General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIf an acquaintance adopted 2 random pitbulls and let small children play with them
(the person regularly posts pictures to facebook of various kids from his neighborhood playing with the dogs) would you say something? This person is in denial about what pits are capable of. He doesn't know their history or what they were rescued from. All it takes is one bite to seriously injure or kill one of those kids!
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)If he'd raised them from pups, maybe, but not two random adoptees, no, at least not without a fair amount of demonstrated good behaviour on their part. And not just because they're pitbulls. No matter the breed, you just don't know what adoptees were exposed to, and they require extra caution with kids.
Heck, I HAVE raised my two beagles from pups, and they're friendly as all get out, and I still wouldn't let neighbourhood kids play with them simply on liability issues.
Brickbat
(19,339 posts)regardless of breed, until I had had the dogs for some time (like, longer than a month) and had worked with them in a variety of situations.
kemah
(276 posts)Kids have no sense of how to properly play with animals, they will pull their tails, ears, and the dog will defend itself with a bite. Might as well as let the kids play with loaded weapons.
Tetris_Iguana
(501 posts)One time one of my cousins was playing rough with my rabbit and it bit his hand.
Never did that again.
Of course my aunt was all upset about it but calmed down once she considered what a little ass her kid was.
I have no problem with children playing with any pets as long as it's with close supervision. For both of their sakes.
LisaLynne
(14,554 posts)I've worked with several rescue dogs that were afraid of children. Who knows what made them like that, but I'm betting they had their reasons. Fear can make a dog lash out so, no, regardless of breed, until you know the dogs, you have to be careful.
TheCowsCameHome
(40,161 posts)and get those kids away from the dogs, pronto.
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)Until you know them really well, in a wide variety of circumstances and situations, you don't know the dogs native temperament, its history, what abuse it may have suffered, what fears and insecurities it may have, or its small prey drive.
I have 2 rescues. One I would trust with babies and toddlers. He's a labx with 100% family lab temperament. Laid back, biggest danger is loving you to death with sloppy, wet tongue.
The other I would not. He is not a mean dog, but he's extremely high energy and playful, and he plays too rough, is too mouthy, and gets over excited easily. Even giving him treats I have to be extra careful. He doesn't bite or nip, but he gets over excited and sometimes tries to grab it, sometimes knocking my hand with his teeth in the process. (He's always sure he's starving to death, even though he's pudgy.) If something stays in place, he'll just poke it with his nose to see if it squeaks. (I found him once poking a mole lying on its back in a hole he'd dug in the snow, making the poor thing grunt and squeak.) A toddler or baby's small size, high pitched voice and high energy level would be too exciting for him.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)They were adopted 'at random' at some point in the past, could be a week, could be 5 years. We are not given any idea of the timeline nor of the actual way the man adopted the dogs.
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)"He doesn't know their history or what they were rescued from."
Other than that, I stand by what I wrote. I would be cautious of recent adoptions of any breed, until I had good insight into the individual in question.
Once I've had the dog long enough to see how it reacts in many situations and scenarios, I would respond appropriately, as I have with my 2 shelter dogs. I wouldn't hesistate to let kids play with my lab-x. I wouldn't let my rhodesian ridgeback-x off leash with toddlers or babies loose. And I don't let anybody else feed him treats (or try not to. the oil delivery guy gave him a treat before I could say anything. but he was very mannerly about it, so I was pleased he is learning).
gwheezie
(3,580 posts)All my dogs have been rescues. Dozens of them over the years. Only 2 of them were trustworthy enough. Both were delta certified therapy dogs. One of them went to a woman's shelter once a week to help children who had to abandon pets when they fled their homes.
I don't even let my grandson play with more than one of my dogs at a time. It's a different time. When I was growing up we all had dogs big dogs who could take playing with a bunch of kids. Some of them pits or dobies. My kid dog was a dobie. The pack of dogs ran with the pack of kids. If a dog was a problem it was handled and went to live at that farm you here of. If a good dog bit a kid dad used to yell to stop teasing the dog. I sometimes think these days kids and dogs are no longer socialized to play anymore.
My grandson has his dog. The dog is a pug pit mix he's a great kids dog. They've had him 5 years but when other kids come over he goes in his crate. I've never seen him do anything aggressive and my grandson calls h his brother but he is not used to a bunch of kids. They got him from a rescue as an adult dog so didn't know much about him but it was clear he was a laid back happy dog from the start. He wasn't the 1st dog. They bought the 1st one back after a few days. He wasn't going to be a family dog and they didn't have the skill to deal with him.
Greybnk48
(10,148 posts)Really cute. She bit their daughter the second or third day they had her and they took the dog back to the rescue. I have dogs and their little girl comes over to our house quite often. IMO, the bite was not unprovoked, which I guess as a parent is irrelevant. Two things:
Fried eggs is right about protection, but not just for the kid's sake. The owner needs to protect his new pets from situations that may be too stressful or even threatening or they may react like dogs. That's what happened to the little dachshund next door IMO. It's not fair to the pets.
OTOH, it's really important to socialize the dogs to help with self confidence. That said, I'm not sure I would have them play with the kids together because they could feed off of each other's energy. I would let them play with the kids, supervised, one at a time to start.
The fact that they're pitbulls is not relevant. Dogs are dogs. People talked the same way 50 years ago about German Shepherds (they were "killers" , then for years it was Doberman's, then Rotweilers, etc.
I suppose I'll get attacked for this post.
Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)And you will have to pry my giant dog from my kids cold dead hands....or something like that....
Why is everything better when a gun is involved, even jingoistic phrases?
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)unless and until they are properly socialized and in the case of male dogs until they are neutered.
Even then, dogs shouldn't be left alone with visiting small children.
DirkGently
(12,151 posts)The implication then, is that any rescue animal is "random" and therefore suspect?
No one is in a position to judge whether someone posting pictures on Facebook is being irresponsible with their dog on the basis that the dogs are pit bulls, or that they are rescues, or that children are involved.
Dog owners' responsibility is to make sure they understand their own animal, its temperment and proclivities, and that interactions with other people and animals are supervised and controlled for the safety of all involved.
There is no basis whatever to assume a dog playing with children is a dangerous situation based on the breed or rescue status of the dog.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Cute huh? But there's no way I would let small children play with them. Scotties are not golden retrievers and they, like many other terriers, do not appreciate the sudden movements, noise and frantic energies of small children. I recognize the plusses and minuses of the various breeds and there are some who pose more of a danger to kids than others - pits being one of them. And unlike being bitten by a Chihuahua, an attack on a small child by a Pit can be fatal.
This is Gordon. Does not play well with children -- they scare him.
uppityperson
(115,674 posts)newcriminal
(2,190 posts)hamsterjill
(15,214 posts)She used to belong to some idiot neighbors of mine and she was badly abused. It took me years to finally get them to give her to me. She is the sweetest thing on earth and I've never seen her growl or threaten anything. A foster cat that I currently have went after her last week, and she just backed away.
That being said, I had a repairman in the house earlier this week, and I put her in a bedroom away from the man. There's no reason to take the chance of her reacting to something that I'd not anticipated, OR the repairman possibly saying she tried to bite him. Some people do lie and the dog wouldn't be able to defend herself in court.
Better to be cautious IMHO.