Pit bulls at a play date's house--why are parents offended if you aren't ok with that? (support, toddlers)
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Then why bother to teach them anything? It all might just go in one ear and out the other.
Why teach them how to cross the street? They're just gonna run out in traffic after a ball anyway. It's human nature. Why teach them not to run and to stop, drop and roll instead when they're on fire? It's human nature. Deliberately obtuse much?
My father told me how to react to a strange dog from the time I could walk. He periodically quizzed me on what I would do if I encountered a strange dog with no adults around and he taught me how to recognize a hostile or fearful animal. He taught me to check with the owner if I wanted to approach a strange dog. It was similar to the training both of my parents gave me on the issue of strangers, fires and other safety issues. And yeah, if you don't at least try to educate your kid in this area, it's a parenting fail.
Thanks for mentioning stop, drop, and roll. Something not many people do when they're on fire. Why? Because their instinct is to run. Fight/flight, human nature. I think you're getting my point
Never said we shouldn't teach them. Said it not fair to expect an appropriate response from a child when an inappropriate action is being taken against them.
Obtuse? Ok. I think we should end this discussion. Feel free to comment. I won't respond to you though. Thx for your thoughtful replies
I said that it is a parent's responsibility to teach their kids what to do around dogs, which is exactly what I did and it just happened to be in the moment it was happening. If you're going over to a friend's house that has dogs you teach them what to do if they've never been around dogs. I prepare and prep my kids all the time if it's a new situation. I tell them what they can expect and let them ask questions.
This is what you said and I quoted: Originally Posted by iluvmycuties
Because I don't believe that a parent can successfully prepare a small child to have an appropriate reaction to an inappropriate action from an animal. And to put it on the parents is not responsible. Basic human nature is fight or flight.
This is what I disagree with the most. If parents don't teach their kids nor prepare them then who's job is it?
My husband feels the same way about the pit bull breed. He would rather our kids not be around them. I pet sit for a family that has a lab and a pit and because he feels that way I don't let the kids come with me. The pit is always nice to me though I know it could turn on me the same way a lab could. The lab has just as strong a jaw as a pit.
Parents should teach them. When I said put it on the parent, I meant that the solution to it all lies in the parents teaching the child. That's not so. It also comes down to the dog, dog owner, the child's reaction as well. The lab does not bite down and not release and shake its prey. . If the lab was like a pit,you'd see them being bred for dog fight rings.
I think that the op has every right to decline and invitation to a house based on her perception and experience with dogs. These are her kids and she has every right to make those kinds of judgment calls as a parent. I am a dog lover but I can totally understand why not everyone feels the same way. People with dogs should be aware that not everyone sees their dogs the same way that they do and it's because we have all had different experiences in life with animals. I would not be offended if I invited the op over to my house with dogs and she declined as long as she talked to me about it and wasn't aloof or judgmental. We'd likely come up with a compromise such as I'd make sure my dogs were safely confined away from the kids. I'd probably invite the op over as well so that she could get a feel for how things work in our household and so that she could be assured that the dogs really were safely confined.
Parents should teach them. When I said put it on the parent, I meant that the solution to it all lies in the parents teaching the child. That's not so. It also comes down to the dog, dog owner, the child. The lab does not bite down and not release and shake its prey. . If the lab was like a pit,you'd see them being bred for dog fight rings.
ummm... actually, ALL breeds and breed mixes do clamp down and shake their prey....
I think that the op has every right to decline and invitation to a house based on her perception and experience with dogs. These are her kids and she has every right to make those kinds of judgment calls as a parent. I am a dog lover but I can totally understand why not everyone feels the same way. People with dogs should be aware that not everyone sees their dogs the same way that they do and it's because we have all had different experiences in life with animals. I would not be offended if I invited the op over to my house with dogs and she declined as long as she talked to me about it and wasn't aloof or judgmental. We'd likely come up with a compromise such as I'd make sure my dogs were safely confined away from the kids. I'd probably invite the op over as well so that she could get a feel for how things work in our household and so that she could be assured that the dogs really were safely confined.
That sounds so logical, Miss Terri. Thanks for being a rational dog owner.
Saibot reports:
"It implies that we knew we had a vicious, dangerous beast which we were unable to effectively control, and didn't care about the safety of our own family or of visitors. None of which was the case."
This could well be true. It simply means that he/she is uniformed about the nature of pit bulls. They were bred for a thousand years for the pits in Europe. When something triggers them they attack and there is no stopping them. It could be a sound you cannot hear, but the pit can hear it.
Clearly, I could tell you until I am blue in the face that my dog never attacked my children...or any children...or any human, and it wouldn't mean a thing to you. I could tell you that they crawled over him as babies, ate out of his bowl, and took bones out of his mouth, and he didn't turn a hair. He was a purebred pit bull, who was raised in our home with much love and discipline, and in his 15 years he never gave me any reason not to trust him fully.
But I'm clearly "uninformed about the nature of pit bulls," because actually they're all time bombs waiting go off when they hear that special trigger sound humans cannot hear.
I'm really not into mincing words here. They clamp down and lock jaws. It's in their DNA.
That has been debunked. It just is not true. The jaw of a pitbull is no different than the jaw of any other dog of a comparable size.
It is not "in their DNA".
I would agree that large dogs and small strange children do not mix well.
Large dogs can playfully knock down a small child and cause damage. Any large breed will do. Labradors, German Shepherd Dogs, Goldens - all are large enough knock a child down.
Since you are from Suffolk County NY, you might remember the 3 year old Manorville girl who was allowed to play unsupervised with the family dog for over an hour.
During that time the dog bit the child's scarf, and dragged her to death around the yard.
A loving pet who was put in a bad situation by parents who left a child alone with a dog. It was tragic, but it was not the dog's fault.
Oh and by the way, the dog was not a Pit Bull. She was a Golden Retriever.
That has been debunked. It just is not true. The jaw of a pitbull is no different than the jaw of any other dog of a comparable size.
It is not "in their DNA".
I would agree that large dogs and small strange children do not mix well.
Large dogs can playfully knock down a small child and cause damage. Any large breed will do. Labradors, German Shepherd Dogs, Goldens - all are large enough knock a child down.
Since you are from Suffolk County NY, you might remember the 3 year old Manorville girl who was allowed to play unsupervised with the family dog for over an hour.
During that time the dog bit the child's scarf, and dragged her to death around the yar
A loving pet who was put in a bad situation by parents who left a child alone with a dog. It was tragic, but it was not the dog's fauld.
Oh and by the way, the dog was not a Pit Bull. She was a Golden Retriever.
Again, not going to mince words. I'd appreciate it if you edit my location. I realize my posts are visible, but I get weirded out knowing people scan my posts for info. It's weird.
And of course I knew about the girl's death. The dog didn't bite her. She was unsupervised. I would trust a child ALONE, without any animal, unsupervised. Let alone with an animal. Apples to oranges.
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Deliberately obtuse much?
