A VET warns it is extremely dangerous to leave children unattended with a dog.
No matter how cute Fang used to be, animal care about influencers Whitney Terrell says it’s not a good idea.
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Alarming claims follow an informative video she gave herself TikTok @dr.terrellpetvet.
In the clip, the vet outlines the do’s and don’ts that every pet owner should follow.
Narrowing it down to her top five recommendations, Whitney claims that leaving a dog alone with a small child can be a disaster.
She said: “I would never leave my baby alone with my animal.
“You can have the most beautiful dog in the world but you never know how they will react to something your kids can or can’t do, whether it’s intentional or unintentional.
“So it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
“You know how children can be… they can wag their tails, pick their ears, they can accidentally fall and trip over others.
“So it’s better to supervise when your child and dog are around.”
It comes when another pet expert reveals signs that tell if your lover has the animal is safe or about to pounce.
Dog behaviorist Debby Lucken has revealed how hounds use their bodies to tell us they’re stressed or uncomfortable.
founder Children around dogswhich helps families train their pets and live in harmony, says: “Learning the language of dogs is essential.
“Dogs are always communicating with us. They let us know they’re happy, sad, angry and more, just like us, but it’s important to remember that they don’t communicate the same way we do.
“Everyone, including children, should be able to recognize some of their dog’s body language to ensure that their dog isn’t too stressed and upset so canine related injuries can be prevented.
“Here are some tips for families to help them get through the summer break, taking into account the health of both their children and their dogs.”
First, Debby, from Poole, DorsetSuggest you keep an eye out for any of the following signs that you’re stressed.
Licking your lips when there’s no food around, yawning when you’re not in bed, and slouching when you’re not wet are all signs of discomfort.
Scratching for long periods of time when there is no obvious health problem or having “puppy eyes” with highly visible whites can also lead to pouncing behavior.
Another perhaps surprising way for dogs to let us know they’re uncomfortable is to give us lots of “kiss”.
This usually happens when we move very close to them or when we lift them up.
They can repeatedly lick us to make us turn our heads or even turn away completely, which, when you think about it, is very effective.
“In general, these signals serve as early ways to let us know how they feel and ask us to stop what we are doing,” says Debby.
“If we don’t listen, or we don’t recognize the signs, they will have to increase the way they talk to us.”
This may include moving their ears back as if pinning them to their head or lowering their body to the floor.
Crouching down to shrink yourself is also a sign, as is stretching your body as if you were frozen and keeping your mouth shut.
“Many dog owners mistake this for a smile, but it’s actually stress,” says Debby.
When these signals fail, the dog will switch to more obvious signals, such as growling or baring teeth.
If a dog gets to this stage, it means they are very upset – but they are still trying to politely tell us to go away or stop what we are doing.
Debby says: “If your dog growls, please don’t scold them as they are just giving a warning.
“In fact, if we don’t listen to those warning signals or if we discourage them, dogs won’t have much of a choice but to step up the conversation and they may resort to biting.”
