Oh my goodness. All I'm going to say is "good luck", like the rest. I never maintained the dog treadmill, it went three years and then we sold it for $5 more than we paid for it (cuz I'm a mizer). I'll stop reading now, it hurts my head.

Well, I've never had a treadmill, but my mom does and she's had it since I was like 16yrs old. No maintenance ever and the thing still works perfectly. She got lucky I guess..lol

ok so since Dec. i have had to adjust the belt once. and vac clean the tread with water a few times. mine will tell me when i need to pull up the tread and oil after so many miles and so far have not had to do it.
i keep it in the office room door closed and dogs don't come in so as long as i keep it clean motor should not be an issue, has 1yr parts and labor and lifetime other stuff. other then dragging it up to the 2nd floor it was easy to put together as well!

http://www.horizonfitness.com/products/treadmill/gs950t.aspx

This is what I have its by horizon and its model gs950t

I really like it.

We had a treadmill that we bought used from one of my hubby's friends, they had it for 2-3 years and we owned it for 3 years. The only thing we ever had to do was wipe down the tread when it started looking dirty. We probably would still own it if we hadn't had to put it on our balcony when we moved into a small apartment and that was the only place to put it. Unfortunately it didn't last through the snowstorms we had that winter.

Wow, hubby bought me a hands free lead today so that I can walk Dakota while having both hands free to push the stroller after the baby is born. It's a 6 ft lead that clips around my waist. And it has two handles, one at the end if I don't want to wear it around my waist, and another handle near the clip in case I am wearing it and need to get quick control of him like if we come across another dog or something.

If this isn't a good sign I don't know what is!

That's awesome!!!!

Yeah!! That's good news!

How nice of him

Yayyyy!!!

hollywoodhuskies wrote:

Here4thePics wrote:

Tell him the chi's are not your dogs so then he can take care of them and follow him on his (ego) trips, if you are force to part with Dakota. He's using your pregnancy as an excuse for getting rid of the dog you selected. What comes next ...........?

^Ditto.

You take exceptional care of "his" dogs, we hear all about their care and nutrition and how much you care for them! It's time for hubby to put his big boy pants on and compromise on a solution that doesn't involve getting rid of a family member.

I completely agree! if there are pets in the household, they are the entire family's pets. He needs to man up and help out with your precious pup and his own it sounds like. Geez if my boyfriend got rid of my dogs there wouldn't be just depression, there would be resentment, and that's not good for your expanding family unit either.

Huskyluv wrote:

Wow, hubby bought me a hands free lead today so that I can walk Dakota while having both hands free to push the stroller after the baby is born.

YAY! this is GOOD news!!

hypers987 wrote:

Huskyluv wrote:

Wow, hubby bought me a hands free lead today so that I can walk Dakota while having both hands free to push the stroller after the baby is born.

YAY! this is GOOD news!!

VERY GOOD news!!!!

I was wondering how this was playing out... glad 2 hear hubby is coming around! Did he also buy a "mandly" leash so he can walk him as well?

great news val

jbealer wrote:

I was wondering how this was playing out... glad 2 hear hubby is coming around! Did he also buy a "mandly" leash so he can walk him as well?

LOL We already have several black leads that he does use to walk Dakota when I cannot for whatever reason. But trust me, he is very secure. He doesn't give a second thought to walking his two little 6 lb chihuahuas with matching purple collars, harnesses, and leads. He doesn't care what people think and I'm sad to say it but I AM embarrassed when I have to go out with just the Chihuahuas (without my sibe) in public. I'm embarrassed to sit with a quiet chihuahua in the vets waiting room but having a lunging, barking, woo-wooing, psychotic husky in the vets waiting room doesn't bother me a bit. What's wrong with that picture? LOL

And believe it or not but when I'm sick or not feeling well enough to take the dogs out he has actually been stepping up and helping out with that. So I am definitely seeing improvement, however small. He's not particularly happy to have to step up and help with the dogs but at least he's doing it.

I'm SO glad things are looking up for you and Dakota Val. I was horrified when I initially read your post. I can't imagine how hard that would have been for you. Wish I lived closer; I'd offer to exercise Dakota with Drogo daily! Living 2.5 hours away just makes that a wee bit difficult. As others have said, your mental health would plummet without Dakota in your life which wouldn't be good for your baby. I hope your husband understands this and his commitment to your dogs is long-term. Improvement is good, even if it's small... so continue to think positive! If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know.

Yay Val, it sounds encouraging that hubby maybe coming around! Just as a curiosity (since I won't be having kids and had never really looked this up) I researched what type of dog is best with babies and toddlers. In general the bigger and more mature the dogs is the better. Mature means they have less energy and are often more socialized. Bigger because they are less prone to fear and less likely to be injured by a toddlers accidental behavior. A couple of links:

http://www.terrificpets.com/articles/102285465.asp

http://www.thebabyhabit.com/blog/best-dogs-for-infants

Brian, those are interesting links. You know before I decided to get my first dog one of my criteria for whatever breed I ended up choosing was that the breed had to be good with children and Siberians definitely fit the bill so I knew it would be a good fit for the future when we decided to expand our human family. I loved reading the history of huskies living with the women and children when not working and sleeping with the kids at night to keep them warm. I knew Siberians would be perfect when we eventually had kids. Chihuahuas I knew off the bat were not the best match for young kids being so small and high strung, but it was hubby's choice of dog so I agreed to Chihuahuas mainly because I just wanted another dog.

Dakota and Faith I have no worries about whatsoever. They have both already proven themselves to be angels with infants, toddlers and young children. Faith I am only worried about young kids picking her up and accidentally dropping her. Glory is the wildcard and will require the utmost supervision with any child and even adults due to her background/past. Glory can never be left alone with kids, ever...that's a volatile combination and we won't even let there be an opportunity for something to happen. I think if we raise a child in our home then eventually Glory would come around to our child but that's just something we'll have to monitor as time goes on...long time before we cross that bridge.

I thought it was funny when talking to my OB nurse about my dogs (lol how bad is that?!) she said that hubby should bring home a blanket with the baby's scent on it to let the dogs smell before we actually bring home baby for the first time. Just the thought of spending a couple days in the hospital for delivery while my furkids are at home without me has got me stressed already. I've already thought about preparing their daily meals and snacks into separate baggies for hubby or a visiting family member to feed them with instructions and supplements, and making a schedule of their walks and potty times, etc. I know it's 7 months down the road still but all these arrangements and stuff are already dancing around my head. These dogs have no idea how loved they are. lol

Here's one more link that might help Val.

http://www.thebalancedcanine.com/how-introduce-your-dog-your-infant/

I also read in another link that getting the dog accustom to "baby smells" like baby powder and food as well as how your routine may very from what it is currently are both great ideas.

Brian, that last link was fantastic...thank you for sharing! It actually brought up a few things I hadn't even thought of such as not letting the dog sleep in baby's room. I hope to keep my early morning walks the same before and after baby is born so that walking and exercise schedule can stay pretty much the same. We've also amended evening potty walks over the past couple weeks getting them used to going out into the yard to potty and play before bed instead of a structured walk like we've done for the past 4 years. I'm glad to have some reassurance that we're doing some stuff right. They've adjusted really well to the evening walk change already. Luckily leash training was done long ago, now it will be a matter of getting him used to walking with a stroller since hubby already got me a hands free lead...going to feel weird walking him with an empty stroller. lol

Thanks for taking the time to post those helpful links, it's much appreciated!

Your welcome! In rescue I see so many dogs given up because of "the baby", it breaks my heart. I know you're that type but just wanted to be helpful in case you hadn't seen some of the ideas before.