Children Walking Dogs, What Age is Safe?

[fureverywhere]

I'm not really asking the question but rather commenting on an answer. I just drove past two boys, I would guess they were around 7 years old. They had a terrier mix on leash. The dog was merrily peeing in someone's front yard. This area is congested suburbia and dogs are supposed to stay curbside. But it just bothered me these two boys out alone with a dog...regardless of breed it's just not safe.

I mean a young kid doesn't have the physical strength to really control a mid to large sized pup. Suppose another dog pops up off leash? Will these kids have the sense to stay calm and guide their dog out of a conflict? Even a tiny dog, especially a tiny dog. They can't pull you over but need your protection. My daughter walks Callie. But never alone, I am always close enough to grab the leash if need be.

Sophie is too unstable for anyone else but me or my grown son. I just wish some of these parents would be more careful. Obviously if you live in a rural area and have a mellow dog it's a bit safer. But really I would say a child should be over 12 to walk even an easygoing dog alone.

 

[Shalimar]

I agree with you, Fur. It makes me shudder, why not paint a bullseye on these kid's backs?

 

[jujube]

We run into this in a lot of the parks we stay in when we're traveling. The parents send the kid out to walk the dog. The dog sees another dog and takes off or is chased by a dog that's off its leash. The kid isn't strong enough to restrain an agitated dog.

I know from painful experience (cracked rib and injured shoulder from getting pulled off my feet by a 90-pound dog) how strong an agitated dog can be. They go into "four-wheel-drive" mode and it's hard for an adult to restrain them, never less a skinny little kid.

 

[fureverywhere]

That's it too, it isn't even a child's age but their build. My girl is now taller and heavier than me. She can manage Callie's bulk, plus she can run with him. I keep up but it's more limp running. It's definitely easier for her and a good workout for him. I wouldn't let anyone under a hundred pounds walk him. Solid muscle but he responds well to voice commands. You have to know your dog and err on the side of caution.

 

[Guitarist]

I think it's a question of the child's maturity and sense of responsibility, too.

That said, I don't know anything about kids these days. We had a dog when I was about 7 -- he was a small-to-medium terrier mix. I walked him around the neighborhood and swapped walking him with a neighborhood child who let me ride her bike in exchange, that was how i learned to ride a bike.

But back then, dogs peed in people's yards. Everybody had dogs, they all lived outside, they peed and pooped in each other's yards and the dads or yard men cleaned it up.

Do kids nowadays pick up poop responsibly?

 

[Butterfly]

I wouldn't trust a child (well, maybe a big teenage boy) to walk my Bonnie. She is very good on the leash and usually stays right by my side or a few steps ahead, and doesn't pull. BUT, you never know what could come up. She is very strong.

 

[chic]

I think it depends on the dog. If a dog is ultra-mellow it should be okay. But 7 is maybe a bit too young to walk a very large breed of dog.

 

[Redd]

Awful childhood memory of walking my dog which attacked another dog. I was just a kid. Next day there was no dog to walk and I never got answers from the parents. I do remember crying a lot.

Maybe this is why I became a cat person.

 

[Debby]

That's a sad story Redd. You must have had a broken heart for a long time.

 

[BlunderWoman]

Awful childhood memory of walking my dog which attacked another dog. I was just a kid. Next day there was no dog to walk and I never got answers from the parents. I do remember crying a lot.

Maybe this is why I became a cat person.

 

[fureverywhere]

I'm so sorry Redd, one of those sad things that stays with you<<<hugs>>>