Should there be an age limit

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Just curious to know what you think about there being an age limit for dog walkers. I've seem some very small children walking some very large dogs where I live and it scares the heck out of me!

[Karen]

It depends on the dog - seriously. Our St. Bernard Bruni (and Freckles before her) loved little kids and was extremely good on a leash - my niece Jess could, at the age of four, walk the 150-pound dog, no problem.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

It depends on the dog - seriously. Our St. Bernard Bruni (and Freckles before her) loved little kids and was extremely good on a leash - my niece Jess could, at the age of four, walk the 150-pound dog, no problem.

and get a ride home if she got tired

[king2005]

My old guy was the same way, a 2yr old was leading him in circles & he loved it, as he was VERY fond of kids, the smaller the better. He even knew how to cross the street, so there was no worries incase the kid & dog wondered off. He was also protective & smart about it, so there was no harm in it.

When my friend & I use to walk the guard dog (200p Rottie), he could have easly over powered us & went on a rampage. But he was a great walker. if he didn't like something he would lundge to the end of his chain & NOT a step further (we gave him a foot). He was really a wonderful dog, you just had to know the rules & commands, as he was a trained guard dog & he was GREAT at his work & kinda scary too. We were the only non-family members able to get near his owners car, open it & take him out for a walk.

His owner couldn't walk him as he though he was on duty & would go nuts (not good on a walk). So the owner showed us how to win him over & a few commands. The only bad thing that the Rottie did (by accident) was he jumpped up on me while playing & I fell & he fell on me & cracked several of my ribs, de-winded me & then wouldn't let anyone touch me while I was whining & squirming on the ground

Once on a walk this itty bitty super old lady really wanted to pet him. We said we don't think its a good idea, but Cezar had made up his own mind about the situation & wanted to see her. She grabbed his big old head & gave him some kisses & he was sooo gentle with her (it was like he knew she was harmeless & fragile).. dang I miss that dog (I'm assuming he's already passed away)

[jackie]

Depends on the dogs and the child.

I regularly let the neighbors three kids walk my dogs, one is 13, and the twins are 11. (they don´t leave the block)

[BOBS DAD]

I believe there should be an age limit on just about everything in this life. I am sorry if others disagree, but there are more issues to consider besides if the individual is (physically) capable.

Of coursemost children (and even very small children) are capable of physically walking a dog. Any dog - as long as the dog cooperates. And if you believe the dog is cooperative, well trained and well behaved, there will most likely not be any issues. Except for when the unexpected occurs. The dog sees a cat and wants to run after it. He swallows bubble gum he found on the sidewalk and he's choking. A car veers off the road and hits him. Someone trys steal the dog. He suddenly goes into an epileptic fit. These are all unforseen possibilities that can and do occasionally happen. An older individual will be more responsible and capable of handling an emergency or even perhaps avoiding one because of their level of maturity.

An older walker will know to call authorities and emergency personnel and may likely have a cell phone at their disposal. They will also be better equipped to avoid potential preventable incidents.

And so in short, I say Yes... a good age for responsibly walking a dog might be between 8-10 for short local walks and maybe 12 and older for longer, out of sight excursions. It's not the dog that you are worried about... it's usually the walker. I myself wouldn't let a 2 year old cross the street alone, let alone with a dog leading the way. And yes, if they wandered off together, I would be CRAZY with concern and would have the entire neighborhood and the police searching for them.

[king2005]

I myself wouldn't let a 2 year old cross the street alone, let alone with a dog leading the way. And yes, if they wandered off together, I would be CRAZY with concern and would have the entire neighborhood and the police searching for them.

Thats not really what I ment. I should have added, they are in the yard, but if they snuck off while we blinked (we were on a ground deck, with a full view of the yard), the dog wouldn't cross the road, as you need a command (or me) to get his butt off the ground & he knows moving cars are bad & will stay clear. So if doo doo happened & they got out of the yard, they wouldn't get very far or get a chance to run across the street & get hit by a car.

I wouldn't let them walk down the street or anything, thats stupid! But going for a walk in the yard was harmless with him. He had no prey drive, no desire to even leave the yard without me (he never went out of eye sight as I was his #1 priority), didn't have to worry about someone trying to steal him or her, as 80p of angry dog (he was a lab, rottie & pitty mix, so he was thin, fast, smart & stupid strong) is something NO one wants to deal with. With him she was safe.

When my sister was 8yrs old & Max was 4 months old (I thought he was 6months old in other posts, but I was mistaken), 2 men wanted to pet him & he scared them off without over powering my sister. Hes been a smart dog since day 1.

Thats why we allowed a 2yr old to walk him around.

