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“My Son’s Life And Safety Is More Important To Me”: Mom Refuses To Let MIL Babysit Her Baby
While some people consider their dogs to be their fur babies, we have to admit that no matter how much we love them, they’re not exactly the same as human babies. And even though it might be safe to put two human infants in the same room to play, there are a few more risks associated with leaving a dog and a child together.
Due to concerns for her child’s safety, one mom recently shared on the Parenting subreddit that she won’t let her mother-in-law babysit anymore if she refuses to lock up her dog. Below, you’ll find the full story, as well as some of the replies sympathetic readers have left her.
RELATED:
This mom has requested that her mother-in-law keep her pit bull separate from her son while babysitting
Image credits: Makarand Sawant (not the actual photo)
But because she refuses to lock her up, the mom decided she doesn’t deserve to babysit her little one
Image credits: Sandra Seitamaa (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Liza Summer (not the actual photo)
Image credits: desertrose156
Pit bulls are responsible for more fatalities than any other dog breed
It’s no secret that many of us consider our dogs to be members of the family. We share a special bond with them, and we love them with our whole hearts. But when it comes to introducing them to children, we have to look at the situation rationally. You may view your dog as your precious little baby, but they have the capacity to bite and scratch much more easily than a human baby, and we can’t always be sure what exactly will trigger them.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, more than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs in the US every year, and at least half of those bitten are kids. Unfortunately, pit bulls are often the culprits for violence directed towards humans. Between 2005-2020, dog injuries and attacks killed 568 Americans, and of these fatalities, pit bulls were responsible for two thirds of them.
Pit bulls are also the most dangerous breed for children to be around. Despite the fact that pit bulls make up less than 6% of the dogs in the US, in 2019, they were responsible for killing 10 out of the 16 kids who died due to dog attacks. And after a baby and toddler were tragically mauled to death by their family’s pit bulls in 2022, there has been much debate about whether anyone should be owning the breed.
Experts recommend never leaving small children and dogs together unsupervised
Pit bulls are not the only breeds that parents are advised to keep away from small children. In fact, having any dogs around babies and toddlers can pose a risk. The RSPCA warns parents to never leave their baby and dog together unsupervised, no matter how much you trust your dog.
When a new family member comes along, it disrupts the dog’s routine, and they may receive less attention. They’re not as used to your baby as they are to you, and they may display behavior you’ve never seen before. They can even accidentally cause harm without realizing how heavy and strong they are or how sharp their teeth and nails are. Turning your back for a second when your dog and child are together simply poses too big of a risk.
According to Andrew O’Shea, veterinarian and animal behavior specialist from the Sydney Animal Behaviour Service, some of the factors that contribute to dogs attacking babies are: new smells, loud noises, staring, unpredictable movements, unfamiliarity and jealousy. But thankfully, we can usually prevent dog bites and attacks by taking simple precautions.
By taking precautions, most dog attacks and bites can easily be prevented
“Any dog has the potential to injure children. Any dog has the potential to bite. Any dog should be supervised around children until the child is at least eight years of age,” O’Shea told the Sydney Morning Herald. Kids also need to be taught how to appropriately approach and interact with dogs. They need to be gentle and considerate, which might be challenging for young children to understand at first.
Parents also should teach their little ones that dogs need their space, just like anyone else. If they’re eating or sleeping, they should be left alone. Learn how to recognize when is an appropriate time to try to play. It’s also important to know when a dog is uncomfortable and to be able to recognize signs of fear or anxiety. Aggression usually comes from fear in dogs, so bites can usually be preventable if owners pay attention to the signals their dogs are giving off.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. How would you respond to the mother-in-law if you were in this mom’s position? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing dog attacks, we recommend checking out this one next!
Readers shared support and suggestions for the mother, and she joined in on the conversation
And others continued to assure the mom that her concerns were valid
What do you think ?
