Dogs and babies Not always cute

Hi Mia,

Oh, Arf! Based on the way I treated him, its a good thing he was stuffed. I remember dragging him around by his leg (or maybe it was his ear) so we could "spend time" together. 

Given he was a stuffed animal, I have to admit its pretty cute. Nowadays, it seems like one of the functions of social media is sharing cute stuff. You cant go a day without seeing something posted, tweeted or shared that elicits an, "Aww cute" response.

Some photos mix and match baby animals:

Baby animals get us every time

Others photos are more in the cute-weird category:

I see a piece of strawberry and broccoli on that plate. Do you?

Then there are the dog and baby pictures. On our Do You Believe in Dog? Facebook page, I posted the below picture. We got 37 likes, 27 shares and 1, “Awwww!" comment. This picture also appeared elsewhere on Facebook, and I took a screen shot to capture all the attention it received (listed below): 1,658 likes and 464 shares.

In one sense, when it comes to dogs and babies, the above picture is something we are very accustomed to seeing, a gaggle of mushy cuteness.

But theres more to the story, and this is clearly where you are going in your next installment, The Science Surrounding Kids and Dogs: The Ugly (Part 3)

Kids are bitten by dogs and some babies don’t become kids because of an interaction they had with a dog.

This is a fact. A really upsetting fact.

• A retrospective study examined 341 children who had been bitten by a dog, and they found: “Incidence was highest in 1-year-old patients and decreased with increasing age.” 

• Another study found: “Children younger than 6 years constituted 52.8% (n = 204) of the sample. As compared with older children, a higher proportion of younger children were bitten by their family dog whose rabies shots were up to date.”  

• And another: “Children younger than 5 years represented 34% of all dog bite victims, but 50% of all children requiring hospitalization. Thirty-seven percent of all children admitted to the hospital were bitten by a family dog. The cost of direct medical care during the study was $2.15 million.”

These figures are quite painful. Even writing them sucks. But the numbers tell us something. 

• First, some families will have a traumatic experience as the result of an interaction between a dog and a child.

• Second, many of the dogs doing the biting are family dogs.

• Finally, young children constitute a high proportion of children being bitten (and often by the family dog).

Putting it together: Images of dogs and babies
Madeline Gabriel is a San Diego-based Certified Professional Dog Trainer who holds training classes about dogs and babies. On her blog, she recently took a look at ubiquitous dog and baby photos, exploring whether “Cute” Dog and Baby Photos Feed the Fantasy?
  
Photos of dogs and kids often suggest that dogs and kids are just supposed to be "best friends," that dogs should somehow be comfortable having their space invaded, their toys handled, their food bowls touched and their tails tugged.

Gabriel points out, "parents don’t know about safety with dogs and babies and toddlers.  Why should they when our society chooses to surround itself with imagery showing dogs and babies as “best friends?”  You cannot pick up a children’s book with dogs in it without finding talking animals or smiley cartoon dogs who seemingly love being hugged and [their] space invaded by babies.  We have chosen to sacrifice the real to the fantasy.

The price of fantasy is being paid every day by children and dogs and the families that love them.  Hardly ever does a baby or child die from a dog bite (that’s why a single incident will be news across the country), but even a less serious bite is devastating to a family.  Tearful clients tell me, “If only I knew, I would have done it differently…”

She continues, “No one purposely puts babies with dogs they think will hurt them.  The more a dog is tolerant, the more liberties will be allowed.  It’s human nature to believe what’s in front of your eyes (“He’s good with the baby!”), particularly when spurred on by a society that rewards and covets “cute” dog and baby interactions.  That is, until it goes wrong and then you’re spurned — as if you did anything different than millions of other parents who cling to the fantasy.” 

In her follow-up post, Gabriel gives examples of photos of dogs with babies and kids that dont foster the fantasy: each has personal space, no hands are in the dogs face and dogs are not cornered or smothered.

This photo would not have made Gabriels list:

Feeding the fantasy?

Looking forward to your take on this topic!

Julie

Recommended reading 
Madeline Gabriel. 2010. Good Dogs Don’t Bite Children, Do They? Dogs and Babies Blog


References
Madeline Gabriel. 2012. “Cute” Dog and Baby Photos Feed the Fantasy. Dogs and Babies Blog 

Madeline Gabriel. 2012. Should You Share That Cute Dog and Baby Photo? Dogs and Babies Blog

BERNARDO L.M., GARDNER M.J., ROSENFIELD R.L., COHEN B. & PITETTI R. (2002). A comparison of dog bite injuries in younger and older children treated in a pediatric emergency department, Pediatric Emergency Care, 18 (3) 247-249. DOI: 10.1097/00006565-200206000-00024

Daniels D.M., Ritzi R.B.S., O’Neil J. & “Tres Scherer L.R. (2009). Analysis of Nonfatal Dog Bites in Children, The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, 66 (Supplement) S17-S22. DOI: 10.1097/TA.0b013e3181937925

Schalamon J. (2006). Analysis of Dog Bites in Children Who Are Younger Than 17 Years, PEDIATRICS, 117 (3) e374-e379. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-1451
© Julie Hecht 2012 

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Underdog

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Funny Famous and Cute Quotes about Cats and Dogs

By Linda Cole

When it comes to having an opinion about “mans best friend” or the inquisitive nature of a cat, we dont have to look far for a great quote expressing someones impression of their favorite pet. I enjoy reading quotes about cats and dogs because some of them make me stop and think, some make me laugh, and some make me wonder why our pets continue to put up with us. Id like to share with you some of my favorite funny, famous and cute quotes about cats and dogs.

