Dogs and children

[DizzyDancer]

I know I started a controversial thread yesterday and this one will probably gain as much flak but please look at this and take heed of the pictures

Let's have no more children hurt or anymore dogs put to sleep because some parents do not take responsibility around dogs

www.lolathepitty.com/my-dog-bit-my-child/

That's a really good line. Mind if I use it?

Course not. You are more than welcome to

We have a springer spaniel who is the sweetest, softest dog imaginable. She's a child-magnet because she's pretty and floofy and bouncy, but if children approach her I always tell them it's not ok to stroke a dog without asking the owner first. Some parents are put out by that but as a parent of young boys I've always been militant about making mine ask before approaching any dog, even tiny ones. They've grown up around rabbits, cats, dogs and horses, and wouldn't dream of teasing animals, but i still insist on them asking. It's common sense.

We go to Cornwall often in the summer and take the dog with us. You wouldn't believe the amount of foolish parents who let their DCs come up to her with ice creams, sweets and food in their hands. Aside from the whole not-knowing-her thing, the sheer lunacy of approaching a large dog (and compared with a small child she's a large, sturdy girl) with food in hand is dazzling.

Yoko - agree this thread has been a bit one-sided. If only all dog owners were as responsible as the posters on this thread.

You're hardly going to get someone coming and posting that they're irresponsible, don't give a fig what their dog or child does and they don't care about the training or polite introduction of either child or animal though, they just wouldn't identify with what everyone is talking about.

I love my dog dearly, but I wouldn't trust him implicitly. He's an animal, he can't express that today he might be in pain, is feeling bad tempered and wants to be left alone. It's only through knowing him that I can observe his body language, expression and determine how much interaction he has.

It's a real shame that all parents don't raise their children to be polite and have common sense around animals. We were recently approached by a teenager at the beach, our dog can be a bit wary of strange men and this young man was a bit abrupt. Asked once to fuss the dog, dog was sat on my foot looking away and not the least bit interested so I said no. He then demanded and my response was more firm. He then called me a fucking bitch! Then because he had shouted at me, my lovely dog positioned himself between us and growled at him, showing him his teeth. Ddog was restrained the whole time, under control but this young man was not! At this point Dh intervened and I began walking back to the car. Why should my normally loving dog be put in the position that he has to defend me from some utter idiot?!

If someone asks to stroke my dog I ask them if I can ruffle their hair, with a handsy gesture. They look startled and say no. And I tell them no the dog doesnt like it either.

I get some comments but I dont care.

Our 2 small dogs are very fluffy so kids love them. The older one loves children and is well behaved, the younger one LOVES everyone but is a total lunatic so isn't trusted around children i don't know.

Our other dog doesn't get a look in as he's a pit bull cross, which is a shame as the only danger from him is being squished when he flops on the floor for a belly rub.

I trust my kids with my dogs (and vice versa) as they've grown up together and know how to interact with each other but I always tell the kids (all 15 and over) if they get bitten it'll be their own fault for annoying the dog.

It terrifies me seeing how some children and dogs are allowed to interact - it's an accident waiting to happen and the potential for serious injury is huge.

I think people are getting jumpier around dogs. Sometimes parents start giving us filthy looks when the dogs just walk past their children.

My dogs are not in the slightest interested in children, I know they will ignore them.

If anything one of them used to get mobbed by children because of the way he looks and he loves it but I always make sure they ask first, because not all dogs are quite so relaxed.

I lost count just how many times a little hand holding a biscuit reached out to stroke him. Or pulling something, ears, tail, scruff.

He's calm and happy, but still a living breathing creature. He feels pain, but try and explain that to a PFB parent.

The thing is there's a big difference between what can reasonably expected from a 2 yr old child as compared with say a 7 yr old. Politeness, common sense, doing as their told, learning how to behave etc, from an older child definitely but from a two yr old?

Many parents are just trying to keep their two yr old away from the dog that's bounding over to their terrified child (certainly in the London streets/parks we frequent).

Maybe they should all be kept on leashes all the time, children and dogs

I keep the dogs away myself because toddlers are not known for their good balance and if one falls over with a dog near it, even though the dog's not in any sort of contact with said toddler then the dog will get blamed.

And parents don't always watch their children. i watch the dog all the time.

After reading a lot of dog threads I taught DD to always ask the owner first. She's the only child I know who does this, the rest just go charging in.

Equally the number of dogs I see in parks round here with shit recall is astonishing.

Faults on both sides.

a dog is about equivalent to a two year old, except with sharp teeth and much better ability. It is equally predictable in its moods.

teach kids that. Same as you teach them not to sneak up behind horses.

