Muldoon Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 That's a slightly false analogy. My car has been designed to offer protection in the event of a crash, and besides which I am always in control of it, and so am able to manage the risk to a large extent. I'd be less likely to take her out in a bubble car with no seatbelt if the drivers of the other cars on the road were prone to unpredictably trying to drive in to it. The same can be said about dogs too.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L00b Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Training a dog to do something (or not to something) is not the same as being able to guarantee it will do (or not do it) every time.Must be quite a boring life you lead, Number Six. What's your job? Death, or taxes? Last I checked, these were still the only two constants in life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vwkittie Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I don't have children myself but my dog is fine with my 18 month old niece, closely supervised of course. One of my cats is more of a risk to her to be honest, he's the one more likely to bite or scratch so I keep him away from her. And if/when I have children myself, no I won't be getting rid of the dog or cats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medusa Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 That's a slightly false analogy. My car has been designed to offer protection in the event of a crash, and besides which I am always in control of it, and so am able to manage the risk to a large extent. I'd be less likely to take her out in a bubble car with no seatbelt if the drivers of the other cars on the road were prone to unpredictably trying to drive in to it. If you truly believe that you are in control of all of the risks when you're out on the road then you haven't thought them through, and if you have never lost a loved one or seen one dreadfully injured in an accident that was simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time then you're incredibly lucky. The risks are not just from other road users. The risks come from other road users making errors of judgement, drink drivers, mechanical failure and blowouts, unseen black ice or diesel spills on the road (for you or someone trying to stop whilst coming towards you), things falling off the back of trucks, rocks being thrown down onto the carriageway by idiots on bridges above, falling trees in gales and a thousand and one other risks which you cannot control no matter how much you think you can. When you next see an almost brand new car which was equipped with all of the safety features that your car has but has been truly mashed up in a crash with a heavy goods vehicle anyway, how would you rate what has happened? Was that dead driver able to ameliorate the risks from being on the road? Every part of life is risky. You choose what sort of risks you are prepared to take and I'll choose mine thank you. I'm not the sort of person to eat fugu for the thrill of nearly dying from tetrodotoxin poisoning, but I trust my dog and whilst I don't expect you to understand that, I do expect you to grant me the common sense to make my own decisions on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppins Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 We have a dog. We had the child after the dog had been with us many years. The dog has been carefully managed, as has the child. They both know the boundaries. They both push them - but both of them know that I'm there to sort out any trouble, so the dog tells tales if H is overstepping the mark - and it's H who usually gets the telling off from me Dogs don't 'just turn'. It's their owner's ignorance of what a dog is communicating that's the problem - and the dog knows he has to fight his own battles then Dogs can just turn on children, it's been done many times, a dog can be well trained and go years without biting anyone ,but theres a first time for everything, I wouldn't put my child at risk for any animal, or worse still just to prove a point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I've got a dog, I would have him in the house with my kids. Very few dogs relative to the number of families with pets maul family members, just like very few Dads are serial killers relative to the number of dads. You can always not get one 'just to be safe', but then again you could always stay in the house 24/7 to avoid getting run over, it's not even an issue. Same as he said ^^ That's a slightly false analogy. My car has been designed to offer protection in the event of a crash, and besides which I am always in control of it, Until you sneeze hard, have a heart attack, a blowout, a seizure, something momentarily blinds you, a streaking woman distracts you, a wasp flies into your face etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strix Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Dogs can just turn on children, it's been done many times, a dog can be well trained and go years without biting anyone ,but theres a first time for everything, I wouldn't put my child at risk for any animal, or worse still just to prove a point.You really don't have the first idea about dogs if that's what you think happens. The fact that you mention 'be well trained' just underlines your lack of comprehension Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANGELFIRE1 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Our Patterdale Terrier I would not trust with kids OR adults, he has never bit anyone, one but nevertheless I could not take the risk and leave him alone with them. A small Terrier that dislikes Alsations and try's to attack them is not to be trusted. (He was bit by one as a young dog - and somehow he has NEVER forgot it) Our Border Terrier is the absoloute opposite, I would leave him with kids or adults without giving it a second thought. Angel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number Six Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 You really don't have the first idea about dogs if that's what you think happens. The fact that you mention 'be well trained' just underlines your lack of comprehension 19,000 dog bites a year require plastic surgery. Usually when you see a case in the news, the owners think the dog was of previous good character, and was considered a trusted part of the family. Are all those people, who know their dogs better than you, wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medusa Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Dogs can just turn on children, it's been done many times, a dog can be well trained and go years without biting anyone ,but theres a first time for everything, I wouldn't put my child at risk for any animal, or worse still just to prove a point. What risks DO you place your child in then? Do you allow them to use the stairs without you in front of them at all times? Do they play sports? How about riding a bike? Plugging in a games console to charge it? Eating a food that they haven't tried before? Sleep in a bunk bed? Walk to school across a park or down the side of a road? Use scissors? Play on a swing? Have sleepovers with friends? Go out with friends and their parents without you? Fetch a book off a shelf without you there to make sure that they aren't pulling other books down on themselves? The list of risks that we take on a daily basis is enormous. Everything, from eating and drinking to laughing have a risk attached. If you truly believe that a well trained and well socialised dog bites without warning then that probably means that not being around dogs is a good thing, because every dog I've ever seen bite has done so after giving out lots of warnings. Yes, I've seen lots of dogs bite and yes, I've been bitten by some of them. I work in dog rescue and I work specifically with big dogs that have high bite strength, so it's pretty much to be expected that some dogs will bite when they are pushed to the end of their coping ability and the humans aren't paying any attention to their warnings. I still have a dog though, and seeing so many bites has told me an awful lot about dogs and doggy body language. My dog has never displayed any of those warning signs and I'm quite happy for anybody who doesn't trust her to stay away from my house. That way they can guarantee their personal safety (in the doggy respect at least) and I can enjoy sharing my house with my dog. You're far more at risk of needing hospital treatment from a couple of the cats than you are from the German Shepherd though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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