[Miss Z]

Of coursemost children (and even very small children) are capable of physically walking a dog. Any dog - as long as the dog cooperates. And if you believe the dog is cooperative, well trained and well behaved, there will most likely not be any issues. Except for when the unexpected occurs. The dog sees a cat and wants to run after it. He swallows bubble gum he found on the sidewalk and he's choking. A car veers off the road and hits him. Someone trys steal the dog. He suddenly goes into an epileptic fit. These are all unforseen possibilities that can and do occasionally happen. An older individual will be more responsible and capable of handling an emergency or even perhaps avoiding one because of their level of maturity.


And so in short, I say Yes... a good age for responsibly walking a dog might be between 8-10 for short local walks and maybe 12 and older for longer, out of sight excursions. It's not the dog that you are worried about... it's usually the walker. I myself wouldn't let a 2 year old cross the street alone, let alone with a dog leading the way. And yes, if they wandered off together, I would be CRAZY with concern and would have the entire neighborhood and the police searching for them.

Well said Bob's Dad, I agree 100%. I've walked my neighbours dog every now and again for three years, but when I was eleven, I always went with at least one other friend. Now I'm older and always have my mobile with me in case of an emergency it's OK for me to take Bonnie out by myself.

Unfortunately, there are so many things that can happen to a little kid whilst out alone, even with a dog. You never know who's walking the streets. And of course everything you mentioned about the dog suddenly becoming ill or being hit by a car.

Every day when I come home from school, there's always a little girl who can't be more than 5 that rides on her barbie bike to the newsagents and co-op to do her mum's daily grocery shopping. Her mum must be a serious risk taker to let her cross a main road with cars going at about 40mph to get the bread and milk

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

I believe there should be an age limit on just about everything in this life. I am sorry if others disagree, but there are more issues to consider besides if the individual is (physically) capable.

Of coursemost children (and even very small children) are capable of physically walking a dog. Any dog - as long as the dog cooperates. And if you believe the dog is cooperative, well trained and well behaved, there will most likely not be any issues. Except for when the unexpected occurs. The dog sees a cat and wants to run after it. He swallows bubble gum he found on the sidewalk and he's choking. A car veers off the road and hits him. Someone trys steal the dog. He suddenly goes into an epileptic fit. These are all unforseen possibilities that can and do occasionally happen. An older individual will be more responsible and capable of handling an emergency or even perhaps avoiding one because of their level of maturity.

An older walker will know to call authorities and emergency personnel and may likely have a cell phone at their disposal. They will also be better equipped to avoid potential preventable incidents.

And so in short, I say Yes... a good age for responsibly walking a dog might be between 8-10 for short local walks and maybe 12 and older for longer, out of sight excursions. It's not the dog that you are worried about... it's usually the walker. I myself wouldn't let a 2 year old cross the street alone, let alone with a dog leading the way. And yes, if they wandered off together, I would be CRAZY with concern and would have the entire neighborhood and the police searching for them.

I agree with you 100%.

[BOBS DAD]

Come to think of it...

I think there should be an age limit on age!!!

[Kfamr]

I was just trying to help you out, Lori.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Lori

As I started both this post and the alcohol related one I would just like to point out that without the support and advice I received from others on this site I would not have been able to turn my life around. This is the one place where I knew I could be open and honest, mainly with myself

I am all for protecting children from the "nasties" in life and as a parent myself I would rather my daughter learnt about such things from people who have been through these experiences and are willing to share in the hope of helping others. I am truly sorry that both my posts offended you

[moosmom]

We have all agreed to disagree here. Kids aren't as ignorant as they may seem. Protecting your child is one thing. Educating them is an entirely different issue. My whole family (both mother and father's side) are alcoholics. From the young age of 13, I educated my daughter about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. She knows that alcoholism is a problem in our family, and watched as her grandfather literally drank himself to death. I raised my daughter the same way my mother raised me, to never feel she can't come and talk to me about ANYTHING. It paid off. My daughter is now 30 years old and is every parent's dream. She beat cancer, and has grown up to be an upstanding citizen who neither drinks not does drugs. We have a very open and honest relationship and for that I am proud.

As Catty1 has posted,

Just because you don't hear about it doesn't mean it isn't there. I'll bet, like Karen, that your daughter has heard more than you think. It's all a matter of where you want her to learn about life's realities

It's also the parent's job to monitor their children's online activities.

Kids talk and learn alot from their friends.

I think the key here is to educate your child on the downfalls of drugs and alcohol. Our children will have to make their own mistakes and learn from them, as we will not be around forever to protect them.

I'm sorry you feel the way you do. While I believe alot of people on this board mean well, it's sometimes difficult to "interpret" the meanings of how they want to express their opinions.