Small Puppies & Kittens DONT mix with Small Kids

When we think of a family pet, dogs and cute little puppies & kittens often come to mind. Choosing the breed of dog is often the tough part. With the growing popularity of toy breed dogs such as Yorkies, Maltese and Chihuahua’s, more and more families are turning to these small little fur babies as family pets. And why wouldn’t they? These toy breed dogs make excellent family pets and companions. They are also great if you live in an apartment or a condo, they eat less and poop less. Sounds like the perfect pet, right? Well, these little toy breed dogs are absolutely wonderful for the family, but you may want to reconsider smaller breed dogs if you have small children around the house.

Toy breed dogs & kittens are very fragile animals. They are even more fragile when they are puppies. It doesn’t take much force to break a limb or seriously injure one of these little puppies. Remember, when these toy breed dogs are puppies, their bones are EXTREMELY delicate. And little toddlers and babies are absolutely strong enough to snap a limb in an instant. Of course little Junior has no real intention of hurting the puppy or kitten, but small children just don’t know any better. Furthermore, if left unsupervised for even a split second, your child could end up seriously injuring your little puppy or kitten. If you think about it, little kids love to pull, tug, and bite everything they see. I’m exaggerating a little bit here, but its mostly true. You definitely wouldn’t want your little fragile puppy or kitten subjected to this pulling, tugging, and biting.

Now I know many of you may be thinking that you could simply teach your kid what they should not do with the puppy and kitten. And I know there are very obedient little kids out there, however, it only takes one time to really jeopardize a puppies life. My teeny tiny Chihuahua's, Bailey and Lucy are 8 & 6 pounds, so we are extremely careful where we step, sit and sleep. Even with me, there have been some close calls where I almost sat on them! And sadly, I will always hold myself accountable for the accident that happened when little Bailey was just a puppy; he fell and fractured his leg. It cost several thousand dollars to repair. And I'm an adult who watches her dogs closer then ANYTHING. Now just imagine the responsibility a little toddler would need to take on in order to avoid a major mishap.

So if you absolutely have to get a toy breed dog, and you have little kids in the house, buy a full grown dog. I would say buying a dog at least 6 months of age. Most toy breed dogs are full grown in size at this point. I would also avoid the “Teacup” sized dogs. Try to get a larger sized dog of the particular toy breed that you desire.

And instead of getting a really tiny kitten, get a full sized cat, or again a kitten who about 6 months of age; (they are bigger and can fend more for themselves at this age). Shelters are FULL of family, kid friendly cats who would make an amazing addition to your household! :)

With that said, I hope this hasn’t offended anyone and their child. I’m just trying to help avoid any injuries, broken hearts, and vet bills. Smaller dogs just need more care which equates to a lot more and higher vet bills.

My breeder, who breeds the best Chihuahua's in the entire world, will not sell to parents with really small kids. I also just felt I had to say that while it's not the policy of For Cats Sake; (I'm not sure what their policy is on babies and new kittens); But I too will not let one of my foster kittens go to a family with really small babies or toddlers. Parents with bigger kids; (over 3) is great though; I think a family pet is a WONDERFUL thing. :) It teaches responsibility, empathy, love, being gentle....I watched my friends little three year old hold Violet, Adina, and Calleum the other day, and it was just precious.