How much do you trust your dog?

[lulu]

My guy is 100% labbie and is usually sweet. He''s never bitten anyone. But I don''t completely trust him. He''s very protective of me and if he perceived someone as threatening to me he could go off. But 99% of the time he''s a big labbie goofball.

 

[Maisie]

Waterlily, I read your post with interest and you made some valid points. I don''t know why I thought it would be ok for J to pet that dog. In hindsight it was very irresponsible of me. And I definitely won''t make that mistake again. We live in the UK, I''m not sure if things are different here to where you live. If the Police watched the cctv from the store and saw the incident themselves they would have seen the way the dog behaved and they are (apparently) within their rights to apply to the court to have the dog put down. I really didn''t want this to happen and I told the police this.

 

[Maisie]

Date: 3/8/2010 7:45:27 PM
Author: Cehrabehra
our new neighbors brought their dog over on a leash to introduce him to our family - needless to say my son 8 years later still has scars on his face from the encounter.

The people who don''t trust their dogs have untrustworthy dogs.

The people who DO trust their dogs are sometimes very, very wrong.

Oh Sara, thats awful. I won''t be letting J near any strange dogs. Absolutely not. I am glad I started this thread. Its given me a lot to think about.

 

[Burberrygirl]

Date: 3/9/2010 4:54:04 AM
Author: Maisie

Date: 3/8/2010 7:45:27 PM
Author: Cehrabehra
our new neighbors brought their dog over on a leash to introduce him to our family - needless to say my son 8 years later still has scars on his face from the encounter.

The people who don't trust their dogs have untrustworthy dogs.

The people who DO trust their dogs are sometimes very, very wrong.

Oh Sara, thats awful. I won't be letting J near any strange dogs. Absolutely not. I am glad I started this thread. Its given me a lot to think about.

Sara, I'm sorry that's horrible!

Maisie, I'm sorry you had such a scare! I completely agree with everything HH said.

I trust Mel 100% with me. Unfortunately he was abused as a puppy and is a very nervous dog, he pretty much hates all men except for my dad, brother, and a few others (he's fine with women though, maybe he was abused by a man?). It makes me sad because he is such a loving dog with me (and my immediate family), he's like a big teddy bear--at the same time he doesn't do well with strangers so I don't take him out to public places like a PetSmart. I know my dog and I try to keep him away from situations that make him uncomfortable at all times. It's clear when he's upset because he'll start to panic, whine/cry, and try to jump up on me (he's 60+ pounds). He has a huge backyard to play in and is fine going on walks with me in our neighborhood because it's familiar to him (he loves going on walks and feels safe where I live and the people here). He is trained, I just know his limitations and don't want to put others or him at risk. I definitely don't mean to say that he would attack every stranger he sees, I'm just extremely protective of him and careful.

 

[Cehrabehra]

How is Mandarin and her arm after the attack? I haven''t seen her in a long time - I am probably on the wrong forum!!

 

[bee*]

I''m sorry to hear what happened Maisie. The guy should have told you as you approached the dog. In terms of trusting Amber, I trust her 99.9%. After working with dogs for so long, I''ll never trust them 100% although Amber has never ever shown any signs of aggression towards other animals or children. She loves everyone.

 

[Miss Sparkly]

I just wanted to say Thank You to Massie for teaching her son NOT to run up to animals.

As a small dog owner whose dogs are not good with children I fear taking them in public because kids think they're "cute" and will run up to them. Then the parents get angry at me as if my dog has an issue, not their children (hey, when you're only six pounds and you have a loud kid running to see you, wouldn't you be scared?!

). My dogs are just fine with children such as James and I wish there were more Massie's and James' in the Petsmart world!

ETA: My dogs are highly trained and I am a firm believer in making sure that humans are alpha. With that being said, small human children also need to know that running up to a tiny dog is not okay. That'd be like a loveable clydesdale galloping at me, full speed, just so he could lick my face *eeeek*

 

[Sabine]

Wow, that man was totally out of line!

