What a great article. When I was a toddler, our family's golden retriever took a big bite out of my face, and it ended up requiring stitches. My parents gave her to a family with no children, which I'm sure was the best thing for her. Obviously, it did not ruin my love for animals, but I still feel bad for the dog, even though I'm sure I didn't know any better at the time.
Rory doesn't like young kids. She'll actively hide behind our legs. Lane is somewhat indifferent to strangers of all ages, but I still don't want little kids yanking on her topknot or pulling her hair. I've yet to find a good way, when I'm out with my girls alone, to stop children from rushing them when their own parents don't know any better or are too "distracted" to parent them. The best I can do is pick them both up and if we are somewhere shopping to put them in the cart.