The infancy stage is usually not a problem with pets and the infant. Although supervision is always needed, the infant is of little threat or interest to the animal, because lets face it- infants don't do much except cry, pee, and poop. The problems came in when my baby became mobile and entered the toddler years. Not really a "problem" per se, but a lot more careful watching and supervision was required. Not the dog's or the cat's fault. The bottom line is that toddlers have not learned empathy and compassion yet and only see the world through their own eyes. So, let's face it, during the id phase, toddlers can be meanness personified on two fast little legs. This is the stage of experimentation to get a reaction- the tail pulling, ear pulling, eye poking, etc. I even caught my little angel trying to stomp on a puppy once and was mortified. She didn't, and we had a LOOOOOOOONG talk about it regarding how to treat animals. But, it could have been disastrous IF I HAD NOT BEEN SUPERVISING!
The key to animals and young children is CLOSE SUPERVISION at all times. If you don't have time to supervise, separate the child from the animals temporarily until an adult is available to keep an eye on things. Even older children who have learned compassion need supervision with animals- they may try to pick them up and squeeze too tightly because they cannot judge pressure appropriately, they may try to rough-house with the animal who clearly does not want to participate, or may try to "ride the dog" if it is a large dog, dress the cat in doll clothes, etc.
So, if all this sounds like a lot of work, it is. But don't let it prevent you from getting a pet or let it cause you to get rid of your pet because a baby is on the way. Just commit to making it work and use common sense. Here are some tips:
- Supervise. If you can't for a period of time, separate the child from the animal.
- Be alert for child behaviors that are harmful to an animal and correct these behaviors IMMEDIATELY. Don't let your child try to take food from an animal or hurt an animal. You can see this coming if you are supervising and prevent it. This is usually when animals bite or scratch.
- Don't allow your child to chase an animal. If an animal runs away from a child, that is a pretty good sign the animal has had enough.
- Always allow the animal to have an "escape route". If your child corners an animal and the animal is afraid, the animal may strike out in fear or self-defense.
- Use a stuffed animal for your child to "practice" on. Teach the child how to hold and pet gently.
- Talk to and teach your child that animals feel things just like they do. Animals feel pain, hunger, fear, lonliness, boredom, happiness, etc.
My inspiration for writing this piece came from a terrible facebook event that I read yesterday. A chained dog bit an unsupervised toddler. The toddler's father (a neighbor) jumped the fence and kicked and beat the dog to death with a baseball bat. The dog died in the arms of the 12 year old son of the dog's owner. Not the dog's fault- the toddler was not being supervised around a chained dog and the dog had no escape route. The toddler was treated and released with non-life threatening injuries, but the dog was beaten to death. Not a nice story is it?
