Excerpts from mail: 7-Mar-95 FERRET Digest - 5 Mar 1995 .. by Automatic processor@CUNY > My point? Don't underestimate children's abilities to learn! If shown > constantly from the very first instant, even a young child will quickly > learn that animals must be treated carefully and gently. Children are not This has been my experience, too. I didn't have animals as a small child, but somehow learned how to be gentle. And I've *always* had pets in my house (usually some assortment of dogs and cats, but also small rodents and reptiles) and my kids grew up knowing that you do NOT hurt animals. If a baby was too rough with the dog, I always scolded the kid in front of the dog. That way the dog knew I was in charge. If a kid hurt the dog, and the dog snapped, I scolded them both. The dog knew I would intervene for her, but that biting was not allowed. The kid knew that if they hurt the dog, they'd be in trouble. (although I did have one hyperactive kid and when he was small I used to put the DOG in the playpen so she could have some peace and quiet) --Barb-- [Posted in FML issue 1134]