WHEN my kids are cuddled up with Elsie, our Labrador, I feel a mix of emotions — nostalgia, delight and fear.
Nostalgia — as a toddler I’d clamber into the dog bed with our Daxie Jasper and referred to him as my ‘Dog Brother’.
Some things clearly never change. Jasper was grumpy with other people but, as far as I know, the two of us were inseparable until he was killed on the road outside our door by a delivery van when I was four.
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Sharp, jumbled memories of that day linger and shape my life.
Delight — the kids have someone they trust deeply, completely.
A friend with the world’s softest ears and kindest heart, willing to hoover up any unwanted piece of dinner when daddy hasn’t cooked pasta with red sauce.
My pleasure in watching them together has grown with Elsie leaning into her role as nana, tidying up the baby when he’s smeared with banana, putting herself between our children and overexcited Labradoodles in the park and space-invading on the sofa.
Fear — a few stats.
80 per cent of dog bites to children happen in the home with toddlers and nine to 12 year olds the most frequently bitten, creating thousands of hospital admissions a year.
A study of 2,400 dog owners showed eight in 10 can’t recognise early signs of stress in their own dog.
If you’ve not heard of it, please google the ‘ladder of aggression’ and read it carefully then watch a few YouTube videos of children and dogs — the former blissfully unaware, the latter often terrified, whites of eyes showing, licking lips, etc.
This all too often ends in tragedy with an injured child the ultimate nightmare for any parent and bites to owners the leading cause of death in dogs under three.
Remember the ladder — don’t be a statistic.
Our columnist Will Trewarman MRCVS is a senior veterinary surgeon at Vale Vets which is based in Kidderminster and Stourport.
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