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Original poster

Has anyone else heard that children that pretend to be dogs might be being sexually abused - Am traumatised

82 replies

Depravedmum · 07/12/2007 14:52

I just had lunch with a friend and she mentioned that she was recently chatting to a child psychologist who worked on Little Angels. This person had mentioned that ' when children pretend to be dogs all the time - it's a sure sign of abuse'. My toddlers (2 and 4) play 'doggies' all the time - one being the dog and one being 'the owner' so I'm traumatised by this comment. I work four days a week and my children have a nanny who sometimes meets up with her boyfriend with our children. I have met him and thought he seemed okay and I've been very happy with her as a nanny so haven't said anything. But now I'm imagining all sorts of things. I suppose I'm looking for reassurance from people that their children do this and it's a perfectly natural stage of devlopment. I am so upset by this casual comment even though I have no other cause to suspect my children are anything other than healthy and happy.

OP posts:
tiredemma · 07/12/2007 14:53

sounds like something prof southall would dream up.

sparklygothkat · 07/12/2007 14:53

wtf!! my girls play 'doggies' and I know they have not been abused, I am with them all the time

HappyDaddy · 07/12/2007 14:54

What a load of scaremongering bollocks.

seeker · 07/12/2007 14:55

My dd pretended to be a dog all the time and I was her only carer. Ditto my nephew. Sounds like dangerous crap to me.

Dottydot · 07/12/2007 14:55

What??! I'm no child psychologist, but children play all sorts of games. My two ds's play doggies - one will take the other for a walk, or they'll play 'fetch' with a ball. They also play space rockets, houses, camping, whatever...

There's no way anyone can say that anything's "a sure sign". That's nonsense and I really wouldn't worry about a comment that doesn't have any evidence backed up with it.

IlanaK · 07/12/2007 14:55

My two boys play doggies all the time and they are never out of my sight. Absolutely no way they have been absued.

nailpolish · 07/12/2007 14:55

my dds are 5 and 3 and they play doggies too. they even get a woolly scarf as a 'lead'. they take turns. they also play pussy cats and frogs. and horsies. i have never heard of this before. have you worried about the boyfriend before? does he come to your house?

pigleto · 07/12/2007 14:55

My dcs pretend to be rats. I wonder what that says about them?

wheresthehamster · 07/12/2007 14:55

dd2 and dd3 play dogs all the time and have done since they were small. They are dog mad.
A 'sure' sign of abuse - what a load of bollocks

FairyTaleOfNewYork · 07/12/2007 14:55

wtf, she is shitting you.

no bloody way.

almost all children go through a pretend being animals/doggies age.

mine are cats, dogs, rabbits daily.

mishymoo · 07/12/2007 14:56

WTF!!? I have never heard of that before!

Blandmum · 07/12/2007 14:56

Utter bollocks

littlerach · 07/12/2007 14:56

The whole od dd1's clas sewre pretending ot be dogs when they were 5. Including the boys.

Most children seem to do this at soem point.

rudolphdoesntneedbratnav · 07/12/2007 14:57

Both DDs and DSD play 'doggies' all the time, as well as mummys and babies, sisters and princesses.

It sounds like absolute rubbish to me, what was the reasoning behind it?

snicebutdidyoukeepthereceipt · 07/12/2007 14:58

My two (6 and 3) play this a lot - not because they've been abused but because they're desperate for a dog. The info you've been given IS BOLLOCKS so ignore it and be assured that your children are like many, many others.

scorpio1 · 07/12/2007 14:58

sounds like crap to me, you have to remember that the psychologist looks for this is children who are vulnerable, probably using some type of play therapy.

definitely not applicable to a massive majority of children.

coldtits · 07/12/2007 14:59

That's a complete crock of shit. What if they pretend to be cats? Are they destined to be sociopathic? Children who pretend to be lemmings - are they suicidal?

I have never heard anything so utterly laughable in my life, PLEASE PLEASE don't worry about this, I do understand how thoughts like this can cut you to pieces, but it's just a load of crap!

witchandchips · 07/12/2007 14:59

also google this very quesion. you will get no hits which implies that it is not an idea shared by very many people

wessexgirl · 07/12/2007 15:00

Total idiocy! A 'sure sign' indeed. Like when those kids in Rochdale drew innocuous pictures and they were taken as 'proof of abuse'.

We don't have dogs, which is prob why my dds don't pretend to be them. They pretend to be cats all the time though. Is that different? rolls eyes so much they almost fall out of their sockets

WigWamBam · 07/12/2007 15:00

My dd's favourite game at the moment is having sticks thrown so that she can play "fetch".

Why is pretending to be dogs any more of a "sign" than pretending to be any other animal? Children like to play at animals; the only sinister part of this is that anyone would think it was a sign of anything other than a healthy child.

NomDePlume · 07/12/2007 15:01

Mine likes to pretend to be a horse, a pig or a cow.

[boggle]

It sounds like knobrot to me.

bubblagirl · 07/12/2007 15:01

pay no attention i was abused as a kid and never played doggies

ffs they are just being kids dont listen to the rubbish

hatrick · 07/12/2007 15:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Brandnewchristmaspyjamasgirl · 07/12/2007 15:04

I hope not mykids have all gone through the "I'm a doggy" stage

coldtits · 07/12/2007 15:05

Did she mean children who abuse the family dog, and your friend misunderstood?