Any dog can scare a kid--and vice versa! Our ACD mix and our Aussie both think it's a game to herd the 2-year-old niece while nosing her ankles and butt. Fortunately, this is the only child who's ever around our house and she's a tough little customer with a good sense of humor.

Some of the blame for bad experiences certainly lies with dogs, many of whom are poorly socialized with kids or just bad breed choices around little people. But some blame also rests with parents who don't teach kids how to behave around dogs: how not to shriek, bolt suddenly, pull tails, pound on heads. That stuff'll scare most any dog into reacting unpredictably...and then it seems it's always the dog's fault for whatever follows.

I'm all for those special programs that educate kids about caring for, understanding, and behaving with dogs. Children are deepened psychologically by such learning, the dogs are happier for it, and just maybe those kids will end up being compassionate pet guardians themselves.

I saw an Animal Planet story recently about a program working wonders for inner-city kids who attend "dog camp." Anyone else see it?