I trust my dog, but I also know that she was abandoned and has some fear issues of new people and new situations. I avoid taking her in to those kinds of stores, but I do take her there to get her nails ground down. I try to take her right to the grooming area, go pay, then come back and get her, but sometimes I need to take her in with me. She is in TOTAL fear mode when I do, cowering, tail between legs, looking around, etc. If any person, child or otherwise, were to approach her, I''d politely but firmly tell them not to go near her because she is afraid. She has NEVER shown aggression towards people, but I don''t want to take a chance.

I do think it''s the owner''s responsibility to say something if they have ANY question about their dog being friendly to strangers in that situation, but as a mom, I would also ask any person about the temperament before letting my LO touch an animal I''m not familiar with.

 

[waterlilly]

Date: 3/9/2010 4:45:44 AM
Author: Maisie
Waterlily, I read your post with interest and you made some valid points. I don''t know why I thought it would be ok for J to pet that dog. In hindsight it was very irresponsible of me. And I definitely won''t make that mistake again. We live in the UK, I''m not sure if things are different here to where you live. If the Police watched the cctv from the store and saw the incident themselves they would have seen the way the dog behaved and they are (apparently) within their rights to apply to the court to have the dog put down. I really didn''t want this to happen and I told the police this.

Sorry, didn''t realize you were in the UK, laws are likely different in every country...

 

[Hera]

I have a Rottweiler that has never bitten anyone but does seem to growl at people from time to time. She loves kids and has never growled at one but I still don't trust her 100% with anyone. I am well aware of her breed and while she is a pet, she carries strong protection instincts which is why we got her in the first place considering my husband leaves town for 6 months at a time. Like the dog trainer told me, "your dog is not a golden retriever so don't expect her to act like one."
Dogs speak a different language and most people don't know how to approach them or read their body language. I'm constantly telling women who visit to not cup my dog's face and stare her in the eyes(why would they do that with a Rottweiler anyways?).
As you know now, it's ultimately up to both parties involved to be responsible for their side. I definitely plan to educate my children on how to approach an animal and what animals they should or should not approach.

 

[waterlilly]

Date: 3/9/2010 8:42:51 PM
Author: heraanderson
I have a Rottweiler that has never bitten anyone but does seem to growl at people from time to time. She loves kids and has never growled at one but I still don''t trust her 100% with anyone. I am well aware of her breed and while she is a pet, she carries strong protection instincts which is why we got her in the first place considering my husband leaves town for 6 months at a time. Like the dog trainer told me, ''your dog is not a golden retriever so don''t expect her to act like one.''

Dogs speak a different language and most people don''t know how to approach them or read their body language. I''m constantly telling women who visit to not cup my dog''s face and stare her in the eyes(why would they do that with a Rottweiler anyways?).

As you know now, it''s ultimately up to both parties involved to be responsible for their side. I definitely plan to educate my children on how to approach an animal and what animals they should or should not approach.

Former rotti owner and forever rotti lover here!

I hear you - how does "yes you can pet him" translate to "put your face 1 inch from his and glare in his eyes while showing him your teeth, yeah, he''ll love that!"

I had a toddler and mom ask me if they could pet one of my dogs (at a dog centered event) I said yes, the little girl proceeded to put my dog in a head-lock and try to kiss her. What could that have meant for my beloved dog - my multi-titled obedience and agility dog if she had panicked and bit this child?! I shudder to think...

I didn''t hold back at all - I said "NO - what are you doing?! NO - that is not petting! You NEVER hug a strange dog - that is very dangerous!" Did her mother say or do anything? No. Not a word. I''m guessing she was embarrassed or something. Hopefully that little girl will never do that again - SO DANGEROUS!

A good lesson for dog owners too - the other side of it. If you say "yes" to someone that asks to "pet" your dog, you better be sure your dog can handle having their space seriously violated because you never know what people interpret your permission to "pet" as...lots of people take that to mean that your dog is the equivalent of a stuffed animal. My motto - just say no!