Cat Quotes

“There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast.” - Unknown

“To a cat, ‘No’ means not while Im looking.” - Unknown

“Cats are smarter than dogs. You cant get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.” - Jeff Valdez

“I love cats because I enjoy my home; and, little by little, they become its visible soul.” - Jean Cocteau

“Thousands of years ago, cats were worshiped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this.” - Anonymous

“I put down my book, The Meaning of Zen, and see the cat smiling into her fur as she delicately combs it with her rough pink tongue. ‘Cat, I would lend you this book to study but it appears you have already read it.’ She looks up and gives me her full gaze. ‘Dont be ridiculous,’ she purrs, ‘I wrote it.’” - Dilys Laing

“Cats motto: No matter what youve done wrong, always try to make it look like the dog did it.” - Unknown

“I dont think it is so much the actual bath that most cats dislike; I think its the fact that they have to spend a good part of the day putting their hair back in place.” - Debbie Peterson

“If I tried to tell you how much I love my cats, you wouldnt understand me – unless your heart is also meow-shaped and covered in stray fur.” - Lexie Saige

Dog Quotes

“It came to me that every time I lose a dog, they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.” - Unknown

“Dogs come when theyre called. Cats take a message and get back to you later.” - Mary Bly

“A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things – a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.” - John Grogan, Marley and Me

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They dont know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring – it was peace.” - Milan Kundera

“My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am.” - Unknown

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.” – Unknown

 “All in the town were still asleep,
When the sun came up with a shout and a leap.
In the lonely streets unseen by man,
A little dog danced. And the day began.”
- Robert Rupert

“I look into your great brown eyes,
Where love and loyal homage shine,
And wonder where the difference lies
Between your soul and mine!”
- Josiah G. Holland

Quotes That Make You Think

“The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude.” - Robert Brault

 “Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life.” - James Cromwell

“We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” - Immanuel Kant

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of ones soul remains unawakened.” - Anatole France

Cat photo by Shreyans Bhansali
Dog photo by Roens

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Dogs Cats Cats Working Dogs Working Dogs Emotions

Hi Julie!

What a busy week I’ve found myself having! 

Very productive indeed, with a lot of this:

and some more of that:

 Fuelled by a ton of this:

But I did take time to notice that your cat Josh broke something new.  Oh Josh! 

Thanks for telling me about your ISHAR presentation about dogs and cats in the home.  I can definitely relate to the importance of early socialisation = best chance at harmony. Take my dog Elke, for example.

As a pup, she met and spent time around mature cat Bobby (who opted to ignore her for the most part).

Elke grew up around cats and kittens.

Then she helped me raise a bunch of Shelter foster kittens until they were old enough to be adopted.

By the time Tonto came to live with us as permanent family member, she was an old hand in living around cats. And when Caleb later joined us as a young adult dog, Tonto was pretty relaxed around dogs. He tended to be confident in interactions; not running away (importantly, not triggering any chase responses from our new dog).

Elke ably demonstrating in top image that a cat is not worth waking up for.

Gidget and some enthusiastic GDs

This was also true when we brought a new kennel cat into the Training Kennel and Vet Clinic facility I managed at Guide Dogs Victoria (GDV). We selected a kitten from the Shelter who was outgoing and confident around people and dogs. We then set her up in the main foyer of our facility to have a slow and positive introduction to the visiting puppies and dogs that we could control to maximise the positives for all the animals. 

Gidget now plays an important role at GDV helping to desensitise the dogs to cats by reducing their level of interest and distraction. If their key learning experiences about cats with Gidget are boring, they associate future cats with boring and will be less likely to want to chase them. 

Important when you are a working Guide Dog. Or a Police Dog. Or any number of other types of working dogs. Working Dog kennel cats are really common!

(source)

GDV Puppy Class (source)

Gidget also attends the puppy socialisation classes, wearing her harness and lead so puppies can be encouraged at an early age to stay calm around cats. A resident kennel cat also means that a friendly cat is readily available to assess a dog’s level of cat distraction or participate in training sessions to improve Guide Dog-appropriate responses to the presence of a cat.  

Or help out with photo shoots around Valentines Day. You know how it goes!

(source) Gidget loves photo shoots. Even if they arent (supposed to be) about her!

Gidget would spend her downtime in my office, asleep next to my computer monitor. We were good workmates and I miss her jaunty greetings and blissed out purrs! 

My regular desktop view when working at GDV

One thing about not sharing an office with Gidget any more is that it’s giving me more time to analyse all my PhD data about working dogs in kennel facilities. 

I’ve been busy number-crunching this week ahead of the RSPCA Australia Scientific Seminar later this month. My presentation is titled ‘Working Like a Dog – Affectively’. I’ll be talking about how affective states (a.k.a emotions) relate to working dogs, their welfare and performance. What is the affective experience for a working dog?  How can we tell? What things should we be considering to give working dogs a ‘life worth living’ (or better!) while they are working to help us humans?

RSPCA Scientific Seminar 2013

Professor David Mellor will be chairing the seminar and giving a presentation titled ‘Coping, cognition and quality of life improvement’ which I’m looking forward to hearing. Mellor’s based in New Zealand and I’ve enjoyed listening to him at other conferences. I am very interested in the work he’s been involved with in translating animal welfare science into practical animal welfare standards and outcomes in collaboration with the NZ government. It’s going to be a fun day!

Speaking of fun – aren’t you at Science Online’s 2013 event this week? I’m following #scio13 on Twitter and pretending I’m there too!

Mia

Further reading:

Mellor D.J. & Bayvel A.C.D. (2008). New Zealands inclusive science-based system for setting animal welfare standards, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 113 (4) 313-329. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2008.01.010

Mellor D. (2012). Animal emotions, behaviour and the promotion of positive welfare states, New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 60 (1) 1-8. DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2011.619047

© Mia Cobb 2012

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