Is it normal my parents would have the dog babysit us?

This was back in the late 90's-early 2000's. When we'd play in the yard, they had the dog with us. When my parents went out and left us alone in the at the house, they'd leave her with us. When we went out without parents, we'd take the her with us.

She was pretty good at watching us. She'd make sure we were all together and rounded up anyone who strayed too far from her sights. When we played with other kids from the neighborhood, she'd watch us all, but seemed to keep my siblings and I as a priority. She also was very suspicious of adults who approached us. There were a few times she bit adults that tried to do creepy shit. The only thing that seemed to distract her from her duties were small squirrels. She could never catch them though.

So, is it normal?

Voting Results
54% Normal
Based on 13 votes (7 yes)
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Comments ( 9 )
  • SkullsNRoses

    A dog is no substitute for an adult, this was irresponsible of them.

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    • Cuntsiclestick

      True. Lol

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  • RoseIsabella

    I think dogs are wonderful! What kinda dog did ya'll have, and how old were ya'll?

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    • Cuntsiclestick

      When this first started I was nine, my older brother was ten, my sister was 12, and my younger brother was five. She was an Alaskan Husky. I think I may have shown this pic already, if I did, I apologize. XD

      https://i.ibb.co/xGG1CLJ/100926-122536.jpg

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      • RoseIsabella

        Blackie!

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  • pastafather

    When my parents would leave me alone they would take the dog with them so I would learn to fend for myself

    Dogs are just a safety net and relyin on them 2 much can make u forget to rely on guns

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  • Somenormie

    I do not see the point of that.

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  • Meatballsandwich

    That sounds irresponsible. But then again, it's definitely better than no babysitter at all.

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  • Boojum

    YouTube has been putting a lot of Husky videos on my suggested list lately for some reason. It looks like dogs of that breed can be real characters. Even though I'm not a dog person, I can see their appeal, but it also looks like they can be hard work and pretty demanding in terms of social interaction with their human pack and the exercise they need.

    My feeling is that what your parents did was irresponsible, but I think a lot depends on how long they were away, where you lived, what your neighbours were like and especially how sensible and responsible your sister was at the age of twelve and whether you and your siblings were relatively well-behaved or little idiots bent on creating chaos or even self-destruction like many children are.

    It sounds like nothing too dire happened when your parents left you kids alone with the dog, but she obviously wouldn't have been of much help if there had been a medical emergency, a fire or some other sudden household problem like a plumbing or electrical issue.

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