Mommies with dogs

The post on NFR made me think (don't read it if you are weak of heart, REALLY).

Do you ever leave your child unattended with the doggy?

I do. Not for long, maybe a minute or two while Alex is running around the house. Sparky follows her EVERYWHERE and there are times she's playing in the room next to me, and he'll be laying around in there with her.

But, with that said, he's also a 12 year old, 7lb Chihuahua with about 2 teeth to his name. I see the cat, who is just vicious, as more of a threat than anything else...

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For a minute or two, always within hearing range.

I know dogs can be unpredictable, so I would never leave them alone for long, but at the same time, I feel I know my dog well and know what his limits are.

Maybe that's naive of me.

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Sometimes I do with Nate, just to go to the bathroom or take something into the kitchen. I definitely don't leave the dog alone with the baby. If I need to go to another part of the house, I'll put the dog on indoor porch and close the door. Dexter is a 60lb german shepard mix.

Message edited 7/12/2007 4:27:32 PM.

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OMG I had to read the story. That is HORRIBLE! Poor baby to go through something like that.

And in response to your question. Yes, I leave my 6lb female yorkie alone with my son. She watches over him. When DS was just born she would run to me then back to him whenever he cried as to tell me "Helloo your baby needs you". She would run back and forth (as if I didnt hear him crying) untill I actually tended to him.

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I have to go read the post, but yes. I do. But usually DS is in his infant to toddler rocker and Maggie (my beagle) follows me where I am going.

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ummmmm i do but i dont really have a big living space..and my dog really doesnt bother with dd anymore..i know you just dont know dogs..but my boxer is by far the most loyal loving dog i have ever encountered..its not like i have the dog babysit..but she is alone with her for 5 minutes or longer at a time..but in that time im constantly checking to see what my daughter is up to...most of the time i am just in the kitchen to make dd lunch or breakfast..

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always. I can pretty much see them anywhere on the 1st floor. They are always playing together. Talia walks him, feeds him his food - everything!!

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Ok I can't bring myself to read the story but I now I can only imagine.

I very rarely leave Jake alone with Meiko. But yes, it's happened for a minute or two at most.

She is a mush, but 90lbs of mush can do some damage to a toddler even unintentionally (like getting stepped on by a giant paw while barefoot) so alot of the time baby & dog are gated off from each other.

However.... she has figured out how to open the gate. I kid you not. But she doesn't do it if we are within earshot.

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my dog is so attached to Sydney...he is ALWAYS right by her, there have been moments when I leave the room they are in. I know I can be naive with this but I totally trust Sable with her. Not to take anything away from the poor family in that article, but I find it a little hard to believe.

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Sparky does that STILL, and she's almost two years old. I always know when she's awake, even before she's crying, because he jumps out of his little bed in our room, and runs to her room and sits outside the door. He whines until one of us opens the door to get her. It's such a usual practice that, just the other day, when he didn't come running into her room (guess he overlsept that day , the first thing she said when I opened the door was "Sparky?"


Like people say "Dog are unpredictalbe" The good comes with the bad......My dog is the weirdist little creature in the world. Before DS came along we would have to drag her to hang out in the yard with us. She normally comes out her doggie door every 5min looking at us like "hello you coming inside now". Now that DS is born, she will not stay in the house if he is out there, she actually sits under his swing and runs 100miles an hour to the gate barking if somebody walks past our house! Then stands guard under his swing again!!! I guess she does not realize she is a YORKIE not a Doberman!

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I leave DD with the dog if I am just leaving the room for a minute (DD is confined in either the swing, excersaucer, etc.) but when I shower or something like that I either let the dog out in the yard (and then lock the back door so no strangers can get in) or put her in our bedroom with the door closed.

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Actually I don't. If I need to leave the room I put DS in his PNP.

I love my dogs but they just turned 1 and they are still learning. I love them to death but do not trust them. I don't even want to chance it.

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Message edited 7/12/2007 8:43:55 PM.

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I do all the time

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I do yes...but usually the dog follows me ...

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Yes all the time.. Jacob loooooooooves his doggie kasey. He gives her kisses and hugs, and he plays fetch with her and laughs and laughs.. I mean Not alone alone.. I am always in the house with them, but they are sometimes together in the same room playing and I'll be within earshot doin dishes or something.

Message edited 7/12/2007 11:07:09 PM.

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I just read the story. That is just sick and I wish I hadn't read it. Sounds like we are missing some parts of the story though.

Anyway, I really try not to leave Molly and the baby alone together. If I do, he is in either the bouncy, glider, swing, etc. Molly is only 12 pounds but still you never know. She usually will follow me though.

Such a sad story!

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Only for a minute or 2. I have a 75 lb American Bulldog mushball

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I do. When I take a shower or am going to be gone for awhile I do put Andrew in the playpen but that is more so he doesn't get into trouble then me worrying about the dog doing something to him.

I am actually more afraid that Andrew will really hurt Bailey then the other way around.

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No, never. We have 2 85lb+ german shepherds and as much as they love him I would not forgive myself if anything ever happened. If he's in the highchair or PNP I will go use the bathroom quickly but never if he's on the floor - they play too rough and even an accidental minor scratch from their nails would really hurt him (it hurts me!)