# 2 year old pulled my malts ears



## poochie2 (Jan 14, 2010)

OMG ! I was taking a walk today at the park and a nice lady and her 2 year old baby asked if they can pet the dog and I said okay well the baby looked like he was about to pet Vanilla but instead pulled her ear so hard. She gave a huge yelp and the mom was like "no, no pet doggie nicely", so she put her hand over his hand and he pulled her ear AGAIN :w00t: I am extremely upset and I'm worried he may have injured her ears. About 10 minutes ago she was on the carpet scratching the back of her ear and she yelped again. I looked but I do not see anything. Should I call the vet?


----------



## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

I'm sorry that happened to your baby. I would call the vet's office, and ask them what you should do? I don't think it's normal for a dog to yelp as a result of scratching her ears?


----------



## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

Next time if anyone asks to pet your Malt say no. It protect everyone. What if your Malt nipped the girl... what a mess that might be ... even a lawsuit. Your Malt likely doesn't get any enjoyment at all being petted by a stranger, much less a child.

If your Malt yelped, I would have the vet look her over to see why. Obviously something is bothering her.


----------



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

I never let a young child near Nikki. I hardly let any strangers pet her. I'm paranoid that way. I'm sorry your fluff got hurt. She might be feeling sensitive right now. See how she is in the morning.


----------



## maltlovereileen (Jan 19, 2009)

I'm in agreement with Sher and Suzan... I just never let little kids near my dogs. One time of a bad experience (as you learned) is all it takes to make you proactive. Better they think you're a snob then get your dog hurt (little kids pulling like that is more common than not and the parents Never seem to care, they just want their kid entertained ) or turn your dog into a kid hater. 

I hope she's feeling better now. Poor baby...


----------



## kissmyhorse (Jun 25, 2010)

:new_shocked:OMG thats aweful! I would have never been able to show that much restraint with the mother, I very likely would have ripped her a huge new one!!! :yucky: Stupid people infuriate me!!!:Bad day: My guess would be that the ligaments are slightly stretched and sore, she could have a bruise as well. Couldnt hurt to call your vet. But this is the most important... now she needs lots of super positive experiences around children. If you have a friend who has a young child that is *good* with dogs, ask her if you can bring your dog over and their child can feed her treats and_ gently_ pet her all over. It would be so tragic if she took this aweful experience with her throughout her life.:crying:


----------



## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

Poor Vanilla, I hope her ear is okay by tomorrow. If not, I would definitely take Vanilla in somewhere to get it checked out. I would doubt that the child actually injured her ear more than just making it sore, but you should keep a close eye on her just in case.


----------



## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

I very seldom let little kids touch my girls, I use a stroller alot. I know you were being friendly but some people just don't get it. I hope she will be ok.


----------



## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

k/c mom said:


> Next time if anyone asks to pet your Malt say no. It protect everyone. What if your Malt nipped the girl... what a mess that might be ... even a lawsuit. Your Malt likely doesn't get any enjoyment at all being petted by a stranger, much less a child.
> 
> If your Malt yelped, I would have the vet look her over to see why. Obviously something is bothering her.


OMG! I agree 100% with Sher! Vanilla just bit your own daughter last week yet you allow a strange two year old pet her???? 

Poor Vanilla was cornered and teased by your own children and now was hurt by another small child. Next time she may just bite first to protect herself rather than waiting to be hurt.


----------



## CeeCee's Mom (Sep 14, 2006)

Goodness.......I am so sorry! I hope the child did not hurt your malt's ears. Don't let a child near your baby from now on........children mean well but they can be rough...


----------



## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

This is so sad and frustrating. I hope this bad experience will not lead to Vanilla creating a negative association with children. 

This has happened to me a couple of times. When Cloud was little he loved children. Well one of the neighbor children picked him up one time and squeezed him until he yelped (she was old enough we would have thought she would have known better) after that he was never the same with kids. 

Cadeau was playing with my friend's kids and they were running. He was chasing them and barking. It seemed like a harmless game for them all until the 6 year old turned around and kicked him. When we asked him why he kicked Cadeau he said because his barking annoyed him. His mother then told him to try to pet my little boy as an apology. I don't think it is surprising that my little reactive boy air-snapped at him in response. 

It is discouraging how quickly these things can go wrong. Most of us love children and we all love these dogs. It SEEMS like it should all work out ok, but sadly too often it does not. 

