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If pets could talk, here is a letter that would flood my mail box…
Dear Joanne- I have recently been adopted to a very nice family. I was very excited to see that they have children. I love to play and I love children, so I thought I had found the perfect family. They feed me well and I have a warm safe place to sleep. They pet me and play with me all the time. This is what I do not understand…why do they let the younger child lay on me and play with me without telling them to be careful and to be gentle. I really do not think they understand that some of those cute moments they giggle at are moments that I am hurting. I don’t know why they let the child hurt me. I often do not even see it coming and all of a sudden…OW! I have tried to stop this hurting. I was very polite and gave my very best nip and growl to let them know there was a problem, but now I have heard them talking and they are going to take me back to the shelter because they say I am aggressive. What does aggressive mean? Can you help with this problem and explain why I am losing my new home? I love this family very much. Sincerely,
Dear I am so sorry to hear that this is happening. Everyone loses here. Especially you, since now this family wants to return you to the shelter with a label that will follow you everywhere you go “aggressive pet”. Human family members mean well, but they do not always think through the decisions that they make. We constantly tell people to NEVER EVER leave young children (6 and under, depending upon the maturity of the child) unattended with a pet and to ALWAYS SUPERVISE the contact they do have with a pet. This is how children learn kindness, gentleness and compassion. These are learned skills when interacting with pets and parents need to be teachers for their children and pets. Parents forget that maybe you played a little too hard yesterday and now your hip is sore, or maybe a bee stung you and you have a tender spot. When the child hugs you a little too hard, it hurts this time and you react. Everyone reacts when someone hurts them…it does not mean they-or you are aggressive. Many shelters no longer adopt pets to families with younger children for these very reasons. What a loss for all involved, but if it means labeling innocent pets like yourself as aggressive and causing you to be penalized because a human was not as responsible as they should be, we may see more and more rules like this all across the country. Adopting a pet is a big responsibility, especially when there are children. It is also a great joy for pets and children to grow up together. A pet teaches children lessons about love and life that they will not learn from anyone else. This is very sad for everyone involved. Your new little friend will also be sad because they will not understand why you have been taken away. Also, young children are smaller and move their bodies in different ways than adults - pets respond just as they would to a littermate and that is with nips and growls. This is how they set boundaries of acceptable behavior within their litter. It is natural pet behavior, not aggression. There is a difference, but a child could still be seriously hurt with this type of play. No child or pet should be hurt or punished for doing what is natural, but they need to be supervised and taught proper behavior together. Neither one of you know instinctively what is OK play with one another. It takes time and patience from Mom and Dad to teach these skills. A Note to the public: While your pet may seem very tolerant of your child’s behavior, animals tolerate pain much better than we do, don’t wait until your pet reacts before you control the amount of handling your child imposes on your pet. Protect them both. They BOTH deserve your undivided attention when they are together. Their safety and well-being depends upon it. Inquire at your local shelter for information on rules for children and pets. Joanne Schoch
E-mail Humane Society of the Nature Coast |
P.O. Box 10328
7200 Mobley Road
Brooksville, FL 34603
(352) 796-2711
E-mail Us
at Mobley and Wiscon
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If Pets Could Talk...
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