Cody and the baby

Yesterday, I left Cody outside in the shade while I went into Starbucks to get an iced coffee. I was watching through the window as a mom brought her 1 year old to visit Cody (I guessed 1 year old because he was barely walking).

Even as a dog-lover, I don't think I would ever introduce a baby to a strange dog with no owner around. Even if he looked friendly (Cody was not his normal, super-hyper, jumping self since it was too hot for him), you never know what can set a dog off. Especially a youngster who doesn't necessarily know the difference between a dog and say a stuffed animal. Maybe the baby would accidentally poke the dog's eye and the dog would respond poorly. I don't know. Just random scenarios.

I have met too many dogs while walking Cody that had issues. In fact, I'm surprised how few dogs are socially trained and can act appropriately (or not hostile) to other dogs or humans. For that observation alone, I would never trust a young child with a random dog without checking with the owner first.