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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Pit bulls...
This is what was said: By now your toddler has tons of new tricks, like opening every cabinet door in the house, chucking his toys across the room, stripping off his diaper, and shrieking like a banshee. You might also find that he is either terrified of dogs and strangers or shows absolutely no fear at all. Either way is fine, as long as you offer support and supervision -- and steer clear of pit bulls.
Now i DO NOT agree with the statement of "steer clear of pit bulls". I would like to know why every pit I or my son has been around has been great my son loves playing with them. I wish people would stop the stereotyping. They are loving animals and I have never had a problem with them around my son. About all they will do is lick them to death (figuratively speaking) and run around with them. Maybe the kid falls over but it doesn't hurt them. They are great with kids!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Pit bulls...
I agree, I love pitties! DH and I would definitely like to adopt one when our children are older. But not because "pitties are bad around kids".
I'm a tiny person. We won't get ANY dog until our children are older because we like big dogs. I'm not comfortable having any dog that's stronger than me with small children around, kwim?
I agree with you 100%! We have a pit mix and she is the most loving dog and is great with our DD. If she gets irritated at DD she leaves the room. She has never once hurt her and acted like she was going to hurt her. She does sometimes wimper if DD pinches her but so does my grandmas little dog.
This has always bothered me even before we had a pit dog. It is all in how they are raised.
Maybe the ones you have encountered are great with kids, but just as they are not all bad... they are not all good. This is true of any animal. We have to remember they are animals and all animals are unpredictable.
My dog that I loved (not a pit), and never imagined he'd bite someone, bit someone in the face and did quite a bit of damage. If he'd bit a child in the face it would have been much worse because their faces are so much smaller and there would have been more area of damage. We then spent the next year and a half defending ourselves in a law suit where we were being sued for more than $200,000.00. Lucky for us our home owners insurance covered the cost of court and lawyers and paid $50,000 to settle the case.
After an experience like mine (I'm not talking about the lawsuit at all) where a dog you KNOW does something like that ... you NEVER trust an animal again. So, yes I will steer my child clear pit bulls and all dogs. I barely let her near our cat and only very occasionally around my bf's dogs but I don't let her get very close. Maybe I'm being extreme, but to have no fear and take no precautions is just simply irresponsible.
I am weary of ALL strange dogs, I have to get to know the dog first before I let my guard down.
Very true, but to be paranoid and fearful of all household pets, and to impart that fear to your child, seems just as irresponsible.
It should say something like "Never leave your child unsupervised around any dog" etc etc. Why single out pitts when ANY dog is capable of doing harm.
I love pits, I have never had a problem with one. I've never personally been around an aggressive dog, period. But I don't trust any dog 100%, they're still animals.
I have a Shih Tzu and a large mixed breed that we're pretty sure is part Weimaraner and part Pit. The Weim mix is so dadgum gentle and wouldn't hurt a fly. The Shih Tzu gets agitated a little more easily, but is still great with DD. If it came down to it, I'd say the Weim/Pit is more trustworthy than the Shih Tzu, even though neither would get left alone with her.
Yep. Our mini dachshund bit DD on Monday (my fault and DD's more than the dog's). Any dog can bite and it's sad that certian breeds are always singled out.
The problem is that at this stage she has NO fear. I don't want her to be afraid and we will likely end up with another dog one day when she's older. However, she likes to share her food with the cat (which grosses me out cause she let's her take a lick) and will get so excited she falls toward the cat. The cats reaction is to swat her claws at DD. So until she can learn the proper way to approach dogs and cats and is stable enough on her feet to not fall on top of them I prefer she keep her distance.
sure they are a dream until they attack/kill your child! Flame me if you want. It is in their genes. Sure there are the exceptions, but why chance it! Nothing anyone can say or argue that will make me change my mind.
Are you asking how it's irresponsible to not take precautions with you child around animals? Really? you need to ask that?
I don't understand your question...do you mean, how is it irresponsible to make your child afraid of all dogs because you have an irrational fear that all of them are poised to attack at any moment? I don't know, maybe you don't think it is. But dogs are a fact of life, whether you own one or not. Children are going to be exposed to them all the time growing up. Personally I think it's a lot better to teach a child how act responsibly around pets and how to treat them with respect, instead of just sending the message that they are all dangerous and want to eat you.
I don't understand your question...do you mean, how is it irresponsible to make your child afraid of all dogs because you have an irrational fear that all of them are poised to attack at any moment? I don't know, maybe you don't think it is. But dogs are a fact of life, whether you own one or not. Children are going to be exposed to them all the time growing up. Personally I think it's a lot better to teach a child how act responsibly around pets and how to treat them with respect, instead of just sending the message that they are all dangerous and want to eat you.
I agree with you. When she's old enough to learn how to treat animals that will be a different thing. Right now she just gets over excited and ends up falling on them. She still learning how to feed herself I don't think she's ready to learn how to read the posture of animals.
Oh not at all biitchy. I've been around some great pitbulls who lived a full long life & never hurt a fly & then some that were fantastic dogs that were cuddly & turned in a split second and had to be put down right there b/c they would stop attacking! I'm also not saying that there aren't other dogs who are known to bite & what not. Pits IMO are a loaded gun. Some are great & then some aren't.
