Dog/baby etiquette

Apr 27, 2007 at 7:00 PM
9 comments

It was a beautiful day today so Bubble Toes and I went over to Benicia to sit in the sun and have a treat from Starbucks. We were sitting outside and I saw a man with a large German Shepard walking towards us. I put Bubble Toes on my lap so that she could see the dog better. The man noticed her looking and came over to the little fence we were sitting behind, and commanded his dog to sit in front of us. The dog took a while to comply, but eventually sat. I thought it was just so that Bubble Toes could see it better, but the owner said she should pet the dog. So I brought her up close

Baby bites dog, I mean cat

1 comment

and let her reach for it. The dog was good and nuzzled her hand. It was a nice experience, but I was a little worried about it. Dogs can bite, and I'm never sure how much control an owner has over their pet. This dog was pretty, but a little bit scary and didn't listen and obey very well. Given what I have observed happen between Bubble Toes and our very very patient cat, the baby isn't always gentle when petting furry things, so I don't trust her either. So bottom line is...I didn't really want to let Bubble Toes pet it, but it felt awkward to say no. Which is stupid, I know. There is nothing dumber than potentially putting your child in danger just so you don't offend a stranger.

So Voxers help me out...what would be a good response in a situation like this?

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baby,
dog

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You can always plead allergies. Especially if the dog is really big and/or the owner obviously doesn't have good control over the dog.

It's better to be safe than sorry when it is the health and well being of one own's child.

Anya's Mom replied to I-Luv-Eeyore’s comment:
Apr 27, 2007
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I totally agree better safe than sorry. Your idea is great. I'll have to remember that for the future!

Ha! My thoughts exactly! I always use the excuse for Nate. Although it's not really an excuse. We think he is allergic to animals...even our little kitty :(

Yeah, that would have weirded me out, too. I would have just said "oh, no thanks, he has really sensitive skin" or something.

I've never seen anyone force a dog on a baby - we always have the reverse, where parents and kids ask if they can pet Callie, and we warn them they'll probably get licked and let them go for it. But back to your question, I'd probably just claim allergies, or say something like, no thanks, she goes straight for the eyeballs and I wouldn't want your dog to get hurt. (That's O's current fixation anyway.)

I would've probably done the same thing as you when confronted with this situation -- I'm not so good at coming up with excuses on the spot. So these comments were really helpful to me should this ever come up. Thanks for putting it out there Anya's Mom.

[this is good]

I second calimama. I would have never rehearsed this situation in my mind had you not brought this up. And I probably would have done the same thing too and felt guilty afterwards. So thanks for giving me the opportunity to think about it.

I love the allergy line and also thought you might try explaining that your child might grab the dog and provoke it. Or you could try petting it yourself first and then decide if you want to trust your child petting it.