Quote:
Originally Posted by Rerun
Would you still shoot the dog if that member of the family was beating the dog? If that was the case, and the dog bit your family member, I'd say the family member deserved what he or she got.
By the way, I've got a Golden Retriever and have received many nips while playing with the dog... thats the way they play with other dogs and sometimes they get carried away and do it to humans. Not once have I considered shooting my dog.
... and to everyone else who is reading this, I am NOT saying that the baby deserved to be bit. ... but if it was truly an accident, the dog does not deserve to die. Take your anger out on the parents who put their child in such a situation but don't take revenge on the dog.
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I was out walking with my two older Golden Retrievers, Abby & Keeper, a few years ago up at Elbow Lake. Both were very experienced by that time with people and kids and very calm by that age.
Some parents asked if their small children could come over and pet the dogs. I agreed and the dogs were calm as the kids were petting them.
Then one of the kids, about five years old, put herself over the shoulders of Abby and pressed down . . . and Abby immediately looked back at me with concern and questioning, basically saying, "Do something about this or I will."
You could see this was a situation that could rapidly escalate as the child was effectively but unwittingly putting herself in a position of dominance over the dog . . . . and the dog might react in that situation.
I immediately went "Whoa" and asked the parent to pull the child off, which they did, then had a good and hopefully educational conversation with them about it. Nothing happened as a result.
You gotta pay attention around little kids.
Cowperson