Furry babies...the dilema

I purchased my furry baby who I named Pickles, almost 5 years ago from a woman who stated that the puppy I was getting was a "teacup" chihuahua. With that said there really is no such thing as teacup anything, just animals bred and inbred so that they come out very very small. Most of these animals ( mostly dogs) are extremely cute, but sometimes have health problems.

When I held Pickles in my hands for the first time I felt like my heart just melted into a big pile of mush!! She was sooo small and had a spot on her back in the shape of a heart. She fit right into the palms of my hands. I carried her around with me everywhere if I wore a hooded sweatshirt, she rode in the front pocket, snuggled and warm!

So as Pickles started growing, I noticed she was much bigger than any "teacup" anything, and hyper to boot. Turns out she was just the runt of the litter and is half Chihuahua and half Jack Russell Terrier. So much for my small dog. Don't get me wrong she is still small, but not anywhere near teacup size. Pickles is a loveable little pooch.....to me, my husband, my mom and my dad.

As for other people.....she has issues....to say the least. Pickles has become increasingly more aggressive towards people she doesn't know, and to me and my husband.

Fast forward 4 and half years, Jackson is 8 months old and on the move, trying desperately to crawl so he can cause all kinds of trouble! when I said before that my heart melted, it really was very small compared to the feeling of having a baby.

So these two things connect because the thought of giving Pickles away to someone or worse the doggy farm just breaks my heart. I have always been an animal lover and grew up with dogs and cats, and one hampster (R.I.P Wally).

HOWEVER and this is a big however....the thought of Jackson crawling around being with the animals, worries me. So far Pickles has stayed as far away from Jackson as possible with the occasional sniff here or there, but I am worried that once he does start walking that one wrong movement towards Pickles will make her nip or even bite Jackson.

Just even thinking about my human baby being hurt, regardless of how or by who/what makes me cringe. So as you can imagine the thought of my furry baby hurting my human baby makes it that much worse.

So my question is ....when do you make the decision to try and find your furry baby a new home? Before anything happens and always wonder if anything would have happened, or when it is too late and you are faced with the guilt that you should have done something sooner???