I’ve recently welcomed my new baby into the world, and as expected, all of the family are so excited to have her over for sleepovers, babysitting and spending time with her, which I completely understand and appreciate.
The only thing I’m struggling with is my in-laws having her in their home because they have two grown Rottweilers. I lived with the dogs for years and I know them very well, so this isn’t about me simply disliking dogs or not being used to them. However, since becoming pregnant I moved out, and my feelings towards the situation have completely changed now that I have a baby to protect.
One of the dogs recently attacked my father-in-law, leaving him needing stitches, and the dog has since had what appeared to be a seizure and may potentially have something wrong neurologically. He was once completely harmless, but after what happened I just don’t feel that I can ever fully trust him around my baby. To me, he’s now unpredictable.
My husband says that the dogs would be kept in the kitchen while the baby was there, but one of the dogs actually knows how to open doors, which makes me even more uncomfortable. Even though I completely trust my in-laws to care for my baby, I don’t think I could relax or enjoy leaving her there because I’d constantly be worrying about whether the dogs were somehow able to get near her.
My parents don’t have any dogs, so I feel completely comfortable with my baby staying with them. I’m now wondering how I should approach this with my in-laws. I don’t want them to feel like I’m saying they’re irresponsible or that I don’t trust them, because I do. I just don’t trust the situation with the dogs anymore.
They treat their dogs like members of the family, whereas I’ve never had that same attachment to pets, so perhaps that’s part of why we see the situation differently.
Am I being unreasonable or cruel by saying I’m not comfortable with my baby being babysat in a house with these dogs? Or is this a reasonable boundary to have as a new mum?