“Don’t worry – our dog is GREAT around children.” “Your baby can play safely on the floor while our dog walks around. He would never hurt a fly.” “Sure, she can pet him. He’s never bitten anyone.” How many times have you heard phrases like this when dogs and babies are in the same room?
I’m an animal lover. I was never allowed to have a pet, but I made friends with all of the neighborhood animals. I’ve never had a bad experience with any animal, let alone a dog. I think raising animals teaches children valuable lessons in responsibility and care, and animals make great companions.
All the same, I’ve made a conscious decision not to let my baby play with or around dogs.
I have a friend whose 11-month-old was recently attacked by the dog of a family friend. This dog, like many, had never bitten anyone, was always great around children, and was completely trusted by everyone. The family who owned the dog assured my friend that it was completely safe for her son to play in the same room as the dog.
The situation went from lighthearted and comfortable to terrifying without any warning. The dog, for no apparent reason, attacked and bit the 11-month-old behind his ear. The substantial wound needed to be glued together in the emergency room, and my friend and her husband felt very fortunate that the bite hadn’t happened in their son’s eye.
Type “babies and dogs” into an internet search engine, and you will find countless articles about “friendly” dogs attacking children for no reason. It happens with alarming frequency. More alarming than the fact that these attacks happen once is the fact that many families keep these dogs after the first attack and continue to let their children be around them.
Pets usually become a part of the family, and the people who own them often put them on the same level as humans. While many dogs might never hurt a child, it’s important for people to remember that they are still animals. Animals, even the gentlest ones, can be unpredictable. Their actions are based on instinct.
For these reasons, I never put my daughter within the reach of a dog. If we are at a house where a dog is walking around inside, I hold her. If the dog jumps up on me while I’m holding her, we leave. No matter how many times a family tells me, “You can put her down – she’ll be fine,” I don’t do it. It’s not worth the risk.