 

[trillionaire]

Date: 3/8/2010 3:12:55 PM
Author: puppmom

With that said, I do trust my dog. I have a 2 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback.

YAY!!!! Me too! Mine is 2.5!

She's my second RR, and my first one was such an amazing dog. My girl now is a moody thing with a lot of personality. She keeps us laughing on a daily basis and is a big lovie!

/end threadjack

ETA - I'm not sure how that picture ended up rotated, LOL! Oops!

 

[trillionaire]

This thread is very timely. Many dogs are not socialized with young kids, because many single people get dogs and do not have routine interaction with kids. And there are plenty of pet owners that have no idea what it means to socialize their dog. I am so thankful that I have an amazing breeder who emphasized this and was willing to answer questions, meet up, etc.

So, the weather is getting nicer now, and there is a dog park in my complex, and more and more dogs are coming out to play. It becomes very clear which owners have good awareness of their dogs and their temperaments, which is a whole other story, but increasingly, little children who are at the playground next to the dog park are scaling the fence to come play with and pet the dogs! Now, I''m not nervous about my dog with kids... unless they are running! My dog is 70lbs, and if you run, she''s going to run, and if a child stops suddenly, it is very likely that she''s going to knock them over. Also, kids will have food, or anything in their hands, and when they get nervous about the dogs, the scream and squeal (interesting sounds to the dogs) and flail around. It''s really, really difficult to deal with, and the parents of these kids are no where to be found. Most of the time the dog owners gently persuade the kids that they need to give the dogs their space, but 2 siblings today didn''t speak English.

There were three dogs present today, one that my dog loves, and another that she met last week. The other dog has some aggression issues revolving around protecting his owner, and possessiveness of toys. That dog attacked my dog last week, so I was already uncomfortable. If the dog had started attacking my dog while children are involved, I''m sure I''m going to end up liable, and it''s really just a nightmare scenario. The new dog was fine with my dog today, but it did attacked another dog. Thankfully the children had just left, but it''s very scary. We held our girl by her collar the whole time the kids were in there, just in case. The kids were probably 3 and 4-5yrs old.

 

[Luckyeshe]

I''m glad that your son is ok!!

As for my dogs, I have 2 (one 70lb husky, and one 10lb papillon), I trust them 99% of the time. They are both highly socialized, but I don''t allow really small children to come up and pet them without me being in the middle guiding their little hands to teach them how to pet. I have not had any problems with my boys, but if they think that I am threatened, they get really really protective. I do worry about the husky knocking someone down if he gets overexcited though and I''m afraid that if he jumps up on a child that the child would fall and hit his/her head on something, etc., etc., so I make sure he listens to me all the time. Beyond that, they know that I''m alpha and that I have the situation under control. If they were with someone else and I''m not there...then, I wouldn''t trust them at all. My boys would definitely take advantage of their sitter or anyone that isn''t me anyways and get away with murder, so I only trust them when they''re with me.

 

[Haven]

Ugh--Trill, be careful at the dog park. We found that the *worst* owners bring their dogs to dog parks. We never go anymore because of all the negligent owners with untrained dogs who go there.

It''s insane. People bring their dogs to the dog park for exercise. Hello! Yes, please, bring a dog with a lot of pent up energy to a park with a huge amount of unfamiliar dogs running around. That''s brilliant. Okay, sorry. I''m done with my rant. Just please be careful there, dear.

 

[Samantha Red]

As the owner of the softest chocolate lab in the world and the previous owner of the softest yellow lab in the world (we lost her two years ago), my answer would be any dog could bite with the right provacation. Sadly some medical conditions cause the nicest dogs in the world to become aggressive but that is very rare. I would never leave any dog in a room with children for example. It would be different if I had my own children but I wouldn''t do it with others. However Maisie, you did nothing wrong in this instance. That dog was in a very public place with the owner, who should have told you if the dog was not happy with James fussing him. I have a terrier also who I know does not like people invading her space, but as she is small and furry children are very drawn to her. I always ask them not to try to go near her, but to say hello to the lab, who is always desperate for anyone to say hello - particularly little people who might have some left overs stuck to the front of the clothes lol.

