Q&A: What to do about exposing our newborn to the in-laws rescued rottweiler?
Question by Amy D: What to do about exposing our newborn to the in-laws rescued rottweiler?
This dog has been aggressive towards their five year old niece, anyone who comes onto his property while in-laws not home, other dogs…He gets very jealous whenever my mother-in-law gives attention to anyone or anything else. Problem is..they treat him as their baby and bring him everywhere, etc. My husband doesn’t want to “hurt their feelings” by telling them no dog around baby, but I am concerned with the safety of our baby first. Thoughts?
Best answer:
Answer by Sophia D
If the dog has shown aggression in the past, do not allow him around your child!
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Tagged with: about • exposing • inlaws • Newborn • rescued • rottweiler
Your baby’s safety comes first!
Who cares about hurting their feelings. This dog should not be trusted around any children. Period. Your first priority and first concern should be your child, not tip toeing around your in-laws afraid you will make them upset.
If they want to see your baby then they have two choices. Either they come to your house to spend time with the baby or they put the dog in a crate (other room, outside, etc.) when you go to visit.
Your husband will never forgive himself if -God forbid- something was to happen.
your man has to hurt their feelings
get the dog away from the baby
common sense?
Out of safety for your baby, flat out tell them that if they want to meet the baby, they have to leave the dog at home, or put him in another room/outside.
DON’T TAKE ANY CHANCES, IT’S NOT WORTH IT!
your husband needs to think about how he will feel if their “baby” kills his child. i wouldn’t put any dog around a newborn. babies make sounds that to a dog, sound like an animal. they don’t realize that is a baby human. they are just dogs, after all. there have been stories of dachshunds and poodles killing or maiming small children. I used to raise rotties, but never let them around young children. better safe than sorry. his parents should be concerned about the baby’s safety as well. if they aren’t concerned enough to keep that dog away from your baby, don’t ever let them babysit!
well they say to get a dog to get to know a baby to take the babies blanket or toy or something and let the dog sniff it and see how he reacts. but otherwise if you absolutely don’t want your baby near the dog for safety reasons then stick to your guns about it your husband may “not want to hurt their feelings” but isn’t that better then their dog hurting your baby you said in-laws so that means you have every right to go over their and tell them yourself and you should if your husband won’t man up. good luck
Do YOU have any pets? If not, or even if so, you can just tell them you dont want your newborn exposed to pet hair, drool, etc. If you have pets, say that the pets arent allowed anywhere near the baby. You have to put your foot down, I agree, but at least this way you tell a white lie so they feel better:)
I dont mind you giving it to them straight, though. You *could* always tell them they have an aggressive, undertrained and undersocialized dog that if they dont fix the problem is only going to get worse. If someone gets bit, they’re going to cry wolf a lot louder than if it was a lab or chihuahua.
It’s YOUR house and their dog has a known history of aggression around children. Your child’s safety comes first above all else, including in-law’s and parents’ feelings. If it were me, I would say, “sorry but your dog has a history of aggression towards children and I do not feel safe letting him around my child, leave the dog at home or don’t come over.” While he may be a dog that could be trained to be safe around children under close supervision it does not sound like your in-laws are capable of laying down the law with him. Rotties are large, powerful dogs capable of inflicting serious harm on adults, let alone infants. While most rotties would never harm a human, if this one has a history of being less than great with kids it’s just not worth the risk.
Don’t, never leave your child alone with dogs especially one that is a rescued dog, you never know what past he had. As far as you know it could have been in a home with a child and attacked it. I am a mommy of 2 and I didn’t start to expose them to animals until my oldest was 2 and then I got a puppy and worked with it from the start.
Don’t worry about what your in-laws say, if they are any kind of people they will understand and offer to keep the dog away. As far as your hubby he will need to take a stand from personal experience if your spouse is not with you 100% it will be more dificult. Good Luck!
If your in-laws care more for a dog than for their grandchild, you have a deeper issue to deal with. In the meantime, don’t go over there, and put a sign on the door “No dogs allowed.” You should be able to get one at your local office supply store. If your husband won’t back you up, then he, too, is more concerned about the dog than his own child, and in that case, I will pray for you. Don’t endanger your child; the humans will get over it. If your child is hurt or worse, no one will ever get over it.
You are the parents, you must protect your child at all times.
Simply state that while you love their company you are not comfortable with the dog near your baby and tell them to leave the dog at home in the future or to have them put the dog somewhere else when you visit.
If they refuse to do this, you will have to tell them visitingis off limits because you are putting your babies safety first.
An aggressive dog is NOT OK around kids. This is exactly why rescues/ shelters won’t adopt into a home with kids if they don’t know the animals history AND know that he’s really solidly OK with kids.
I work in the police department and can’t tell you how awful it feels to hear the stories on the OTHER side of the incident …
“We weren’t sure about the dog but we went anyway and then I was just walking towards my mom and the dog snatched the baby out of my arms and mauled her.” I won’t try to recreate the heartbreak and helplessness. Dog attacks do happen and they frequently cause serious damage.
Be firm – this is but one of many battles you’ll fight on baby’s behalf, I’m sure! Welcome to parenthood!
Keep the baby in your arms? Either that, or tell them the truth. Especially since the rottweiler (an aggressive breed anyway) has a past of being abused (I take it that’s what you mean by ‘rescued’), then I would not trust it one bit.
If your in-laws are sensible, they will understand. If not, put your foot down and give them the consequences. No chances are taken with human babies.
Rottweilers, no matter how well trained, are big, powerful dogs. I have one who is hand signaled trained, is NOT aggressive and is VERY good around children, but he is just too big. Just trying to get close to a toddler, he’d knock them over by size alone. Or he would put a paw in my lap when I held an infant — something fine with just me or my husband, but not fine when I’m holding a baby.
I would definitely pull the “mother bear” card on this one and if your husband can’t tell them, I would tell them yourself. It is as easy as, “no dog around baby.”
If your in-laws feelings are hurt, tell them your feelings will be hurt if your baby is bitten and seriously injured or killed by their dog!
They also might want to meet with a trainer to find ways to discourage the jealous aggression. Dogs need to be socialized. The damage an aggressive Rottweiler can do is a serious financial and legal liability to your in-laws.
Your in-laws need to consult a trainer from the following link
http://www.apdt.co.uk/local_dog_trainers.asp
Meanwhile keep your baby and niece safe