I posted this video 6 months ago and it has gotten a lot of attention this last week. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but the video got about 500,000 views within about 4 days. Along with the views came comments and a lot of them. Many were extremely negative about Sadie licking Zachary or her even being around him at all. It's amazing how much people judge you as a parent from watching a 1 minute video. I've brushed the comments off because they are just opinions that other people have and it helps when others comment in your defense.
I have decided to address some of these comments and add my point of view. I obviously can't get to all of them but I am going to address some that stuck out to me. I am copying and pasting the comments, so all the grammatical errors are theirs not mine. Some will be grouped together if they are similar.
1) You can bet your sweet a** that little punk of a dog would be punted across the room if he was lickin away at my kid like that.
I really hope this person does not have pets and children together or even both at all. They are basically admitting that they would physically abuse an animal if it licked their child. That's actually really sad and more disturbing than my dog licking my child.
2) "Somebody please look out for this baby.."
"please care for your child"
"That's disgusting!! Even the baby had sense it didn't want his mouth licking,, should be reported!!"
"Call the cops"
"cps needs to be contacted asap."
What do you think the cops or even cps would do if they got a call about a dog licking a baby. I'll tell you what. They would laugh! The baby is not getting beaten or abused or even starved. There would be no reason for them to "look out for the baby".
3) "Just keep the pets away from your kids in this age"
"How can people allow filthy animals near their babies? That's nasty"
Oh, I'm sorry, do people expect you to give up your pet just because you have a baby? I am not one of those people. Pets are family and I'm not about to put mine out to the curb just because I have a child. Zachary is going to grow up with animals just like I did. They were a big part of my childhood and he deserves that too.
4) "Nothing against the dog, but the parents need to smarten up. The dog might use the baby's face for a chew toy or give it some sort of infection."
"Thats just disgusting.... pets should be kept well away from babies... heard too many stories of how pet dogs kill little kids..."
"Just keep in mind that everyone and everything has moods. Just the mere 1% chance and possibility of Sadie having a bad day, is not very smart to put your child in that type of chance. Why put Sadie in that position either. No risk to over-look. I know we love our pets and wish the world was perfect but we have to use our common sense and be realistic while we love. You don't know Sadie's every thought. Our husband's don't even know our every thought. You love your husband yes? That doesn't stop you from snapping on him whether he deserves it or not.
With no intention to kill or draw blood we respond in one mood or another, and look how quickly one could change. This is not about right and wrong only. Is it expedient, is the question? Don't we all make mistakes? Are you making one now? Will you wait to see at the expense of your children? Enjoy your pets but don't be naïve. They are our family but they are still animals, and as loyal as they are they did not come out of your womb. We love-love-love our pets to death and don't know what we would do without them, this is a fact. But the value of our children still cannot be compared, this is the truth.
Please listen to that quiet middle voice that you may not be as familiar with and don't quite hear right-away. Things aren't always black and white. We know you love your baby this is not a question. I grow everyday no matter how old I am and consider more than one perspective other than mine own. I hope you do the same, because I've considered yours, but I have to go with my common sense on this one. I wouldn't put Sadie in that situation, so I am darn sure not going to put my children in that situation. We have to be the parents and owners, and make the BEST decision we can on their behalf, you know? Considering more than one perspective."
Basically, these people are saying that dogs shouldn't be around babies because they can kill or harm a child. Of course a dog could hurt a child, but that's not going to stop me from owning one. Any animal can attack under the right circumstances. That's like saying that you won't put your child in a car because you might get into an accident.
What most people don't understand about Sadie is that she has always been a mother. Sadie came from a puppy mill where she was used as a breeder dog. I know she had at least one litter, maybe more, so she has a mothering instinct. She babied the Guinea Pigs from the time I brought her home as a foster. She heard them crying in their cage and thought they were her babies. Zachary is just a big puppy to her.
I also took the dogs to work with me at my nanny job. I was a nanny for 3.5 yrs starting when the boy was 14 months old. Sadie was in love with little boy and always wanted to be near him. She would let him do things that most dogs wouldn't, so I knew she would be just fine with the baby. I never leave them alone with children but I would also trust them with my children more than I would another person's dog.
5) "Dogs mouths are not cleaner than humans, that is a myth.. A dog should not be licking a baby because the bacteria from licking themselves (or poop and other things) can definitely get a baby sick. My son got very sick from a dog licking his face on accident and it was horrible. So yeah probably washing baby after this is a good idea...."
"This is not healthy for the baby. My friend's baby got mononucleosis, and he got it from the dog according to his pediatrician"
" love the dog and the baby, they are cute. But wouldn't the baby get a higher change of getting disease??"
