Dogs and children swimming together

Joe Xuereb

Aug 22nd 2010, 20:52

Fish-farms are a source of revenue and may well attract sharks. In which case, don't swim in the sea (if you're really bothered, your responsibility).
A shark may prefer dog-meat :) but nothing to stop it being playful like a kitten with lethal claws. And the once bitten but never again allowed to be shy, not once never mind twice, and tell the tale (this last bit for the benefit of those who fail to understand plain English/logic).
Relevant?! You bet! But then I am blessed - I see connectivity between most things. If one's not open to widening one's mind, why bother to have a brain in the first place?

wedny mamo

Aug 22nd 2010, 12:08

@ isabelle. i am 100% on your side. the doctor that told u that should be ashamed of himself!! my sister also suffered a bit of excema when she was a toddler and my mum had 3 dogs. but not for 1 second did we ever consider getting rid of our loving pets. NO WAY!!! the excema cleared up on its own anyway after a few months. BUT i know for a fact that if the same story was to happen to some maltese family with the 'maltese' mentality (just like the one who wrote this article) those dogs would have either been thrown out in the streets and left to die or else they would have been put down. yep-i know that for a fact. why some people have this retarded mentality of dogs being dirty i will never know, but i for one know that my dog is cleaner than most people and i shall keep taking her with me to the beach and god help me if anyone passes any comment or tries to stop me!!! dogs are gods creatures and they are also mans best friend. open your minds people-were in 2011!!

George Debono

Aug 21st 2010, 23:32

Joe Xuereb

……………. leg lacerated ……….. lateral thinking…………… people too are dangerous………….monogamy .........………….tough life

Che centra ???
G :-))

Isabella Peresso Fiorentino

Aug 21st 2010, 22:47

I recently came back from a holiday in the north of Europe and was stunned by the way humans and animals, mostly dogs live side by side on a daily basis. One sees dogs accompanied by their guardians, on the beach, in the cities, in the coffee shops, in public gardens, in the shops and even in museums. Then one comes back to Malta, and one rarely sees a dog in our capital City. Now reading this letter, here we are complaining of dogs swimming in public beaches. What is wrong with us Maltese?

When my baby son was diagnosed with eczema, the first thing the doctor told me was to "get rid of my dog ', and the the next thing I did was never to call him again. What an easy way out - how callous ! No wonder so many dogs are thrown out onto the streets after the arrival of a baby. When my dog had died, my son still scratched due to his allergy. It's a known fact that children who are born in an environment where pets are around, become immune to many infections and not the other way round.

Joe Xuereb

Aug 21st 2010, 18:04

It's all very well saying one's country is rotten - strong word that, for one's country! - but for one to take out one's rage on a total stranger simply because the stranger treats intimacy with people with caution and with dogs, even more so - that is inexcusable. As we say in my corner of London - a hamlet within one of a hundred villages that make up London - if one's not part of the solution to cure creeping rot, then one could well be part of the problem.

JEAN ABDILLA

Aug 21st 2010, 12:24

MELA MUX EK NIBQAW!!! IL KELB TIJAJ JIGI MIJAJ KULL FEJ IMMUR U BAHAR INKLUZ! JEKK MA JOGBOKX AQBAD IT TFAL U MORRU XIMKIEN IEHOR. XAFFARIJIET DAW!!!!

wendy mamo

Aug 21st 2010, 11:04

solution is simple: if u dont want to swim near a dog go and find yourself another spot. i for one take my dog to the beach all the time and i think if somebody told me not to i would probably tell them where to go.il bahar ta kulhadd!!! take your kids swimming somewhere else if u dont like it u daqsekk!!!!!

charles grech

Aug 21st 2010, 01:18

@ Paul Vassallo.

Using the same argument of Mr. Paul Vassallo then all tuna farms should be closed down as they are the main attraction of sharks. Also Paul Vassallo's statement of dogs attracting sharks is mind boggling. If as he says dogs attract sharks then he should not worry as the sharks - if any - will not attack him as they would prefer dog meat flavour.

emanuel magrin

Aug 21st 2010, 01:05

I completely agree with Mr. Franco Farrugia.