This man sounds very irresponsible and I am afraid his dog will be the one to lose out when it has to be put to sleep because it bites someone. Sadly, Alsatians are very guarding orientated and quick to do their job, particularly in the wrong hands.

I hope you and James are okay after such an upsetting experience.

 

[whitby_2773]

i have three dogs. 2 i trust completely. one i know does not like children and will snap if provoked.

i dont think a muzzle is necessary for a dog that doesn't like children. i think mutual cooperation between owner and parent is necessary.

try to think of it this way... would you let your child handle a gun, just because the owner said it was unloaded? no? why not? a dog can do as much damage as a gun and should be treated with the same caution. dogs can be completely friendly..until a hand goes over the back of their head (a dominant gesture to a dog, yet generally the FIRST place people go to pat).

i have a dog who is extremely beautiful. he looks soft and friendly. but he is unneutered as he's a champion show dog, he's an alpha male, and puppies (both canine and human!) in his mind are meant to be kept in their place in the pack (which in his head is somewhere below him). do we ever let children approach him without supervision? no. not ever. but i have to say, it STAGGERS me that so many parents leave protecting their children up to *us*. my dog is not an aggressive dog. he won't chase or attack. he won't bite if unprovoked. but if someone he doesn't know starts waving their hand in his face, he'll let them know he Does Not Like This. should he be muzzled? no. definitely not. should we control him? yes. and we do. but should parents keep their children away from a dog they don't know? oh yes.

i can't tell you the number of times little children have come running at our dog, hands outstretched, waving them in his face while the parent from 20 feet away is saying something like "yes, you can pat the nice doggie..." this completely freaks him out and to date we've always intercepted this idiocy and cut them off before they could reach him. but a little help would be good, y'know?

some parents are fabulous and i've had *this* exchange a number of times - "can my child pat your dog?" "sure! but he doesn't like being patted on the head. come round to his side, and we'll show you how he likes to be patted..."" "no problem - and little johnnie - this is why you always ask before you pat a dog you don't know!" God bless parents like that.

Maisie, i think the owner was at fault here and should have been forthcoming about his dog and children. but just because a dog doesn't want to be patted by a child doesn't mean the dog should be muzzled. just remember, an unknown dog can be as dangerous as an unknown weapon - treat them with the same respect.

hugs to you - and i'm glad james is ok.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I have well trained dogs. I never trust them to strangers or children we don''t know. Too risky for my dogs. Waterlily''s post reflects my thoughts on the subject.

 

[risingsun]

I have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel [Charlie]. I don't believe there is an aggressive bone in his body. Do I let children just come up and pet him? I do not. The parent has to be present and give permission. I get down on the floor to be at child level and tell them to gently approach my dog by holding out their hand for him to sniff. So far so good. They can gently pet him on the back of his head or shoulders. I supervise at all times. I never have my dog off lead in public and I use a short lead in places such as Petco. What I can trust is that my dog [off lead] will chase a moving object, such as a squirrel or cat. My breeder made it very clear that Cavaliers have a sporting dog's instinct to chase prey. Mind you, he wouldn't know what to do with it if he caught, but chase it he will.

Charlie has had formal obedience training and achieved his Canine Good Citizen Award from the AKC. He's a love and I want to protect him, too. One night, at agility class, a large dog got away from his very young owner and pinned Charlie to the ground. Charlie got out from under and started running with the big dog hot on his heels. My friend's border collie managed to cut off and herd the offending dog away from my boy, who had found a place to hide. It was all unexpected and happened so quickly. As owners, we need to know how to handle our dogs. As parents, we need to educate our children about approaching dogs. The man that was involved in the situation with Maisie and James needed to learn how to control his dog, to be honest with others and not let them approach his dog.

