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Person Tweets About A Random Kid Running To Her Dog, Gets Over 24M Views And Sparks Debate
Dogs are lovely. Most of us agree on that. And so, sometimes, you might want to cuddle every single dog you encounter. Run towards that cutie and pet him. Just like some kids do when they see a dog.
But is a kid running to pet a dog they don’t know a good action? This question circled quite a lot of online folks’ minds after this viral tweet. A woman tweeted about blocking a 3-year-old kid from running toward her dog and left the people in her replies divided about whether she was right or not.
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The woman tweeted about a situation where she blocked a kid from running toward her dog to pet it
Image credits: Eren Özdal (not the actual photo)
A tweet in which a woman described a situation of a kid running towards her dog and her blocking the girl went quite viral. In it, she argued that kids should be told not to run to dogs they don’t know by saying, “If she isn’t on voice recall, maybe she should be leashed?”
The tweet was posted by X profile @AbortionChat, which was created by Lynne Schmidt, a mental health professional, poet, and author. On this account, she comments on various topics, from pop culture to reproductive rights and, of course, dogs. Currently, the account has over 7K followers.
Image credits: AbortionChat
She told the girl that kids shouldn’t approach dogs they don’t know, especially by running towards them
Image credits: Remy_Legal
The tweet quickly turned into a prompt for an online discussion. Should kids be allowed to run to dogs they don’t know?
A lot of people in the replies under the tweet seemed to agree with the post’s author. They were wondering why parents tend to get mad when they get told to teach their kids about appropriate behavior with dogs, especially ones they don’t know.
Image credits: clhubes
The girl’s parent argued that she’s only 3 years old, which prompted the tweet’s author to say that maybe the kid should be leashed if they don’t understand ‘voice recall’
Image credits: MalaMoragain
Quite a few people even agreed with the OP’s sentiment about leashing kids. They joked that, in some cases, this can be the only fitting solution to uncontrollable kids. In the replies, there was also a person who was leashed as a kid. They said that they supported this message, as a leash is good for kids who tend to wander.
At the same time, not everyone rushed to agree with the whole tweet. Some didn’t agree with the whole idea behind the post. Others at least partially agreed with the message, but they said that the OP chose an improper way to deliver it, as it came off as rude. Sadly, some even brought in the topic of abortions to hate on the author, likely prompted by the account’s name.
Image credits: meltedpotmama
This situation sparked the online discussion about whether kids should be taught to not run to dogs they don’t know
Image credits: Samson Katt (not the actual photo)
So, you might wonder what’s the answer — who’s right in this discussion? Should kids be allowed to approach dogs without any restrictions? Well, experts agree that a kid, before approaching an unknown dog, needs to always ask for the owner’s permission. Even if the dog is on a leash, asking first is always a proper move.
Also, running towards the dog isn’t advised either. In fact, a kid (or any person, actually) should wait for the dog to come to them. This shows the dog’s willingness to interact, making the dog less likely to hurt the person.
Image credits: amazeydazey
Then, when a dog comes nearby, a person should keep looking for certain signs that might suggest distress in a dog. Since such distress could cause an animal to bite. And, well, no one wants that. Some of these signs can include:
- Raised fur along the back;
- Tense body posture;
- Growling;
- A high, stiffly wagging tail.
Image credits: kari_tacoma
So, we can probably agree that, in a way, the tweet’s author was right — kids shouldn’t approach random dogs. After all, dogs are animals, and sometimes, they act in a way we can’t anticipate. And it’s parents’ responsibility to instill this behavior in their children, no one else’s. Of course, maybe the author expressed her thoughts a bit harshly, but sometimes, only harsh remarks make an impression on people.
People in the replies were divided about the answer — some argued that kids should be taught this lesson, while others argued that dog owners should take responsibility
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What do you think ?
Captain McSmoot 10 months ago
I grow so tired of these articles where the parent would rather "parent" the world around them to prepare the world for their child instead of parenting their actual child to prepare them for the world around them. Parents like that grace the world with teens and with adults who have a major case of main character syndrome.
Tyranamar 10 months ago
My son was like a dart. One minute I'd have him and the next minute he'd be barreling straight towards some poor pet. I always tried to grab him. It was explained a million times this was dangerous. He was shown over and over how to ask the owner and how to put your hand out. Still he'd continue to do it. So I get where a three year old could break free and run up on a dog. As a parent my reaction would've been gratitude the owner stepped in front. So it's mom's snarky combat that bothers me more than the kid still being too impulsive to not touch the dog.
