For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for November 18, 2020

now if Farley were a Doberman which has short, non-floppy ears, how would April to “sit up by herself”?

Good lesson here. That’s what you get for sticking your nose into other people’s faces!

Surprised there was not a panel of Farley barking like crazy. It used to be that women would roll up their poodles’ ears for dog shows and other displays. That stopped when it was extremely painful for the dogs.

Lynn’s Comments:

I had so much fun drawing the baby and the dog. I almost used them too much.

A close friend of mine had a Doberman, a female, don’t know if it makes a difference. She would open her mouth so their baby girl lying on the floor could grab onto her jaw and then she helped pull the baby up. The first time my wife and I saw this, we almost fainted.

Wasn’t April stuffing her face with Farley fur just a short while ago?

Everyone needs a little help up now and then. Some people ask for it and some people just take it.

So the dog is teaching the human to sit? ;)

April now has dog hair all over her hands…..!

Poor dog. Children should be taught to treat dogs kindly and not pull ears and tails.

Missed out on Farley’s help.

Looks like both are surprised at the outcome.

I used to have a gentle giant, a 185 lb, St. Bernard named Ox. One time he was introduced to a child who he decided he liked, so he licked her from toes to nose. The child started crying, and the mom said, “He didn’t bite you.” To which the child replied, “No, but he tasted me.”

Poor ‘Farley’ ! ! Don’t imagine he’ll get close to ‘April’ for a while ! ! !!

Oh Farley, you’re so good to her, sniffle

“Bob Barker reminding you to do your part to prevent animal cruelty. Have your pets spayed or neutered.”

Doberman’s ears are cut that way not bred.

All need a little help to rise in life. That’s a small lesson learnt too early by April.

Babies really shouldn’t be lying around unsupervised especially with a dog in the house. No matter how sweet or tolerant the dog had been, they are known to bite when harm is inflicted upon them, as Farley is here, even from an innocent wee baby. Mothers need to supervise to ensure the baby’s safety. If she is too busy to watch the baby, at least put the baby in a playpen or crib with the monitor on. Use the electronic babysitter. A friend of mine put her baby in a crib in the bedroom. Her medium sized dog – I forgot the breed – went in and started to chew on the baby’s finger through the slats. The baby yowled and screamed and my friend thought she was just fussing which was why she put her in the crib in the first place. It was not until the baby shrieked that my friend ran in and saw the blood splattered all over the room. She thought the dog killed her baby – that it jumped into the crib. She spotted it in a corner with bloody face. She picked up the baby and noticed the finger all chewed up. Fortunately the finger didn’t have to be amputated – it is just uneven and a little stumpy. A lot of tissue loss. My friend thought the dog saw the finger like a tasty food just its size. The dog never went near the baby again and stayed away from her until she died when the baby was 12 years old. She tried to make friends with the dog, told her she forgave it for her disfigured finger, bribed it with food and walks – nothing worked. I knew the dog and it was a sweetie. So, ya just never know.

‘Farley’ has been in the family long enough that he is ’acquainted’’ with kids so he ‘knows’ ‘April’ didn’t mean any harm so that is why we see that he has vacated the area to remove ‘temptation’ from ‘April’.