I dogsat for a friend last year, the pup was 9 months old and a total sweetheart but was still protective over food (apparently it's something to do with being the runt in a big litter).

We were on a long beach walk so stopped around lunch time for half an hour, I read a book and pup had a half-portion of food whilst on the lead so he didn't run around too soon after eating.

Out of nowhere a 3ish year old ran up and starting "petting" (really shoving) the pup, causing him to growl. I turned around and the mother, a good 10m away still, said "don't worry, I said she could pet the dog".

Well, that makes it ok then.

Oh Sonders people are so arrogant!!! I think as dog owners we need to stop being so polite about it and say no to adults and children! Just like some other poster said - it's just as likely that the child will react impulsively like a dog would so just as it's a parent's duty to educate their child on how to approach strange pets, it's a dog owner's responsibility to ensure that they protect their dog from approaching children as they know their animal best!

I'm an adult, and I always ask owners if it's OK if I talk to their dogs before approaching: I grew up in a household full of dogs, and was taught from very early on how to behave around animals, particularly animals you don't know. I was once bitten on the face by an Alsatian, but in my defence, it leaped out from the bushes at me as I was walking past - and I've never held it against any dogs.

I see far more poorly behaved children than poorly behaved dog owners in the parks round here - kids rushing up squealing to dogs, trying to tease them with toys etc I think, though, people without much experience don't know how to behave around animals, and it doesn't necessarily occur to them to find out. I also feel very sorry for some of the kids in my immediate neighbourhood, many of whom are from cultures where keeping dogs is frowned upon - they visibly shrink back into their mothers when a dog on the lead is on the same side of the road as them: even when it's going about its business and totally ignoring them. That is just as sad to me as parents with over-familiar children.

Over familiarity and being scared of dogs does come from the same place I think, and that's ignorance.

I do wish people would show more respect for them, and I'm sad to see more and more people badly behaved or dismissive about them.

Dogs have a place in society, so many people I know who have dogs would be utterly lost without their company.

Don't suppose any of you lot were on that thread last week about dogs? The one that descended into utter vileness from the non-dog owning people? It was awful. The usual shit from people determined to be nasty. I wish you could have been on there telling them that their children need to be trained too. I think it was mentioned but got shot down several times over. It's people like that that need training.

A friend of mine, who's previously never had a dog, has just got herself a whippet puppy. Most days it comes to school in the car with her to pick her children up. They haul it out of the car, grabbing it this way and that, and hand it round to friends. It's getting a hard and fast lesson about children, poor little thing. I always try and suggest they put it down but they don't listen to me.

I hate dogs, they terrify me. 16 month old DD loves them, they fascinate her. Because of this I have spoken to a lot of dog owners recently, and it has been heartening to see that all of them stop walking if they see DD toddling along (I always pick her up too) and offer to introduce the dog to her, which she loves. I don't want her to learn my fear, and these owners are really helpful in stopping that from happening!

A friend has a French bulldog and she lets her toddler son pull him, push him and climb all over him. It's an accident waiting to happen.

I was away for a while, so didn't see the thread, but can imagine exactly what was said, seen it all before I'm afraid. Dirty smelly beasts, line them up and shoot them all.

I don't understand the hatred of dogs, it's like I'm walking a huge fire breathing beast on the other end of the lead, the way some people here react. No, they are not going to eat your children, they are not allowed junk food.

Seriously though, I don't get it.

My dogs are lovely, they really are.

I've given up on commenting on dog threads MsAdorabelle. There's only so many times you can repeat the same things over and over again. People will not accept that they have a responsibility to teach their kids how to behave around animals.

For me Ottilia it is the same for all animals, I don't know what they are thinking. With dogs, I can't trust them not to attack me. I know it's stupid of me but I can't shake it; as such I feel really anxious even walking past one.

Why would they attack you Salem?

They potter around sniffing, run and roll on the grass, scrounge for biscuits and poo.

Unless you are a squirrel they don't care about you, with the possible exception of my old boy who would look you in the eyes and give you the paw. But no one is ever scared of him.

They don't really think much TBH, so I would worry about it.

The dogs who might attack you are trained to do so by people.

It's the people who trained then you should be scared of, not just the dogs.
I'm scared of them too.

I know it's irrational, I just can't stop myself!

And it's the not being able to differentiate between the lovely dogs and responsible dog owners (such as yourself) and the arseholes who raise arsehole dogs, that makes me in a state of constant worry when I'm near one.

I'm not going to let DD pick up on it though, I want her to like them

You would know mine when you see them, no one's ever scared of them, honestly.