She Puts A Muzzle On Her Dog When Kids Are Present So She Doesn’t Have To Rehome Her
Dog parents who not only understand the limitations of their best friend’s comfort but also do their best to make sure their dog never ends up in a bad spot because of it deserve a round of applause.
For example, if you know your dog is reactive, you owe it to your dog not to put them in a situation that brings out the worst in them because that’s just not fair to anyone.
Mom Emma Morris, who goes by @emmmorris on TikTok, does have a reactive dog: a 4-year-old Cocker Spaniel named Fern, whom she adopted well before she thought of having her one-year-old daughter.
Fern is “gentle at heart” and actually quite sweet, according to Emma, but Fern can behave in a way that’s less than predictable.
Fern also has a skin condition that doesn’t help her always stick to being on her very best behavior.
While there are a number of people who would be quick to dump their dog off at the closest shelter for showing any kind of snippiness towards their child, that’s not how Emma does things.
Since Fern can be reactive, Emma makes Fern wear a muzzle around her daughter so she doesn’t have to rehome Fern.
In her video, Emma shared all the reasons she won’t be rehoming Fern, even though she can’t be trusted to be muzzle-less around kids at this time.
Reason one: Emma says Fern is absolutely her first child and that “pets are a commitment.”
Mikkel Bigandt – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual dog – pictured above is a Cocker Spaniel
Reason two: Fern likes her muzzle and finds it comfortable. Emma made sure Fern’s muzzle was professionally fit so as not to cause her any pain.
Reason three: Fern actually does love playing with kids and participating in different activities with them.
“She’s gentle at heart. She’s a softie and loves a cuddle; she can easily be reactive in certain moments,” Emma wrote.
Emma knows Fern inside and out. Her final reason for not wanting to ever consider rehoming her? She is aware that placing Fern with another family simply adds unnecessary risk.
Emma can tell what will trigger Fern and what situations won’t be appropriate for her to be trusted without a muzzle.
Emma is doing her best to help Fern adjust to her new life with a human child, and she’s hopeful that in the future, Fern will be more at ease with kids in the mix.
“She only wears the muzzle when my toddler is walking around and with kids toys out,” Emma added.
“She’s ours. We will continue to train her, understand her, and keep everyone happy and safe.”
Emma continued in the comments section that 99% of the time, Fern is a great girl. Rehoming her would make Emma feel too guilty.
https://www.tiktok.com/@emmmorris/photo/7418864585148615969
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