I hope your Vanilla is OK now, both physically and emotionally.


----------



## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

CloudClan said:


> This is so sad and frustrating. I hope this bad experience will not lead to Vanilla creating a negative association with children.
> 
> This has happened to me a couple of times. When Cloud was little he loved children. Well one of the neighbor children picked him up one time and squeezed him until he yelped (she was old enough we would have thought she would have known better) after that he was never the same with kids.
> 
> ...


Oh UGH, dont' you hate it when stuff like that happens? Poor Dodo. I bet you wanted to airsnap at that kid too. At age 6, they knew better.


----------



## Canada (Jun 4, 2009)

maltlovereileen said:


> I'm in agreement with Sher and Suzan... I just never let little kids near my dogs. One time of a bad experience (as you learned) is all it takes to make you proactive. Better they think you're a snob then get your dog hurt (*little kids pulling like that is more common than not and the parents Never seem to care, they just want their kid entertained* ) or turn your dog into a kid hater.
> 
> I hope she's feeling better now. Poor baby...


I agree with your post, our dogs are not for the "amusement" of young kids! It irks me too that some parents think that about animals, that their purpose is to entertain kids.

I tend to hurry the other way when I am walking a pup and a kid approachs. And I could care less if that seem unfriendly. The safety of my pups is more important to me.

*Our dogs weigh less than a human newborn! We don't let toddlers handle newborns...so why a dog?* 

This _isn't_ directed to anyone here! I am just commenting in general about the young kid/toy dog issue.

I hope Vanilla is feeling better soon, her poor ear. 
I'm sure you're taking extra special care of her and her injury. Please post how she's mending.


----------



## poochie2 (Jan 14, 2010)

See the thing is my malt adores kids. She's with them every single day. She is 19 months and has been around kids since she was 6 weeks old. We always have kids in the back yard and Vanilla is awesome. Sometimes she just sits on the patio and watches them play ball. So when this lady asked if her child can pet Vanilla I said yes cause she's used to daily petting from kids. Now I was very upset this child pulled my malts ears pretty darn hard. :angry: I do not want her to associate a small child with her getting her ears pulled so tonight when the neighbours were over I'm glad she was okay around them and not afraid. She's also 11 pounds and is pretty tough. 
Im always afraid I'll hurt people's feelings by saying "NO". But that's just me in general. I'm definitely going to have to start saying NO to having her being pet by people in the neighbourhood cause I agree you have to watch out at all times.


----------



## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

Ladysmom said:


> OMG! I agree 100% with Sher! Vanilla just bit your own daughter last week yet you allow a strange two year old pet her????
> 
> Poor Vanilla was cornered and teased by your own children and now was hurt by another small child. Next time she may just bite first to protect herself rather than waiting to be hurt.


I forgot about this one. You will be lucky if Vanilla does not develop a fear for children now and will not tolerate them anymore.


----------



## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

k/c mom said:


> Next time if anyone asks to pet your Malt say no. It protect everyone. What if your Malt nipped the girl... what a mess that might be ... even a lawsuit. Your Malt likely doesn't get any enjoyment at all being petted by a stranger, much less a child.
> 
> If your Malt yelped, I would have the vet look her over to see why. Obviously something is bothering her.


Ditto.


----------



## Canada (Jun 4, 2009)

poochie2 said:


> See the thing is my malt adores kids. She's with them every single day. She is 19 months and has been around kids since she was 6 weeks old. We always have kids in the back yard and Vanilla is awesome. Sometimes she just sits on the patio and watches them play ball. So when this lady asked if her child can pet Vanilla I said yes cause she's used to daily petting from kids. Now I was very upset this child pulled my malts ears pretty darn hard. :angry: I do not want her to associate a small child with her getting her ears pulled so tonight when the neighbours were over I'm glad she was okay around them and not afraid. She's also 11 pounds and is pretty tough.
> *Im always afraid I'll hurt people's feelings by saying "NO". But that's just me in general. I'm definitely going to have to start saying NO to having her being pet by people in the neighbourhood cause I agree you have to watch out at all times*.


That is sweet of you to be concerned of other's feelings. 
But don't feel bad, you're just protecting Vanilla from the unknown.
And children and even some adults are unknown factors.
We can't predict young children's behaviour, that is why it is risky.
It's not unfriendly of you to say "Sorry, No!"

I tend to cross the street or just head in the opposite direction. 
It's not like the strangers know why I did that.