First, I want to know how they knew the kids got sick from the dogs. Kids can get sick from anywhere! It seems to me that they just want someone to blame and the dog was it. Does this person know how Mono is spread? According to http://www.webmd.com:
"Mono can be spread through contact with saliva, mucus from the nose and throat, and sometimes tears. Because the virus can be spread through kissing, it has earned the nickname the "kissing disease." If you have mono, you can avoid passing the virus to others by not kissing anyone and by not sharing things like drinking glasses, eating utensils, or toothbrushes."
Most likely, your kid got it from another person and not the dog. I'm not saying that you child can't get sick from the family pet, I'm just saying that they are probably more likely to get sick from a family member or just going out to a store or any public place.
6) "Do the parents realise that a single hair from the dog in his lungs and he's gonna be asthmatic forever? Talk about idiots."
I have to be honest with you, this really made me laugh when I read it. Raising children with pets actually reduces the chance that your child will get allergies. Here's a little bit from www.cbsnews.com/news/study-pets-halt-allergies-in-infants/.
"Conventional medical wisdom has always assumed that the presence of pets puts children at a higher risk of developing allergies.
But more and more evidence is proving that the opposite is true. Children raised in a house with two or more dogs or cats during the first year of life may be less likely to develop allergic diseases as compared with children raised without pets, according to a study in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Dennis Ownby, the chief investigator of the study printed in JAMA, explains on The Early Show that allergists were trained for generations that dogs and cats in the house were bad because they increased the risk of kids becoming allergic to them. The views were based on the knowledge that before you become allergic to something, you have to be repeatedly exposed to it.
The latest study, he says, finds that the reverse seems to be true. Children who grow up with dogs and cats in the home have a significantly reduced risk of developing pet allergies — plus common ones, like allergies to pollens and molds — by as much as 50 percent or more."
So, what I have been doing is good for my child. I am helping his immune system and letting him have fun in the process.
7) "Poor baby, dogs have the most bacteria out of all pets"
Okay, I had to laugh at this one too. Does this person know how many types of pets there are? It's not just dogs and cats. There are hamsters, guinea pigs, fish, lizards, birds, amphibians, rabbits, horses, pigs, etc., the list goes on. I'm betting that dogs do not have the most bacteria out of all the different animals that can be pets. If they were, a lot less people would own them.
8) "this shows that how insanely people can behave to get youtube views...
that was really cheap..:("
The funny thing about this comment is that I didn't put the video up to get views. In fact, I didn't know it was going to get as many as it did! I just wanted to share the bond between a dog and the baby she loves. They are so cute together!
9) "She needed a lesson on how to take care of a baby before becoming a mother.Animals carry all kinds of disease.I'm glad my mother taught me."
I feel bad for you. First off, I've been caring for children since I starting babysitting at the age of 12. That was 15 years ago. I have been a nanny for 5 of those years and I have learned so much from it. I took to this mothering thing like a pro and I wouldn't change it for the world! I'm assuming that you didn't grow up with pets as a child because your mother taught you that animals carry diseases.
In conclusion, I am absolutely doing everything right as a parent. Do I let these comments get to me? No, because they are other people's opinions and they are entitled to that. Am I going to fight back? Yes! People need to know that owning a pet is not a threat. Zachary and any of my future children are going to have animals in their lives.
I also want to thank all those who came to my defense!
"Momma's little helper... that was cute... alot of our dogs become part of the family daily ritual..."
" I think its cute. Its not gross at all. So stop being rude people"
"I'm no hardcore animal lover all the way but what exactly is the problem? It's not like the dog's foaming at the mouth or something. I actually think it's cute the dog loves the baby to the point where she's kissing him all over."
"I feel the same way. My children were raised around dogs my oldest had her dog sleep under her crib, them next to her bed. He was also a rescue dog and the sweetest most loving dog. She was a 90 pound Akita mix. She died with everyone by her side at 15 year of age. She is missed to this day. Please do not stop your dog from being around that precious baby."
"OK people... look it up on the net!
Dogs mouth is cleaner (less germs) from that of a humans. So stop the madness and look at the video for what it is. The dog like the baby and is taking care of it the way dogs do....By licking"
"anyone who has a problem are just nasty and misinformed.Getting all those germs are part of the immune challenge toddlers are supposed to get to develop a balanced system that is neither under or over reactive (the TH1 and TH2 arms of the immune system)This and playing in the dirt and not using those stupid anti bacterial washes and wipes.Also a bit of breast feeding and baby should have a good immune system.Best of luck with everything,thanks for sharing."
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