Princess arrives on SUNDAY!!!

[lilith_rizel]

I'm pretty excited about it... We aren't sure what she eats yet, but it probably isn't the best. What would the best food be to give a senior Lhasa Apso? And is it available in large bags? I buy even our kitties' food in bulk, being it seems cheaper that way. And we only have to buy it once a month then...Also any tips training a senior dog that is paper trained to use the outdoors for potty time? And finally, I watch a 4 year old little girl that just doesn't seem to respect animals, or listen for that matter... She KNOWS that pets are off limits to her, yet she still tries to drag them around by their legs... Any tips on how I can keep the kid away from Princess... I would hate to have to lock her up in her own house, especially when she is needing to be given as much affection as she can get during this transition, and this hard time for her. I wouldn't want to make her feel like she was just casted away to no where... if you know what I mean... I mentioned in an earlier post that baby gates don't really work in our house, because the hallways, and doorways are huge, and way too big for them... Would it be ok if I put Princess in a box that she has lots of space to move around in, and where she could be by the couch, but the little girl couldn't get to? We have a huge box that I could even lay down in that is about 3 ft high... I just don't want to have to put her in a room where she will be all alone, and I don't want her in reach of the girl I watch, as I know as soon as I turn my head, she will be bothering poor Princess....

[lilith_rizel]

Oh, also found out that she does NOT have cancer, and she is 100% healthy!!!

[Melei'sMom]

what about one of those big gate thingys you can get for portable fencing for pets?

And if the kid can't learn to respect the animals maybe the kid should be the one in it

[lilith_rizel]

That is a fantastic idea, unfortunatly it just isn't in funding right now, as hubby had to use money we didn't have to go home for a funeral, and be there for his mom the past week and a half... He just racked up our credit card just after we paid it all off

And believe me, I have thought about penning that kid up... Just glad my own kids don't behave like that, and already have a sense or respect for animals at 18months and 6 months old! I'd say I would put Princess in Judith's play pen while the kid is here, but that is Judith's "safe" place, because the darn kid always takes away her toys, and this playpen has a tented roof that we can attatch to it... I tell ya, I have never seen a kid act the way she does... she's spoiled and her mommy calls her a princess... and she has become to actually think she is... and therefor she is "allowed" to do what she pleases! I got fed up with her today, and put her in the highchair, just so I could get some darn cleaning done!! lol

[Puppyluv]

How does the kid's mom feel about you disciplining her? It seems like you're with her a lot of the time, and it would be good for her, your kids and for princess for this girl to get some actual discipline. I'm not thinking of anything extreme, just some normal "parental" discipline for when she misbehaves.
I care for three kids two days a week, and the middle child (3.5 yrs) is so badly behaved that I had to confront their mom about my position in reprimanding him for his behaviour. (They have a really sweet black lab whom this boy feels is a punching bag, seriously.. where did he learn this from???) After a frank and open talk, she agreed that I should be allowed to deal with these things as I feel fit (prior to that she told me just to ignore it, but I really couldn't). Since then, he has actually become "best friends" with the dog, and they often nap together in the same room, because the dog has gone from fearing this boy to absolutely worshiping him and following him around to watch out for him.

Make Princess a priority when she comes, it will be essential to her success in your home, and it could be a good opportunity for this girl to learn proper behaviour around animals. (One thing I noticed was that, by letting the boy help me feed the dog, open the door for her to go outside, etc, he felt more important and responsible, and this enhanced his connection to the dog. Maybe try giving this girl a role that she can easily play, and she'll appreciate the animals more)

[Kerrye]

Hi
Just a suggestion but why don't you have a chat with the parents about your zero tollerence to animal abuse ( even by a child) If you tell them you can't mind their child unless things change. Could you place an add to babysit a different child? I know that when my kids were small they were taught to respect all animals. I couldn't tolerate a child in my house that wouldn't. Maybe I'm being too harsh but I would ditch the kid for the dogs sake.

[lilith_rizel]

Puppyluv,

I had a chat with her dad last night, and he said I can deal with her actions as I feel fit. Yesterday was a looooooong day for me with watching here, I couldn't even get any cleaning done. Anyways, I watch her from 8am-5-6pm Mon-Fri, except every other Monday, I don't have her...

Kerrye,
My husband and I have thought about just ditching her... However, us being a military family, and knowing that we can't afford to put our girls in daycare so I can get a job, and the girls parents being our friends, we are trying to help the out a bit. She must have gotten a good talking to last night, as today, she hasn't caused any problems as of yet.... And yes, I do too have zero tolerence for animal abuse. That's why I stated teaching my girls as soon as they would reach for Spooks or Morgan, how to be nice and not grab their fur, ears, tail, ect. I'm going to give it a 2 week trial, and inform her parents if she isn't nice with Princess. If she doesn't shape up, she'll ship out...

[rainbow]

Glad to hear you're putting your pets welfare ahead of that bratty kid. Do hope all works out well for you.

Regarding what to feed the new addition to your family, please check out the food forum here. What are you feeding your other dogs?