Anyone watch Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC? This week's episode showed them getting not one but two GSD puppies for their children for Christmas. Personally, I think getting puppies for Christmas is a bad idea to begin with but to get TWO!? To top it off, they bring the puppies home before they are ready for them (they had to stop at the pet store on the way home to get supplies). And, to really get steam coming out of my ears, Kate made the comment that she is threatening the kids with returning the puppies to the breeder if they don't help care for them. So, she's already looking at returning them as an "out" if it gets to be too much. :twisted:

The TLC website has pictures of the puppies posted. They are adorable--one male and one female. I sure hope they plan to get them altered.

Any thoughts?

I am just as horrified! They have so many kids and Kate HATES messes. They should NOT haev a dog, let alone a german shepherd! I am waiting to see a kid get bitten, hope it wont happen but a home with 8 kids under 10 is NOT a place for a puppy. Also those puppies look WAY TO YOUNG to be leaving their mother. That breeder looked like a BYB/Mill to me! There is just so much wrong with this picture!

My thoughts exactly. I don't usually do this but I actually set them an email expressing my concern and my hope that they are planning to take the puppies to obedience classes. They only give you 500 words so I could say everything I wanted to...

I was steaming through most of the show last night! As you say, she hates messes. The "breeder" seemed very willing to hand over the puppies as quickly as possible---sounded rather like a used car salesman to me! :twisted:

Yes, very good sales man. She mentioned that when they thought about getting a dog the breeder had gone on and on about how they are the perfect family dogs, etc, etc. Wonder if his dogs have their OFA certs? I will bet they dont! The adults I saw were NOT good representations of the breed (not show lines and not working lines) Looks like he saw them coming!! We know they did little to NO research before getting a puppy.

The extent of Kate's research involved reading one "pet store type" dog breed book. Yeah, great job there Kate! Oh, I'd just love to sit down with her and have a little chat....

GSDs are good dogs and can be good with kids--I had two GSDs during my childhood. One when I was an infant and the story goes that I'd cry until Ringo was let in...as long as I could see Ringo, I was happy. The other joined our family when I was in 3rd grade and I helped obedience train her. BUT, I just don't think they made a good choice with breed, breeder, age, and quantity...they just didn't make good choices. To quote Kate, "What were they thinking!?"

I just have a feeling they will end up sending them back

That's my fear, too. Or, they'll try and then find out that BYB's don't really take back puppies and the dogs will end up in a shelter...or worse.

[puppylove2009]

First of all I feel the breeder was a BYB.

Second of all this is a recipe for disaster. I had my reservations when I heard they were getting 1 dog.

I don't think they know what they are getting themselves into.

I have two dogs, small dogs that are 5 months apart in age and raising two puppies at the same time is not easy.

Kate is too particular.

Honestly I think she likes the dogs and I hope she does keep them but I worry for these dogs and their kids.

I mean they have a hard enough time keeping track of all the kids and the kids and the dogs won't be supervised together I don't think.

I wish kate and john would have done more research or atleast waited until the kids were older.

But whats done is done now. Lets just hope they get these dogs some training and that things work out well.

I fear for the dogs and the kids but I pray all works out

[puppylove2009]

Update:

they got the puppies 3 weeks before Christmas and here we with march knocking on our door.

They still have the puppies, they are older and look happy and healthy.

The puppies were what 8 weeks old when they got them....they are atleast 4 months old now...maybe a little older.

here is a link to the photos:

Puppy Photos: Jon & Kate Plus 8 : TLC


Hopefully they will keep them so far so good

It's like letting babies raise babies. It was nearly impossible to get my household (with grown children) on the same page with one dog. Can you imagine the chaos with 10 children and 2 dogs? Phew. Consistency is important in preventing/correcting behavioral problems. Good luck getting toddlers to follow the puppy rules. Having 10 kids has turned Kate into a pretty bitter mom. 2 puppies is going to push her over the edge.

[puppylove2009]

Originally Posted by BigBlackDogGal

It's like letting babies raise babies. It was nearly impossible to get my household (with grown children) on the same page with one dog. Can you imagine the chaos with 10 children and 2 dogs? Phew. Consistency is important in preventing/correcting behavioral problems. Good luck getting toddlers to follow the puppy rules. Having 10 kids has turned Kate into a pretty bitter mom. 2 puppies is going to push her over the edge.