CatWoman1014 2 years ago
Pitt bulls are illegal in some places and there’s a reason. I’ll admit and I expect to be down arrowed for this, but I’m kind of racist towards certain dog breeds and pit bulls are one of those breeds I don’t like. I don’t care how sweet they are if you show me a pic I cringe. They look intimidating and when I see one in person I’m scared and am very careful with how I walk or even look at them. I wish they weren’t such a hyped breed to own. With that being said even the best behaved dog is still a lot bigger than a baby and anything could happen. He could get too excited and whip him with his tail. It’s just best not to allow a baby around one for everyone’s safety
Spocks's Mom 2 years ago (edited)
I love pitbulls. I have a pitbull mix. I would never let him around children, other animals and complete strangers. He was abused as a puppy and isn't wired right. It's for my dog's protection more than anything. I love him so much and would feel horrible if something happened to someone and animal control came for him. MIL needs a reality check and needs to better protect her grandson AND her dog.
tl gmc 2 years ago
I love pits, but they should never be left with a kid unsupervised and shouldn't be around small toddlers. They have a pretty big prey drive like a lot of large dogs, but their bite force is too big to save a toddler if something happens.
Load More Replies...
Two_rolling_black_eyes 2 years ago
Pitbulls deserve the bad reputation they have. Its not a smear campaign. 2/3 of all fatal dog bites are pitbulls and 47% of all dog bites that end up in an emergency room are pitbulls. There are 199 other recognized breeds but 1 causes most of the issues. Check out dogsbite.org if you want to know more about your breed.
Chris Jones 2 years ago
Just as Soviet scientist Dmitry Belyaev started selectively breeding foxes for tameness in the famous "silver fox" experiment in the late 1950s at his Institute of Cytology and Genetics you could selectively breed for aggression by selecting the most aggressive dogs and discarding the most docile ones from the breeding pool. Soon, in a relatively short time, you would end up with litters of more aggressive dogs. This is what unscrupulous people choose to do with these breeds. They are often criminals who want an intimidating looking dog. It is foolish to pretend that genetic traits don't exist. Certain breeds are picked for guide dogs as they are docile & trainable, collies because of an innate desire to herd etc. People will breed these dogs with aggressive traits & then develop it, nature & nurture. It's always the people who are the true cause but pretending these dogs aren't behind the most serious attacks would be denying facts.
Load More Replies...
George Costanza 2 years ago
There's so many dog breeds with minimal danger risk, so why own a pitbull or dangerous breed? Sure any dog can bit, but most might just barely break the skin. Dangerous breeds instinctually maul to kill. There's no way I would ever own a breed with that sort of risk, and certainly not have them around young children who may accidentally antagonize them.
Chez2202 2 years ago
My mother has always had a thing about West Highland White Terriers. My sister was bitten by her westie as a baby but she kept it and it bit me too. She bought one for my birthday when I was 7 and that dog hated children and bit one of our friends. When my daughter was a few weeks old we were visiting and the one she had then tried to bite her because it didn’t want her grandad holding a baby instead of him. They are very small dogs. Nobody thinks a small white fluffy dog is going to hurt anyone and nobody takes it seriously when they do. My mother is now in an assisted living facility where pets are allowed. She wants another. My sister, brother and I have all said there’s no chance we would buy one.
Load More Replies...
Racing Tadpole 2 years ago
Kids are also unpredictable walk like they are drunk..and dogs hate that...it frightens them then they bite
DC 2 years ago (edited)
Although I expect to receive some heat for this ... I still cannot get around two facts: first of all, training and education have a massive impact on dogs' behaviour. I know that, I won't ever try not to recognize this. Second, genetics have a massive impact on dogs' behaviour. The selective breeding never was limited to physical properties, but always included behaviour as well. The pit this bull was bred for - the name isn't some randommery - is a place used to have dogs fight lethal fights. I'd never even suggest euthanizing a single one of them due to their breed, but I'd also not advise to continue breeding every breed of dog. Some are bred to be sick upon birth, by restrictive airways and such ... and some are bred to be more aggressive, among these are pitbulls. While existing dogs are not to blame, humans should, in regard to any and every breed of any and every animal, reconsider breeding, and stop breeding certain ones if the things bred into them are more likely to hurt themselves or others. There are several pitbulls never doing anybody any harm, but the likelihood of that happening still is higher than in other dogs - because it was one of the original goals in breeding them and defining the breed. Stop breeding them? I don't see why that should not be open to debate at the very least. Are there any valid reasons to breed pitbulls in the first place? I doubt so.
