Pets

I am all for pets. It has been shown that kids born into homes with pets have fewer allergy and asthma symptoms on average than those with no pets around. The bond between kids, even as young as babies and toddlers, and their pets is not only adorable but great for their brain development, but we still want to make sure that kiddos are safe at home with pets.

If you are expecting a little one and you already have a fur baby at home, we should do some prep work. We need to get Rover or Fido okay with kids crying noises and maybe the errant pulling of the tail, nose, or ears that may happen with a little one. Playing recorded baby crying sounds at random times of the day to see how your four-legged friend is reacting is a good way to see how chill they will be around baby. If you have family friends with kids of various ages, also see how your pet interacts with them, looking for unprovoked or provoked growling, barking, and biting attempts. 

Not all pets are created equal in terms of safety concerns for families. Now the list below does not mean that every dog listed is automatically not safe to be around babies. Every dog is different, but if we go by numbers from this generally well-investigated systematic review, this is what we find:

Out of 1616 dog bites, the 3 most prevalent breeds involved were found to be pit bulls (also identified as Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, or bull terrier, 38.5%), mixed breeds (pit bull mixes, Labrador mixes, pit bull/Labrador mixes, 13%), and Labradors (8.1%).

From Pediatric dog bite injuries in the USA: a systematic review by Patterson et al. (2022)

Or this study by craniofacial (head, face, and neck) surgeons who responded to dog bite traumas:

Breeds of Dogs Involved in Attacks

Breed Number (%)

Mixed breed 84 (23)

Labrador retriever 50 (14)

Rottweiler 18 (5)

German shepherd 16 (4)

Golden retriever 11 (3)

Pit bull 11 (3)

Cocker spaniel 11 (3)

Collie 10 (3)

Chow 9 (2)

Terrier, unknown type 9 (2)

Husky 8 (2) 

Akita 7 (2)

Australian shepherd 7 (2)

Dachshund 7 (2)

Bulldog 6 (2)

Mastiff 6 (2)

Shih tzu 6 (2)

Jack Russell terrier 6 (2)

Boston terrier 5 (1)

Boxer 4 (1)

Chihuahua 4 (1) 

Dalmatian 4 (1)

Doberman 4 (1)

Great Dane 4 (1)

Greyhound 4 (1)

Yorkshire terrier 4 (1)

Malamute 3 (1)

Newfoundland 3 (1)

Poodle 3 (1)

Sheepdog 3 (1)

Springer spaniel 3 (1)

Saint Bernard 3 (1)

Coonhound 2 (1)

Lhasa apso 2 (1)

Shar-Pei 2 (1)

Bull terrier 2 (1)

Cairn terrier 2 (1)

Scottish terrier 2 (1)

West Highland terrier 2 (1)

Other 19 (5)

Unknown 171 (32)

From Analysis of pediatric facial dog bites by Chen et al. (2013)

Now don’t go running to drop your family dog off at the animal shelter because they are on this list! Again, you know your family dog and their temperament. As a pediatrician, we try not to think of dogs in terms of their breed for safety but rather how big their mouths are. The dog bites that get us really worried are ones where the dog can grab onto a large part of a baby (their head or chest or an extremity), get their whole mouth around it, and crush and rip. Yes, chihuahuas bite, but they won’t be able to wrap that tiny little mouth around a major part of a baby. 

Regardless, a baby should not be left alone with any animal unsupervised, and older kiddos should not be left alone with animals they are not entirely familiar with unsupervised.