 

[trillionaire]

Date: 3/10/2010 12:42:35 AM
Author: Haven
Ugh--Trill, be careful at the dog park. We found that the *worst* owners bring their dogs to dog parks. We never go anymore because of all the negligent owners with untrained dogs who go there.

It''s insane. People bring their dogs to the dog park for exercise. Hello! Yes, please, bring a dog with a lot of pent up energy to a park with a huge amount of unfamiliar dogs running around. That''s brilliant. Okay, sorry. I''m done with my rant. Just please be careful there, dear.

I very much agree with you Haven! This dog park, however, is a small residential one, and my dog has about 3 doggie friends there, and there are rarely more than 3 dogs ever present. She loves it (and it''s right outside my door, so she watches from the windows) and would be really sad if we didn''t take her. We take her for walks too, but it''s not the same. She likes to ''be a dog!" The nice thing about this park is that I get to know all of the owners personally, and that if there IS a problem, I know where you live

We go to the larger public parks a lot less frequently now. The public parks sometimes have children present, so it''s still really important for owners to have a good awareness about their dog. I am shocked when I hear an owner says something like ''Why is my dog''s hair sticking up? ''(e, their hackles), especially when they have a dominant/aggressive dog!?! Sheesh people, you are going to get everyone hurt, dogs, adults AND children!

 

[Haven]

That sounds like a nice alternative to a huge public dog park, Trill! I wish we had one of those around here.

It is good to know where all the doggy parents live, isn't it? I like that. I feel like in that situation people are more likely to be responsible because they *know* they're likely to run into everyone else again.

Dogs do need to run around and play, I hear ya. Our poor pup gets cabin fever when it's too wet to play with her in the yard for even one day. When that happens we just tear around the house with her. Her favorite game is hide and seek but I think she has an unfair advantage--she can sniff us out no matter where we are.

Whitby--Your method of telling people to come around and pat your dog from the side reminds me of the horse safety I learned when I was younger. Isn't it strange that we take care to teach children how to appropriately approach horses, but not dogs? I've seen many more aggressive dogs than I have horses. Just because horses are large we take care around them.

I'd love to see an animal welfare group create a wide-scale PSA about child safety around dogs. It really needs to be addressed, I think.

 

[princesss]

Ugh, dog parks. Ugh.

We have a local one that we love taking our dog to - we know the regulars, Bodhi loves to go play, and it's generally a good place. But with spring coming, all of the moron owners are back out and it's chaos. There were 3 cases in an HOUR of a pack of dogs ganging up on a smaller dog/trampling it while the owners just looked on. One dog had Bodhi pinned, and then the owner got mad when M pulled the dog off (it was very clearly an aggressive move, not a play move - the dog's hackles were up, tail was down, and teeth were bared) saying, "She just wanted to play." No, your dog was not playing, lady. Control your freaking animal! Plus parents are letting their kids come up to the fence and stick their fingers through - great idea, parents, let your kids shove little fingers (that look like bugs or snacks) through the fence to tempt dogs you've never met before in your life!

We have a nice walkway near our house where we take Bodhi to walk, and there are usually tons of kids. I can honestly say I've never had a kid reach for my dog without the parent prompting the kid to ask (and wait for a reply!) first. It's been great. There was a group of four girls one day that made it their mission to pet as many dogs as possible, and I watched the approach several people - they stayed far enough back to give the people and dog their space, asked permission, said, "Thank you" and walked away if it wasn't given, and approached the dog properly if it was. (They didn't bother asking me - Bodhi heard them coming and jumped off the side of the wooden walkway and into a pond to avoid them. I've got a seriously wimpy dog!) People expect me to train my dog, but at least most people in my area train their kids, too!