Angela C 2 years ago
As they currently are being bred, no. But much like there are breeders out there working to "fix" dog breeds that have physical characteristics that cause them health problems (by breeding only those who least exhibit those traits or by cross breeding and making new "mixed" breeds with the goal of eliminating negative traits) the same could in theory be done behaviorally. Breed the least aggressive pit bulls instead of the most aggressive ones. But that's the only way I'd imagine it'd be fine to keep breeding them.
Load More Replies... Ron Baza 2 years ago
“ We have to protect our babies, and sometimes that's protecting them from people who love them”. I do not see evidence that the grandmother loves the child. She puts the (temporary) needs of her dog over the safety of her own grandchild. She puts her own pigheaded determination to have her own way over the needs of her own grandchild. This is not an indication of love.
Michael Largey 2 years ago (edited)
The grandmother cares more about her dogs than she does about her grandchildren. So don't bring around any kids to distract her from the true loves of her life.
Ron Baza 2 years ago
I do t think that’s quite accurate. It’s more true to say that she cares more about her dog than she cares about children and grandchildren combined.
Load More Replies...
Jo Reed 2 years ago
I have a Rottie and a Karakachan.... I don't have any children around me as I live in Bulgaria and my kids and our grandchildren/great granchildren live in the UK. I don't know how my two very large dogs would react to kids but I do know the Rotti has a high prey mood with my chickens so I would not like to risk kids around her!
CatWoman1014 2 years ago
Pitt bulls are illegal in some places and there’s a reason. I’ll admit and I expect to be down arrowed for this, but I’m kind of racist towards certain dog breeds and pit bulls are one of those breeds I don’t like. I don’t care how sweet they are if you show me a pic I cringe. They look intimidating and when I see one in person I’m scared and am very careful with how I walk or even look at them. I wish they weren’t such a hyped breed to own. With that being said even the best behaved dog is still a lot bigger than a baby and anything could happen. He could get too excited and whip him with his tail. It’s just best not to allow a baby around one for everyone’s safety
Spocks's Mom 2 years ago (edited)
I love pitbulls. I have a pitbull mix. I would never let him around children, other animals and complete strangers. He was abused as a puppy and isn't wired right. It's for my dog's protection more than anything. I love him so much and would feel horrible if something happened to someone and animal control came for him. MIL needs a reality check and needs to better protect her grandson AND her dog.
tl gmc 2 years ago
I love pits, but they should never be left with a kid unsupervised and shouldn't be around small toddlers. They have a pretty big prey drive like a lot of large dogs, but their bite force is too big to save a toddler if something happens.
Load More Replies... Two_rolling_black_eyes 2 years ago
Pitbulls deserve the bad reputation they have. Its not a smear campaign. 2/3 of all fatal dog bites are pitbulls and 47% of all dog bites that end up in an emergency room are pitbulls. There are 199 other recognized breeds but 1 causes most of the issues. Check out dogsbite.org if you want to know more about your breed.
Chris Jones 2 years ago
Just as Soviet scientist Dmitry Belyaev started selectively breeding foxes for tameness in the famous "silver fox" experiment in the late 1950s at his Institute of Cytology and Genetics you could selectively breed for aggression by selecting the most aggressive dogs and discarding the most docile ones from the breeding pool. Soon, in a relatively short time, you would end up with litters of more aggressive dogs. This is what unscrupulous people choose to do with these breeds. They are often criminals who want an intimidating looking dog. It is foolish to pretend that genetic traits don't exist. Certain breeds are picked for guide dogs as they are docile & trainable, collies because of an innate desire to herd etc. People will breed these dogs with aggressive traits & then develop it, nature & nurture. It's always the people who are the true cause but pretending these dogs aren't behind the most serious attacks would be denying facts.