----------



## Miss_Annie (Mar 3, 2010)

You should have pulled that little 2 year olds ear right back!! and then ran to avoid the lawsuit! That's just my 2 cents... 

I'm so protective of my babies.. When I had my chickens (bantam chicks) still in my apartment with me, my boyfriend's 13 year old brother wanted to hold one, so I let him... He then thought that holding Reese, the chicken, meant letting it stand in his palm and then dropping his hand really fast so it had to flap it's little wings and get scared. I FLIPPED!! I took Reese back and chewed him out up and down and shamed him!! He didn't understand though and at the end of my chewing, yelling, and angry noises he just looked at me and said, "it's just a chicken." Some people just don't get it! I glared at him and wouldn't let anyone speak until he apologized to both me and Reese! 

I guess you could call me "one of those crazy animal people", but baby animals need someone to stand up for them and get a little crazy sometimes!


----------



## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

poochie2 said:


> See the thing is my malt adores kids. She's with them every single day. She is 19 months and has been around kids since she was 6 weeks old. We always have kids in the back yard and Vanilla is awesome. Sometimes she just sits on the patio and watches them play ball. So when this lady asked if her child can pet Vanilla I said yes cause she's used to daily petting from kids. Now I was very upset this child pulled my malts ears pretty darn hard. :angry: I do not want her to associate a small child with her getting her ears pulled so tonight when the neighbours were over I'm glad she was okay around them and not afraid. She's also 11 pounds and is pretty tough.
> Im always afraid I'll hurt people's feelings by saying "NO". But that's just me in general. I'm definitely going to have to start saying NO to having her being pet by people in the neighbourhood cause I agree you have to watch out at all times.


That's the point. All dogs love children UNTIL they get hurt one time to many. Don't be afraid to say NO. K/C is right. If your dog would have bitten that little kid in retaliation you can be sure that her mom would have taken her to the emergency room and you would have animal control on your back if not a law suit.


----------



## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

I get very cautious about small ones touching my dogs,I usually hold their hand to keep them from pulling an ear or poking an eye. My fluffs love,love,love kids.
I think if the little girl pulled my dog's ear,I wouldn't have let her go back for "seconds".... In my experience toddlers get a reaction and they will repeat it,not understanding that it's wrong....


----------



## kissmyhorse (Jun 25, 2010)

Ladysmom said:


> OMG! I agree 100% with Sher! Vanilla just bit your own daughter last week yet you allow a strange two year old pet her????
> 
> Poor Vanilla was cornered and teased by your own children and now was hurt by another small child. Next time she may just bite first to protect herself rather than waiting to be hurt.


 
 Thats not good... I've always stuck by the saying "Little kids + Little dogs = BIG problems" Toy breeds just arent made for kids, ya know?


----------



## TheMunchkin (Oct 18, 2008)

Poochie2, I can understand your feelings. I'm really big on socialization for my furkids. The way I see it, I don't want them to be sweet to only to the people they live with. I want them to be sweet to distant family members who visit them, the wonderful people who stop us during our walks, the groomers, the pet sitters, the mailman, you get the point. As you can tell, I'm a HUGE advocate of socialization. I hate to be a braggart, but let me just say this: I've never been the malt mom to say, "Please don't come too close... she can be a little aggressive/territorial/whatever else." 

I agree with everyone here that toddlers and Maltese just do NOT go hand in hand. However, I have a process whenever a small child wants to pet my malt. First thing is I put her in my arms, where I can fully control the situation. Then I take my hand and pet the child say, "Be gentle, ok? Like this." And I stroke the child's arm very lightly and softly. I've always done it this way, and I've never had problems. Fendi is now 4 almost 5 years old, she's not scared of little children because of this. At the same time, when I take her out for walks or to the small dog park, I watch her like a hawk! The poor thing doesn't even KNOW how rough children can be. But I don't let her find out.  Hope this helps.


