The internet may be awash with sweet photos of dogs and babies hanging out but when you’re faced with having a child of your own, the idea of dogs and small children might not seem so sweet.

One soon-to-mum has taken to Netmums with a dilemma she faces between protecting her as yet unborn child and the family dog.

Aimee’s pregnancy wasn’t planned and she currently lives with her parents because she can’t afford to a rent a place on her own. While that might be a pretty privileged position to be in, the problem is that she’s scared of their dog who has a history of being aggressvie towards young children.



But her parents refuse to give the dog up.


‘I live with my parents and we have a family dog who has been aggressive in the past (with children particularly), has gone to bite children on more than one occasion and growls when a child gets anywhere near her,’ Aimee writes on the forum.

‘I don’t feel safe bringing my newborn into this house with the dog but my parents won’t give her up because they have had her for so many years. I even asked if they could leave her out the back during the day until I put the baby to bed but they still won’t have any of it.

‘I have nowhere else to go and feel so angry and sad that my parents are choosing an aggressive dog over their grandchild.’

Aimee has taken to the parenting forum to ask if she’s being unreasonable asking her parents to ditch their dog…and many mums think that she is.

‘I do think you’re being unreasonable,’ writes one.

‘You chose to have a baby, not your parents, so you cannot expect them to make changes to their life to accommodate yours. Sorry.’

Another says that while the baby may not have been planned, she would have never been allowed to bring a baby up in their parents’ house, ‘so I think you need to appreciate that you’re been given a place to raise your baby and work a way around it’.

‘Aggressive or not, it’s unfair to leave a dog in the garden all day. Also, the dog will associate these changes with the babies arrival and will likely cause jealousy and aggression towards the baby.’

But a few were a little more sympathetic to Aimee’s suggestion.

One mum says that she was worried about bringing her newborn home to her ‘easy going, loveable’ cocker spaniel – nevermind an aggressive dog. And months on, she says that she takes the dog with her if she ever leaves a room in order to avoid the child and dog being left alone.

‘Personally, I wouldn’t trust any dog around a baby no matter how well behaved a pet is – you never truly know when it will switch on a child. You hear about it all the time. The welfare of your baby is more important than a dog. I would expect your parent to at least keep the dog away from the baby – that’s the least they could do. I would be extremely upset with my parents if they chose a dog over my baby.’

In fact, one contributor was appalled at the overall lack of empathy on the thread.



Lucy writes: ‘It’s completely bonkers that they have an aggressive dog that they allow to be near your baby! You shouldn’t have even had to raise the issue with them. You and your child should come before their dog. I am appalled at their lack of concern.’

So, what do you think?

Should grandparents have to change their lifestyles to accommodate the choices of their adult offspring? Or do families really need to rally round and ensure that a baby’s safety comes first at times?

MORE: Stunning photo series shows the beauty of pregnant and postpartum women

MORE: Group of women ‘identify as males for the day’ to go into men’s only lido

Advertisement Advertisement