Dogs & babies & helpers

L

Liquorice

Registered User
Hi, is it too much to ask one helper to take care of both my 3 dogs and a newborn baby while I am at work? I have a helper for my dogs now but she isn't working out so we need to replace her. I just assumed that in my interviews I would choose someone that was good with dogs and could look after an infant. However I haven't had a very good response from helpers that I have interviewed and I am wondering whether it is because they think it is too much work - one of them alluded to this. Then I started wondering how in fact the helper would be able to do both as she cannot leave the baby alone while she walked the dogs, they are quite raucous so I wouldn't want her to take the baby along with all three of them, and it would be too much for her to have to walk them all separately. Should I get two helpers? What do other people do?

Then, of course, I start thinking that I am losing touch with reality having lived in Asia for so long and remember that people in the West have to raise their children, and their dogs, and work full time and look after the house all at the same time.

Does anyone have any thoughts?
 
Liquorice

We fostered a dog (a huge Lab) for 3 months and had a 3 year old (last year).
She could:
- 8 - 11 a.m.: Household chores including laundry (No one is at home)
- 11 - 11:30: Walk the dog
- 11:30: Shower & Reheat leftovers for my son's lunch
- 11:55: Pick my son up from the lobby (when the school bus comes round)

Once my son was at home, the dog slept or my son entertained the dog (it was very docile) while she tidied up his lunch.

- 4:00: Take my son to the play room
- 5:00: Return from the play room
- 5:30: I'm home so she starts preparing dinner. Hubby is home too so he walks the dog with my son.
- 6:30: We have dinner.
- 7:00: She clears up.
- 8:00: End of her day.

I think with an infant and 3 dogs, you'll need a helper and a dog walker. There is no way I'd leave my infant with a helper who has to manage the house and take care of the 3 dogs. She only managed to get our house tidy as she 4 hours with no one in the house.
 
it is too much for one helper to manage, a new born baby and 3 dogs. just think, what would she do when it is pouring rain out and she needs to take the dogs for their walk?

i would strongly suggest you either get a second helper or a dog walker.
 
even if your helper is capable of handing baby & dogs, i am doubtful how good a job she'd be doing on each - it's just way too much to handle...unless of course your dogs don't need to go out and are trained to eat and entertain themselves nicely at home - then it'd only be a matter of preparing their meals - my dogs do not have the luxury of being walked anymore...there simply no time to clean them after their walk (wouldn't want them walking around the house with dirty paws as my daughter crawls on the same floor)...but lucky for us i have small dogs and the house is "big" enough for them to "exercise"...if you have big dogs, then I'd agree with cara that you need either a 2nd helper or a dog walker...
 
leslie, ALL dogs need proper exercise, no matter what size they are.

we run a dog business and i can tell you that many people seem to think that because a dog is small, they don't need proper exercise or training. this just isn't the case. of the hundreds of dogs that come to stay with us, it's the small dogs that have the most problems (physical, personality, socially)....because they are not exercised or trained properly.

this is not an attack on you personally, just from extensive experience dealing with dogs, i can tell you that you are doing your dog no favours by thinking that it gets enough exercise running in circles around the house.

as for cleaning their paws after a walk... that takes roughly 1-2 minutes. (i know, i've done it.)

besides, wouldn't it be better to show your child what responsible pet ownership entails?

again, please don't take offense to what i've written, i just feel badly for the dog.
 
in my opinion, you should get a helper and a pair of extra hands. if your baby was going to school then it would have been ok but not when he/she is an infant.

maybe you should put yourself in the helper's shoes and try to manage the daily chores with your baby and 3 dogs. if you can do it all then bravo! and no need to hire the pair of extra hands. :tongue:
 
carang said:
leslie, ALL dogs need proper exercise, no matter what size they are.

we run a dog business and i can tell you that many people seem to think that because a dog is small, they don't need proper exercise or training. this just isn't the case. of the hundreds of dogs that come to stay with us, it's the small dogs that have the most problems (physical, personality, socially)....because they are not exercised or trained properly.

