All professionals, doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, machinists, to name only a few, go through years of training to become acquainted with the many techniques and skills they need to know to practice their trade. But very few, if any, study for what could be the most taxing of all professions, parenting.
The stakes for each of these professions are high, very high indeed. If a doctor fails, a person could die, a mistake by an engineer and a building full of people could collapse and fall to the ground. But what about a parent, mistakes made in raising your child can lead to a lifetime of emotional and mental pain and agony.
Of the many things parents must consider about parenting, including, parenting theories, feeding, child-care, early childhood development, choosing doctors, vaccines or no vaccines, pre-school and a whole host of other things, and child safety sometimes takes a back seat. Over the last few months I have written on child safety topics including child safety seats, school bus, Halloween and teen driving safety. In this Blog I’d like to share my thoughts on child pet safety.
The Numbers
Give or take a million or so, there are 31,000,000 children between the ages of 1-10 in the United States. Compare that with 84,000,000 pet dogs and 96,000,000 pet cats, (these numbers do not reflect the number of wild and feral dogs and cats) and it’s quite obvious that the chances of your child going through the first ten years of his/her life without coming into contact with a cat or dog, is slim to none.
According to the Center For Disease Control, 4.5 million people suffer dog bites each year. Almost one in five of those who are bitten, about 885,000, require medical attention for dog bite-related injuries; half of these are children. In 2012, more than 27,000 people underwent reconstructive surgery as a result of being bitten by dogs. Approximately 92% of fatal dog attacks involved male dogs, 94% of which were not neutered.
So, what can we do to keep our children safe, but at the same time allow them to enjoy the love and affection of a furry friend? The first thing parents must do is to educate themselves, many adults have been raised with dogs or cats, or sometimes both, and have a clear understanding of what to expect when addressing the relationship between a child and a pet. Despite your experience, or lack thereof, the stakes are very high so take some time to educate yourself.
Picking the right pet for your family
When looking at family pets there are two types of situations to consider; the family that has a dog or cat and then introduces a baby into the family pack; and the family that has toddlers and then decides to bring a pet into the mix. Let’s start off with the family that has babies, toddlers or young children and wants to add a pet dog to the family pack. The first, and most important question for consideration is what breed of dog fits most comfortably into your life style. Ask yourselves some questions:
Living Situation: Do you live in an apartment or a home? Do you have a yard or protected area where the dog can exercise and take care of its business? If you live in an apartment, what are the rules on having pets?
Time: Young parents are often strapped for time. Between working, child rearing and personal needs there is often very little time to focus on the training and attention needs of a dog. But to be a successful dog owner you must dedicate some time to this endeavor.
The Right Breed
An excellent source of information to help you choose the breed that will best complement your family is the Animal Planet website. Here you can find information about the size and breed of the dog that might be best for you.
Many breeds that make great family pack members are very energetic and require exercise and attention. If the family enjoys outdoor activity such as running and visits to the local dog park and frequent walks to take care of special needs, or has an adequate fenced in yard, these breeds make wonderful additions to the family pack.
Other dogs can live comfortably inside as long as they are walked regularly to take care of their business. Apartment dwellers and families in which both adults work during the day should be particularly careful about picking the correct breed.
My dog Stella, a Labradoodle (mix between a Labrador and a standard Poodle) is a high-energy dog who needs a lot of physical attention. I take her with me to the office every day and every several hours or so we leash up and head to the park across the street from my office to play fetch the tennis ball. This exercise is great for both of us.
Mixed Breeds and Rescue Dogs
Our pounds and shelters are overflowing with dogs that will make great family pets, and rescuing a dog can be a fulfilling life experience for you and your children. The shelter workers can help you determine what the breed mixture consists of and will guide you in choosing the dog that suits your family.
Training Your Dog
I agree with Cesar Millan, when he says: “Puppies are hard-wired for a structured life. From the time they are born, they seek out boundaries and want to learn what they are supposed to do and what they are not supposed to do. Some people feel uncomfortable asserting authority over their dogs and will say things like “my baby is only two months old! How can I make rules for it?” But dogs, like all social animals, need structure in their lives. They need to feel a sense of direction and stability.”
Dogs are pack animals and your family will become its pack. Every dog, and child, for that matter, needs to learn its place in the pack and some knowledge of training techniques is essential. One thing I know for certain is that your pet should never be allowed to take a leadership role in your family pack. Nothing good ever comes from having your pet be the pack leader.
Training a dog takes time and effort but proper training is essential to a great lifetime experience with your dog. There are numerous options regarding dog training. Private and group training are available in every city. Pet stores such as Petsmart offer training classes for all ages of dogs. If you have never trained a dog before this might be a good place to get started.
If you choose to do the training yourself you might want to study some of the training web sites that are full of excellent suggestions. If you choose to train your own dog, a choice I recommend, is Cesar’s Way – Achieving Balance and Harmony . Cesar Milan is best known to many people from his TV show, but in my book his training concept of exercise, discipline and affection is by far the clearest and most efficient way to help your dog find a comfortable place in your family pack. I have a good friend who blogs on childhood development issues, who tells me that Cesar’s training method also works well with young children, by helping them find their place in the family pack, thereby reducing stress.