She has 8 kids not ten....well 10 if you include the dogs.

She has the twins: Mady and Cara

Then the little kids: Aaden, Joel, Collin, Alexis, Hannah, and Leah


They just have 8 kids.

But I guess they should now change the name of the show to : Jon and Kate plus 10


because now they have Shooka and Nala


Don't get me wrong I feel kids and dogs go together but they probably should have just got the one....but those dogs are obviously cared for. chances are they will end up with a good trainer because these dogs are going to be in the spotlight

Here is a link about the family:

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/jon-and-kate/gosselins.html

Originally Posted by BigBlackDogGal

It's like letting babies raise babies. It was nearly impossible to get my household (with grown children) on the same page with one dog. Can you imagine the chaos with 10 children and 2 dogs? Phew. Consistency is important in preventing/correcting behavioral problems. Good luck getting toddlers to follow the puppy rules. Having 10 kids has turned Kate into a pretty bitter mom. 2 puppies is going to push her over the edge.

As mentioned, there's only 8 kids and non are toddlers at this point. I believe the quints are 4 years old? now. Mady and Cara are old enough to help with puppy raising but not old enough to be totally responsibly for them.

I don't think Kate is bitter...she is overwhelmed and OCD. Having worked in a group home and dealt with 9 kids at once, I can say--it doesn't always bring out the best in a person.

The pictures do show that the puppies are looking good, I just hope that they get training....likely they will because the country IS watching, after all!

[wishbone]

Hope they have all the concerns and models of caring and training these dogs all the time and not just because they are being watched.

Originally Posted by puppylove2009

chances are they will end up with a good trainer because these dogs are going to be in the spotlight

Possibly.Well, let's just hope that those dogs won't be neglected.

OK.... so the female puppy just had to have a toy removed by the vet! Because they expect todlers to watch the puppies! I just knew this would be a mess! Those poor dogs.

Originally Posted by orangedog

OK.... so the female puppy just had to have a toy removed by the vet! Because they expect todlers to watch the puppies! I just knew this would be a mess! Those poor dogs.

That and the kids are responsible for cleaning up the 'accidents' (which, BTW, they do!). What really burns my buttons is that Kate is still threatening to take the dogs back. AND, she admitted to the interviewer that she really doesn't like the dogs....that maybe when they are older and willing to lay around she'll like them better. I doubt it...then she'll complain about the dog hair on the sofa.

And, so far, no puppy/obedience training evident. They are left to entertain themselves in the yard.

I was soooooo disgusted by the end of the program Monday night. If those kids weren't so darn adorable, I'd stop watching entirely. At least Jon is a good dad...much more patient than Kate.

KNOWING that all of America watches this show YA THINK she would be a little more choicy in her words. I totally forgot to watch this week.

How can children clean up PEE mess right? or are they just in charge of poop?

She will be sorry if no training happens and I wonder how much "hate" mail she is getting now

Originally Posted by 4paws-up

KNOWING that all of America watches this show YA THINK she would be a little more choicy in her words. I totally forgot to watch this week.

How can children clean up PEE mess right? or are they just in charge of poop?

She will be sorry if no training happens and I wonder how much "hate" mail she is getting now

Jon seems to be in charge of poop duty. In the show, they showed one of the puppies pee'ing in the house and one of the little girls getting a spray bottle of cleaner and paper towel. She sprayed the spot (carpet) and then pressed the paper towel into the carpet. I doubt seriously that she got up all the urine because the towel didn't look very wet. She was adorable though...she looked up at the camera man as asked "why's everyone looking at me?" 'cause you are adorable, that's why!

As for the hate mail...the only email addy I could locate was through TLC and that only allows something like 250 words...very hard to say much in that amount of space. I couldn't say nearly everything I wanted to (and I was being nice, I just wanted to explain why it was stupid to get two puppies at once and why she shouldn't be threatening the children and why they need to do obedience training...had to cut most of that out and just say I sure hoped they planned on doing obedience training).

The more I watch the show, the less I like Kate. She isn't doing herself any favors for sure.

So on this weeks show we saw the kids feeding the dogs... THEY FEED SCIENCE DIET!!!!!!!!!! For somebody so concerned about diet and who feeds her kids organic I am SHOCKED that they would feed their dogs such garbage!