Hi Kay. Thanks for reading. It’s true that vets tend to see dog ownership through the lens of what goes wrong and that makes us more risk averse, so it’s up to every dog owner to make their own judgement. However, this is an event that most people don’t foresee until it happens, and it leaves kids scarred for life. In fact now my kids are older they do walk the dogs – it’s just that I pick and choose the times carefully. I also get them to stay away from other dogs, as it’s been shown that kids are very poor at judging them.

This article is the perfect example of helicopter parenting. There are risks everywhere so we need to teach kids how to deal with them not shelter them from everything. This is why the next generation of adults will be soft and ill equipped to deal with adulthood.

Sorry, I don’t understand- can you rephrase the question?

Thanks Harvey. I wish more people knew what you know.

I’ve often had the same thoughts in this article when considering whether to let my son take him out for a walk by himself or not.