Should you ever have to decide between your dog and your baby?
Some mums say never - others say sometimes letting a pet go is just the responsible thing to do
TOWIE star Amy Childs caused a bit of a stir recently when she revealed she'd be giving up her beloved bulldog as she found he was getting jealous of her newborn.
It got lots of our mums discussing the topic of pets (dogs in particular) and babies - and whether any of you had to do the same.
"I'm currently pregnant (with twins) and can't even image having to give up my 4 year old sprocker Bella!!!" Tina D tells us.
"It's responsibility of the owner to ensure the dog and baby(s) are introduced and get used to each other. If you had two babies and one didn't get on you wouldn't get rid of the child. I think it's disgusting!!!!"
Pretty strong words - but Tina is by no means alone, and we have to say plenty of other mums think the same way when it comes to their pets.
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"So easy for some to throw your dog away when a baby comes. I had 3 dogs when my little girl was born, never once thought of giving them up. My dogs are for life, not just there until something else comes along," agrees Adele B.
Though some of you, we have to say, have also been in the same predicament as Amy and say that getting rid of a dog isn't, by any means, a decision that's made lightly.
"We had a lovely little Jack Russell, 2 years old, and she was so sweet - but really hyper and she loved attention but sadly we had to rehome her because we had another baby in 2014 and I just didn't feel she would get on with him," says Lisa A.
"When he first came home she was sniffing round him which I was okay with because she was just being curious but I was getting nervous with her looks sometimes and unfortunately we had to make a decision to rehome her.
"It was very hard but dogs are unpredictable and I couldn't take that chance - we made sure she went to a proper rehoming dogs home and she went to a elderly couple in the countryside so I knew she would be happy."
Luckily, though, it's not all doom and gloom - and it doesn't alway have to be a case of the dog or the baby.
"We luckily never had this dilemma," says Nicki H. "I did have a panic the first day back with our first-born as our spaniel went crackers every time he cried!
"We think she was trying to make us realise he needed something and didn't trust us to notice.
"That lasted an afternoon and evening and after spending all night at the bottom of the stairs whining whenever he made a noise - she was fine and has been fine ever since.
"It must be a nightmare when there are problems; it would have broke my heart to give up our dog. All that said; she does need quality one on one time so she doesn't feel pushed out (but that goes for the kids and husband too)."
But for some of you there was no dilemma at all if you felt the dog needed to go - it had to go.
"I had a Doberman who I had to rehome because she wouldn't leave baby alone and kept mouthing at her feet.
"You put your child first. Yes, pets are part of your family but children come first. If it doesn't feel right then trust your instincts," says Leyla A.
And Sylvia S wouldn't think twice about ditching a pooch: "Child vs dog. Shouldn't even need thinking about. Children should always come b4 dogs....My kids come b4 anything and anyone."
What do you think?
What would you do if you felt your dog was a threat to your baby? Is it too easy to get rid of the dog? Would you find another solution? Tell us in the comments below or over on Facebook
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Authors
Tara is mum to 1 daughter, Bodhi Rae, and has worked as Content Editor and Social Media Producer at MadeForMums since 2015
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