Find a training model that fits your needs and follow it with the goal of having a dog that at least respond to basic instructions such as “Come”, “Stay” and “No”. Always be consistent with your dog and child. Consistency allows them to feel safe and secure with their place in the family pack. It might not hurt to have your children, even babies observe each training session. For older kids remind them to remain calm and quiet so as not to disrupt the session and distract your beloved Phideaux.
Teaching Animal Safety
So, you have a reasonably trained dog and child. The first lesson for the child is that dogs are not humans. Teach them that, unlike people, dogs can’t talk and explain how they feel. When they are frightened they may try to run away but they might just as well take a bite out of them.
Teach your child how to pet the dog and encourage gentle encounters while at the same time teaching them not to pull on, or poke the dog. A critical lesson on petting the dog is to show them how to avoid petting the top of the dog’s head (challenge of power) in favor of rubbing under the chin and alongside the ears.
Remember this, with every encounter we have with our pet and our child we are in a teaching situation. As we teach them we need to let the dog know what behaviors we encourage and discourage them from having when they interact with the child, and vice versa.
Keep an eye out for excited behavior on the dog’s part, what we are trying for is to have both dog and child be in a relaxed and calm frame of mind. Whatever you do, teach your child the importance of the dog’s feeding bowl. A safe child is one who stays completely away from the dog’s feeding bowl and one who learns to never interfere with a dog while they are eating.
Continually include your child in all training and exercise times and you will quickly see the benefits of this cross training. One of the great things about the Cesar Milan approach is his three keys stages of a successful human-pet and a parent-child interaction; exercise, discipline and affection are his key to successfully raising your pet.
Other Pets Outside the Family Pack
As I pointed out early on, with several hundred million dogs and cats in the United States, the chances of your child being exposed to other pets is extremely high. Early on in their lives it’s critical to teach them how to relate, especially to dogs. (An obvious situation that you and your child have is during the time you are walking your dog in the neighborhood.) As you are walking along, assume you are approached by another dog walker and you both stop and carefully allow your dogs to introduce themselves. Dogs do this by sniffing each other. Explain to your child what the dogs are doing.
Never allow your child to get involved in this introduction. Ask the other person if their dog does well with children and, after separating the dogs show your child how to offer the other dog his hand to smell. Let’s assume that the dog is friendly. The dog will wag it’s tail and it’s ears will be forward. Point out these postures to the child and show them that the dog is ready for petting. (Under the chin)
Some special tips to teach your child are as follows:
At all costs never approach an unknown dog. Teach them that if they are playing or on their way to school and you run across a stray, unsupervised dog, always stay away from it and notify your parent or an adult at school. In this situation teach the child to always ask the other dog owner for permission to pet their dog.
Teach your children to avoid yelling, running, hitting or making a sudden movement toward the dog. Use every one of your teaching opportunities with your child to encourage calm, yet assertive behavior. In this state your child will be able to enjoy and feel comfortable with the dog. Always be reminding them to act gently and slowly when they are dealing with a dog. Teasing, pulling, hitting or kicking should never be allowed.
When you are walking and pass a yard with an aggressive dog, or you are at the dog park and there are poorly trained dogs, point out to your child the important body language that a dog is exhibiting, and that they need to learn.
As your child’s training progresses, they need to be taught how to respond when approached by an aggressive or dangerous dog. Teach children to confidently, quietly back away if they’re confronted by an aggressive dog, never, under any circumstance should they turn and run. Instruct them to stand still if a dog goes after them, then take a defensive position. It often helps to tell them to “be a tree:” stand quietly, with their hands low and clasped in front of them, remain still and keep their head down as if looking at their feet. If they are knocked down, teach them to cover their head and neck with their arms and curl into a ball.
I pray your child never has to use this last bit of information, but it may save his or her life.
Cats
For many families, for many reasons, a dog or puppy may just not fit into the family, and that makes cats a wonderful option. At first thought, having a kitten to grow up with your young child might sound like a good idea. The American Humane Society suggests that this might not be a good idea.
Young children are active and might injure a tiny fragile kitten. Rough treatment as a kitten might leave you with a skittish or fearful adult cat. Kittens have particularly sharp teeth and claws and might cause cuts and scratches, leaving you with a skittish and frightened child. The Society recommends cats that are two to three years old as the best choice for kids under the age of five.
Local shelters are a great place to find the perfect pet. Cat people suggest that the worst way to pick a cat is to base your choice on looks alone. To be sure you are going to get a cat with the right temperament visit the shelter but make an agreement with your child that you aren’t going to make your final choice that day. Any parent knows that even though this is good advice, the chances of going to a shelter and not walk out with a cat that day is slim to none. This is an opportune time to teach your child that if they make a deal, they have to keep it.
The important thing when choosing a cat is to make the proper introduction. Talk to your child about the meeting process and let them take part. Have the child hold out her finger and let the cat come to her and smell it. If the cat doesn’t approach, or when she does she backs away and shows signs of discomfort such as posing or hissing, she might not be the one. If the cat comes to the finger, sniffs it and rubs it with her body and appears relaxed you might have made a good start.
