Babies and pets are two of the most adorable creatures in the universe, but they don’t always mix that well together. Pets sometimes hurt small children accidentally, so they have to be trained to be calm and gentle. But the opposite is also true. Kids can be surprisingly careless and harmful towards animals, especially if they don’t know any better. Unfortunately, it’s usually the animal who ends up paying for these mistakes.
Tumblr users took part in a thread on this topic that every parent and pet owner should read.
As the thread shows, even well-trained and gentle-mannered dogs may end up biting children if they’re antagonized enough.
It’s important not to leave kids unsupervised with kids until they know how to treat them.
Photo Credit: Imgur
One user shared,
“My last dog nearly bit my oldest child twice as an infant.
Both times were when the child surprised him in what was surely a painful way (such as tripping and accidentally landing on him while he was sleeping).
Thankfully the dog had excellent bite inhibition and stopped before making contact, but if he had made contact the bite would not have been his fault.”
More users chimed in…
Photo Credit: Tumblr
The thread also urges parents to stop their kids from “playfully” mistreating dogs.
This may include hitting them, surprising them, cornering them, or teasing them.
Another user added,
“It’s not cute. It’s not funny. It’s not playful.
It’s dangerous and stupid.
The dog and child pay the consequences for the parents’ lack of common sense.”
Sensing a trend here?
Photo Credit: Tumblr
Luckily, it’s very possible to teach kids good manners when it comes to pets, even when they’re quite young.
But that’s my opinion… what’s yours?
Let us know in the comments!
