It was bound to happen, I just didn't know when. And I certainly didn't think I would be standing by, a mere two feet away when it did happen.
Paige got bit by a dog. And not just any dog. Mom's dog, Harley, who has known Paige since Mom brought him into our house as a six-week-old puppy. Before anyone gets too worked up, let me say first that he didn't break the skin and Paige truly is okay. He just scraped up the top of her head a little bit and scared her (and me and Mom). Within moments of it happening, the tears had already worn off and she was back to her normal, happy-go-lucky self.
Mom wondered why it happened. Harley has essentially grown up with Paige and she has "wallowed all over him" with no problem until now.
I know why it happened. He's a small dog, and Paige is a toddler who, while she does grasp the concept of gentle doesn't grasp it well enough to always realize when what she's doing hurts. So, in more clear terms, she hurt him and he reacted in defense. It was not an unreasonable response, although I'm not at all pleased about it.
A mere second before it happened I was in the process of stooping to pull her away and scold her for being too rough. Todd and I have worked to try and teach Paige to be respectful of animals. I think Mom on the other hand, has always found the rough-housing funny...like two siblings wrestling. So, it's been a little bit of conflicting information for Paige. Playing rough isn't allowed. Oh wait, it IS allowed if Mommy and Daddy aren't around.
I'm hoping this was a wakeup call. For Todd and I to be even more diligent about how Paige is allowed to act around animals and for Mom to realize that even though she thinks of and treats Harley like a human baby...well, he's still a dog underneath it all. And yes, he's still in the house and we still love him like the fluffball he is, but things will never quite be the same. I'm just thankful all we got was a scare and not something much, much worse.