I'm not afraid of them by any means, but would I ever own a pit? Absolutely not, nor would I ever let my DD be around them if they weren't on a leash. I would not take that chance..EVER!
Can I ask if you have ever seen a pit attack someone/something in person? It's HORRIFIC!!!!!
What did I miss . . . where did that statement come from?
I agree with the poster who said that you need to exercise caution around any animal. My cat has never shown any agression toward my child and in fact is very loving and patient, but the other day when S was waving a toy around in her face, the cat swatted at the toy - just playing, but she could have hurt the baby. It's my job to make sure I'm supervising the two of them. And the cat could not cause nearly the damage a large dog could.
Don't misunderstand, I completely agree that being cautious around animals is a must with kids. I just think it's good to give them some positive exposure, and provide some opportunities for instructing how animals should be treated.
Can I ask if you have ever seen a pit attack someone/something in person? It's HORRIFIC!!!!!
I don't really have a specific opinion on pitties, but IMO any dog attack is horrible - I was walking with some family members at the lake one time, and a friendly little dog joined us on the walk. These other two dogs, completely unprovoked and completely SILENTLY (that was the creepiest part) ran out of their yard and attacked the little dog. It was horrific. The little dog got away and I jumped between her and the two attacking dogs (not my brightest move ever), which scared the hell out of me when I thought about it later b/c one of them was a German Shephard and the other one was a mutt who was just as big as the GS. I don't ever want to see ANY dog attack again, pittie or no pittie.
The little dog ended up being ok, thankfully.
Yes I agree! I have 2 german Sheps & they are the BEST dogs ever, but I still don't leave Emerson alone with them. You never know how a dog will respond to a situation until you're in that moment.
I don't want people to think I'm a dog hater, but Pits are very fickle IMO
In other words - "Don't bother me with the facts! I've already made up my mind."
I agree that pits have a bad rap and that any breed can be dangerous - but where does this particular data come from? I just googled "top dogs that attack children" and this certainly didn't come up anywhere. Is it helpful to pick on other breeds just to back a claim that pits are safe?
ignorant!
I'll find the chart for you, it's a national database on the number of dog attacks per year that are reported. #1 is cocker spaniels, #2 is dachshunds, and #3 is labs. I'm not knocking those breeds either, those are cold hard facts. I'm not claiming that ANY dog is safe around a child behaving badly. In fact, they're not. My dogs are my kids too, but I don't ever let Allie harass them in any way or leave them unsupervised, not just to protect against anything they might do to her, but to protect them from what she would surely do to them. Since I have respect for and want to protect both of them, I make it 100% my responsibility.
I really do wish that they would have said "steer clear of unfamiliar dogs" or some other more general statement regarding dog safety. While I do own 2 dogs that are mutts but would typically be described as "pitbull mixes", it concerns me that in singling this breed out for "caution" (whatever your opinion on the pitbull issue), they insinuate that it's safe for toddlers or children to approach other breeds without any kind of guidance for how to manage the situation.
I have found in my neighborhood that parents tend to be at one end of the spectrum or the other - they either give us a very wide berth/cross the street or they allow their children to come running up to my dogs (who they do not know), jumping and screaming. Honestly, I prefer those that avoid us - it is the extremely rare child who has been taught the appropriate way to approach a dog, no matter what the size or breed.
I usually do what I can to tell the child that they should always ask before approaching a dog and they should always have their parents with them. Then we go over the appropriate way to touch a dog. Our female is a certified therapy dog and adores children and will sit and allow them to stroke her head and back enthusiastically. Luckily Ella is very laid back, since there have been a few times when a child will suddenly stick their face right into hers. They end up with a big kiss but a lot of dogs wouldn't respond positively to such a move - kids don't know that's an aggressive action to a dog and especially if their parents aren't dog owners (or responsible dog owners) they'll never be taught it. Just like they'll never be taught not to run around dogs (since most dogs love to chase and don't understand it's not a game), try to take toys from dogs or bother dogs when they're eating. On the other hand, I would never let Ella run offleash with a toddler. I don't think she would hurt a child, but she's 50 pounds and when she's excited she leaps and jumps and sometimes runs into even me.
I love my dog and I trust her - I trust her to behave like a dog. She's not a human, she can't verbalize if she's uncomfortable with a situation or in pain or feeling sick. She doesn't understand context. She only understands things from a dog's perspective and will always depend on me or other adults to manage the situation. That's why, with a baby on the way, we are working with a trainer that specializes in preparing dogs for baby's arrival. Which is the same thing I would do if we'd adopted a golden retriever, a maltese or a doberman.
What would be truly useful for new parents (rather than perpetuating bias regarding a single breed) is a basic guide on dog behavior, body language and how to introduce your child to pets. What should and shouldn't be allowed and how to deal with visiting friends/family with pets. Pet owners/parents may also end up having to educate their children's friends on the appropriate way to play/interact with their pet.
Finally (sorry this is so long, but it vexes me to no end), I would always advise people to follow their gut feelings about a situation. I have found myself in situations where I started to feel uncomfortable with how another dog was playing with my dog and I ignored it, only to have my dog attacked moments later. Animals have bad days, get sick, have unnoticed injuries, etc., so if something feels off, it's better to follow your gut than wish you had later.