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Jesha 10 months ago
What is with all the decorum poisoned numpties that are like YoU sHoUlD hAvE bEeN nIcEr as if she was cussing up a blue streak. Sometimes people are allowed to be curt. Not every moment in our lives can be scripted and run past etiquette people or whatever I don't know. Is it really that much of a faux pas nowadays to not bend over backwards to apologize for someone else's idiocy?
zububonsai 10 months ago (edited)
Yup. This "you should have said this nicer" and "don't be snarky" made me angrier than the dumbass not-parents not- parenting (and this was already bad🤦🏻♀️). The "leashed"- comment by the dog owner made this learning moment very ...memorable (hopefully). PS: I was one of the leashed kids and thankful. I used to run off in the wood when something caught my interest. There's a moment in a lot of toddlers' lives where I consider safety more important as decorum.
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ginshun 10 months ago
It is common sense that you always approach any dog that you don't know with caution. Especially true for children that are smaller animals than the dog they are approaching. Teach your kids this, it's what good parents do. And the suggestion that "if your dog's a safety risk don't take them out" is ridiculous and ignorant. There are lots of dogs out there that are completely fine if you are nice to them, but might snip at a person if they are startled. It's not always the dog or owners fault. Some dogs were abused as pups, and then a nice person adopted them. Sometimes they are timid. I have a dog that growls at people when she is scared, because she was not socialized and abused until we got her at 6 months old. She's a sweet heart, but I don't want some strange toddler running up and tackling her. Give her a minute of calmly introducing yourself and everything will be fine.
Ms.GB 10 months ago
Not only that but big friendly dogs that get excited can knock a child down or accidentally scratch them etc.
Load More Replies...
Captain McSmoot 10 months ago
I grow so tired of these articles where the parent would rather "parent" the world around them to prepare the world for their child instead of parenting their actual child to prepare them for the world around them. Parents like that grace the world with teens and with adults who have a major case of main character syndrome.
Tyranamar 10 months ago
My son was like a dart. One minute I'd have him and the next minute he'd be barreling straight towards some poor pet. I always tried to grab him. It was explained a million times this was dangerous. He was shown over and over how to ask the owner and how to put your hand out. Still he'd continue to do it. So I get where a three year old could break free and run up on a dog. As a parent my reaction would've been gratitude the owner stepped in front. So it's mom's snarky combat that bothers me more than the kid still being too impulsive to not touch the dog.
Load More Replies... Jesha 10 months ago
What is with all the decorum poisoned numpties that are like YoU sHoUlD hAvE bEeN nIcEr as if she was cussing up a blue streak. Sometimes people are allowed to be curt. Not every moment in our lives can be scripted and run past etiquette people or whatever I don't know. Is it really that much of a faux pas nowadays to not bend over backwards to apologize for someone else's idiocy?
zububonsai 10 months ago (edited)
Yup. This "you should have said this nicer" and "don't be snarky" made me angrier than the dumbass not-parents not- parenting (and this was already bad🤦🏻♀️). The "leashed"- comment by the dog owner made this learning moment very ...memorable (hopefully). PS: I was one of the leashed kids and thankful. I used to run off in the wood when something caught my interest. There's a moment in a lot of toddlers' lives where I consider safety more important as decorum.
Load More Replies... ginshun 10 months ago
It is common sense that you always approach any dog that you don't know with caution. Especially true for children that are smaller animals than the dog they are approaching. Teach your kids this, it's what good parents do. And the suggestion that "if your dog's a safety risk don't take them out" is ridiculous and ignorant. There are lots of dogs out there that are completely fine if you are nice to them, but might snip at a person if they are startled. It's not always the dog or owners fault. Some dogs were abused as pups, and then a nice person adopted them. Sometimes they are timid. I have a dog that growls at people when she is scared, because she was not socialized and abused until we got her at 6 months old. She's a sweet heart, but I don't want some strange toddler running up and tackling her. Give her a minute of calmly introducing yourself and everything will be fine.
Ms.GB 10 months ago
Not only that but big friendly dogs that get excited can knock a child down or accidentally scratch them etc.
Load More Replies...
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