Small Dogs & Small Kids -- Not Always Compatible

"I don't understand you people! -- That you won't adopt these little dogs to nice families. My children are wonderful, kind kids who would love a pet!"

"I'm sure your kids are wonderful." I told the pushy woman calling a couple of weeks ago on Charlie, our tiny, 4lb Chihuahua at the time. "I am not questioning that. The problem is that Charlie is a tiny dog who is nervous around strangers. He would not be the appropriate dog for a busy household with young children. I'm sure your kids have friends who come around. That wouldn't work with Charlie. You'd be better off with a bigger dog who loves children."

"We don't want a bigger dog!"" retorted the caller. "We want a little one! But, you know, it doesn't matter. We can buy a puppy in a pet store. We don't need you."

It was another one of those frustrating calls where whatever efforts one makes to try and steer people in the right direction fall on deaf ears.

"We want what we want, when we want it!"

Try reasoning with that kind of attitude.

But, if I was frustrated at the time with the call from the pushy Mom who wouldn't take "no" for an answer, I felt somewhat redeemed yesterday.

Last night, I picked up Jimmy, a small, tan, 5-year-old, Chihuahua from the city shelter.

Jimmy is a totally delightful, loving, 8lb Chihuahua who, (get this) was turned into the pound for "Biting one of the kids."

Too bad, I couldn't show Jimmy's kennel card (and so many others from small dogs turned in for snapping at or biting children) to the lady who called two weeks ago.

Even so, I am sure she would insist that she and her kids are somehow "different."

Such people never stop to consider that active children, even when kindly and loving towards animals, nevertheless can appear very threatening to tiny dogs.

Its one thing for the kids to grow up with a small dog in the home or vice versa. But, it can be very difficult for small dogs (particularly if they have never lived with kids) to suddenly "adjust" to the noise, energy and activity levels in a family home.

Many little dogs can be nervous (particularly around strangers) and high strung.

Some years back, I had to take back a handsome little male Pekingese who, though great with the kids in the adoptive family, nevertheless, growled and tried to attack the children's friends when they visited.

"Pooky" was later successfully readopted to an adult-only home.

The bottom line is that most small dogs do better in quiet homes where their owners can dote on them and provide a strong sense of protection and security.

It can be hard for people like the Mom who called on Charlie to understand those things -- but it is reality.

Probably the most common reason for small dogs to be turned into shelters is exactly the reason little Jimmy was relinquished: "Bit the kids or grandchildren."

Should anyone be surprised that most small dog rescues are relunctant to again put these dogs in homes with small kids? We're not, after all, looking for lawsuits or to inadvertently harm a child in someone's home.

I just wish the parents would seriously consider these issues, instead of yelling at rescues when we try to steer them right.

Their children's welfare is after all, more their responsibility than ours. -- PCA

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Written by mandy787 Blog about this entry

This entry has 1 comments: (Add your own)

#1 Comment from jmuhjacat
3/14/08 2:18 PM | Permalink

BRAVO for the excellent points you've raised here, Patty. Although never a dog person, I am well aware of the high-strung nature of many if not most Chihuahuas, and the fact that because they are so vulnerable due to their size, they do tend to be fearful in high-stress situations. MOST small-sized animals prefer quiet and serenity to chaos -- and I sure don't blame them! but a lot of people do, especially when, out of panic or in self-defense, a small dog or cat bites or scratches the source of their stress. As I don't guess these parents will get real any time soon and develop sensitivity toward anyone but their kids, rescuers and "shelter" workers remain the last line of defense for the animals as well, in a way, as for the kids these parents try so very hard to protect. (SARCASM INTENDED)

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Small Dogs & Small Kids -- Not Always Compatible