*gets off soapbox*

 

[swingirl]

I trust my dog 100% around me and my family. But it would be a mistake to say he's 100% trustworthy in any other situation because he is a dog. I can't talk to him to find out what might be bothering him. A smell, pain, a memory. I don't know. There have been well-trained police dogs who have made mistakes so I don't think an animal can be trained to respond perfectly 100% of the time. Therefore I leave strange dogs alone because I don't trust and I especially don't trust their owners. (Even though the majority of dog owners are responsible and the majority of dogs make great pets that are safe and well trained)

I was bitten by a friend's little family pooch. I was sitting at their kitchen table and had been there for a while. The family was totally shocked. I didn't provoke it. I turned my head to look at the dog when he came near the table. He jumped up and lunged at my face. We actually clinked teeth! I can't go back and ask the dog what spooked him but something did and my friend, of course, said this had never happened before and didn't know what set off the dog's behavior. So I don't accept that an animal can be 100% trained to not react in a natural way.

But don't feel badly, Maise. That guy was a liar and a jerk.

 

[Puppmom]

Trillionaire, my fellow RR owner! I would love to hear more about your baby! We just love our boy and couldn''t be happier...ditto to the accidental running over of children who run and stop suddenly.

My nephews will never learn. Also, children always think my dog LOVES them but he''s usually just intrigued by whatever food is in their pockets, in their hand, on their face or on their shirt!

RE: dog parks - We have two local dog parks and one doesn''t allow children under the age of 14 which is nice because I really feel like most children just don''t know how to act around dogs - especially when they''re off lead (the dogs I mean

). The other dog park is like the misfit park. Like Haven said, it seems like people with the worst behaved dogs show up and ruin everything. It seems like the only interaction and exercise these dogs get is AT the dog park which is a recipe for disaster. There is a woman who comes with 5 (yes, I said FIVE) Saint Bernards and they literally take over the park. When she comes in, she announces herself and says if anyone doesn''t like her or her dogs they can leave - and most people do leave.

I also find that dog stereotypes run rampant at the dog park. In our area, people are really afraid of Pitbulls. There are a lot of them since they often end up in rescue. Hollis LOVES to play with them - I think it''s because he''s bigger than they are but they really like rough and tumble play.

Lastly, last year my husband broke his hand at the dogpark. Two dogs were just running and chasing and they ran right into him. Be careful there - now that I''m pregnant I don''t go. I''ve been jumped on more times than I can count which I normally can tolerate but not in my current state.

Anywho, I could go on and on about dog parks. I have a love/hate relationship with them.

 

[asscherisme]

Date: 3/8/2010 1:41:35 PM
Author:Maisie
I just went to the pet shop for some stuff for our new furbaby. Its the kind of store where you can take your dog in with you as long as its well behaved and on a lead. I had James with me (he is 5) and when we were waiting in the line there was a man with a German Shepherd dog. James loves dogs so he said 'Mummy come and see the doggy', I looked at the man and he smiled at me so we went over to see the dog.


I let the dog sniff my hand and then James reached over to do the same. The dog didn't react and again the owner smiled at us. When James tried to stroke the dog it went for his face. I grabbed him out of the way just in time and we moved well back. I know I should have asked the owner if the dog was safe to pet. That was my responsibility and I acknowledge that. The man didn't say anything and just looked annoyed at James. I felt shocked and upset so of course I said something. I asked if his dog should be muzzled. He said it was a fully trained police dog and it was fully under his control. I asked him if he is a police officer and he said yes. I asked for his details because I wanted to put in a complaint about the dog going for my son. He wouldn't give me any details as he said it was 'confidential information'. He wasn't in uniform so I probably shouldn't have asked for his details in hindsight.


He walked away from me and I followed him. I seriously was annoyed because of the offhand way he treated the situation. I called the police and told them that one of their officers has a police dog that I considered unsafe around children. It was at this point that the man stopped and the police asked to speak to him. I put him on the phone and he admitted he isn't a police officer. To cut a long story short, the police came and took my statement. They then spoke to him and told him that if I put in a formal complaint he might have his dog euthanised. I don't want this at all. If his dog is unsafe around children it could be muzzled while out in public. Thats what I have put forward to the police to tell him. He did admit his dog is unpredictable.


