Quote:
Originally Posted by HeathenFaerie  I would not leave a Yorkie or an Infant alone with a toddler. I watch my children and my yorkie. Generally the dog is in my lap or under my feet.
However I don't think a child needs to be "better behaved than average" they just need to be old enough to listen to and follow simple directions. I never leave my children or my Yorkie unattended to me that is just common sense. |
And what age would that be? At what point can you reliably say that the child is going to remember and follow those directions (and not give in to impulses or run into a situation that you havent given them a specific instruction about) if you were to have to step out of the room to answer the phone, use the restroom or deal with a pot boiling over? What if one of the children falls and injures themselves? Are you saying that you would stop and put the dog up before you dealt with a hurt child?
I'm only being slightly facetious here. The point is, real life happens. No matter how much we all say that we keep a constant eye on our kids and our dogs, real life happens and we occasionally get distracted. And in those momentary distractions things can happen.
I don't fault breeders who won't sell to families with small children, after all, it's their responsibility to place the pup in the home that they feel is the the best one for the dog. We might not like it. We might feel insulted that they don't think we are "good enough". But ultimately it's not only responsibility, but their prerogative.