this is not an attack on you personally, just from extensive experience dealing with dogs, i can tell you that you are doing your dog no favours by thinking that it gets enough exercise running in circles around the house.

as for cleaning their paws after a walk... that takes roughly 1-2 minutes. (i know, i've done it.)

besides, wouldn't it be better to show your child what responsible pet ownership entails?

again, please don't take offense to what i've written, i just feel badly for the dog.
Click to expand...

don't worry about my dogs - we are dog lovers and they get plenty of exercise running around my parents apartment - luckily for them, they don't need to run in circles as we have loads of empty space to fight, bite, run, lie around, roam around our balcony, etc. etc.

i will eventually show my daughter what pet ownership entails, but am currently working hard on getting her to walk (she's 21 mths and only taking a few steps)....

definitely not offended, just wanted to reassure you that our dogs are in fact taken care of extremely well and there's no need to feel badly for them because they get plenty of exercise and trained well (both in and out the house) - we've had them for 10 years now so we really do care and love them alot.
 
thank you, leslie. you sound like a good woman, great mother and a responsible dog owner.

and thank you for not taking offense.
 
Thanks for all the advice. It is good to hear other people's experience too. First baby (due in December) and I haven't spent any time around babies, so it is all new and I am sure I will not think of lots of things I should have prepared or thought about in my planning...

I just wanted to point out that when I said that "perhaps I was losing touch with reality having lived in Asia for too long etc.", what I meant was not that my helper should be doing all of those things (dogs, baby, house & career) but that I should be doing more and asking whether it is self indulgent to get two helpers when most women in my shoes in my home country need to do it all themselves. Just sometimes I feel completely spoiled.
 
I am pretty sure that women who are working back home are also putting their babies in all day daycare, or have family around to look after them. So don't be too hard on yourself. You potentially give up a lot to live in HK, but there are advantages too, so don't deprive yourself of an advantage if you don't have to! Plus, as everyone says on this site, comparing life in HK too much to life back home is only going to make you frustrated. You have to take the best HK has to offer and be satisfied. :)
 
And in the West you generally have a garden for the dogs to do their business in and one long walk a day for training and exercise is fine. We have a lot of indoor space and outdoor space but no grass so our dog is walked 4-5 times per day. I have done it with a very young baby you can only handle so much and that was with just one dog. You probably do not need to have 2 helpers but ask around there may already be a dog walker in your area to cover the times when your helper is alone with the baby.
 
Be Fair

Hi there,

I have 2 big dogs and a one year-old and I don't work. Either my helper or I take the dogs for their long walk in the morning while the other stays home with the baby. I really couldn't manage without her in the morning as he normally takes his morning nap when they have their walk, not to mention, he gets antsy in the stroller after 30 minutes or so. Only recently has he come out and enjoyed it (now that he's one). Besides watching the baby occasionally while I run errands, she still has plenty to do and the day goes by pretty quickly. She does all the cleaning while we're on playdates in the afternoon so I imagine it would be very trying to do that and constantly watch the baby.

Walking dogs, caring for a baby, and cleaning house is a looong day if you don't have any help. I would argue that it is unreasonable to pay a helper salary and demand that kind of day.

A dog walker would fit the bill for sure rather than a second helper. Also- be wary of helpers who "walk" the dogs when they do not. This is a common problem I encounter and thus made it very clear to my current helper that walking did not constitute sitting on a bench. If they don't seem too interested in the dogs, they're probably not going to do the job.

Remember, most moms do NOT clean their house each day while also caring for dogs and an infant. The latter is exhausting enough. No helper should have to do the same.
 
I will also be in a similar situation to you shortly - I have 4 big dogs and baby due in 6 weeks. I am planning to get a dog walker to come once a day to walk the dogs when i have to go back to work, and a helper to look after baby. This way you know your baby is getting 100% attention and your dogs are well exercised, which means (for us anyway) they are quieter when they are home. You could at least try this for a period of time and see how it goes, which is what i plan to do. GOod luck!
 
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