Joy & Austin 30: Who Needs Fire Safety when You Have Jesus?

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

4 hours ago, Idlewild said:

I agree- I was concerned when Jill was asking about dog breeds before Christmas as I don’t think a Dillard dog would get the exercise it needs- I’m sure the boys would love him/her but Derick is caught up with his studies & that would leave Jill to wrangle, feed, educate 2 boys plus train a puppy and make time for dates with #besthubbyever- not a great situation for the dog. 

The ONLY saving grace for the Jill in this situation is their seemingly large fenced in back yard.  If they got a smaller dog, hours of play with the boys in the yard would be more than enough exercise. Izzy is big enough to feed the dog and keep the water bowl full, with reminders of course but he can easily pour water from a cup into a bowl. Or dump food from a cup into a bowl, and he would most likely love the responsibility.  Kids his age love to help out and feel like big kids, and teaching him responsibility is only a bad thing,when it is taken to the level Jill's parents took it. 

[Idlewild]

5 minutes ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

The ONLY saving grace for the Jill in this situation is their seemingly large fenced in back yard.  If they got a smaller dog, hours of play with the boys in the yard would be more than enough exercise. Izzy is big enough to feed the dog and keep the water bowl full, with reminders of course but he can easily pour water from a cup into a bowl. Or dump food from a cup into a bowl, and he would most likely love the responsibility.  Kids his age love to help out and feel like big kids, and teaching him responsibility is only a bad thing,when it is taken to the level Jill's parents took it. 

Jill was asking about larger breeds - I agree a smaller dog would probably be more sensible. 

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

10 minutes ago, Idlewild said:

Jill was asking about larger breeds - I agree a smaller dog would probably be more sensible. 

Then I guess that is explains why she was asking about large breeds, nothing sensible about her. 

[patsymae]

20 minutes ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

Then I guess that is explains why she was asking about large breeds, nothing sensible about her. 

Doesn't it depend on the breed? After my son's lab died he did a lot of research and got a mastiff. Thing is gigantic but wonderful with kids (he had small children at the time) and mostly friendly although will get aggressive if strangers go through the (fenced in) yard. I think St. Bernard's are also good with kids although massive.

I've got a cat, though.
 

[Not that josh's mom]

Problem with Jill having a dog playing in the yard with the boys is that the yard would require poop patrol or the boys would step in something regularly. Can you see Derick helping with that duty?

[GuineaPigCourtship]

I should have added this in my prior post because as a degreed veterinary professional (TM) I am all about raining on everyone's parade about pets and kids.  There are no dogs (and one could argue the same for any animal) that can be trusted with kids without close supervision.  Kids are just terrible with reading dog behavioral cues and expecting the dogs to always take the high road when kids climb on them, yell in their faces, pull their tails, hug them, etc. is super unfair to the dog.  I really, really hope that Joy and Austin are vigilant with Gideon and Brielle and take some time to look into dog behavior.

Dogs that bite children have given fair warning and been ignored.  Labs are usually a pretty patient breed, but they're not perfect and it wouldn't be fair to expect them to be.  My dogs (a senior aussie and a pug) are really gentle and have never given me cause for concern, but I am very careful when they interact with children just in case.  They will not be allowed unsupervised around any future kids and I strongly recommend the same to every parent out there.  This is actually a frequent discussion I have with pregnant clients because I take the public health aspect of my oath damn seriously.

[Pecansforeveryone]

@GuineaPigCourtship, preach it! No not everything your child does is cute, funny, and charming. I don't fault children for not knowing better. I fault adults for not being empathic to living, breathing animals. 

[AliceInFundyland]

@GuineaPigCourtship

Good post.

I don't want to write all the Duggars off indefinitely re: animals. 19 kids is a lot and maintaining pets in that environment wasn't likely going to be a sustainable thing. They sucked at rearing children...

Jana has taken on animals at this point and at least from the outside, it looks healthy and safe. So, that's a great example for the younger set.

I was trying to think of an animal that I would give to Jill and the kids. Maybe a pair of goldfish in a larger tank. I'm highly skeptical about the 4 of them. No cats!

