animals
Pet Safety: Introducing Your Toddler to Animals
Introducing your toddler to animals can be scary for them and for you. My toddler loves animals but that scares me because if I turn my head for a second he might end up petting a dog who is a little scared of him. We had the chance to take him to a friend’s house who has all kinds of animals, including chickens and a miniature horse. My toddler was in heaven! But I trusted him a bit too much and started chatting. Off he went to see the miniature horse again who had his back turned toward my little guy. My friend saw what was happening before he even reached the horse but the thought of danger hadn’t even crossed my mind. I started asking around about child and pet safety when it comes to introducing toddlers to animals. Here’s what ...
What every child should know when encountering a strange dog
Most children are fascinated by dogs. In fact, the word “dog” is one of the first words learned by many children. Making sure that your child has an enjoyable experience with canines, however, takes a bit of knowledge and a lot of supervision. According to the Coalition for Living Safely with Dogs (a Colorado animal health and welfare organization), children 14 and under were bitten disproportionately to their population, with 9- and 10-year-old boys being the most common victims. Children were bitten twice as often as would be expected given their proportion of the population. Typically, bites occur with a child’s own family pet or a dog that the child has met in the past. Understanding dog body language and respecting it is key. Dogs rely on slight