Joe Xuereb

Aug 20th 2010, 23:01

@ George Debono. Hearing about someone having his leg lacerated by a shark on the other side of the world may sound trivial. Until it happens to you or someone you care about other than yourself. I am not sure you'll understand what I'm getting at but I'll try anyway, for the benefits of others. Do you have to make it so obvious that the concepts of 'lateral-thinking' and 'the knock-on-effect' is totally lost on you? Did they not teach you how to understand what you read when you were at school? comprehension we used to call it. That was my favourite subject when I was teaching in Malta before I came to UK. The lesson was never long enough, time just flew. It needed a lot of patience and preparation (inspector breathing down my neck....) but I like to think it paid dividends. They'll all be daddies now, maybe grandpas even.
As you say George, people too are dangerous. Although not natural, monogamy with a healthy person is the best bet. You'll remain healthy as long as neither of you cheats. It's a tough life out there George. In or out the water.

ita nudelman

Aug 20th 2010, 22:34

Dogs are different but if you are not sure of letting your child swimming with a dog then don't let him\her. Some people don't like it when dogs swim in the water the same water they are swimmimng in. A dog can like water or not and it also depends on the dog and its owner.

Joseph Galea

Aug 20th 2010, 22:21

Dog owners, lets stop being selfish and try to understand others. Dogs swimming with people is neither a good thing nor proper hygene. How many of you dog owners take a showed/bath at home with your own dogs? (I'm a dog owner too but do that!)

Yes, some kids might like the idea of having a dog swim around them but this is not hygene - let alone those that are afraid of dogs! Everyone should be respected and dog owners must be responsable enough to not let their dogs bath in the same waters as other swimmers...

robert micallef

Aug 20th 2010, 21:28

Dear Franco Farrugia

i'm sorry but by your comments you harm dog owners more then you help them.
you say "has it happened " yes in fact many times just check the british newspapers yesterday. if you check of 2 days ago a police woman got badly hurt and around 1 month ago a toddler got killed. just 3 that i remember.
"she does not like them then tough for her" yes this is what gives dog owners a bad image. this Maltese thing of kuntent jien kuntent kulhad.
i have a German shepherd who is so timid it lets my kids take its food. but as you do not know my dog's character i make sure i keep her on a lead so that you or your kids will not get a fright.
its called respect and respecting the fact that maybe you do not like dogs or just fear them.
I'm sick of seeing people taking the dog to the swings in Zebbug to relieve itself. and they do not even pick it up.

Paul Vassallo

Aug 20th 2010, 18:01

DOGS CAN ALSO ATTRACT SHARKS. THERE`S ALWAYS A FIRST TIME FOR ANYHING

Joe Xuereb

Aug 20th 2010, 17:48

Handling of animals is indeed potentially hazardous and we should be mindful of that. Which is not the same as saying we should live like goldfish in bubble-bowls. Anyone kissing anyone knowing they have a cold is a fool. But it's only a curable cold. The infection could be more serious of course, from syphilitic sores in the mouth, and other VDs. Children who are exposed to 'normal' viruses ARE SAID to develop their immune system. But that is little comfort to the child, and its parents, who has come in contact with fecal matter and through contact with the yes - children are so innocent - the child goes irreversibly blind. So, love animals and people. But be aware that an animal carries 'matter' that is often fatal to people. And don't forget the malaria tablets when travelling to dodgy places where the deadly mosquito is endemic. The gist of all this is, it is better to live off education than die of ignorance. Beware the common pigeon. It harbours a parasite which, having colonised the lung (I've seen cases) plays havoc with the breathing system. Very difficult to cure if the patient survives the development of the condition.

George Debono

Aug 20th 2010, 16:32

RE "No nonsense from the internet and yet you sign off with just that."

Absolutely Mr Smith. You can find anything to support whatever argument on the internet (and the bible!). This is different from peer-reviewed scientific reports in reputable scientific publications.

See what I mean ?

John Falzon

Aug 20th 2010, 16:32

There are dogs and dogs, like there are people and people!

Michelle Hallett

Aug 20th 2010, 15:38

There are irresponsible dog owners and irresponsible people, we don’t ban people so why ban dogs ?
Just because YOU do not feel safe does not mean that other people share your opinion. You even state in your letter that children and dogs are unpredictable….. shall we ban children from swimming also then ?
From my experience children love playing with my dog when she comes to swim with me.

Joseph Cauchi

Aug 20th 2010, 14:32

When are the authorities going to put their feet down and take action by preventing the regular horse-bathing in the Maghtab Ramla Bay when families with children are swimming in these waters?

Aren’t we concerned the danger and the perils these children find themselves in when swimming next to these huge animals?

The Naxxar Local Council should install warning signs to indicate that “HORSE BATHING IS PROHIBITED”.

And could the Mobile-Police kindly patrol this particular bay in order to control the situation or is it perhaps permitted for horses to bathe and mix with children?

Prevention is better than cure!

JC.

George Debono

Aug 20th 2010, 14:24

victor rodenas

RE "………small children and dogs swimming near each other can be dangerous….."

Anything can be dangerous.

For all we know the sun will not rise tomorrow and we will all die. But on the evidence we have, even though nobody can provide 100% proof that the sun will indeed rise tomorrow, we assume it will and that we will survive.