Jeremy does not seem like a dog guy. Too noisy and high maintenance. I hope their kitty is doing well.

Lauren also strikes me as too high strung for pets.

Jessa isn't into more than she can handle, more mess, and more work. She's said she doesn't like cats. However I appreciate what I think is the fostering of the boys interest in birds. If they were to be interested in a pet - I'm thinking that they would approach it rationally.
 

Not sure about the others. Joe/Kendra and JD/Abbie could get a dog or cat and be good at it or terrible. Depending on the breed and how many kids they produce and how big their houses/land end up. Too many variables.

Even with Brielle it bothers me that Joy will still likely be pregnant in a year. To me, rearing that dog would be like a year long project. I know it's completely separate in their minds. And again, if any of the couples could handle it, I do think that it's these two.

Is she going to be a priority and loved as much as any baby? (relatively speaking) I hope so.

[FaithAndReason]

My word. That picture of Gideon with the puppy is one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

[indianabones]

6 hours ago, AliceInFundyland said:

I hope their kitty is doing well.

They left him in Texas. Apparently, Jeremy just happened to develop a cat allergy around the exact same time! What are the odds?

[Idlewild]

2 hours ago, indianabones said:

They left him in Texas. Apparently, Jeremy just happened to develop a cat allergy around the exact same time! What are the odds?

Perhaps the cat had its own agent and negotiated a better contract elsewhere? 

[clueliss]

My concern over the Dillards and animals (aside from cats) is that at times Jill appears to be overwhelmed by 2 rather active boys.  I can't imagine a pet in that mix.  

[subsaharanafrica]

22 hours ago, Idlewild said:

Jill was asking about larger breeds - I agree a smaller dog would probably be more sensible. 

Large breeds don’t necessarily need space. We had our 40kg, meter tall Rhodesian Ridgeback in an 60 sq meter living space last year and he was fine. 
 

He is lazy AF. When we adopted him I thought I was getting a jogging buddy. Yeah, nope. I have to force a walk after I run alone because half a km from home he sits his rear in the middle of the walk, gives me a look that says, “try and make me move” and won’t budge until we have turned around and started home. 

Edited February 17, 2020 by subsaharanafrica
Clarity

[HerNameIsBuffy]

2 hours ago, clueliss said:

My concern over the Dillards and animals (aside from cats) is that at times Jill appears to be overwhelmed by 2 rather active boys.  I can't imagine a pet in that mix.  

I agree from a practical standpoint, but then I think nothing can teach unconditional love like a dog.  Seems like that's something Jill could use and it would benefit the boys as well.  

[SassyPants]

26 minutes ago, subsaharanafrica said:

Large breeds don’t necessarily need space. We had our 40kg, meter tall Rhodesian Ridgeback in an 60 sq meter living space last year and he was fine. 
 

He is lazy AF. When we adopted him I thought I was getting a jogging buddy. Yeah, nope. I have to force a walk after I walk because half a km from home he sits his rear in the middle of the walk, gives me a look that says, “try and make me move” and won’t budge until we have turned around and started home. 

OMG- for like a year, between ages of like 5-6 years, our Golden did the exact same thing, but it was always like 1.5 miles (+/- 3km) away from the house. It got so bad that I quit taking her out. After she gained about 10 lbs in a year from inactivity, I started taking her again and she has been fine. Also, once she stopped, our girl wouldn’t go in any direction. Come on now, do you want me to go back and get the car and come and pick you up or what- our dog was perfectly healthy and not winded or thirsty, just lazy and stubborn.

[Pecansforeveryone]

I can't blanket condemn parents who may nix cats or dogs. I think there are lots of ways for children to engage with animals and have a generally full and happy childhood even if they don't have pets. 

[RosyDaisy]

I don't trust these people with pets.  Not even pet rocks.

[Peaches-n-Beans]

22 hours ago, AliceInFundyland said:

Even with Brielle it bothers me that Joy will still likely be pregnant in a year. To me, rearing that dog would be like a year long project. I know it's completely separate in their minds. And again, if any of the couples could handle it, I do think that it's these two.

