DEAR ABBY: I have a son, "Max," who is 1. At Christmas, we were at my sister-in-law "Babette's" home for dinner. Babette has a peek-a-poo dog that occasionally growls at her teenage kids.
Max kept trying to go over and see the dog. I kept telling him that the dog didn't want to play right now, and to leave him alone. (My sister, who frequently baby-sits Max, has three very friendly dogs.) Babette's dog growled at my son, so I asked her if we could put the dog elsewhere. She said, "No. He doesn't have a cage or anything."
I think she was rude because I don't think I was asking too much for her to put her dog in another room for a short period of time. What do you think? I'd like your opinion. -- PROTECTIVE MOTHER IN OHIO
DEAR PROTECTIVE: When a dog growls, that's the dog's way of saying, "Stay away!" Because your son was too young to understand this, and because your sister-in-law was unwilling to separate her dog from your child, you should have separated your child from her dog by cutting the dinner short and leaving.