Babies and Pets - Family - Pets

When my daughter, my first-born, was six weeks old, we brought home a German shepherd puppy, Pepper. The puppy was black trimmed in silver, and she and my baby fell in love with each other immediately. As they grew up together, they became closer friends. However, we closely supervised them together for the first two years. Time after time, Pepper proved that she wouldn't hurt "her" girl, and we trained our daughter not to harm the dog even accidentally.

Anytime babies, or children, and animals are put together, care must be taken that neither hurts the other. Both need to be trained to treat each other with respect and care. When the baby or child are in contact with the pet, they should be supervised.

Another point to keep in mind when mixing babies or children with pets is to separate them when either or both are hungry or tired. If a child or an animal is irritated, hungry, or tired, tempers and inappropriate actions are more possible and likely.

Babies and pets can be good companions for many years, if they are trained to be protective of each other. Good manners is a must on the part of each.

Pepper and my daughter took naps together. Pepper would let me know when her girl was in trouble, whether threatened by a rattle snake that found its way into the yard or my daughter's try to escape the yard by climbing over the fence. When two boys were added to the mixture, Pepper accepted them, too, and treated them as her charges. However, we made sure that the boys treated the dog with care and kindness, too.

A strange animal should never be left with a baby. An animal that hasn't been trained to be around children should not be left with a child. Any adult who does not use common sense shouldn't have a child or a pet.

Most of the problems that occur when animals and children are together are a result of carelessness on the part of adults. Common sense should tell an adult when a situation must be avoided. But sometimes common sense seems to go AWOL when adults have pets and children. Just because a dog or cat are well behaved around its owner and/or other adults does not mean it will automatically adjust to being around a baby or child.

Babies or children can be together and be "friends," if both are prepared to be close. Supervision and training are musts for success.

When Pepper finally grew old and lame, requiring her to be put down, the whole family lost a friend.