Halloween

Another Halloween has passed and we have more candy in the house  (I secretly begin to throw pieces away without the kids awareness).  This year Tyler didn’t dress up but still walked around the neighborhood to see friends and neighbors.  Shade has become quite the joker these days.  He decided to dress in my old Raggedy Ann costume.  He wore it to school, and I was surprised to see that he kept it on all day.  He then wore it to trick-or-treat too.    Seth wore his Jango Fett costume which Dana had purchased at a yard sale 2yrs ago for $5.  He loves that costume and it shows.  He will never win ‘best costume’ for it, but it is what he likes. 

 This year, we dressed up the dogs too.  Since I have a large collection of lingerie, Dana came up with the idea to dress the girls (J.J. and Piper) in lingerie and the boy (Lukas) in a wifebeater and boxers.  I have never dressed dogs in clothes before so I truly wasn’t thrilled about this.  The idea, yes.  The actuality of it…no.  I was running behind with getting candy, food, drinks and myself ready that the last thing on my list was dressing the dogs up.  Of course, it quickly became a priority when Dana got home.  They looked great after the pulling and whining and nipping.  They were satisfied with what they were dressed in.  Piper was in a black corset type piece expressing her dominance side, J.J. (rescued from http://azbordercollierescue.com/) was in a sweetheart red 2-piece and Lukas, our leathal white (rescued from http://amazingaussies.com), went as an immature pimp in his wife beater.  Very cute.  Again, the least of my concern, but I (I mean we) pulled it off.  Still struggling to get the kids outside, the table set up and myself showered and dressed, we made it in time to greet the neighbors.  Kids and dogs are in tow.

I took the liberty of holding Piper and Lukas while Dana had control of J.J.  We usually always seperate Piper and Lukas as they are the dominant ones and can be difficult to keep under control as a pair but for some odd reason this time we didn’t.  I wasn’t sure how the pups would react to Halloween.  Piper and Lukas already expressed timidness towards the jack-o-lanterns in the bathroom. 

 The costumes were cute, Shade’s being the most popular (of course they hadn’t seen mine yet) and one neighbor even commented “Karen, wasn’t that your costume a few years ago?”  Yes, it was.  The dogs appeared to be comfortable.  We kept our distance from the kids and sat at the end of the table.  The dogs were under control for the most part. 

Then I heard the youngest daughter of a neighbor comment how she wished she could pet Piper but she was next to Lukas.  Note: she didn’t ask to pet Piper.  I just smiled at her and gave my condolences for her feelings.   I wasn’t ready to start letting the affection for my dogs happen.  I was still getting settled with the kids and who they were walking with, etc…   While my back was away from the neighbors and I was discussing things with Dana, Lukas jerked on the leash and I hear the youngest daughter of my neighbor scream.  I turn to see her running to mommy and she dropped her white pillowcase used for collecting treats.  I was horrified at Lukas and thought for sure he had nipped her in the butt judging by her screaming.  I handed the dogs to Dana and went over to make sure she was ok.  Amazingly, her mother didn’t even question if she was ‘hit’ or not.  She was very busy consoling the crying girl.  I, on the other hand, was searching her white costume for evidence of a nip or bite.  And while I do care for her feelings, more importantly is, did he break the skin.  Once I was able to confirm he did not make contact, I was more at ease.  Many may agree with the consoling initially, but  I prefer we find out if there is a physical issue first.  Upon asking the mom, she wasn’t able to confirm if my dog had made contact.  I was responsible for finding this information out on my own with minimum help.  I had to repeat mysef several times asking if she was bit while the little girl was wailing “I don’t like Lukas!’  and the mom saying “I know, he doesn’t like you either”.  

 You see, there is a history with Lukas and this family along with all the neighbors, are completely aware of it.  I am a responsible pet owner.  If anyone enters my house, I make them aware of Lukas and his nipping habits with kids.  They also know he is deaf and has nipped Seth and another little girl in the neighborhood.  I have taken precautions and consulted his foster dad regarding this.  I have purchased books on the topic.  I consider myself knowledgable on the situation and his behavior.  However, it is still not an excuse for these things to happen.  I firmly believe many situations are 2-way. 

What do you think?  I do not in any way blame the child or mother, but I also don’t blame myself.  Do I blame Lukas?  Absolutely, but he is the most ignorant in the situation and we as humans need to prevent these situations. 

One must also keep in mind, these are not wild animals or fighting dogs.  This breed is known for nipping, not mauling.  They will let go.  They do not lock their jaws or go for the kill. 

Yes, I have been bitten by dogs.  Am I traumatized by this?  Of course not.  In all the cases, I antagonized the dog.  I was taught this by my parents who made sure I understood the reason behind it. 

Disturbia children need to learn proper technique with animals.  My 8yr old is still learning.  My 11yr old is still learning as he had to figure it out on his own the hard way.  Hitting a dog will get you bit.  I am proud to say he still loves this dog as he understands he brought in on himself. 

 I found an article about local elementary students being educated on the topic.   http://www.azcentral.com/pets/articles/2008/10/30/20081030gl-peodogbite1030-ON.html

I must ask, why parents can educate their kids on such topics.  This is one example of why we homeschool our youngest.  

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 2, 2008 at 15:56 pm and is filed under Holidays, kids, Pets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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