So Mr Rodenas, of course, like anything else, children and dogs swimming near each other can be dangerous - but this has not been borne out by past experience. Or maybe you can quote one or two such cases?

Let us worry about real threats and not theoretical ones - as I said elsewhere.
There are, after all, plenty of these.

Franco Farrugia

Aug 20th 2010, 13:32

It all boils down to the following facts:
Many people are afraid of dogs;
Many people look down on other animals, little realising that we, human beings, are animals as much as they are;
Many people think that everyone and his granny, animals as well, have been born to serve them, their children and their families;
Many people will grumble just about anything;
Many people still believe in old wives' tales.

George Debono

Aug 20th 2010, 13:17

@ Ms pace

If you demand action on an empty claim such as "………..unsafe……..letting a four-year-old swim next to a dog. They are both unpredictable" -and if you want the council to "designate an area where dogs may swim or allow a certain time for dogs to swim attended by their owners -plus- appropriate signs" etc.................. then you should provide PROOF that harm can truly arise out of dogs swimming in the same area as children.

As far as am aware there is no recorded case in the history of this planet where a child has come to harm from swimming near a dog. Please prove me wrong if you can.

Why not worry, as I do, about the pollution I St Julians? One whiff of poisonous black smoke from a bus is far more dangerous to a child than all the swimming dogs in Sliema.

So maybe you can lobby (as I do) for cleaner air here. I have reviewed all the scientific data and I know what I am talking about.

Incidentally - children love playing with my dog when he comes down with me to swim.

G

victor rodenas

Aug 20th 2010, 13:07

Dogs and adults swimming near each other...no problem.,but small children and dogs swimming near each other can be dangerous.

George Debono

Aug 20th 2010, 13:01

Alfred Baldacchino


Dog and man have lived closely together in perfect harmony for thousands of years. Which deadly virus do you mean? Facts please


There are one or two parasites which have occasionally been passed on usually from puppies to children - but deadly virus? Can you tell us which virus??? - and no nonsence from the internet, OK?

As to this obsession with dog-poo: Every moving creature on this planet has been poo-ing for 500,000,000 years - and not only are we still around….but we have now flourished to such an etxtent (and in the company of dogs! ) that we have succeeded in poisoning the planet in the last 50 years to the point where we risk destroying ourselves. So forget this dog nonsense.

To Marianne Pace, Alfred Baldacchino & others: You about would be better off worrying our serious (traffic) pollution in St Julains and forget this nonsense about the occasional swimming dog - or dog poo. The real threat to children (especially their lungs) comes from traffic pollution. This is something proven beyond doubt. PLEASE see Part IV of "Towards a Low Carbon Society - the Nation's Health, Energy Security and Fossil Fuels" at http://www.tppi.org.mt/cms/index.php/reports .

Joe Xuereb

Aug 20th 2010, 12:14

Seeing little anything playing with other little things - as in children and animals frolicking together - is all very well. But animals, because of their 'ignorant' nature, have parasites not known to man (as in two living organisms exchange whatever is on/in them - humans know this and take precautions while animals don't because they have no reasoning. Animals are indeed useful and amusing and need human kindness in return. That said, I have seen pet-owners kiss their cat/dog on the mouth. Bad move. I have known parents allowing their child's pet dog share their bath. They look so cute on the tiny digital camera screen. Very bad idea.
I love my cat to bits but ultimately, it is an animal. It will survive most anything. But anything I might catch from him could cost me more than money. So beyond my affection and gratitude towards him, common sense kicks in. And I keep my distance.

Franco Farrugia

Aug 20th 2010, 10:54

With all due respect, if Ms Pace does not feel safe swimming next to a dog, it's her problem. What's so wrong with dogs swimming alongside people, especially when they are closely monitored? Or do we want animals around us only in order to save lives, which is not the first time?
There is no balance needed between 'us swimmers' and 'dog owners who want to take their dogs for a swim' in any area! The two are perfectly compatible.
The lady is right with regard to dogs dirtying the area, but, may I ask, does the lady have eyes to see the human-induced dirt left behind by bbqs etcc.....?
I really think the lady has it in for dogs - she doesn't like them. Respectfully, tough for her! Animals around us make life all the 'more pleasant' and yes, 'safe'!

liz falzon

Aug 20th 2010, 10:32

Following link is very informative and highlights further the dangers posed by irresponsible dog littering.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1304091/Toddler-lose-eye-catching-infection-dog-mess-park.html

Alfred Baldacchino

Aug 20th 2010, 09:44

Dogs and small children don't mix. It has been known that some dog excreta carry a deadly virus which affects the eyes and the brain.