Dumb kid!

[Seijun]

[quote]The thing is Seijun, I mostly agree with you....but like some others I see the 'my dog can do....but children cannot' thing going on. Why would you punch a child but not a dog? A 13 year old who does not know better is no different than a 3 year old dog who bites because he was not taught better. [/quote]

Don't get me wrong here, I don't go around punching people or kids.. It was just in the shoulder area.. The thing is, she SHOULD know better. This girl grew up with animals-dogs, puppies, mice, birds, etc. She has been taught since childhood to be gentle with animals, and to not hit them even if they misbehave. It wasn't as if I HADN'T told her not to hit my dog, she was going to try hitting it for the THIRD time in only 30 minutes! Each time I had stopped her and chewed her out for trying to hit the dog. I would repeat to her several times quite clearly that she was NOT allowed to hit my dog, especially since the dog wasn't being "bad", she was just playing. She has ears; she could understand what I was saying. Why would I not punch a dog for misbehaving? Well, for one thing, my dog wasn't misbehaving, she was just playing. Also, dogs do not have the same ability of conscience and reasoning like people do-they aren't going to think "hmm, it’s bad to bite people, maybe I should stop doing that because my owner doesn't like it". They don't have the ability to learn not to do something just because they are told not to numerous times. With dogs, it takes a lot of patience to correct bad behavior. I would HOPE though that a 13 year old would have the ability to learn not to do something when they have been told their entire life not to do it. A 13 year old SHOULD know not to hit a dog after being told 20 or so times in one day not to hit a dog!! (Remember, she grew up with dogs, she should know that it is unacceptable to take your anger out on them!). One more thing, my dog is NOT the sort of dog who would respond well to being hit. She is not a dog one can afford to make mistakes with. She grew up highly unsocialized. It took many people an entire year of intense socialization to get her used to even being outdoors. When I got her she was still even afraid of wind blowing in the trees. Those of you who have worked with unsocialized dogs KNOW how careful you have to be in their training and handling. I had no idea how she might react to being hit with a newspaper, for all I know, she could have decided to become extremely fearful or even aggressive towards my sister. It can take weeks or even months for me to correct mistakes like that. I was fed up with my sister's behavior and I struck out at her because I had reached my breaking point and because I was protecting my dog, I didn't punch her because I was THINKING of punishing her. She raised the rolled up newspaper, I saw my dog's ears go back, and I struck out.

~Seij

[True_Pits]

[quote]Id like to know where the parents are and if they know what an idiot child they have! Geez that kills me to no end when I see kids handlings dogs like their objects and when parents arent around to do anything about it!!![/quote]

I think, unfortunatly, they are also probably idiots. Kids usually do what their parents do and sometimes when left alone they get carried away because they are only children. But I bet she learned it all from them. Esp the thing about Your lucky this is only on 7, she probably hears that from mom and dad all the time when they are abusing him with the thing. Think about the true idiots, leaving the child with the dog and the control to the shock color. irresponsible owners, teaching their children the same!

[bk_blue]

[quote name='coastie_wife']First off Crazy, I think you should have written your age in your first posting. A 14 year old saying nasties about small children is MUCH more understandable than say, a 30 year old. As I wrote, I'm not overly fond of them myself, but as a mother I *get* it better than most who have never had them.[/quote]

How is someone's age relevant? Age should and does not have anything to do with one's ability to like/dislike children.

I do agree that a seven year old kid should not be even put in such a position. Kid doesn't have a chance if all she's been exposed to is one way of doing things, and that way, which is seen as cruel and unnecessary by us, is normal to her.

[anne3149]

If I came across that child zapping a dog with an e collar I would remove the collar from the dog and tell the child to have her parents come around to collect it. That way at least you are saving the dog from more immediate pain.

I would then tell the parents (if they bothered to come and collect) that the child was abusing and hurting the dog.

No one should ever use an e collar on a dog without proper instruction. E collars are not about delivering a shock and causing pain, they are about stimulation at a level where the dog can just barely feel it. Just enough stimulation to gain their attention, whatever level of stim. that may be.

I certainly would be as polite as I could manage to the parents, I'm sure with great difficulty. If that failed I would inform them they will be reported for cruelty to an animal and hopefully will earn a nice big fine.

[imported_Kat]

Are the parents totally thick???! :o This kid will just grow up thinking that this sort of behaviour is acceptable and so the vicious circle of ignorance continues.... :evil:

[courtnek]

thick? yes possibly. I would say more likely oblivious....rereading this entire post, and the way this child responds to Crazy, makes me think there is a wall between this kid and authority. she has 'attitude"....in my experience, kids like this are pretty much allowed to do whatever they want, with rare exceptions. They are not given proper limits for their age group. In most of the cases I have read over the years about children who abuse animals, it was either because they themselves are abused, and have learned that abuse is a way of life, or they feel unloved, and act more and more irrationally trying to get attention. Negative attention is still attention to a mind that young. And what a lot of parents nowaday's dont seem to understand is that children WANT discipline, as much as they gripe against it. It makes them feel safe and secure. They will never admit it of course, but it's true. IMO this child, who is walking a dog she is not qualified to handle, and not treating it appropriately, could be starved for attention. Why are there no other kids around? Crazy, do you ever see her
playing with other children? Perhaps walking the dog is her "chore" and she knows she cant do it, but no one will help her. She takes her anger out on the dog....all of this is just speculation of course. I could be dead wrong...

[imported_Debbie]

:wink: Courtnek, I totally agree with both of your last posts.......

[__crazy_canine__]

Well, court, Id have to say it seems like shes never with anyone when shes walking the dog. The first time I think she was with another kid at one point but then she left... maybe because the kid is such a brat! :lol: Actually, I do think youre right about the whole thing. She probably doesnt get much attention at home... Ive seen plenty of kids who act the way they do because of something like that. Everything youve said has made perfect sense.

I just feel so bad for the dog to have to be caught in the middle of it all! :cry: :x

So should I still go about things the same as we discussed before or does this change anything? Should I be more strict towards her about this or what? :-?

[courtnek]

I would go with gut instinct. Like I said, she may not respond positivley at first, but once she sees someone taking a real interest in her, she may come around. and if she comes around, the dog will benefit. wish the parents could be rounded up and taught as well...

[coastie_wife]

"How is someone's age relevant? Age should and does not have anything to do with one's ability to like/dislike children"

Because a young teenager calling a small child names a grown up likely would not is a bit more understandable. If a grown woman or man was calling the child an idiot (which I thought she was at the time) my response would be MUCH harsher than a teenager. MOST grown-ups understand that children under 7 can only do what their parent ALLOW them to do. Most Teenagers do not have the life experience to know that.