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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Wednesday, November 7, 2012
PETS: Consider the breed, temperament of animal beforehand who are looking to purchase a dog. have the potential to chew, “A mastiff and a baby bite, chase, jump and nip, but might look cute together, but some breeds are likelier to you shouldn’t take risks like do those things than others. that,” Mayer said. “You don’t So parents-to-be who already blame the dog. It doesn’t own a dog should review know how to respond to their breed’s general traits. another animal. If a person The same applies to parents has a young baby who will Continued from Page 21
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need lots of time and care, then having a puppy will be equivalent to having a second baby. The person might want to consider adopting a dog that has a lower energy level and exercise requirement.” Simmons says: “Babies and pets can go together beautifully, but I would always advise families to choose their breed carefully. Some breeds of dog and cat can be jealous and take their frustrations out on a baby. I always advise people never, ever to leave a child alone with any dog, regardless of breed or how steady the temperament.” Mayer said, “If you are looking to keep a baby completely safe, then I’d have to say the ideal pet would be one where they don’t interact at all, such as a goldfish.” Syndicated humor columnist Katiedid Langrock and her husband have given the subject consideration, even though they are not yet parents. They were considering a potbellied pig, which can be trained to go in a litter box. They did their research, which led them to change their minds. “We got all the informa-
tion we could about potbellied pigs. We searched different websites, including that of the California Potbellied Pig Association, so we would know what we were getting into,” Langrock said. They found that pigs, though intelligent, are pack animals and can be aggressive. “It would be cool to have a pig, but after researching, I learned that they get threatened by babies because they see them as the new member of the pack and an automatic alpha member, at that,” Langrock said. “There have been too many documented cases of house pigs attacking newborns. They don’t recommend buying a pig until your youngest child is about 7 years old, so maybe we will re-broach the pig topic down the line.” Langrock and her husband settled on a 20-pound Flemish giant rabbit — named Pig, of course — who is litter box-trained and kept in the kitchen during the day. “He is a nice pet and would be good around a baby. And we do have a Pig, just a different kind from what we first imagined,” she said.
Exercises children will love BY CHUCK NORRIS Creators.com Q: Mr. Norris, my child eats OK because, as her parent, I make sure of it. However, I can’t get her to exercise to save my life. What do you do to motivate a couch potato kid? — C. Duval in La Jolla, Calif. A: In this column, I want to tackle some exercises you don’t have to work hard at getting your children to do. In fact, they won’t be able to resist these opportunities for elevated aerobic exercise. The headline of one recent news report on the status of children’s health said, “Inactivity is US kids’ biggest health problem, poll says.” No doubt their inactivity has been influenced by streams of digital and Please see EXERCISES, Page 24
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