Comment

Comment by Amy & Rubi Rae on July 31, 2012 at 6:14pm

Hang in there. That is a tough age for dog/cat tormenting. I remember thinking that surely my son would get bitten despite my best efforts.  He'd try to chase the dog and hit her with sticks! Unacceptable! Now at the big boy age of 3 he can't even imagine that he acted that way!

Comment by Lemmy Winks on July 31, 2012 at 3:12pm

Bev: I agree, Our daughter never goes around animals that are unfamiliar, for that exact reason.
Aronna: I also agree with you, and I am very firm with my daughter when I discipline her. I just didn't want to fill the blog with how I discipline her lol. These instances don't happen daily or weekly, but on occasion.
I am fully aware of how unpredictable even the tamest of animals can be, and we do take precaution with her and the dogs at all times. 

Comment by Bev Levy on July 31, 2012 at 2:22pm

Another reason to insist that even very young children learn to leave the pets alone is that they (the children) will encounter other animals than yours and not all animals will be so reliable.

Comment by aronna welsh on July 31, 2012 at 1:09pm

I am not sure how you will take this because people are very protective of the method they use  when teaching their children. I fee you need to be firm with her or she will be bitten. it sounds like these dogs are giving her the best they have but even the most loving pet will reach a limit and snap back. Recently I had a friend that put her dog down because the dog snapped at her son. I had seen this boy lay on the dog, take food from his mouth, bang him on the head with his toys, and try to pick him up by his skin. The mother would say be easy with him. Then one day the dog was a sleep on the floor and the boy jumped on his belly, The dog jumped up and snapped toward the boy then moved across the room to go back to sleep. She called her husband and they had the dog put to sleep because it was dangerous. My daughter tried to pick up our dog by his hair once I told her to stop because it hurt. She did it again so I pulled her hair and said see it hurts, she cried but she never did it again. Please find a way that works to protect your baby and your dogs.

Comment by John Wolff on July 31, 2012 at 12:35pm

Pets offer opportunity to train children in respect and love.   Young children, esp. strange  children, are not to be trusted.  When I introduce Killer and Fang to strange toddlers, I watch them -- the children -- closely.

If a child provokes a patient dog to growl, I'd think it's the kid, not the dog, who needs correcting.

Our daughter got a scratch from our cat:  center of eyebrow, center of cheekbone below the eye, center of eyelid.   Right smack across the eye, not quite as fast as the blink of an eye.

A St. Bernard who killed a child was found, upon autopsy, to have a popsicle stick fully inserted into its ear canal.

Comment by Jen, Yuki & Ellie on July 31, 2012 at 11:22am

I should add that my kids are very respectful of the pets, haha.  They both know "gentle" and treat the dogs with care.  My neighbor's son, however...

Comment by Jen, Yuki & Ellie on July 31, 2012 at 11:22am

I maintain that dogs are able to tell a child from an adult and give them more leeway, just as they would a puppy.  However, that patience will only go so far and then it's up to how well you have trained them.  Both of mine are incredibly patient with my young ones, as well, though Ellie is far less tolerant than Yuki.  The kids can do just about anything to him and he won't even make a sound, he'll just move away from them and find me.