Expressing concern about global birthrates, Francis said such couples were acting in a selfish way that diminished humanity.
ROME — Pope Francis has not been reluctant to offer his views on polarizing subjects, but on Wednesday, he waded into an issue involving two subjects on which consensus is almost impossible to find.
Pets and kids.
Speaking on parenthood during a general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday, Francis bemoaned the global decline in birthrates — what he described as a “demographic winter” — and was bluntly critical of couples who prefer to have pets rather than children.
People who have pets instead of children, the pope said, were being selfish, exhibiting a “denial of fatherhood or motherhood” that “diminishes us, it takes away our humanity.”
What's cuter than babies and pets? Babies and pets together! Take a look at these adorable babies and their cute pets sleeping. WARNING: Extreme cuteness below!
I wasn't sure if we should laugh or just feel bad for these kids, but this video is definitely worth watching. The staff at Pennsylvania’s Center in the Woods preschool thought they would surprise their toddlers with a visit from Mr. McFeely, the delivery man character from the PBS Kids show “Mr. Rogers’.” The youngsters eagerly listened to Mr. McFeely as he sat in front of the classroom and introduced another special guest, Purple Panda, one of the costumed characters also on the PBS show. Mr. McFeely stood up to welcome his friend, and as he entered the classroom, Mr. McFeely held Purple Panda’s hand. The kids however, were not so welcoming. Chaos immediately ensued. Screaming and crying children scattered to a far corner of a classroom, seemingly petrified by the sight of the Purple Panda, which was actually a person wearing a panda suit. Confused, Mr. McFeely just told the kids to “stand right here” and as he waved at them. He then tried to calm them down by admitting that it’s not actually Purple Panda but “somebody pretending” to be the panda. His words did not soothe the children. The Youtube clip has received over 770,000 hits and thousands of ‘Likes’ since it was first uploaded on April 9. I must admit, as an adult...I would probably take off running if I saw someone dressed like that! I think the purple panda should have immediately left the room when he saw that the children were upset. A little more thought should have been put in the designing of the costume. I understand that the characters have a whimsical look...however kids love Barney, the purple dinosaur. Take a look at how receptive the kids are in the pictures below. I only hope that these kids are not scarred for life, and become afraid of animals.
Last year, 5,767 postal carriers were bitten by dogs, up
from 5,581 in 2013, and the most attacks happened in warm and sunny Los
Angeles, Houston and San Diego, said Linda DeCarlo, manager of safety for the
U.S. Postal Service. None of the bites caused deaths.
The cities' weather draws pets and people outside and doors
and windows get left open, DeCarlo said. The slight rise in bites also stems
from the popularity of online shopping because postal workers must bring
packages to front doors instead of street-side mailboxes, DeCarlo said.
But the biggest victims are children and senior citizens,
who can be overpowered by dogs. Of the 4.5 million people bitten every year,
more than half are kids, said Dr. Jose Arce, an American Veterinary Medical
Association board member.
Bites kill about 16 people a year. Besides the
postal-worker totals, specific numbers on dog bites are lacking because few
people seek treatment. And no one tracks bites by breed.
National Dog Bite Prevention Week starts Sunday, and this
year's programs launched Thursday. Because children are the most vulnerable and
easily injured, the American Veterinary Medical Association will focus on
teaching kids how to deal with dogs.
What NOT To Do
Stare into a dog's eyes.
Tease a dog.
Approach one that's chained up or injured.
Touch a dog you don't know that's off a leash.
Run or scream if one charges.
Play with a dog while it's eating.
Touch one while it's sleeping.
Get close to one that's nursing puppies.
Leave a small child alone with a dog, even if it's the
family pet.
What TO Do
Ask an owner before petting a dog you don't know.
Let the dog sniff your closed fist before touching it.
Freeze if a dog runs toward you.
Socialize puppies so they are comfortable around people and
other animals.
Use a leash in public.
How Parents Can Help
When the mail arrives, place your pet in a closed room so
it can't go through a window or screen door to possibly attack the carrier.
Tell children not to take mail from the carrier in front of the dog because the
animal could see it as threatening.
Also, teach children to treat dogs with respect and avoid
rough or aggressive play.
What Kids Can Watch
The veterinary group made YouTube videos describing
miscommunication between dogs and kids. A new short will be released each day
through the week. One gap is that most pooches don't like to be hugged. That
helps explain why two-thirds of young victims get bites on the head or neck,
according to the American Humane Association.
