Sadly, there are far too many news stories about people, often children, being attacked and hurt by animals. Sometimes, these animals are trusted pets who suddenly turn aggressive. A lot of parents agree they want their kids to be cautious around animals, particularly unfamiliar ones. It can't hurt to be careful, right?
A woman posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about an encounter with a toddler and her dog and some parents who didn't seem to understand the danger of a child approaching an animal they don't know. Lynne Schmidt, who posts on X as @abortionchat, has gone viral, and some people are wondering what the heck these parents were thinking, whereas others think Schmidt took it too far.
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The dog and child were apparently total strangers.
Schmidt's post on X was simple. She showed a picture of her dog and wrote her exchange with the little girl's parents.
"Small child runs up to Zoë. I body block and say, 'Maybe we don't run up to dogs we don't know.'"
The parent then allegedly said, "She's three."
Schmidt responded, "If she isn't on voice recall, maybe she should be leashed?"
To some, her response may have sounded a bit harsh, but it is important to point out that Zoe is a service animal. Even so, the family didn't know Zoe or what kind of dog she was, so letting a toddler approach her wasn't necessarily a great idea.
But was it appropriate for Schmidt to suggest a leash for the kid?
Some people thought that the parents need to do better.
Yes, the child is young, but she is not too young to learn to be safe. Simply saying she was 3 years old didn't do it for some X users.
"My 3yo has known not to run up to strange dogs and ask to pet them since he was literally 17 months old. (Still working on remembering not to put his face in dogs faces after he gets the go ahead, though). 'She's three.' More of a reason you should be paying attention to your child and making sure they are not running up to dogs they don't know," one person commented.
"'She's three' is not an argument a frightened dog will acknowledge," another person wrote.
Others believe maybe some kids do need to be on a leash.
One person had another strange encounter with a young child whose parents also seemed not to care.
"Once a little girl was running wild in a restaurant. She stuck her hand down the back of my pants & when I turned around w/ a dirty look her parents said 'she's only 3' &I said it was high time to learn to not stick her hand in strangers' pants. They were so offended they left," the person wrote.
"I've seen far too many close calls with children who weren't contained in some way,” another comment reads.
Someone with experience agreed, commenting, "Honestly, I think that's a great suggestion! I was a leashed kid and that's probably a major reason why I'm still around."
The leash comment was harsh for some people.
Sure, the child probably should have asked first and the parents could have been more apologetic, but was an insult the way to go? Some people said no way.
"Some very very unkind people in these replies. Very eager to pass judgement," one person shared. "None of you know if the kid has any special needs, if the animal has a history of abuse, or a multitude of other factors. Kids and dogs are both allowed to exist in society and maybe try giving grace."
"You couldn't have found a kinder way to respond? It was a teachable moment that you made ugly," someone else commented.
"If your dog's a safety risk, don't take them out How is this a challenging concept Also it's 'blowing up' because your take is ludicrous; the extra eyes have no interest in your book," another person wrote. "Enjoy the engagement increase that'll inevitably plummet after your 15 minutes are up."
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Some people thought Schmidt was way off with her response.
Should there be more of an emphasis on animals than on people? Not everyone agreed.
"No, society is built for people. Kids are people. People are a lot more valuable than dogs, in every metric that value can be measured. Your dog is an accessory or toy, albeit one with great sentimental value to you," someone stated. "You can value it or him or her or whatever you call it, and it should be respected. If your dog is danger to children it should not be brought to places where children frequent. Kids should not be leashed to make your dog more comfortable."
"Sure, she probably shouldn't run up to dogs, but there were other ways to tell her that and the fact that your first instinct was to condescend a 3 year old and then brag about it on social media tells me all I need to know. Do better," another person agreed.
A few commenters thought maybe she was just kidding around.
"I suspect there's a joke I'm missing, but just in case there isn't: You're wrong, everyone agreeing with you is wrong and i wish you all a very nice time on a nice island someplace where you're not bothering anyone," yet another person commented.
