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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:
littleolwinedrinkerme · 07/12/2007 15:09

Has any other OP ever had more quick responses than this one?!!! Hope you are reassured Depravedmum

BroccoliSpears · 07/12/2007 15:10

What rot.

Pennies · 07/12/2007 15:10
Hmm
sunandmoon · 07/12/2007 15:11

Your toddlers at 2 & 4 playing dogs, i think it is great imagination!!! Does that mean that kids shouldn't have any imagination if yes they've been abused???

mrsgboring · 07/12/2007 15:44

Sounds like the person who relayed the psychologist's comment got it arse about face, or (consciously or unconsciously) embroidered it to make it sound more exciting. Seriously doubt that anyone who knew what they were talking about would make such a ridiculous statement.

harpsichordcarrier · 07/12/2007 15:47

god utter rubbish

Peachy · 07/12/2007 15:48

Gosh

My ASD 2 are forever being dogs (think its an excuse to get away with sniffing and licking LOL) and I am as sure as anyone can be they're not being abused in any way

What a lot of scaremongering

Blu · 07/12/2007 15:48

Thank you for this illuminating Friday afternoon contribution Depravedmum - and welcome to MN

belcantavinissima · 07/12/2007 15:49

what a thoughtless and nasty thing for her to say to you. almost all small children i know pretend to be animals, dogs and others. they probably pretend it cos they want a dog or they know a friend with a dog, nothing sinister. if nothing else is bothering you about them, and they dont seem frightened or upset or in some other way different to how they normally are i dont think you have anything to worry about.
oh, and i would stay away from your 'friend'.

gibberish · 07/12/2007 15:50

Complete rubbish. My sister and I were always playing this and neither of us were abused.

It's called 'imagination'. Don't worry yourself about it.

pagwatch · 07/12/2007 15:58

Depravedmum appears to have gone.
Odd name she has, don't you think ?

yurt1 · 07/12/2007 16:00

What is it with ASD kids and pretending to be dogs peachy. I know so many who do that. It should be part of DSM IV

fedupwasherwoman · 07/12/2007 16:05

This has got to be a wind up, surely ?

EniDeepMidwinter · 07/12/2007 16:07

this is a wind up

collision · 07/12/2007 16:09

clippety clop clippety clop!

Here comes the troll!

Blandmum · 07/12/2007 16:12

Peter Ustinov pretended to be a wide range of cars for a long time in his childhood!

Peachy · 07/12/2007 16:15

LOL Yurt

auntilin · 07/12/2007 16:18

Many 'signs' of abuse are part of childrens development normally, bedwetting, anxiety, nailbiting, social isolation, over familiarity, barking like a dog, etc etc etc.......
This really has to be part of a much wider history.

Wow. how helpful are some professionals ffs?

littleboo · 07/12/2007 16:29

This has to be a wind up surely

Iklboo · 07/12/2007 16:35

DS pretends to be an elephant. WTF does THAT mean then?
Sounds like parp to me

seeker · 07/12/2007 16:36

Thinking back, there was a day when dd pretended to be a basket of washing that I had to hang on the line, a pencil and a roll of wallpaper. This looks pretty dodgy now!

ggirlsbells · 07/12/2007 16:37

tripp trapp

aquababe · 07/12/2007 16:38

I remember (vaguely) some program where a child that had been abused was pretending to be a dog, but that's not the same as all kids who play dogs are abused.

minouminou · 07/12/2007 16:59

if this is a wind up, then it's a really nasty little piece of work
if it's not, forgeddabowdit...load of old toilet.

belgo · 07/12/2007 16:59

the OP's name makes me very suspicious.