Recently, a video which was uploaded to LiveLeak containing footage of a young child slapping a dog, has branded the parents as "irresponsible" for letting this happen.
And while those filming obviously trust the animal, one commenter wrote under the video, which was been viewed over 26,000: "Even if you know that your dog is safe, that's still not smart. Dogs have off days, too."
Another said: "My little girl plays with my two big dogs like this, I trust one of them 100% and the other about 90% - the latter because he is likely to play rough and hurt her accidentally. I wouldn't leave her alone playing like this and I stop her whacking them on the head but dogs are pretty smart, they know what is harmless play vs what is a threat and needs a response. My oldest dog let himself get bitten to hell by the arrival of the new pup, his neck was covered in teeth marks and he never once so much as growled at it. But yeah, be sensible. Personally I am much more cautious around any dog bred for fighting."
However, while the youngster appears to bite the dog, his laughing and giggles show that he is playing with and not intentionally hurting the animal.
Thankfully, the English bull terrier is obviously very patient and doesn’t react to the toddler’s slapping and biting - in fact, if his wagging tail is anything to go by, he seems to be enjoying it.
