by JustJanice

Created on: June 24, 2009   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

As a lover of all animals especially dogs, and having been the owner of both large and small breeds over the years, my vote would be to go with smaller dogs if the prospective owner has children, especially small children. Although all dogs regardless of size can be unpredictable at times, more often than not most dogs that have good loving homes are loving dogs in return although there is the exception when a dog suddenly turns vicious and attacks for no apparent reason. Dogs may also become irritated if small children climb all over them or hurt them accidentally. Those little feet in shoes or trainers can dish out some serious pain as most of us know?

This could be considered generalisation, but most incidents of children being brutally attacked or even killed that reach the news are attacks by the larger breed. We don't often here about a child being brutally attacked by a small dog, although it does happen. A large breed is much stronger than the smaller breeds, with the force behind the jaw of a large dog having no comparison to the force in the jaw of a smaller breed of dog. Hence the physical damage to a child is much worse, not to mention the psychological damage caused. When a small dog bites it may leave a scar although the wound would not be as brutal as it would have been if the dog had been a large breed. When a large breed dog attacks a child, it is often the child's face and other extremities that bear the brunt, possibly, because of the child's height and size in relation to the size of the dog.

Sometimes smaller dogs can be more temperamental than a larger dog, and I wonder if spending too much time on the owner's laps could be the cause of this. (I could be guilty of this myself).

Recently, owners of a very docile Rottweiler were shocked to the core when their beloved pet suddenly turned for no apparent reason, attacking their five year old daughter. Fortunately they heard the commotion and were able, with brute force, to physically remove the child's face from the dog's jaws. While their little girl was undergoing emergency plastic surgery for her wounds the dog was humanely put to sleep. Had this been a small dog attacking the child the damage would not have been as bad.

As owners of either small or big dogs, the responsibility ultimately lies with us to see that our pets are trained correctly and to always keep an eye on them, especially when children are around.

Dog's known to be volatile should be kept away from both adults and children alike.

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