots, this does not guarantee that they will not pick up deadly viruses through inadvertent contact in pet supply stores, parks or anywhere there are or have been other dogs who may carry disease. We cannot stress this enough.
- LARGER DOGS AND CHILDREN are two other major dangers for your new pup. Neither may mean any harm, but many new pups are injured or killed every year by larger dogs or well-meaning children. The level of danger and the possibility of deadly incident go up when you add children and other pets to the mix. Everyone must prepare as best they can to prevent disaster.
- Children should be restricted to sitting on the floor (in the pup's 'PLACE') with the new pup and not carrying or running with the new pup. Little pups are squirmy and it's not IF but WHEN they WILL drop him or stumble over him and possibly cause serious injury. Puppies are small delicate creatures until they grow a lot more. We've seen children drop them head first on concrete, tumble into them, hit them, etc.
- There should always be an adult present when the children have contact with the young pup. They may know the rules but if you are not there to enforce them, temptation may rule. Think of how protective you would be with a newborn baby. The head is still soft and easily damaged. Little bones are easily broken. And above all, the pup’s perception of children is forever affected.
- The children's time spent touching the pup (until he is 12-16 wks old) should be limited to 2 hours a day, preferably broken up into short periods. Puppies have actually died from too much cuddling, squeezing and relentless loving by a little one.
- Don't let children under the age of 12 hold or walk him without adult supervision. Imagine what would happen if they encounter a larger aggressive dog while out. They would not know what to do and there have been occasions where children are injured and pups get hurt or killed. That pup is a magnet for poorly socialized animals and they may seek an encounter when the child and pup are minding their own business. Don't risk it.
- Responsible parents must not only train the pup but the children. Make sure the children know where the puppy is before doors are opened by them or their friends. It is best to teach young children not to open outside doors without permission from the time the pup comes home. Many dogs are killed because they got out when a door was opened. Children are not very good at going out quickly while pushing the dog back. The safest way to arrange it is to have a FAIL SAFE ZONE. Having your child go outside through an enclosed patio or garage is an example of how to arrange this. If the puppy sneaks out the door, he or she is still safe, and can be brought back into the house before the door to the outside is opened.
- PADLOCK YOUR GATES. When you have children other children in the neighborhood often feel they can enter your yard without invitation since they are friends with your child. Thus, the likelihood that eventually a child will leave your gate open unbeknownst to you. The next time someone lets Spot out he leaves the yard through that open gate and perhaps nobody even knows he is gone until it is too late. Don't RISK this! Buy and install a padlock on your gate. An adult must then open the gate for them.
- Teach your children to treat the pup with the same respect they do their friends. That means no hitting, jumping on, or pulling legs or ears or tails. Puppies perceive children as littermates. They respond to children in the same manner they would another puppy. This means they will nip at children more than adults and not listen to commands given by children. And rough treatment will be responded to in kind. Gentle treatment by children will help teach the pup not to nip. Call us if you need further help with puppy nipping and roughness. Watch how you move your hands with a pup. If you move them in a teasing manner, going close and then jerking back, it encourages nippiness.
- Above all, there can be lots of hectic times when children are around. Be sure you take into consideration the safety of your new puppy just as you would watch out for a small child in your home. Your pup is just as likely, perhaps more so, to do something that will lead to injury or death. Don't think of the pup as entertainment for the children. Instead think of him or her as another one of the children that you must protect from constant everyday dangers. Just recently a child looking at the pups put one on the counter and let go. He immediately scrambled to the edge. If I had not intervened he might have fallen and cracked his little skull leading to lifelong problems or perhaps death. PARENTS MUST ALWAYS CAREFULLY SUPERVISE.