Well the first thing that raised red flags for me was the thread title... but I know I'm an old fogey so...
This is where my shape up or ship out comment came from... I know that's not what you said but, that's the tone I heard again, I'm probably reading something you didn't mean.
Yeah that sounds like a real dog lover. Nothing really wrong with not being a dog nut, but it sure makes being dog owner easier. I imagine that being crazy about your child makes it easier to to overlook irritations and work throug problems.
I am glad you didn't take the vet's advice! There are idiot vets out there. Most are great, but the single most miserable excuse for a human that I know is a vet. He used to work with the greyhound track and run animal control here and was responsible for a lot of misery. Anyway...
I understand the worry about the kiddo, hope you get to a good place for all of you.