The parent should scratch interested cats on the head and neck and along her back if she stays relaxed slip your hands under the front legs and gently hold the front legs off the ground for a couple of seconds. You are looking for a cat that remains relaxed and interested. The next step is to take your other hand and place in under her back legs and gently lift her and hold her against your body while you continue to gently rub her head.
Now it’s time to introduce your child to the cat. Have him sit on the floor and place the cat in his lap. Have him gently rub the cats head talk to the cat. At any time if the cat appears or acts uncomfortable, let it go and try this approach over again. Never try to restrain an obviously uncomfortable cat, if you do it once you won’t make that same mistake over again.
Point out cat body language and teach your child that when a cat starts wagging it’s tail, unlike a dog, the cat is upset and it might be a good idea to leave the cat alone. A growling cat with it’s ears flat back against it’s head is a cat saying that she wants to be left alone and to press further might mean she will strike out at whomever she perceives as the cause of her discomfort. We want to avoid that kind of an interaction.
One last thing to consider is a special place for the cat. Cats like some privacy and need a special place where they can feel safe. Let you child help you find a place and explain the privacy concept. Most of the time the cat will pick it’s own space but make sure your child is aware of it.
Cat Bites and Scratches
Cat bites to the hand are very dangerous and should be treated immediately. According to a study at the Mayo Clinic, 1 in 3 patients with bite wounds to the hand and arm had to be hospitalized. Two-thirds of those hospitalized needed surgery. A cat’s teeth are much sharper then a dogs bite and they penetrate deeper and bacteria injected by cat bites include a common strain that is harder to fight with antibiotics.
The Litter Box
If possible clean out the box after every pooping event. Teach your kids to stay out of the box and away from the cat’s feeding bowl. Like dogs, cats don’t like to be “fooled with” when they are eating and may respond in a negative way.
Wild Animals
It’s fairly obvious to every parent that we should endeavor to watch out for our children and never let them interact with wild animals. Explain to the child at an early age that we need to avoid any animal, that is not part of our family. Observation from a distance is a healthy mantra.
Explain to your child just what wild animals live in you area. The Internet or any book on local animals can be a helpful resource. Rule one for avoid problem interactions with wild animals is DON’T FEED THEM. When a wild animal losses their fear of humans they will become aggressive in their hunt for food and a seriously dangerous situation exists.
The backyard bird feeder seems an innocuous part of every urban backyard but they can lead to serious and sometimes deadly events. How about that cute little squirrel that loves to come right up to you and beg for a peanut? When that wild animal loses it’s fear it can easily, and often does become a dangerously aggressive rodent with sharp claws and teeth that can bite through a bone that runs up your leg to snatch that peanut out of your hand.
Think of the food chain. You put birdseed in the bird feeder, the birds come along and enjoy their food but being messy eaters they spill the seed over the side and onto the ground. Rodents, rats, mice, and voles pay a visit and enjoy the seed that lands on the ground. Now ask yourself what comes along to eat the rodents. The answer is snakes.
Worldwide there are about 2,600 different kinds of snakes, of these 400 are venomous. In the United States there are 126 different kinds of snakes and 19 of these can be deadly. If you do choose to have a birdfeeder think carefully about placement. Keep it well clear of woodpiles and underbrush that might give a rattlesnake, a Copperhead or Cotton Mouth good cover as he waits for a rodent or a human to come buy and interrupt his dinner plans.
At the top of the food chain are Coyotes. They will eat snakes, rodents, birds but are usually not a threat to humans and small children unless the human tries to interact with them or they are injured and hungry. Pets could well be on their diets so, you need to keep up with the wildlife in your neighborhood.
Teach your children that when they come into contact with a wild animal, no matter what it is, to slowly back away from it and never turn around and run away. That type of flight might trigger some predators chase instinct and you can never outrun a wild animal.
Each region of the United States has it’s own special predators that parent’s need to be especially aware of. In the deep South we have alligators, poisonous snakes (cottonmouths, rattlers, coral, pythons, boas and several others), wildcats and feral dogs and pigs to consider.
In the eastern mountains bears can be a problem around human settlements and in the Southwest, rattlesnakes, cougars and javelinas keep parents on their toes. In the Northwestern states cougars, also known as Pumas and Mountain Lions are making a comeback and couple that with Moose, elk and deer in urban areas and parents have a lot to keep an on.
Neighborhood Watch
If you live in a newly developed area that a short time ago was pasture and woodland you might want to form a neighborhood watch program. Keeping an eye out for dangerous humans and wildlife and sharing the information with your neighbors is an excellent way to protect your children and pets.
Homeowners Insurance
One last item all pet owners ought to consider is whether their homeowners insurance covers acts committed by their pets. Many insurance carriers refuse to provide coverage to people who own certain breed of dogs or who house dangerous exotic pets. Check before you choose your dog.
Conclusion
The bottom line to animal safety is to train your children about animals and how to live with them and keep a close watch on them when they are outside.
