Disappointment - Dog nipped at Granchild, need help!

[sparra]

Originally Posted by Emoore

When I was a kid one of the cattle attacked me and broke my arm. My parents told me they hoped I'd learned my lesson about getting into the cow pen. They were right, I shouldn't have been there. It never occurred to anyone to get rid of the cow. She was a good producer.

A few years later a horse stepped on my foot and broke it. The told me they hoped I'd learned to watch my feet around horses. They were right, I needed to respect the horse's space. No mention of selling, certainly not killing, a valuable ranch horse. And just because I had a broken foot didn't mean I got out of chores.

When one of the working cattle dogs bit my cousin, they asked what in the world he was doing to agitate the dog. They were right, he shouldn't have been wrestling around the dog. One of my parents' favorite sayings was: "I brought you into this world and I can take you out and make another one that looks just like you." But a good working cattle dog is expensive and hard to come by.

Does nobody think this way anymore?

It's not ok for any dog, to bite a kid unprovoked. But kids can be awfully provoking; I remember being one. Heck, sometimes I have to leave the room to keep from snapping on my little cousins. *shrug* I just think that most dog bites aren't as unprovoked as people like to make them seem.

I was raised in a very similar way on the farm....you learn lessons the hard way. A lot of kids these days don't learn any lessons at all.
In this case however I think it is a high expectation to think a 1 year old child will know how to behave around a dog. The child was just being a 1yr old child and the dog was just being a dog who's not sure what to think of that. They both need protecting in this case because neither knows better.

[Debbieg]

As dog owners and human beings we have the responsibility to protect both children and our dogs from one another. No matter how much we love our dogs, how well we have trained them, they are animals and react as such, Little children can be seen as toys, easily excite prey drive when they run and squeal.

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by sparra

The child was just being a 1yr old child and the dog was just being a dog who's not sure what to think of that. They both need protecting in this case because neither knows better.

Yes. Absolutely.

[Jack's Dad]

emoore:

You are one of my favorite persons on this forum. So peace!!!

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by Jack's Dad

emoore:

You are one of my favorite persons on this forum. So peace!!!

Heeeeeyyyyyy. . . you too!