‘stray dog menace’

“Instead of teaching tolerance and empathy towards animals, I have seen parents transfer their fear of animals to their children. So, when the adults are not around, and I’m walking Veeroo (my Red Setter), I encourage kids to come and make friends with him. On one such meet-and-greet occasion, one nine-year old girl asked me if I had got the “poison removed from the dog’s teeth”! I’ve never heard anything more bizarre and I’m sure the girl must have learnt this from her parents or adults around her! Sheesh