An Italian father named Massi recently received criticism for his questionable actions towards his American bulldog, Mino, in an attempt to test the dog’s protective instincts towards his newborn daughter, Sophie. In a video posted online, Massi pretended to hit his baby daughter, causing Mino to react aggressively towards him in defense of the child. Viewers expressed concern for the safety of the child as the dog reacted by lunging at Massi. The video serves as a reminder of the importance of responsible pet ownership and proper behavior towards animals.
The internet was abuzz with controversy when a video surfaced showing a dad, Massi, provoking his American bulldog to ‘protect’ his newborn baby by pretending to hit his child. The dog, named Mino, immediately lunged at Massi in defense of the baby.
In the video, Massi captioned Mino’s actions as him defending his little sister like a true big brother. However, Sydney veterinarian Dr. Tim Montgomery was quick to condemn the dad’s actions. He stated that trying to provoke a response from a dog by threatening a baby for the sake of social media content is unacceptable.
Dr. Montgomery also criticized the common desire among many dog owners, often males, to encourage ‘protective’ behaviors in their pets. He suggested that this desire stems from toxic hyper-masculinity and is not beneficial for the animals. In reality, most dogs are likely to live in a peaceful family environment without needing to protect babies from harm.
Dr. Tim Montgomery, a veterinarian from Sydney, pointed out that the dog’s actions of jumping and nipping to protect the baby only lead to confusion and stress for the animal. He advised pet owners to avoid putting such unreasonable expectations on their pets. The video of Massi garnered a massive 204 million views, with mixed reactions. While some praised the dog’s loyalty, others criticized the behavior as dangerous. One commenter expressed concerns about the negative labeling of pitbulls due to such actions. Another wondered why the risky behavior was even attempted. A third person admitted to feeling anxious about the situation potentially causing harm to the baby. Despite acknowledging Mino as a good dog, one individual warned against putting the dog in a situation where an accident could happen, possibly harming the baby.