Rottweiler and MIL

[Maisy313]

Supposed to be travelling from London to Wales to visit PIL's with 5 week old baby, but it's just been dropped into conversation that they are looking after a neighbours Rottweiler. I'm not prepared to go until the dog is back with its owners, which would mean going the following weekend instead. Mil is very upset, she is insistent that the dog is safe around children as it's spent time around the owners grandchild (4 yrs old I believe). My point is that a newborn baby to a dog might not seem like much more than a rabbit and I'm just not willing to take the chance. There is a bit of bad feeling as mil felt that if my mother was going to attend the birth then she had the right to be there too, neither were in the hospital as it happens, but I think she isn't feeling involved enough. Am I being ridiculous and precious?

YANBU any dog around a baby can be a risk.

Not a risk I would ever be prepared to take.

Dogs chase rabbits because they run, small babies do not run so they are nothing like rabbits to dogs. A baby crying can distress some dogs but this is pretty evident and easily managed by allowing the dog to leave the room.

I'm no expert but scan down and look under 'dangerous scenarios' www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs.php "one of the most high-risk scenarios is bringing a baby or child into the home of a Pitt bull or Rottweiler "

would you feel the same if the dog was a labrador?

I don't think it is the breed that is an issue - I think it is the fact that the dog is not known/used to the family.

YADNBU

It's not their dog, and the dog will be naturally unsettled because it's in a strange house. It's really not worth the risk.

Whenever you hear about babies being killed by dogs it is always a grandparents dog or one that is being looked after.

I just wouldn't risk it, not least because you'll have a stressful weekend, when you can just rearrange for the week after.

No I wouldn't, especially not having just read this: www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2013.php

That was in response to the Labrador question.

WTF is that website?

Seriously, if you think that's a reliable website to get information from, step away from the internet now.

Being a bit worried about whether your MIL will effectively manage a strange dog with your newborn present is totally understandable.

Worrying about the breed and using that website as evidence, really not so much.

Anyone as blasé as your MIL cannot be relied to be strict about separating the dog from the baby. Just say No and mean No.

NB: was I the only one hoping to read that a Rottweiler had attacked a MIL?

YANBU in that it isn't the family pet, it will be away from home and probably slightly stressed out in any case without adding a crying newborn to the mix, I would definitely change weekends.

YABMASSIVELYU in regards to that website though!

It's the highest ranked article when you google 'are Rottweilers dangerous' I didn't drag it up from some bizarre Internet forum.

rottweilers are on the banned dog list here for good reason.

But please feel free to discredit the stories and stats. I didn't write the website, but it didn't seen an obscene article to me.

where is 'here' amarmai? You are not referring to the UK I presume?

I'm a dog lover but would not feel comfortable taking my tiny baby to a house where a large, unknown dog is roaming freely around a house that's not it's own.

Your MIL cannot possibly guarantee that the dog is happy and relaxed around children as a) it's not hers and b) she probably hasn't seen it around babies before.

I would only go if MIL would make sure that the dog would be kept away from the baby. This is totally workable by using stairgates (the pressure fit ones are handy), separate rooms and making sure the dog has regular walks so he doesn't get bored.

I wouldn't because (1) it's not even their dog so they only know about it what the owners have told them, and (2) if they are really blasé about the dog being there how can you be sure they'll take any instructions about keeping it in another room seriously enough.

I don't think a Rotty is any more inherently dangerous than another breed but I wouldn't trust any dog (and I have 2) around a baby. I would probably use the 'big bad rotty' as an excuse though, even if in reality I wouldn't trust a stereotypically 'gentle' breed either.

It's only another week delay - put your foot down!

booboo and lurked are you being serious? This dog is an unknown! It's not even a family pet. Even if it was a family pet hell would freeze over before I'd have a baby near it.

then you clearly know fuck all about dogs!!

i wouldn't allow my dd with the rottie either but i wouldn't allow her with any unknown dog in that situation.

my main concern would be an accidental injury from an over curious dog rather than the dog savaging the child.

Maisie the fact that you're not an expert is pretty self evident from the scaremongering websites you're promoting. If you knew anything about dog bite statistics you'd know that the UK and USA are incredibly different in terms of dog bite statistics so using USA reports to support your point is useless.

Rottweilers are responsible for very few bites in the UK (far less than Labradors for example) and that dog bite risk is not related to breed.

Children and babies get bitten by dogs when they are improperly supervised or supervised by adults tha cannot interpret dog behaviour. The breed is irrelevant

That website is pretty silly. Aside from anything else you cannot get a clear picture of how dangerous a breed is just by looking at biting incidences, you at least need to know the number of dogs of that breed around in the same time period. Saying that there were 4 fatal attacks by Rottweilers but only 2 by JRTs doesn't tell you anything about how dangerous a breed as, as there may have been 4 attacks in a population of 1,000 Rottweilers but 2 attacks in a population of 100 JRTs (figures clearly entirely made up).

Having exaggerated fears about specific breeds is unreasonable and potentially dangerous. Generally it is not breeds that bite, but poorly socialised, untrained and unsupervised dogs. Which breeds tend to bite fluctuates with which breeds tend to be popular, I.e. the more popular a breed becomes the more likely it is that some dogs will be owned by morons who do not socialise, train and educate them. Basic safety rules around dogs include always giving them a way to leave a situation and noticing signs of stress so you can diffuse the situation before it escalates.

Well for starters it's classing rottweilers in with wolf hybrids - which aren't even domesticated animals...it's just ridiculous.

Their dog bite statistics are "verified" from media reports - not you know, actual statistics

YANBU you don't know this dog and 5wo are teeny put it off another week.

I don't think you should be guilted about wanting your own mum present at the birth but not your MIL either.