Four Legged Friends: Teach Your Children Dog Safety

By Canton Citizen

I am sure he was a very nice little boy. And I think his granny’s dog was probably sweet and harmless. And I have no doubt that granny would have done anything to protect her grandson and dog. But this morning, she just wasn’t thinking clearly, or I expect she wouldn’t have opted to have her grandson’s first attempt at walking the dog by himself take place at a public park already occupied by a greyhound. Sure, my greyhound, Buck, was on a leash, and minding his own business. But when the little dog started running straight at him, and the little boy ran joyfully, but out of control behind it, completely unaware of the dangerous situation he was setting in motion, his granny stood watching, coffee in hand, doing nothing as they got closer and closer.

Buck being silly

When Buck started reacting (Buck isn’t a vicious dog, but he is by nature somewhat fearful of strange things), I started yelling. Not at the child, but to the adult, who should have known better than to allow the child to approach any strange dog. I shouted, “He’s not friendly; that’s why I am avoiding you.” Still she did nothing. And they got closer and closer. And Buck got more and more agitated. So I yelled, “Stop!” to the boy. “Stop, stop, stop!” Finally he seemed to understand there was a problem. He was too young to really grasp what was going on, and too small to control the dog once it got up to speed. Finally granny moved to take control of the dog.

It rather amuses me that after she got control of the dog she shouted at me, as if it was somehow my fault that a strange dog and a shrieking child would work my dog up into a state. Animals have two basic responses to perceived threats: fight or flight. And Buck was securely attached to a leash, as always, so flight was off the table. He was prepared to defend himself. No harm came to anyone this morning, but the outcome of this failure to control this little dog could have been tragic. And although it would not have been my fault, I would have felt just awful about it. Perhaps she was angry that I raised my voice at her grandson. And I am sorry if I frightened him. But he should have been frightened. My dog could have grabbed that little dog faster than you can imagine. I would have done anything I could to stop that from happening, including yelling at some else’s child. He should never have been put in a position that allowed him to charge at us completely out of control. That’s really what the leash law is all about. Your dog must remain under your control at all times.

When I was a little girl, I was fortunate to have two parents who were extremely dog smart. And they taught us from very young ages how to act around dogs we didn’t know. It seems to be one of those lost life lessons. Frankly, if I arrived at a park and saw a dog four times the size of mine, I would not have gone ahead with letting my small child walk my dog for the first time. I might have said, “Let’s wait until that big dog goes home. Then you can have a turn.” I would have taken that time to teach my grandson that one never approaches a strange dog without asking its owner if it’s ok to do so. I would have explained that sometimes big dogs don’t like little dogs, and that it can be dangerous to let a little dog meet a big dog.

There is a girl who lives in my building who is terrified of dogs. When she first moved in, she used to scream and run when she saw my dog. Which is a really good way to get bitten by a dog. For those parents out there who might have a child in their life who is afraid of dogs, teach them that the best thing to do is quietly stand still, do not make eye contact with the dog, don’t flail about, and don’t run. I told this to the girl and her mother, and she has really improved. She hides now, but she doesn’t scream and run. I have also explained to her and her mother that Buck would never hurt her. The thing is, screaming, running, flailing — those things excite a dog. Dogs chase things that run. I know she is frightened of Buck, so if I see her coming up the stairs, I wait and let her come. If she sees me going into the building, she waits until I get into my apartment before coming in. We have worked things out. I wish I could talk her into petting him, so she might learn not to be afraid, but she isn’t ready for that.

The little boy at the park clearly had no fear of Buck, but he hadn’t yet learned common sense.

Like most children, I didn’t always do what I was told, and what really drove the “Don’t approach strange dogs without asking” rule was the time I ignored that rule. We were parked at a store on one of our family camping trips. In the parking lot there was a tiny little dog standing on the tailgate of a station wagon. I was always drawn to dogs — all dogs, big, small, or in between. I couldn’t resist the little dog. I walked up to pet it, and it bit me. I still have the scar. My parents were angry with me, not the dog or its owner (who was nowhere around). They sprayed Bactine on my minor bite, and life went on. But I never again approached a strange dog.

I hope that if you haven’t taught your children this, you will now. And I hope you understand that even a gentle, somewhat timid dog like Buck will defend himself if he perceives danger, and that danger, in a dog’s mind, can be a small boy and a little dog if they’re running at him. I hope the young man at the park understands I was trying to protect him, not frighten him. I hope his granny explains that to him.

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