L, XL, XXL

Ack!

Today is the big day- my first day back in school (online courses) in oh, what, 10+ years? I am d.y.i.n.g to get out of work to get home and log in to see what homework I have. I'm taking some very fast paced summer school courses while dealing with my SPD kid, and the beasts. Ack! Sleep? Who needs sleep?

I'm also counting down- 3 days until Princess comes for an extended stay. I'm a wee bit nervous because trying to re-introduce 3 dogs makes me super paranoid. Max and Princess have not played in oh, years. Yes, years. It was always too much for me and P's mom to do meet and greets with my brats with baby Becks running about. Guess I'll just jump off the deep end!

Edite: For those of you curious, I'm heading back to hopefully become a special education teacher.

Don't do this

We all have them, friends and family who let their babies/children climb all over and essentially harass their dogs. Some think it's cute, some think it's perfectly normal, and some think their dogs actually enjoy it. They don't. And what might not bother them today might become a huge issue as they age.

Teaching your little one how to respect a dog's space is going to prevent them from a dog bite plain and simple. I don't care how tolerant (and tolerance is not enjoyment) your dog is, what happens when your baby comes over to say my house and attempts to treat them like one of their own? My dogs would surely correct your baby and rightfully so. Said correction would come in the form of an open mouth full of teeth attached to a 125 and 90 pound dog. You would freak out and blame my dogs wouldn't you? But aren't you really the problem here? Didn't you inadvertenly teach your child this was appropriate behavior? To keep your child safe around ALL animals, you must raise them to respect them all. Anything less and you will have failed to teach your child potentially lifesaving skills.

Things you should not allow your child to do (no matter how cute that photo op is):
Hug a dog around it's neck
Use a dog as a pillow
Pull on ears, paws, or tails
Touch a dog's food or water dish while they are eating
Remove a toy or bone from a dog
Lay on top of a dog
Attempt to ride a dog
Never touch a dog while sleeping
Do not lay on dog beds and or dog crates
Do not put your face in a dog's face
Do not chase a dog
Do not tease a dog with food or toys
Do not eat snacks while walking (at my house, you might lose a finger if it's something Mack wants)

These are just some of the no nonsense what ought to be common sense rules I use to keep Becks safe as well as my dogs.

ps- when most kids come to my house, my dogs go to their safe space with a yummy treat. Cranky seniors do not like "those" kids. It's a win win situation and they appreciate me looking out for their best interests very much.

pps- you should all read this and share it far and wide
http://www.dogmagazine.net/archives/5388/fatal-dog-attacks-why-lessons-are-not-being-learned/