Ladies -
My Girlfriend Annie had her friend Beth over. Beth's daughter and dog were there too. Beth's daughter puts the dogs toy in her mouth. Annie says points this out to Beth. Beth says, oh no, that's ok, its their toy. Both the dog and daughter can chew on it.
I wasnt' there, but Annie told me about it afterwards, and asked me if my DS and our dog "share toys". Luckily, this hasn't been a problem for me. The dog doesn't mouth DS's stuff, and doggies toys are largely kept outside out of DS's reach. If I saw DS or doggie with the other's toys, I'd discourage it. I wouldn't set out to have them sharing toys on purpose.
Having said all that, I reminded Annie that once upon a time she had a dog too, and that you somehow regard your own dog as family. DS puts his hands in doggies' mouth. I know full well that he will soon be putting those same hands in his mouth. I may wipe his hands afterwards, but not always.
Where do you draw the line when it comes to the family dog?
Would you have "shared toys"?
Thanks for your feeback.
Thanks for all your feedback. We are fortunate enough that our son and dog aren't in the habit of sharing toys. We love our dog, but won't be encouraging them to share toys.
BTW, hubs likes to remind me that he's seen me share ice cream with the dog using the same spoon.
No! I would not have shared toys because I would not have a dog.
No offense, dog lovers.
I have known dogs that I've liked, but I can't even stomach seeing dog drool or spittle of any kind. It literally makes me gag.
I've always been that way. It's not even a germ thing.
Dog slobber creeps me out.
Logically, any house with a child and a dog is going to have some "germ crossover". NO O. can fully ensure that their child will never mouth, handle then mouth hand, etc. with a dog's previously "touched" item.
But promoting "sharing" a toy that they both mouth--even encouraging, it seems just:
1. gross
2. mom's laziness
3. Loose grip on reality
or
4. complete cluelessness
I read somewhere that a dogs mouth is like 80% cleaner than a humans... not sure if it's true but growing up I got all kinds of doggy kisses, granted I wouldn't be promoting toy-sharing between species :)
Yes, it sounds gross...but big deal. I remember sharing my ice cream and lollipops with the family dog when I was little. She also licked my face, hands, and anything else she could.
I hardly ever got sick as a child. And here I am...healthy as can be.
My daughter never chewed on the dog's toys (that I knew of), but she kissed him on the mouth and he licked her in the face all the time, so there was plenty of saliva swapped between them. Neither of them ever got sick from it.
that is so gross! dogs lick there butts. lucky for us we have a english bull dog and she cannot reach her business end because of her build. but we dont allow our kids to put there hands in her mouth mostly because its not really nice or enjoyable for the dog. no toys are ever shared. if our dog does get ahold of one of there stuffed toys and drools / chews on it i wash it. were not super freaky about it we just try to be clean about it. its not a big deal if the dog licks them or if one of the kids kisses the dog on the mouth being silly. we just avoid the slobber situation. all i can think about is dogs licking there butt holes then chewing on a toy and then the kid chewing on the same toy being exposed to poop germs.
She lets her baby put a dogs toy in her mouth that the dog has put in his mouth?
I never let our daughter put anything in her mouth that was not hers.. I took her toys or chew items with us to other peoples homes.. I did not want another child to accidentally put one of our child's toys in their mouths.
That is just odd and gross to me.
This baby could make the dog sick.. Hee, hee..
I wouldn't intentionally let them share but I wouldn't be grossed out if I saw my dogs chewing on something belonging to my kids or my son (when he was little) chewing on something that belonged to the dog. A dogs mouth is so much cleaner then a humans.
My DD LOVES chewing on the chew toys we have for the dogs... when I catch her I discourage it... BUT I don't always catch it before it makes it to her mouth. I just make sure that I sterilize them more often than I would... I have a double standard though. There is hell to pay if I catch the dogs chewing on one of my DD's toys!!! LOL!
This is so disgusting. People really see this happening, and seriously dont care? I couldnt do it, just thinking of it makes me sick.
Dogs and kids should never ever share toys, it's just unnatural if you ask me. There are so many germs being passed to your child, that could make them sick. I dont care what anyone says, dogs are dirty. They get into so many gross things all day, everyday, either outside or in.
To me it's just unnecessary to allow the child to be playing with the dogs toys, or the dog playing with the childs toys.
This is in the same category as letting your dog lick your childs face. That grosses me out soo bad.
Probably why I dont have a dog.
sounds gross, but I wouldnt go as far as sharing. A one time oops, or the dog really slobbered it up, I'd throw it. I know dogs have a enzyme in there saliva that kills almost every germ known to man. In the biblical times the poor would entrust a street dog to lick wounds, cause it promoted healing. NOW I would not go that far with my kids but it doesnt bother me if it was an accident, or a couple licks or so. I would let them share it however. As someone below stated dogs do sometimes NOT like to share, and if there was a tift over something the softer skinned human looses. No matter how much you trust them. Licking the butts then you isnt that bad, however dogs occasionally pick up parasites, and sometimes if the eggs are on the butts, and they have JUST lick there, it can be transferred. Usually this happens with un-vetted or poorly cared for dogs, or outdoor dogs.
I am not picky about germs, and although I did take the dog toys out of my kids mouths, I didnt freak out when I saw them there.
My main issue would be with safety - what happens if the dog and the baby have a fight over a toy? The baby would lose.
I try really hard to keep my toddlers out of my dog's food, water and toys so that there are not any territory issues.
Our dog is really sweet and great with the kids, and I trust him with them 90% - but he is still a dog and has the judgement and instincts of a, well, a dog.
No shared toys, thank you. I know their hands will go from the dog to their mouth. And from the floor or carpet to their mouths. I know every kid eats his "pound of dirt", but I don't have to encourage or facilitate the germ transfer.
Good luck to you and yours.
