to wonder why anyone with young children would have a dog as a pet or on their home?

[needtobediscreet]

In light of the many incidents of death and injury caused to young children by dogs, even those not previously considered a danger, I can't help but wonder WHY anyone would. The latest seems to involve a six day old baby in west Wales.

Don't get me wrong, I love animals. I grew up with cats and had a pet dog myself when I was in secondary school. But the nicest of dogs can 'turn' it seems and the results are a lot worse than when a cat gets a bit upset.

Clearly in the majority of cases the affected families weren't deliberately neglectful but why take the risk?

I'm prepared for lots of responses from dog owners....!!!

pobble - please tell us more.

Oh FFS!

Some provoked by the child, I.e hitting the dog or taking their food away. Clearly the child wasn't supervised. Some just unprovoked and we make sure the dog is put down.

We always get the line of 'but they were such a nice dog'. Any dog can bite. I think I'm a bit biased, but I wouldn't have a baby and a dog.

need - no it wouldn't, just don't feed anything chunky, but blend everything into purees first. Why take the risk?

Sorry, just to add the most amount of stitches I removed from a child's face was 40.

Yanbu

Neighbours Alsatian bit our son.Their lab then bit another neighbour's child.They now have 2 labs who bark constantly, scratch at the door and one ran through my house.

Our postman hates them and my dc are terrified running the gauntlet into the house past the barking.

They have 2 children.

If you have dogs/animals with DC's you need to spend time understanding the animals body language. Be prepared to learn what the dog needs to feel safe and relaxed, be prepared to make changes to your home to keep dogs and dc safe.

If you can't be arsed to do that don't have a dog no one is making you .

Article on dogs and children living together if anyone is interested here

And yes we were told in A&E that they treated hoards of dog bites.Many aren't even treated.

When my dc was in a boy was rushed in for reconstructive surgery by the family springer.

For a bite by said springer.

What I can never understand is why people have more than 1 dog, surely they must make a pack together and their houses must stink.

YANBU, my friend has a powerful dog and is quite happy to let her DC play in the bedroom out of her sight when the dog is also through there, this is not something I am happy to let my child do when playing there. I don't believe any dog owner when they say their dog would never bite a child, how could they know that?

Any baby can die in a bath. We keep them safe by never ever letting them in the bath without our supervision, never leaving them to answer the phone, or get a towel, or leaving a toddler to wander around upstairs while the bath is full or running. All this stuff is so obvious it seems ridiculous to say it (although of course some babies do still drown).

It's the same thing with dogs. You just never leave them alone together, never ever. You treat the dog like an open fire place. And, IMO, you don't keep a dog who you couldn't physically overpower in seconds if the need arose.

Hahaha

I have two dogs. Fortunately I have a massive house, two cleaners and a big garden. I don't think we stink.
The dogs are like a teenager with an annoying little brother.

My big dog was out on the front drive when some passing woman opened our gate and brought her toddler in to greet him. The toddler clamped hold of his ear. My dog just dropped and tried to pull away.
You'd be amazed how many people thrust their children at my dog.

wibu to wonder why anyone would choose to have a baby when they already have a toddler, given the risk that the toddler will attack the baby?

surely one of the greatest dangers to young children is other children?

dd tried to pull her little brother's arms, throw things at his head and bite him

I chose to put him in that position (letting him be born when she was already there) because I thought I would be able to keep him safe and that the ultimate benefits would outweigh the hazards

I have a 3 year old DD and I also have an Alaskan Malamute

DD and DDog are the best of friends and DDog is the gentlest dog I have ever known HOWEVER they are never left together unattended even for a second I love my DD and DDog too much to put either of them at risk unnecessarily

It's all about risk/benefit isn't it? The risks are small. The benefits huge.

If you only focus on the risk, you would never get in a car to go to a leisure activity or a plane to go on holiday. We do those things because we consider that the benefits outweigh the risks. Many people make the same assessment wrt dog ownership.

In the vast majority of these sad cases, the problem is not the dog but the owner, because they

1. got the dog as a status symbol with no real concept of the responsibility of dog ownership and can't be bothered putting in the effort to socialise/train/monitor it OR
2. are well-meaning but basically ignorant of canine body language so miss the early warning signs that says a dog isn't comfortable in a particular situation OR
3. become complacent that their dog is 100% trustworthy and forget that small children and dogs always need supervision when together to guard against the worst happening.

There is a huge number of positives to be gained by growing up with a dog in the family - I did as a child, and my stepdaughter did, both without incident - but it is a BIG responsibility and the time, effort and vigilance required shouldn't be under-estimated. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, it occasionally is and so tragedies happen.

My dogs are never left alone with my children or any children in fact. They have a whole room to themselves with a comfy chair, the doors have child gates on both and they are allowed out only when someone is supervising. They actually prefer their comfy chair and it's quiet and warm in their room so even when I ask if they want to play they hardly ever do. They are beautiful, friendly dogs who wouldn't hurt a fly. Nicest breed I've come across are my Cavaliar King Charles boys.

I don't believe any dog owner when they say their dog would never bite a child, how could they know that?

You can't, I would never say for sure that my dog would never, never bite anyone, but that's where responsible ownership comes into it. Dog is nearly 15 and has never bitten anyone, but I never say never

We weigh up the pros and cons and look at the risks and take appropriate precautions, dog proofed the house, never left them unsupervised together and ensured the kids knew how to behave around the dog

We expose our children to risk every day, some necessary, some not, but you have to look at the whole picture and take precautions where necessary

But funnily enough nobody is ever on here saying why do people drive their children in cars when there is another pile up on the motorway.

^^ this

And Spins rules

cory - seriously?? Tell me about a case where a toddler has killed a baby?! And even the most tantrum-prone toddler is easier to restrain than an angry dog. Their teeth are usually less of a problem too. You've also got me pondering how so many people seem to put their dogs on a level (in terms of value to them) as their children.

Pag - what's the hahaha about? I never like to miss a joke. That passer by sounds pretty reckless IMO. When you say cleaner, do you mean the Hoover type or the human type?

So I have 2 German shepherds.....also a nearly 2 year old and a 2 month old baby.

I've had people ask me what I planned on doing with the dogs when I was pregnant! I simply replied "what do you mean"......they were never brave enough to say "put them down" but I knew they wanted too, and if anyone had said it I would've responded with "over my dead body"!

Joules I would always be in the next door with the door open so yes, I would.

But properly alone? Probably 12.

Is that bad parenting, him?

WeeClype - unfortunate turn of phrase there. I think they asked that simply because most people would find caring for and supervising a newborn and a toddler more than enough to be dealing with, without 2 German Shepherds thrown into the mix?

I have a dog (sleeps outside, whole other thread ) and I am expecting my first.

We are taking it easy introducing the concept of baby to the dog and have bought a book, have been playing baby noises, letting the dog sniff new purchases and lying them around the house for a day or so before packing them away. We have bought a sturdy wood playpen, Ok the dog can jump over but at least its some protection. I will never leave the baby unattended and will use the playpen for answering doors and popping to the loo.

It is foolish to assume that dogs will not attack. They will snap if their tails are pulled or sleep disturbed. It is up to the owner to ensure the dog is correctly trained and acclimatised and that the children are aware of the dangers.

In my case our dog is out with my DH during the day and not allowed on furniture or upstairs which gives some dog free areas. Dogs will get jealous when privileges are revoked (like sleeping on bed, cuddles on sofa etc).

Agree with Select, the problem is the owners not the dog.