01/01/2026
🐾 𝐊𝐢𝐝𝐬, 𝐃𝐨𝐠𝐬 & 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 🐾
Over the Christmas period, I had my 𝟕-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐰 and 𝟑-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 to visit 🎄
I’ve got three dogs, none of whom live with children day-to-day, so their arrival was… let’s call it a 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 shock 😅
For the dogs, the noise, fast movements and unpredictable energy — especially from a very enthusiastic 3-year-old — was a lot to take in.
Bindi, in particular, found the chaos overwhelming, so she was given 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴, and the option to 𝘰𝘱𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 completely.
No pressure.
No expectations.
No “she’ll get used to it”.
And that’s the bit that matters.
After learning how to spot when dogs might be feeling uncomfortable, 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 absolutely smashed it.
This photo shows him enjoying some calm sofa time with 𝐗𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐚 — quiet body, gentle movements, and letting the dogs choose to be there 🐾
This is what good kids-and-dogs interactions look like.
Not tolerance.
Not crossed fingers.
But understanding.
Managing kids around dogs isn’t about hoping for the best — it’s about 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲:
• Reading the dog in front of you
• Adjusting the environment
• Teaching children how dogs actually communicate
The result?
✔️ 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬
✔️ 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬
✔️ 𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬
Boundaries aren’t restrictive.
They’re protective. 💜
