06/29/2025
Pooches And Smooches…A Dog-Child Reminder
If your child ran up to a stranger and planted a big, wet, sloppy kiss on him or her, your reaction might be something like "ewwww!" (where has that stranger BEEN?) or worry about safety (STRANGER DANGER!). You might be a little embarrassed. Whatever the reaction, you know it's probably not a good idea for your child to show such affection to random adults. Even if you (and your unsuspecting stranger) might think it's cute or sweet afterwards, you would probably counsel your little one that there's a time, place, and certain people for kisses.
Let's move to dogs. A lot of little ones love dogs--and they are so tempted to hug and kiss any dog they may meet. It's sort of a natural attraction, children to dogs, like peanut butter and chocolate, right? They may want to bear-hug the dog, treat the dog like a toy, pull ears or tails, or (worse) ride the dog like a pony. They may be unintentionally rough, direct, or not realize when a dog may not be enjoying the interaction anymore. Dogs cannot speak up and say, “hey that hurts!” or “I really need a break!”. Instead, they may use their teeth instead—and no one wants that to happen.
And, back to smooches and hugs. A good number of dogs DO NOT like kisses and hugs, especially from humans they don't know. Dogs also have their limits—and may need an adult to intercede on their behalf when a child’s affections go on too long or too far (riding the dog, grabbing fur, holding a tail or other extremity, etc.).
Dogs just don't show and accept affection the way we do. Dogs don’t hug each other or squeeze each other to say, “you’re cool, I like you!” For some dogs, past human interactions (and even interactions with children) may have been unpleasant or stressful.
In terms of unknown dogs, some dog owners don't understand their own dogs' limits and what they are comfortable with (you've probably seen it, an owner saying "he LOVES kids" as the dog tries its best look invisible, shrinking away or looking to flee).
One last important consideration, most often the dog and children's faces are inches away from each other and... a bite can happen in the blink of an eye.
When children are taught to be gentle and respectful with dogs, and to understand even the most basic dog body language, this drastically reduces the chances of a bite or injury.
Two great websites for parents and kiddos about dog safety are:
https://www.familypaws.com/resources/
stopthe77.com/
