we arent talking about ‘potentia’ bacteria’ in human bodies, but dogs and besides not every human carries life threatening diseases or bacteria. However, every single dog is born with worms in his brain, and alot of people ignore or do not know about the deworming process. Im not saying you should kick out your dog if a baby arrives, just becareful, and keep some distance in the first few months (especially with allergies since you do not know what type of allergies the baby will have and some of them can be fatal), and then a watchful eye, afterall, a pet is an animal.
Ofcourse we aren't. But the point is, any human is equally capable of creating deadly bacteria...UNLESS taken care of with say...shots and meds. Otherwise every human baby should be taken given up once its born, since the parents themselves are walking germ mines.
Which brings us back to the point of filthy animals, and that mentality generally. Its the same concept with them. While it is a fact what you posted, it can certainly be averted to a most excellent extent with shots, meds, and procedures.
True, but I wouldnt say human beings are equally capable, because dogs go around and have to be walked regularly and they usually go around sniffing alot of stuff which can cause alot of diseases, human beings dont do that. I dont think it has anything to do with mentality though atleast in my case, I love dogs, I have one that is now almost 11 years old, but then again we're extremely careful if some guest with a baby arrives, despite the fact that we've never encountered anything remotely serious so far.
As for the concept of dogs killing children, while I wont say it doesnt happen (as i have come across alot of news articles which proves it does), but with that I agree with you, thats a gross generalization. Most of those articles, I came across the dogs were a specific breed (pit terriers), and in alot of the cases they were found to be rabies infected, which just shows that the dog wasnt in its right state of mind when it attacked the baby.
i know of infants being allergic to dogs, i dont know of any infants being allergic to humans :D
The thread is going in interesting directions, relgious and cultural views about keeping dogs, health and sanitation issues..etc etc
I think the start of this thread was a very simple point...i.e....people who have a baby and a dog in the house, have no one else to blame but themselves and their irrespnsibility if the dog attacks the baby.
Even hardened criminals are allowed visits from dogs to bring their humanity back.
It's a cultural thing - to say dogs are bad!! (Bandar kya janea adrak ka swad) If you have'nt tried something how can you say such things. Do you think the rest of the world is mad(who keep dogs), and only you lot are the intelligent ones.
Any household pet can become sick, just like people. Thats why we have vets and why pets need regular checkups and innoculations just like people do. Like Fraudia said, pets and children are a responsibility - a huge one.
I've seen quite a number of Desis who easily state that pet owners are "stupid" while they go home with their children to their rifles and pistols, all of them locked and loaded.
Different cultures, different "stupidities" methinks!
the simple answer is to keep a watchful eye over the infant and the dog, u cant really blame the dog, afterall its an animal at the end of the day, but it is the parents responsibility to keep their children safe!!
intellient enough to remember what the discussion is about..
to quote myself again..
*The thread is going in interesting directions, relgious and cultural views about keeping dogs, health and sanitation issues..etc etc
I think the start of this thread was a very simple point…i.e…people who have a baby and a dog in the house, have no one else to blame but themselves and their irrespnsibility if the dog attacks the baby. *
I think the poster hit the nail on the head, parents whose babies get mauled by their dogs are stupid, as they did not handle things appropriately.
sure, parents who leave their guns where kids can get them and blow themselves or someone up are stupid also.
Its the parents responsibility to ensure that the child is not in potential danger, and while one can not safeguard against every possible scenario, guns and dogs related injuries or death to kids should not just be considered a mistake, but criminal negligence.
One one hand it sounds horrible to say that grieving parents should be thrown in the slammer for their part in the tragedy, but…idiots will not get the message unless hey start seeing consequences like that.
Mr F, maybe I read it wrong and got the wrong idea about what the poster was saying; I thought the poster meant that ALL people who have household pets are "stupid"....thats the way I took it and the way it sounded to me.
Your point is well-taken and of course is plain common sense...if you own a pet and have children, vigilance is the order of the day. In the US, they ARE starting to prosecute parents now for negligence as in when a child is mauled or gets their hands on a gun. Actually, many of the schools now require parents to send in signed form as to whether or not there are any guns in the house.
*
[QUOTE]
*Any household pet can become sick, just like people. Thats why we have vets and why pets need regular checkups and innoculations just like people do. Like Fraudia said, pets and children are a responsibility - a huge one.
I've seen quite a number of Desis who easily state that pet owners are "stupid" while they go home with their children to their rifles and pistols, all of them locked and loaded.
Different cultures, different "stupidities" methinks!*
[/QUOTE]
*
* * Agree with bolded part.
* * I say keep the child, throw away the pet.
I get scared with stuff like toxocara that kids can get from their pets. But I don't think its horrible to have a pet. Maybe its something to avoid with kids, but heck, I would like to have a pet. And if I get one, I dont think its going to kill me in my sleep. I just think they can be really expensive, which is why I avoid them.
Its a terrible thing to say to just "get rid of the pet." Pets, at least to many western families, become like family members. I very clearly recall crying when my dog died when I was little, and my siblings being very upset as well. Pets teach a good many life lessons- such as love and responsibility and the "way of life" (what better way to teach a child about death then when a goldfish dies?) There are also far too many people who "get rid of their animals" as it is, and this has only contributed to the overcrowding of animal shelters and the being "put down" of many, many animals who would have made excellent pets if they had been given the opportunity (and who knows, maybe they actually would have SAVED a baby! As often as you hear about kids being mauled, you also hear miraculous stories of that nature).
I'm not particularly worried about allergens or diseases. EVERYTHING now-a-days has been shown to contribute to some sort of problem. Heck, BREATHING in our dirty air is bad for you and will give you asthma/allergies/etc. Just follow good guidelines when you keep your pets: keep the cats inside at all times, don't let the dogs run rampant, get everybody to the vet for regular check-ups/immunizations/etc and ensure that they are properly trained (and that your kids are properly trained, for that matter).
Mara that is all well and good, but if your usually well behaved pet starts acting aggressivey towards your new born, what do you do, or if your newborn has serious allergies from your dog or cat, what do you do?
A good ob/gyn or midwife will go over with the family the types of things to do and the types of things to look for when a baby is going to arrive in a household with pets. Of course, the answer is that if there is any sign of trouble, the pet has to go. We were braced for this and we had a family member who would "adopt" our pets if it turned out to be a problem in any way for our little ones.
You have to watch for signs of allergy when the baby comes home, docs go over the details with you.
After baby is born, husband should take an outfit that the baby has worn or a blanket that the baby is wrapped in, bring it home and let the pets sniff it. When baby gets home, it will be a familiar scent to the pets.
We had our first baby in a car seat, we came in and put it on the table where dogs couldnt reach but they could see. They raised their heads, sniffing and sniffing, wagging their tails. They had their leashes on, just in case. But it went very smoothly. Then we were just very watchful. But the dogs seemed to think that he was their baby too, they;d get all worried when he cried...they would run to me if I was in another room to let me know.
Having an infant and a pet was alot easier than now when they're bigger. So much more watchful we have to be! But the benefits are still worth it. My boys have learned much from their furry friends.
As a good parent I want to eliminate or at least minimise some of the risks to my children.
Having a pet such as a dog/cat is a risk to a baby. No one can deny this. Hence following the argument of minimising risks etc you shouldnt have a pet near the baby in the first place.
If parents know of this risk and all of them know it and STILL chose to keep a dog when they have a baby I think they should kill themselves when the dog attacks the baby and not put the dog down.