The other day I came across a Facebook video where a baby sat on a bed while two playful Pugs jumped at him while he laughed. I will add that his parents were in the room, beside the bed, as some people seem to think this makes the situation any better. I was reading through the comments (as I do) and there was a big mix between people who were totally unhappy with this and people who thought this behaviour was adorable and encouraged it. Comments such as, “It’s a pug, get over it”, or “My pug is the most loving and kind dog, a pug would not hurt a child!”. Let’s get fucking real here and consider some factors.
- The young child can only just sit up and is placed near the edge of the bed.
- Two excited dogs are jumping at him.
- These dogs are being made to believe that this behaviour is appropriate, and it is even being encouraged.
- Yes, the parents are in the room right now, but what about next time?
- The biggest issues with dogs is that people don’t know how to fucking raise them.
I really hate to be a party pooper, but when a child’s life (and a dog for a matter of fact) is at risk, I’m happy to shit all over the party. Pugs are small and playful dogs, no denying that every one that I have met has been very sweet. But people forget that we are raising animals right? Animals that have not always been pets, still genetically have instincts adapted to keep them alive, to help them hunt and to protect themselves. It does not matter what breed it is, or what kind of situation it is, no dog should ever be encouraged or allowed to jump at a child. You allow your dogs to do this one time and they think its okay to do it again, you are literally teaching them unnecessary and inappropriate behaviour. I am so sick of the arguments about how only some dog breeds are dangerous, all this Pitbullshit (see what I did there?) – But that’s something for another post.
Please don’t get me wrong, I think children should be raised around animals, they can develop the most beautiful relationships, but owners need to be responsible for teaching their pets the right behaviour. People made statements that Pugs have very small harmless teeth, but we are talking about a baby that is just learning to hold itself upright, sitting on the edge of a bed with two jumping animals that are the same size as him, what are the chances that they knock the child off the bed? It might seem acceptable when the parents are there ready to catch them, but what happens when the time comes when the child is unattended and the same thing happens, even on a floor. It is not hard to injure a small child, knock him over, scratch at his face or even suffocate him.
The thing that angers me the most is that people are so willing to put their child at risk because they think “this won’t happen to them”, and are ready to blame the animal when something bad finally happens. We all know what happens to animals when they injure a person right? I’m sure we are all well aware that an animal CANNOT be blamed for its natural instincts, especially when we were the ones who took over their lives and have tried to domesticate them. If you are not willing to live with the risks and the consequences of owning a pet, and to take responsibility for them and teach them the right and wrong behaviour, then you are a contributing factor to why animals injure humans and get put down every day.
Is it really worth encouraging this behaviour and risking the life of not only your child, but your pet as well? Raise your pets the same way you would raise your children, and just like you (hopefully) wouldn’t encourage your child to go and jump at someones face, you shouldn’t encourage your pets to do it either.
Here is the link to the video:
Real Talk by Shannon 