Children and dogs

As many of you here will know, I have a big, hairy, gentle beast. A gentle giant. Most of the children know him and he knows them. It's a joy to see the interaction.

This morning we, Max and I, met a family of five. Two of the three children loved Max But the older girl was fearful. It's a situation many of us dogsey folk will encounter from time to time. And kind of between a rock and a hard place.

I don't want the child to be fearful of my gentle dog. I can hold him and let them stroke him and give him a treat - he soaks it up.

But I do try to get them, children and parents, to understand that you can't assume that all dogs are as gentle. Permission from the dog owner must be sought.

To understand I've given up on trying to tell non dog owners about these things, most ('tho not all) are just not interested, plus if they are of a certain age they will have been brain washed by the media and no hope of any intellectual discussion