Where Bites Happened
Last year, 74 postal-carrier bites were reported in Los
Angeles, followed by Houston with 62 and San Diego with 47, DeCarlo said.
The LA tally rose from 61 bites in 2013, when Houston was
No. 1 with 63. San Diego moved up a notch from two years ago, when 53 postal
workers were bitten.
The Postal Service didn't break down the severity of
injuries, but 1,540 bites kept employees from work for at least a day after the
attack, DeCarlo said.
Insurance Payouts
Bites and other dog-related injuries cost insurers $530
million last year, about a third of their paid claims, the Insurance
Information Institute said.
The number of dog-bite claims decreased 4.7 percent from
2013, but the average cost per claim rose by 15 percent because of higher
medical costs and settlements. The average claim in 2014 was $32,072, up from
$27,862.
Sapphyre Johnson was born a healthy child in Greenville, South Carolina, except for missing some essential features, her feet, fingers and toes. Since she was 3-months-old, Sapphyre, now 3, has been a patient at Shriner's Hospital for Children, where her mother, Ashley Johnson, said she's had multiple surgeries to be fitted for prosthetic feet. But for her last visit, Johnson told ABC News, Sapphyre got to leave the hospital with much more than new prosthetics. "It was two weeks ago when were told that an owner had contacted the hospital about a puppy who was missing one front paw," said Johnson. "She wanted him to grow up with a child who had similar circumstances." After showing Sapphyre a photo of the puppy, Johnson said her toddler fell in love. "Sapphyre immediately noticed that he was missing a paw," she said. "She said, 'He has a foot like mine.'" The dog's breeder, Karen Riddle, said that the 9-week-old White German Shepherd was born in a litter of nine puppies and was the only one missing a paw. For that very reason, Riddle said she decided to name him Lt. Dan, after the character from the popular film "Forrest Gump" who lost both his legs. "The movie is a heartwarming, loving story, so I said, 'You're just like Lt. Dan. It just suited his personality." Because of Lt. Dan's calm demeanor, Riddle coordinated with Shriner's to hand him off to Sapphyre as a therapy dog. Sapphyre and Lt. Dan went home together Monday. "It was awesome yesterday," Riddle said. "We said, 'Sapphyre show him your feet' and, oh boy, she threw off her prosthetics and her socks and said, 'Look!' Then Lt. Dan put his paw up at the exact same time." Although they've only been pals for 24 hours, Johnson said Sapphyre and Lt. Dan make the perfect pair. "He follows her every step she takes, everywhere she goes," said Johnson. "It's like they’ve known each other forever. "We always want Sapphyre to know that being different is not bad," she added. "People, even pets, no one is exactly the same. That would be boring. I think it’s good for her to see that."
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I wasn't sure if we should laugh or just feel bad for these kids, but this video is definitely worth watching.
The staff at Pennsylvania’s Center in the Woods preschool thought they would surprise their toddlers with a visit from Mr. McFeely, the delivery man character from the PBS Kids show
“Mr. Rogers’.”
The youngsters eagerly listened to Mr. McFeely as he sat in front of the classroom and introduced another special guest, Purple Panda, one of the costumed characters also on the PBS show.
Mr. McFeely stood up to welcome his friend, and as he entered the classroom, Mr. McFeely held Purple Panda’s hand. The kids however, were not so welcoming.
Chaos immediately ensued. Screaming and crying children scattered to a far corner of a classroom, seemingly petrified by the sight of the Purple Panda, which was actually a person wearing a panda suit.
Confused, Mr. McFeely just told the kids to “stand right here” and as he waved at them. He then tried to calm them down by admitting that it’s not actually Purple Panda but “somebody pretending” to be the panda. His words did not soothe the children.
The Youtube clip has received over 770,000 hits and thousands of ‘Likes’ since it was first uploaded on April 9.
I must admit, as an adult...I would probably take off running if I saw someone dressed like that!
I think the purple panda should have immediately left the room when he saw that the children were upset. A little more thought should have been put in the designing of the costume. I understand that the characters have a whimsical look...however kids love Barney, the purple dinosaur.
Take a look at how receptive the kids are in the pictures below. I only hope that these kids are not scarred for life, and become afraid of animals.
