Big, friendly dog frightens students

AP ^ | 12/5 | AP

[JimRed]

My 80 lb. Golden Retriever can knock me for a loop when I get home.

Yep, nothing like a big Golden to knock you off your feet... with love! We miss ours (she died last year) but the Mrs. says no more ...

[savedbygrace]

"It was a serious incident - 26 kids were traumatized," he said.

A word, and a concept, that is way overused today.

"We had a couple of students who were pretty distraught - pretty shaken up," the principal said. "Counselors visited with them, and they seem to be doing fine.

A concept, and a practice, that is way overused today.

Here's the counseling these brats need to hear: Get over it, already.

[-YYZ-]

OK, look, dogs should be restrained as a general rule, tied up, kept indoors, fenced in, whatever. However, it is a fact of life in a country where we keep dogs as pets, that one is (hopefull only occasionally) going to encounter dogs that are on the loose. Children should be taught how to deal with strange dogs that they might encounter. That would mean avoiding them if possible, but if they come to you, then dealing with it correctly. Running away shrieking certainly is going to help matters any.

And yes, this whole thing seems a bit blown out of proportion to me. I know some children have a fear of dogs, but all 26?

[RLK]

When the kids ran (something every parent should teach them NOT to do), the dog chased.

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He probably didn't chase the kids. He ran with them or after them hoping to continue playing.

[Mulder]

"It was a serious incident - 26 kids were traumatized

This is utterly pathetic-- kids traumatized by a dog. We are becoming a nation of wimps.

[cicero's_son]

Idiot.

[asgardshill]

Gee whiz, if I DIDN'T come home with some sort of "bruise or mark, scratch, pressure indentation or puncture wound of some type", I got yelled at for not getting enough exercise.

[TChris]

Do you smash up those dangerous two-wheeled death traps so many irresponsible kids carelessly zip around on these days? How about those nasty stepped inclines so irresponsibly built into far too many homes? ...or those evil, electric and gas torture machines present in almost every kitchen, but responsible for so many horrible burns when innocent children reach up and put their hands on the bright red circles.

Mister... dogs are part of life. There are going to be constant dangers present in your grand kids' lives. Teach your grand kids to deal with problems instead of irrationally trying to rid the world of all of them. Dogs get loose. Bikes crash. Make your grand kids stronger instead of fighting the losing battle of making their safety everyone else's problem. Especially when it's a friendly dog we're talking about, he needs to deal with it.

[Cold Heat]

Looks like fodder for a movie.

"Fido's trip to town".

[Cold Heat]

Take a pill!

If I were you I would spend some time teaching your kids about dog behavior and dangerous breeds. There is much information, but do not teach fear.

Dogs sense fear and they respond with fear and sometime aggressive behavior, because of it..

It is emotional twits like you who actually do more harm than good to your children with this kind of attitude.