A number of years ago, Hubby and I went to a house party; the hosts were people we use to bowl with but didn’t see frequently; in my opinion we didn’t have a lot in common, but Hubby wanted to go, so I went. I wasn’t having a particularly fun time, but Hubby was so we stayed; because it was a birthday party there was a keg and one of the things that really bothered me about this, was that some people had their children there.
For the most part the kids were inside the house, while the adults were outside but the host’s dog was also inside the house, and there was no adult supervision in there. Sometime after midnight, a four-year old boy just about had his face ripped off by the dog, of course no-one actually knows what happened because they were all outside and most of them were drunk. Seeing as I hadn’t been drinking, I offered to drive the mother and son to the hospital. I cannot remember how many stitches that child had in his face, (I did see him a few years later and there was no scarring) but I do remember that the dog was destroyed.
The memory of that boy and dog has haunted me for a while, which is why whenever there are children around my dogs, I am right there too. I do not want to place my dogs in a position where they feel threatened and feel the need to defend themselves. I am also conscious of teaching the children who are around my dogs, to be kind to my dogs and treat them with respect.
Today my little grandson was over and Delilah had a spurt of energy and wanted to play with the ball, naturally my grandson who just turned three wants to throw the ball. I will not allow him to take the ball from Delilah, instead I sit on the floor with them and act as the intermediary; when Delilah is ready to relinquish the ball, I hand it to my grandson and he can throw the ball. In my opinion, this is a win-win situation, I get to spend time with my grandson and my dog, and I am teaching my grandson to respect animals.
You are without a doubt the most dedicated and responsible dog owner I have ever met. Good post!
PERFECT ….. JUST PERFECT for EVERYBUDDY involved!!!
What a shame for that Child and HORRIBLE about the dog.
Good for you. that’s the game I always played with my dogs and grandchildren, fun for all and no scary moments. It takes some maturing before a child understands what it means to be around a dog of any size. Yes, small dogs can do damage too if they are not supervised.
How sad. For the kid AND especially the dog. When we have guests with children we put Leah and Meadow away and Toby only stays out if we are in the room to supervise. I also won’t let him play with toys with children, he is too wild and I’m afraid he’ll bowl them over. Instead, I give the kids some treats and teach him his hand commands and everyone is happy!