Sorry to say but all sounds like a recipe for disaster, cute it may look but even now Mollie is getting older and slower I won't allow anyone else to hold her lead and play with her. When she was younger and stronger friendly as she was/is she is my responsibility and holding her lead is my job.

I agree, you should be holding your dogs lead and then you are able to instantly rectify any behaviour you don't like or praise good behaviour (child or dog) Children aren't so bad, remember you were one once

It's a cute story but i agree with the others- you have been extremely lucky here.
You are right that Nigredo needs to gain experience around kids but this is not the way to do it. You should be right there, in control at all times. If nothing else, you don't know these kids and even accidentally they could have been too much for Nigredo or done something that he wouldn't like. My 3 are pretty much kid proofed but even then i wouldn't expect them to know how to behave if they accidentally got a finger in their eye. Even though they are experienced with kids i wouldn't be out of arms reach and i sure as hell wouldn't let any kid or stranger take the leash of any of my dogs.
As far as your concerns about other rammifications if the kid had been hurt - accidentally or not, it's not just a matter of the police caring. I think you're being seriously naive if you don't think they'd get involved if Nigredo had bitten one of the kids. You also live in the most litigious country in the world - even if the police wouldn't have a reason to get involved, there's always the possibilty of being sued.
I know it sounds really dramatic but you really do have to think about all the possibilities in situations like this. You and Nigredo's well being are far too important to risk in this way.

You should be concerned about the parents. While you don't like children yourself, parents love theirs and don't want to see them fall no matter if it hurt them or not. Just like you protect your dog, parents will do the same for their children. Also, a child may develop a fear of dogs if they were knocked down and I hope you wouldn't want to be a part of that. Obviously the little boy the other day wasn't but you can't guarantee that with other children.

If you are concerned about the future you have to be concerned now; not later. While I see that you care a lot about Nigredo, sometimes the way you brush things off may not be in his best interest. You are doing a great job thus far, keep it up.

Hi, everyone. I already know that it's not the best idea to let someone else hold his leash. Nigredo doesn't bite, he's not a mean dog. He might mouth a little, but he'd never clamp down on a child or anybody's skin and cause harm. He isn't large now... only 31 lbs but he's kind of getting tall and is very playful. It goes without saying that I'm not going to allow this to continue.

I'm not being naive about the situation at all. I also resent that remark to some degree. I understand the possible problems that can occur. He is a very young puppy and if he is injured (accidentally has happened a few times actually) he will cower/run... not bite!

I also acknowledge that letting someone else hold the leash is not the smartest idea. Mind you, I was only a few steps away and had my eye on the children and my dog the entire time. I was over there within seconds. Moreover, I've already stated that I'm going to be on this way better from now on since I realized the potential harm this can cause.

Thanks for the input, everyone.

Also, I don't believe that I was "extremely lucky" because nothing really happened!

I think people are just concerned for you and Pup Myra as you have been through a lot recently with Brownie and Jade. I'm sure he's a great pup but pups do get over excited and nip and children have the habit of yanking their hands away when this happens and it would be terrible for accident to happen. That's not presuming he would do any major damage but, in my case, it is presuming that some parents might over react. Lots of people don't view dogs in the same lovely light as we do and see them as a threat to their children rather than a companion. Xx

Yes, I understand that Nigredo jumping on kids and knocking them over can cause a serious problem. I'm of course going to be right there from now on to discourage this as well as discouraging his jumping on family members.