So what im asking is how much you trust your dog. Do you think a dog can be fully trusted not to attack? My dog is so soft I can't imagine her attacking anyone but I can't say for sure that she won't. If I had concerns about her attacking anyone I would not just hope it wouldn't happen. I would do all I could to ensure everyone was safe.


I could have handled the situation differently. I should not have let James just go ahead and pet a strange dog. I am glad he wasn't hurt. I will know better next time.

Maise, german sherpards scare me and I won't let my kids near them.

When I was a child, I was attached by a german shepard in my neighborhood. It was the 70's and little kids use to play outside with no supervision. I pet a neighbors dog (I was probably not much older than James) and next thing I knew the dog was attacking me and there was blood everywhere.
A neighbor saw it and pulled the dog off me and I was hospitalized after and still have scars.

I have to admit I have a fear of unknown dogs and even though my kids beg for a dog, I would not fully trust one in my house after what happened to me.

I'm glad your son was not hurt.

I read that the lady who had the first ever face transplant actually lost her face when she fell asleep and her own dog chewed her face off. And it was not a breed normally associated with violence. You just never know.

edited to add, there are certain breeds I have taught my kids to not touch at all. And even dogs that appear to be gentle, I have taught my kids to NEVER touch a dog unless the owner is there and says its OK. For instance a friends house. But not a strangers dog ever.

 

[Puppmom]

Trill, I just reread your post and I realized your dog park isn't open to the public. You lucky dog - no pun intended.

asscherisme, I'm sorry that happened to you. It's such a shame but things like this do shape us. It's unfortunate that it prevents you from truly enjoying the company of a dog.

 

[Maisie]

I''m really glad that there have been so many thoughtful and sensitive posts in this thread. I have read each one with interest. I understand now that in order to keep my son safe I must educate him (and my other children) how to behave around all animals, but in particular dogs. If he wants to pet a dog he can pet our own dogs. He doesn''t need to stroke any random dog that crosses his path. I will teach him that not all dogs like to be touched. Some might be unfriendly, but some might also be scared or in pain or nervous. I don''t want him to fear strange dogs, but I do want him to respect them and give them their space.

 

[asscherisme]

Date: 3/10/2010 3:25:27 PM
Author: puppmom
Trill, I just reread your post and I realized your dog park isn''t open to the public. You lucky dog - no pun intended.

asscherisme, I''m sorry that happened to you. It''s such a shame but things like this do shape us. It''s unfortunate that it prevents you from truly enjoying the company of a dog.

Actually I do enjoy the company of some dogs, just very cautiously! After the attack, we did end up getting a family dog and I adored her. We had a westie.

And in fact, when my youngest child is a teenager, I would totally consider getting another dog. Just carefully reseached and picked.

I''m just very cautious and scared of certain breeds.

 

[princesss]

Date: 3/10/2010 3:41:43 PM
Author: Maisie
I''m really glad that there have been so many thoughtful and sensitive posts in this thread. I have read each one with interest. I understand now that in order to keep my son safe I must educate him (and my other children) how to behave around all animals, but in particular dogs. If he wants to pet a dog he can pet our own dogs. He doesn''t need to stroke any random dog that crosses his path. I will teach him that not all dogs like to be touched. Some might be unfriendly, but some might also be scared or in pain or nervous. I don''t want him to fear strange dogs, but I do want him to respect them and give them their space.

Very smart, Maisie. As a dog owner, I really appreciate parents with this attitude, and it''s always a pleasure to be around children that understand this.

 

[MonkeyPie]

I had no idea dogs didn''t like their heads to be patted as opposed to their sides. Learn something new every day! I guess this is why I don''t have any dogs and haven''t since I was about 5 lol.