United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Has anyone gotten a dog for their child with a BPI injury? If so what breed did you get? Have you found it to be helpful? Has anyone tried special assistance therapy? Aaron is 2 1/2 and he had successful MOD QAD surgery but we are still experiencing other areas in need of therapy. Any suggestions would be appreicated.
Thanks, Kitty

This is what we are beginning to learn from our PT & OT's, we are trying to decide which breed would be the best. We are concerned that Aaron may be experiencing some hearing problems he had one hearing test done and the results were inconclusive so they are going to do a brain stem test next week. If it's not his hearing he could be just developmentally delayed, or perhaps it could even autism, it is very difficult to tell at his age. Kitty

My vet. told me that terriers make good pets for children, because they are mild mannered. I have not had personal experiences with this breed of dog. Just my two cents.

We have a black lab & ashlee gets along great with him. Labs are supposed to be great with kids. Buddy is real patient with her. Been that way since she was born. But, you have to decide which breed is right for your family. Labs are great dogs however they are "happy". They live to please their owner.It's like a party to Buddy every day when I get home!!! Some people can't tolerate how excited they get.

I hear the best dogs for children are labs and retrievers.

We have a very high strung Schipperke, but we love him!

If you are seriously looking for a dog, figure out what what best suits your home. Do you want a small dog, a big dog? Do you have a fenced yard?

Smaller dogs most often have higher energy levels and are a little more high strung. My husband thought since we have limited space, a smaller dog made more sense. HOWEVER, we don't have a fenced yard and he is a very active dog and I have to walk him almost constantly.

Here's a website I looked up that might be helpful for you:
http://www.dogpage.us/choosing-a-dog.html


Peggy

Thanks for all the great advice, the web page is a must read for selecting a dog, thank you! My daughter would like a lab or a golden retriever but doesn't have a fenced yard so we are looking for a smaller dog. I have been reading about Animal Assisted Therapy and wonder if anyone has ever tried using it with a BPI injury. Currently we do water therapy in my hot tub and this has proved to be an essential tool as well, allowing weight bearing exercises to be less painful and Aaron loves the water

We have a golden retriever mixed with maybe some collie. He is the best dog for the kids. Very calm but so incrediable loving. He loves to be around people, loves to be petted, loves to be brushed and wants alot of attention. He also loves to eat so he is overweight (we are working on that). Somehow the dog knew Nicholas had something wrong with his right arm because when Nicholas was barley walking the dog kept trying to lick his arm over and over and over. Nicholas evidently liked him to lick it because one of the first times he lifted his arm was to get the dog to lick his arm more! We do have a fenced backyard but he doesn't go out there without us much since he want to be with people. We tell Nicholas that Buddy loves it when he uses his "lucky" hand to hug and pet him. He believes us because Buddy looks like he is smiling when he is getting any attention! When we get another dog someday I will want another golden retriever because of his sweet nature and personality.

We had 2 dogs before my children were born, a black lab and a chocolate one. It was time for our black lab to go to doggie heaven 2 years ago so we only have one dog now. The dogs play a great part in the kids life. The one thing I will caution to you is to research the breed. Labs are pretty much hyper dogs for the first year, then settle down each year until they are 3, once they hit 4 they are normally big mushes. With any big dog it's recommended that you go to obedience school. Since your child just had surgery and is still small, maybe adopting an older dog would be to your advantage. If you're interested in adopting a dog you could check out www.petfinder.com for pets in your area ready for adoption.

Good luck.

Cindy

Schipperkes are hyper for the first 3-4 years and live to be 15-20 yrs old. Ours, however, has bad seizures and I'm sure that will shorten his life span (sad to think about). Our children adore him.

This particular breed really loves to have space to run (which we don't--he's always on a leash). We have taken him to places where he can run free and he does and very fast. It's pretty neat to watch.

I agree, adopting an older dog is a great way to go. Pet Rescues could be another area to look into if you are looking for a particular breed.
I was on a waiting list for a Pulli when we found our Schipperke and fell in love with him and had to have him.
Shortly after we were home with our new dog, I got a call from the rescue, but we couldn't take the Pulli because they wanted to place him in a home with no other dogs. They are very particular about finding loving and good homes for the pets that need them.

Dogs are great companions, not only for kids, but for adults too!

Peggy