Never leave dogs unsupervised with kids

[horsejody]

No matter how good your dog is, no matter how good your kid is, no matter how much you trust the dog, no matter how short the time, never, never, never leave a dog unsupervised with a small child. I just read this article. The outcome for the child, the family and the dog is horrible.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,426521,00.html

 

[M@M@2four]

My word!!! How awfully sad!!!!

You know what's crazy??? This same thing happened a few years ago and it was also a husky. I remember telling my friend because she had two huskies and had just had her second child.

 

[kinnip]

When I was 5, I had my lower lip ripped off and my face lacerated by a Schnauzer. It was the next door neighbor's dog. I had known the animal for a couple of years, I played with their daughter daily. I wasn't alone with the dog when it happened, it was just too fast to be stopped. I was on eye level with it and reached out to pet it, and was apparently mistaken for a threat. I had many stitches and even reconstructive surgery years later. My parents went out immediately and bought a yellow lab puppy, so I wouldn't be afraid of dogs. It worked. I'm not afraid of dogs, but I won't abide one who behaves in an aggressive manner!! When a dog decides it wants a piece of someone or something, it can and will take it.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

I have a scar between my eyes where a black lab got his teeth caught when I was a kid. No witnesses.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Huskies have high prey drive...I've known a few of them & all were either cat and/or chicken killers. And most were wanderers (had to be kenneled).

I personally LOVE my two dogs & I realize that my Borzoi supposedly has a high prey drive & while I do not want to believe that either of them would hurt a child (or anything to be exact)--I realize that is a possibilty and I'd never leave a baby or child unattended in the same room as one of my dogs. I do not even trust them alone with my cats although neither has ever killed anything or acted that way...it's just easier on my mind to prevent it rather than to clean up any potential aftermath.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

The thing that people forget is that dogs are exactly that dog. Doesn't matter how much training they have they are still animals. I have a Service Dog that helps me with medical issues. I trust her with my life. However, I know she is still a dog and if left to her own devices will revert to her basic instincts. Don't think just because a dog has never bitten doesn't mean they wont.

 

[chicknmania]

That was in the paper here this morning. But, come on, wouldn't you be supervising all your animals around your baby the first few days? I mean, I can't imagine how those people must feel....but it wasn't the dog's fault. I thought it was very sad that they are euthanizing him. And I have heard that from several people that Huskies are very unpredictable, extremely energetic and hyper dogs (we thought of getting one, for a while) And as far as leaving them alone...we introduced our babies carefully to our golden retriever. After they were acquainted for several months, I would think nothing of leaving him alone in the same room with them. He would make it his personal duty to protect them from everyone. I could put him in the back yard with them, or on the porch with them in a baby swing, and he would let no one near. No one. Except me. My happiest memories of that dog are of him sliding down the slide with the kids, playing in the snow, watching them at softball games. He was definitely a kid's dog. Not all dogs are the same, but certainly, for any dog, or any other animal, you should excercise a lot of supervision for a while.

 

[TheOLDNewChick]

I hate when animals get euthanized due to the ignorance of people.

 

[love-my-wolves]

I just had an incident yesterday with my dog. My kids had a bunch of friends over. My DS opened the bedroom door where the girls were all playing with my DDs, and my very large dog rushed in after hearing typical girl noises (yelling, squeeling, etc) and grabbed one of the neighbor girls arm!!!!! I went rushing in, and truly, the first thought that entered my mind, well, second after the welfare of the girl, was "dead dog". If she had been truly injured, I have no doubt that right now I would not have my dog. He would be put to sleep. After reviewing the incident, I truly feel that behind the door, the other girls were behaving roughly with my 2 DDs, as girls will do, and he was going to protect them. He did nothing more than grab the girls' arm. No marks, not even a red mark. Like he was warning her. She laughed it off (her words were "ew, he slobbered on me!"), but my dog now has a permanent home outside. I will not abide by an aggressive dog. Especially with kids. Period. What is scary is that any animal can perceive anything as a threat. Anything. I was there when the incident happened, and I never in my wildest dreams would have thought he would do that!!!! I always supervise the kids, mine and others, around both my dogs. The fact is, it took all of 5 seconds for him to move. To me, that was the end of his cushy inside home. He is now my full-time chicken protector, he is chained to their run. Maybe now the coons will stay away!

 

[PotterWatch]

Well, I certainly wouldn't have been able to keep the dog after it did that, though I understand the dog was just acting like a dog. I hope that I would be able to find the dog a new home instead of euthanizing it, but having never been in that situation, I just don't know.