When I was pregnant and would walk my two dogs—Hudson, a greyhound, and Grover, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel—near my building in Brooklyn Heights, I got a lot of sympathetic looks and comments like, “You have two dogs—and you’re having a baby?” I would blithely smile, laugh, pat the dogs around my giant and growing belly, and say something like, “I know, right?! It’s going to be so wild! Like living in the zoo! I’ll be a mom of three.” Tee hee!
Tee hee nothing. Almost two years into life with a baby-turned-toddler, husband, and two not-tiny dogs in a one-bedroom apartment, I can recognize those friendly comments for what they were: warnings. Having two adults, a child, and two dogs in a one bedroom apartment is not easy. Actually it’s a complete clusterf*ck. There is fur everywhere, including on my 20-month-old son, who not infrequently shows up at daycare with a goatee of dog hair around his mouth, stuck to that morning’s lingering breakfast.
But I wouldn’t have it any other way, and not just because of the palpable, heart-melting love that I observe every day between Harry and his furry brothers. Turns out, by raising Harry in a home with dogs we may be giving a substantial boost to his health.
Dogs vs. Allergies
It seems counterintuitive, but a growing body of research links early-life exposure to dogs and some other animals to a reduced risk of numerous allergic conditions, including seasonal allergies, asthma, and eczema. In a 10-year study published in 2015 in JAMA Pediatrics, for instance, Swedish researchers analyzed data on more than 1 million preschool-aged and school-aged children. They found that those who had been exposed to dogs during their first year of life were 10 to 13 percent less likely to have asthma compared with children who hadn’t been exposed to dogs. And children who spent time around farm animals as infants fared even better, with a 30 to 50 percent lower risk of asthma than their peers who had no farm-animal contact.
In another study, researchers from the University of Wisconsin Department of Pediatrics tracked 289 newborn babies for nine years. All of the babies had at least one parent with diagnosed respiratory allergies or asthma, putting them at high risk for developing those conditions. The researchers interviewed the families annually about their ownership of pets, specifically dogs or cats, and checked the children for symptoms of atopic dermatitis (a type of eczema) and wheezing. They found that children who had a dog at home as newborns were much less likely to have atopic dermatitis (12 percent vs 27 percent) and wheezing (19 percent vs 36 percent) by their third birthday. The same effect wasn’t observed for cats, though they weren’t associated with increased risk of allergic conditions, either. An earlier study by the same researchers yielded similar results.
Interestingly, it seems that early exposure—right around the time of birth, and even in utero—is key to the protective effect. Children whose families get dogs after their infancy don’t seem to have the same benefit. (Learning this made it a lot easier for me to watch our 80-lb greyhound bathing our two-week-old infant with his tongue.)
There are less tangible benefits, too. Animals are a ready-made source of the tactile stimulation important to babies’ development. And “emotionally, having a pet teaches you a lot,” says Sara Neuman, DVM, the head doctor at Vinegar Hill Veterinary Group/Brooklyn Heights Veterinary Group and mother to a 4-year-old. “Responsibility. How to be gentle and respectful to others. How to take care of others and what you get back in return. And the understanding that love and affection can happen between multiple species, rather than just human to human.” Neuman says her son has been in charge of feeding the family’s dog (now deceased) and cats since he was two, and will take on more responsibility as he gets older.
I certainly see these benefits in my son. I’ve been astounded by the connection that has grown between Harry and his dogs. They are mutually crazy about each other. I can’t help but believe that having dogs is making Harry more empathetic, giving him greater consciousness of and concern for other sentient beings. At 20 months, he relishes the “jobs” he has in caring for the dogs—giving them their cookies, helping to put on their collars and leashes, holding the smaller dog’s leash when we walk to the elevator. Someday Harry will also go through the loss of these dogs, which will be very hard for all of us but an opportunity for Harry to learn about grieving, and to experience those difficult emotions with his parents’ support and guidance. And in this era of ubiquitous technology, it gives me some comfort that having dogs means our son will have to go outside sometimes—a nonnegotiable break from the screens that will inevitably occupy a lot of his time.
Making it work
As mutually beneficial as the kid-dog relationship can be, the early days are tricky. Here are some tips for safely (and sanely) transitioning from a dog household to a dog-plus-baby household:
- Bring home a swaddling blanket from the hospital or even a diaper for the dogs to sniff before bringing the child home. You can also consider using a spray, collar, or diffusor with dog appeasing pheromone (DAP), which has a calming effect. These are inexpensive and easy to find online or at pet stores. (For cats, there’s a similar pheromone called Feliway.)
- Understand who your dog is and read his/her signals. “Do not make an assumption that your dog will automatically love your child,” Neuman warns. “Do not force an interaction if the dog does not want it. If the dog wants to sit in the other room or at the bottom of the bed, then don’t bring the baby to the dog. If the pet wants to, he or she will come forward on their own time.”
- Do not leave your dog alone with the baby until you know what the relationship is like.
- If your dog shows ongoing signs of stress—such as urinating inappropriately, pacing, or barking excessively—or actually behaves aggressively toward the baby (very rare), call your vet, who may recommend temporary medication or sessions with a trainer.
- Make sure you have a good relationship with a dog walker. You will need them more than ever in the early months.
- Try to give the dogs enough attention, and in the early months, when that’s almost impossible, know that they’ll understand. “The dogs will definitely lack some attention the first month or two, but as long as you are aware of it and are able to restore that attention later, than all is good,” Neuman says. “Dogs and cats can be very forgiving.”
Jamie Kopf is a writer and editor focusing on health and wellness topics. Prior to her current job as executive editor of BerkeleyWellness.com, a leading online source of evidence-based wellness information, she spent 12 years at Consumer Reports, covering everything from chicken safety to sunscreen to health insurance. A native of St. Louis, she lives in Brooklyn Heights with her husband, son, and two very happy and well-fed dogs.