K here's a crazy question. How bad of an idea would it be to get a new puppy the week after surgery? Important info: I live Alone, have had puppies before so I know how demanding they are, and I've been wanting a puppy for over a year now. I own my own business and my travel schedule is very heavy. It's common for me to be gone 4-8 weeks at a time. I'm being banded December 6th and taking all of December and January off. I will be gone again February and April. I normally live with my clients so bringing a dog wouldn't be feasible. But I'll be staying in a corporate apartment for my feb/march job and could bring a puppy. My point is that I feel I need 3-4 months of solid time to bond with and train the puppy, and these next 4 months would be a great time to do it. Am I being unrealistic about having a new puppy a week after surgery? BTW, it'll be a small dog, like a schnauzer. We are not talking Rottweiler here!

My pup was 7 months old and 50+ lbs when I had surgery. She was/is a handful (shes now 1 year and 70 lbs), so I had her at boarding for a few days during/after surgery. By day 3 after surgery I was able to walk her a bit. She needed a lot of attention, so I had her in daycare a few hours a day. I think with a small puppy you should be fine. Just be careful. I didn't feel like myself until day 5. Getting and training a new puppy could be rough while you're still healing if you're not careful. Good luck!

My pups were all over a year old and my kids were two and five. Plus three cats ages two one 1/2 and one. I took care of all of them just fine. I bet a puppy would be a welcome distraction.

I wouldn't have been interested or capable in caring for a puppy the week after surgery..... It was 2 weeks before I felt normal.... But that's just me.

I have 2 dogs (7 and 2) that were boarded for a week after surgery. Just too much to get up and down to let them out.

But I am a HUGE animal lover and say this with much love (not trying to be mean at all) My main question is the puppy though... what will happen to the dog when you are away at a clients you can't take the dog to? Who will take care of the dog for that period of time if you travel away for 4-8 weeks? The dog may feel abandoned by you. I am glad you would have the 4 months to bond but then if you left it for weeks right after that they would be really sad and may be confused if they bond with whoever keeps them during this time and them back with you, etc... Maybe a cat that is more independent may be better.... Again, just my opinion.

Lauradevans, I appreciate your honesty and you make a valid point. When I travel, my mother (who lives 2 blocks away) would likely keep him. Or I have a friend who is interested in house/pet sitting when I'm away. She would basically just move into my house. Yes, the pup woul bond with these people but I have other friends/colleagues who do the same thing I do for a living and this is what they've done with their dogs. Not ideal but it can work.

Lauradevans, I appreciate your honesty and you make a valid point. When I travel, my mother (who lives 2 blocks away) would likely keep him. Or I have a friend who is interested in house/pet sitting when I'm away. She would basically just move into my house. Yes, the pup woul bond with these people but I have other friends/colleagues who do the same thing I do for a living and this is what they've done with their dogs. Not ideal but it can work.

Knowing that "grandma" will be taking care of the baby or a friend in your house makes sense and I think would not be traumatic for the puppy. I have a Schnauzer/Poodle mix or a Schnoodle and they make AWESOME pets. Very smart, don't shed and she was very easy to train. I alos have a YorkiePoo (Yorkie/Poodle) mix who is smaller (8lbs) doesn't shed and a BIG ole lap dog! Dogs are the best companions for sure and since you have your time away taken care of by family/friends... I say, GO FOR IT! BUT, I may wait until after your surgery to commit just to make sure you don't have some kind of issues. I had a minor complication and was admitted to the hosptial 2 day post op for IV fluids... that may be hard with a new puppy!!!

Good luck on your surgery and possibly new baby....

My dog I had someone watch the day of surgery but picked her up on day two. Hardest part is bending over to pick up her poop otherwise no issues

My dog is hyper part terrier and part shepherd she also has some pit

My puppy was two and a handful for me, I could ot have walked him for tahe first two weeks on my own. He is huge though! If you are dedicated to the pet and have everything in place for when you are gone then I think it is a great idea. Will definitely keep your mind off food and on taking care of your new baby! Make sure you don't get a hyper breed or too large of a dog. I had o idea my Labradoodle would be 100 pounds! Yes, there are three sizes of poodles, so buyer beware!

Thank y'all so much for all the input. I've been doing the "Shrink Yourself" program (www.shrinkyourself.com) and one of the things it teaches you is to find some other activity when you want to eat. "Playing with a pet" is one of the activities and this would be a great one for me, since I'm such a dog lover. As lauradevans said, I will probably wait until a week after surgery to get the sweet baby, so that I can be sure I'm feeling a little better and that I don't have any complications. I'm doing some major life changes right now, and banding and a new puppy are just two of them. I'm so excited!