children under 5 shouldn't be around pets

[MandyH]

I'm a nurse and when I was working, I never had strep or the flu or anything. I was in peoples faces all day around the stuff running tests and such and never once caught it. I guess once you get enough of anything in your system, you are immune to it. My 3 year old is at this very moment outside running barefoot thru the pasture and playing in what's left of the dump truck load of sand we had brought in Friday. She is never sick either by the way. I am a firm believer in washing your hands, but you can wash anything too much. We also do not use antibacterial soaps because it kills the good bacteria on your skin that helps keep the bad stuff away. A far as no pets, that ridiculous. I got salmonella from my iguanas when I was in college and guess what, it didn't kill me!

 

[fowltemptress]

I'm worried about how the article advises people to contact veterinarians and to look into rehoming . . . you just know a ton of panicky, gullible parents are going to wind up releasing these poor, perfectly healthy animals, or else just dumping them with shelters or any random whackos they can find. This article is detrimental to children's and animal's well being. It makes me sad.

 

[Sammysmom]

My son, now 5 years old, has been around dogs, cats, horses and chickens since he was born. He has been a very healthy little boy up until he started school in Aug. Since then, it seems it has been just one illness after the other. Turns out all the other little curtain climbers have more germs than all our animals put together!!

 

[HorseFeathers]

I kiss MY lizard and chickens and I'm still alive... oh wait, I'm not under 5... But I grew up around cats, do those count? My cousins have turtles, many of my friends have hamsters (one has a guinea pig who sings soprano and two mice, too) and guess what? They're not dead either... poor 5-year old whose parents read this, freak out, and bye-bye iguana... I think people are right, growing up in a completely sterile enviroment makes you more suceptable. Playing outside and eating mud is Nature's vaccine!

ETA: I also kissed a pond frog I caught... sadly, he didn't turn into a prince.

 

[Chicabee19]

Next they're going to say:

"Small Children Should Not be Around Humans"

 

[Buff Hooligans]

.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Quote:
I've often thought that.*







* Childless by choice.

 

[Ugly Cowboy]

Lord, I grew up around all sorts of critters, drunk milk right outta the milkin pail, mucked stalls and autopseed (spellin?) cattle and such and ate without washin my hands first, and I aint dead yet. Everybody's so spooked nowadays about every little thing, folks need to just relax already dang it!

 

[ams3651]

my grandmother is always telling my my sons hands are dirty and i should wash them. We walked around in our bare feet, stepping on a nail or bee was just a chance you took. We swept out grain dryers, shoveled out pig pens (we had a couple hundred at a time) cleaned feeders, rode horse bare back and without a bridle, we got greasy helping with repairs and carried water 1/4 mile when the barn caught fire in November. We never worried about it, it was farm life and we never died from it. Maybe someone who buys their kid a chick in the store for Easter and doesnt know how to keep it clean may have a problem but you cant tell me a chicken is a non traditional pet. I know many kids who had chickens, cows and pigs as pets before they had dogs.

 

[Msbear]

I had a pet rooster named Baby. His mom got knocked off by a dog along with all his little brothers and sisters. I found him hiding under a bush and he was my best friend for years after that. He waited for me at the end of our 1/2 mile long driveway for the school bus to drop me off. How would come a runnin when he saw me and crowd me all the way back to the house. A chicken know what time 4:00 was???....He knew. He would come to the front door around 6:00 am and crow his head off til mom would come out yellin. He was so smart. He would high tail it right past her feet and fly up the stairs and come in my room, hop on my bed and wake me so I would feed him some HAMSTER feed. (his favorite)

I miss Baby. He was one of the most loyal pets I've ever had. Followed me around the garden so I could get all the big grasshoppers and throw them at him

He would lay in my arms upside down and fall asleep from me rubbing his belly. His head would hang lifelessly over my arm he would be so out of it. -My mom called it "in a trance"

He was just like any other pet though he wasn't rooster trained. He poo pooed frequently and I cleaned up after him. I probably didn't wash my hands. euw. But I would hope that my son could have that kind of love with another animal. I am who I am because of the relationships I had when I was a child.

Here is me with Baby 1990?

I can remember this so vividly. I was talking to my first boyfriend, Justin. He caused MUCH more distress than sweet Baby ever did!!