Great Dane Cuddles Baby: Is Viral Video Cute or Plain Dangerous ? [WATCH]
Viral video sparks debate on whether it's safe to leave children with big dogs
A Great Dane cuddling a baby boy, the latest viral video on YouTube of adorable pets and infants, has sparked a debate on whether it is cute or plain dangerous for the mother to leave her newborn next to such an enormous dog.
The video, which was uploaded back in October, shows a Great Dane named Scooby trying to cuddle a baby boy named Cade. The footage starts off innocent enough, with the infant playing with the dog's ear which then prompts the gigantic canine to click one of Cade's hand.
Things take a turn when the Great Dane cuddles baby Cade by nuzzling against the side of the baby's body, which tip the baby slightly over as the large dog leans his weight in. That's when the mother filming the video says in a chiding voice, "Scooby...Scoopy…" When the dog doesn't budge, the mother says, "Hey!" and takes her hand to pull the Great Dane off the baby.
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The mother had to scold the Great Dane a second time when he tries to lick the baby's nose and mouth and get the dog's attention by saying, "Hey!" The nearly two-minute video continues with the dog cuddling the baby's face with his nose and face.
On YouTube, the video has garnered over 400,000 page views. Many viewers though the interaction between Scooby and Cade was just too adorable but others weighed in on the dangers of leaving a child with a big dog.
On mom with a newborn and a dog said, "I love dogs and our dogs are like family to us. But I'm also a new mom, and any family member that are? not able to behave like a sane person is not to come near my child. I know that some dogs are special, but most aren't, and it's impossible to tell. I used to thought my dog was the smartest and docile until she slightly bit a small chihuahua and caused the death of it just because the little thing was coming close to her bowl. It's just too big a risk."
One parent defended the mother videotaping the Great Dane and her baby, saying she was supervising the cuddling. "I have two big dogs, and I do let them near my daughter, as a matter of fact my youngest acts a lot like the dog in this vid, I always make sure I am close at hand, and any interaction like this is limited, I trust them but I like being on the side of caution, as you said dogs playing can not know they are hurting. But in this video the mom was clearly right there, as in not even 3 feet away and I could here her stopping the dog at moments she thought the dog was getting a bit to friendly."
One YouTube user called the snuggle session "foolhardy."
"Gotta treat dogs with the respect they deserve as another animal and that includes knowing that they can be dangerous very quickly as the line between a wild dog and domesticated is very thin, very fragile. Having them around newborns is foolhardy," said user CanadianWolverine.
Many of the commenters said they also owned Great Danes and said they made great family pets.