----------



## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

TheMunchkin said:


> Poochie2, I can understand your feelings. I'm really big on socialization for my furkids. The way I see it, I don't want them to be sweet to only to the people they live with. I want them to be sweet to distant family members who visit them, the wonderful people who stop us during our walks, the groomers, the pet sitters, the mailman, you get the point. As you can tell, I'm a HUGE advocate of socialization. I hate to be a braggart, but let me just say this: I've never been the malt mom to say, "Please don't come too close... she can be a little aggressive/territorial/whatever else."
> 
> I agree with everyone here that toddlers and Maltese just do NOT go hand in hand. However, I have a process whenever a small child wants to pet my malt. First thing is I put her in my arms, where I can fully control the situation. Then I take my hand and pet the child say, "Be gentle, ok? Like this." And I stroke the child's arm very lightly and softly. I've always done it this way, and I've never had problems. Fendi is now 4 almost 5 years old, she's not scared of little children because of this. At the same time, when I take her out for walks or to the small dog park, I watch her like a hawk! The poor thing doesn't even KNOW how rough children can be. But I don't let her find out.  Hope this helps.


Your idea about how to show children how to interact with a Malt is a good idea! 

Off topic but we have another member here FendiMunchkin .. is that you, too? If so, you might want to let "Admin" know so he can remove one of them .. only one per person ...


----------



## bentley's Mum (Dec 27, 2007)

omg Im so sorry that happened! I would make an appointment at the vet or atleast give a call and see what they say.

It is hard because it happends that fast and I completly understand you would want your furkid to be socialized I feel the same way! The only way little ones touch Bentley is if he is in my lap where I have more control of what is happening.


----------



## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

MalteseJane said:


> That's the point. All dogs love children UNTIL they get hurt one time to many. Don't be afraid to say NO. K/C is right. If your dog would have bitten that little kid in retaliation you can be sure that her mom would have taken her to the emergency room and you would have animal control on your back if not a law suit.


i'm going to beg to differ that all dogs love children.....i don't think we can assume this unless we have properly socialized them.


----------



## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

oh thats awful 
If her ears still seem sore tomorrow I would take her to the vet.

Kids are always petting Milo but none as young as 2. I've only had 2 incidents - one was when a 5 yr old pulled at his top knot and another was when he was about 8 months - he got too excited a nipped at a child when she was petting him (she wasn't hurt) but that was enough for me to be very very careful. 
Milo is 14 months and still nips when he gets too playful so I have to be sure that he doesn't get too excited when people, especially kids want to pet him.


----------



## uniquelovdolce (Mar 10, 2010)

im so sorry this happened to your baby , it happened to dolce too n it was in a second , my friends baby , she is like 1 and a half maybe she saw him n reached down so fast n tried to pick him up by his head ,, omg poor dolce yelped n luckily i noticed right away n i screamed at the baby no!!! i think it was my fault for not paying closer attention .. luckily he has never been scared around children since i have four and theres always kids in my house, my youngest is two and hes not allowed to carry or pick up dolce without me being there but then again my son is never alone im always there ... 

about strangers petting dolce , im usually ok with this as he is real friendly and nice to everyone but i dont let lil toddlers touch him , why because they simply dont know how to treat these little fluffs unless they are introduced to pups early on , and its better to be safe then sorry ..


----------



## bluebuzz81 (Jul 29, 2008)

Wow, I am so sorry to hear that. I would definetly take him to the vet.


----------



## maltlovereileen (Jan 19, 2009)

This thread was started on 2 July... I'm guessing/hoping his ears are back to normal or she would have reposted, right?


----------



## Terry36 (Jan 21, 2009)

maltlovereileen said:


> This thread was started on 2 July... I'm guessing/hoping his ears are back to normal or she would have reposted, right?


Yes I hope so!!!!


----------



## Cute Chloe (Nov 30, 2009)

When people approach us and say "Oh how cute! Can I hold her?"

I immediately reply "She likes to bite!!"

They avoid us like the plague, then we go on our merry little way, then my hubby and kids and I giggle like little girls....LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!

My 4 pound, three thousand dollar baby is not for everyone elses' amusement. If strangers want to manhandle an animal, they can pet an ostrich at the nearest zoo.
Leave my Chloe alone.


----------



## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Cute Chloe said:


> When people approach us and say "Oh how cute! Can I hold her?"
> 
> I immediately reply "She likes to bite!!"
> 
> ...



Perfect response! I like your attitude!


----------



## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

I hope she's ok...did you bring her to the vet?

I have two young daughters whom the dogs love. However, when they have friends over I keep them gated in the kitchen because I don't want any incidents. 

When I'm walking them and someone asks to pat them (child OR adult) I say no "I don't know how they'll act." Because really--you never know. That way I'm protecting my dogs, I'm protecting the person and I'm protecting MYSELF from a potential law suit!


----------

