A pet safety tip: Java and the Bologna

Java and the Bologna Last week I got a call from a parent of a fairly young child who was bitten by a friend’s dog. The toddler was feeding the dog and a finger got in the way. Anytime there is food, a young person, and an animal, I am worried that inadvertent nibbles might happen. In this case, there was nothing malicious and the doggy was current on it’s shots. Anytime a bite breaks the skin, we want to keep an eye on it, but you might be surprised to know that human bites are more of a concern for causing infection than a dog bite. This made me recall the tale of my old girl Java. The sweet golden wearing the nurses cap who decorates my blog was my family’s beloved dog. We had her for twelve wonderful years. Time zooms along; she would have been 19 years old this July. I still miss her deeply. The pet owners out there understand. Towards the end of her life, she was a happy girl, but was moving pretty slowly. Instead of bounding across the grass to chase her favorite ball, we would toss the ball a paltry few feet and she would be satisfied with that. One day, she and I were playing the “old dog” version of fetch at the end of the grassy part of Midtown terrace playground. All of a sudden her nose gave a twitch and my old girl absolutely flew across the park to the children’s play area where two women were giving a group of young children a snack. The kids were lined up on a bench about to eat what turned out to be bologna sandwiches. No one was more surprised than I was that Java could run so fast. I might add her that in her 12 years, although we were misguided dog owners who let her eat way too much “people food” (she loved pizza) bologna was uncharted territory for her. Java had reached the picnic before I even figured out what was going on. By the time I had gotten to her, she had already stolen the first sandwich, wolfed it in one happy gulp and was about to get a second. There was total mayhem. The group had every reason to be seriously annoyed, but let me make it clear, these were not dog lovers under any circumstances. I arrived just as one of the women grabbed her little girl’s hands holding the sandwich as Java was trying to snatch it. A finger got scratched and there was a drop of blood. More panic ensued. I got Java on her leash and profusely apologized. Java was as waggy as could be, She could smell another full bag full of sandwiches and was hoping for more. She was ‘bologna delirious’ and I just needed to get her out of there. I assured the adult women that Java’s shots were up to date. I showed them her license, gave my phone number and suggested that I remove her from the scene, take her home (we lived across the street) and I would come back with band aids, Neosporin (and some lollipops). I told them I was a nurse. I would be right back. I said to the kids, “The silly dog was not being a good girl. She wanted to steal your sandwich, which is a bad thing to do, but she certainly didn’t want to hurt anyone or scare you.I am sorry that that happened” I dragged my reluctant dog home, grumbling at her the entire time, “I can’t believe you did that!!” I threw together some first aid stuff and rushed back to the park as quickly as I could.I was gone for no longer than five minutes. Are you kidding me? As I got there, I could see red lights flashing from an ambulance and several fire trucks. They had called 911. The park happens to be across the street from a firehouse, so firetrucks hadn’t had to travel very far. In fact, the firemen mostly all knew Java and me from years hanging out at the park. I arrived as one fireman was convincing the still distraught women that they probably didn’t need to go to the ER. He looked at me and rolled his eyes. The family ended up accepting my cuter band aids (although there was almost nothing to see on the little finger and no more bleeding.) I thought that was the end of the story, but the Oscar Meyer gang also reported the incident to animal care and control. Poor Java was under house arrest for several weeks...Oh the indignity. We all took to calling her Kujo! Even though a 911 call was wildly out of proportion, I really was horrified that this happened. Java was a gentle dog who loved all people, but especially loved kids. As is my way, I looked for the lessons. Should I have had her on a leash? Perhaps, but that wasn’t the lesson I came away with. Instead I started teaching the “Java Rule” at my safety classes . As you are teaching your kids about safe interaction with pets, keep these guidelines in mind. Java's rule: Teach your child and practice this. If they are holding food, and a dog tries to get the food, they should drop it, rather that trying to keep it from the dog. This would be especially true if you are at a park and you don’t know the dog. Just open your hand and let it go. You can always replace the food. If you are at home, make sure that your child can eat safely with no pets able to grab food away from them (droppings on the floor are a different issue.) If your dog is a food grabber, they need to be out of the room when your kid is eating. (Dogs should also be given the the same respect and should be entitled to the luxury of eating without a toddler in the room.) Children shouldn’t be allowed to feed animals until they are old enough to be deliberate and hold the food out in a flat hand with a thumb safely tucked away.