Load More Replies... George Costanza 2 years ago
There's so many dog breeds with minimal danger risk, so why own a pitbull or dangerous breed? Sure any dog can bit, but most might just barely break the skin. Dangerous breeds instinctually maul to kill. There's no way I would ever own a breed with that sort of risk, and certainly not have them around young children who may accidentally antagonize them.
Chez2202 2 years ago
My mother has always had a thing about West Highland White Terriers. My sister was bitten by her westie as a baby but she kept it and it bit me too. She bought one for my birthday when I was 7 and that dog hated children and bit one of our friends. When my daughter was a few weeks old we were visiting and the one she had then tried to bite her because it didn’t want her grandad holding a baby instead of him. They are very small dogs. Nobody thinks a small white fluffy dog is going to hurt anyone and nobody takes it seriously when they do. My mother is now in an assisted living facility where pets are allowed. She wants another. My sister, brother and I have all said there’s no chance we would buy one.
Load More Replies... Racing Tadpole 2 years ago
Kids are also unpredictable walk like they are drunk..and dogs hate that...it frightens them then they bite
DC 2 years ago (edited)
Although I expect to receive some heat for this ... I still cannot get around two facts: first of all, training and education have a massive impact on dogs' behaviour. I know that, I won't ever try not to recognize this. Second, genetics have a massive impact on dogs' behaviour. The selective breeding never was limited to physical properties, but always included behaviour as well. The pit this bull was bred for - the name isn't some randommery - is a place used to have dogs fight lethal fights. I'd never even suggest euthanizing a single one of them due to their breed, but I'd also not advise to continue breeding every breed of dog. Some are bred to be sick upon birth, by restrictive airways and such ... and some are bred to be more aggressive, among these are pitbulls. While existing dogs are not to blame, humans should, in regard to any and every breed of any and every animal, reconsider breeding, and stop breeding certain ones if the things bred into them are more likely to hurt themselves or others. There are several pitbulls never doing anybody any harm, but the likelihood of that happening still is higher than in other dogs - because it was one of the original goals in breeding them and defining the breed. Stop breeding them? I don't see why that should not be open to debate at the very least. Are there any valid reasons to breed pitbulls in the first place? I doubt so.
Angela C 2 years ago
As they currently are being bred, no. But much like there are breeders out there working to "fix" dog breeds that have physical characteristics that cause them health problems (by breeding only those who least exhibit those traits or by cross breeding and making new "mixed" breeds with the goal of eliminating negative traits) the same could in theory be done behaviorally. Breed the least aggressive pit bulls instead of the most aggressive ones. But that's the only way I'd imagine it'd be fine to keep breeding them.
Load More Replies... Ron Baza 2 years ago
“ We have to protect our babies, and sometimes that's protecting them from people who love them”. I do not see evidence that the grandmother loves the child. She puts the (temporary) needs of her dog over the safety of her own grandchild. She puts her own pigheaded determination to have her own way over the needs of her own grandchild. This is not an indication of love.
Michael Largey 2 years ago (edited)
The grandmother cares more about her dogs than she does about her grandchildren. So don't bring around any kids to distract her from the true loves of her life.
Ron Baza 2 years ago
I do t think that’s quite accurate. It’s more true to say that she cares more about her dog than she cares about children and grandchildren combined.
Load More Replies... Jo Reed 2 years ago
I have a Rottie and a Karakachan.... I don't have any children around me as I live in Bulgaria and my kids and our grandchildren/great granchildren live in the UK. I don't know how my two very large dogs would react to kids but I do know the Rotti has a high prey mood with my chickens so I would not like to risk kids around her!
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