Is she going to be a priority and loved as much as any baby? (relatively speaking) I hope so.

Try two year depending on the breed(my Border Collie was definitely closer to 18 months or 2 years before she settled into the adult dog thing), and labs are hell as puppies (okay all puppies are hell, that's why they're so cute to make up for it). I will never ever ever ever have a lab puppy.  Not to mention that though labs are pretty bomb proof genetics are an insanely powerful factor. If they purchased this dog from a breeder I dearly hope they asked about parents temperaments and drive because I'd want to know both parents were stable if I had little kids and was planning (or 'leaving it up to god') to have more kids soon. Now there are as always, no guarantees about the puppy's temperament but it's a lot more likely to be stable if both parents are.  I also hope they asked for proof of OFAs and genetic testing because labs can have some pretty heft vet bills for joint problems.  I also hope it was from a breeder with a contract that if they can't keep the dog at any time in it's life the dog is returned to the breeder and won't end up in the rescue system - we're already strapped with BYB dogs people bought on impulse.

I mean, I doubt they did all of that, the general public isn't very well versed on responsible breeding vs backyard breeding, which is a real shame because backyard breeders are doing astronomical amounts of damage to dog breeds and play a major role in causing issues for rescues. Though I do think of the duggars, Joy and Austin are best suited to having a dog, they're active outside, with house flipping they can either have one of them at home or one of them can go home to care for the dog, and they seem more laid back and capable of dealing with any destruction the puppy will bring. 

As for the space needed, well you can have any breed pretty much anywhere if you put in the work. My family lived in Seoul and had a Great Pyrenees. I lived in Seoul when I got my Border Collie. We never had a lot of space until about 4 months ago when we moved to rural Korea. It just meant we spent 2 or 3 hours a day walking, be it rain, snow, 40 degrees, and we did lots of mental games and training, and for her it meant muzzle training and sometimes walking in the park at 11pm because on weekends that was the only time it was quiet. It also meant crate training so she could be left alone without fear of destruction. Yes large breeds do better with more space, but you can own them perfectly happily in small living situations. 

Edited February 18, 2020 by Peaches-n-Beans
more thoughts

[VeryNikeSeamstress]

8 hours ago, subsaharanafrica said:

Large breeds don’t necessarily need space. We had our 40kg, meter tall Rhodesian Ridgeback in an 60 sq meter living space last year and he was fine. 

When I first saw this, I thought you had one of these:

https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Norwegian_Ridgeback

[nsgoblue]

1 hour ago, VeryNikeSeamstress said:

When I first saw this, I thought you had one of these:

https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Norwegian_Ridgeback

I immediately thought the exact same thing @VeryNikeSeamstress

[subsaharanafrica]

3 hours ago, VeryNikeSeamstress said:

When I first saw this, I thought you had one of these:

https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Norwegian_Ridgeback

Lol. That would be awesome. Instead he’s one of these.

[VeryNikeSeamstress]

@subsaharanafrica super cute!! If you and your dog are heathens who celebrate Halloween you could dress him as a Norwegian Ridgeback.

Edited February 18, 2020 by VeryNikeSeamstress

[Sullie06]

We won't ever own a dog personally. I just don't like the combination of kids and dogs. In the last year alone I've had two people I know have pretty serious dog related injuries to thier children. One almost lost his arm and he was a big 13 year old male. The dog spooked and attacked him. Both dogs were what was described as "good" dogs. You just never know. I can't blame the dogs. Kids are going to be kids and dogs deserve to live in an environment where they are loved and respected. 

[singsingsing]

It’s the same as choosing not to have children. Not everyone wants to have kids and not everyone wants to have pets. And if you don’t want them, you 100% should not have them. 

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

1 hour ago, singsingsing said:

It’s the same as choosing not to have children. Not everyone wants to have kids and not everyone wants to have pets. And if you don’t want them, you 100% should not have them. 

THIS!!  ALL OF THIS!!!

 

And yes, with all the extra exclamation marks!