Harriette Cole: My dog bit her baby, and I’m worried about what will happen now

DEAR HARRIETTE Over Memorial Day weekend I hosted a small get-together at my home with my extended family Related Articles Harriette Cole Is there a way to compromise on having a baby Harriette Cole I see the boyfriend s secret home as a huge red flag Harriette Cole Why would my ex call out of the blue after the way we broke up Harriette Cole What did she mean by her comment about my birthday party Harriette Cole Seeing my friend at her new job made me feel bad My cousin brought her -year-old son who s just starting to walk and explore the world around him He s a sweet little boy and was especially fascinated by my dog The matter is that my dog has never been great around small children He s anxious by nature and tends to get overstimulated easily I usually keep him away from kids for that reason but in the chaos of the day I let my guard down At one point before anyone could intervene the baby startled my dog and my dog reacted by biting him It wasn t just a nip either It was a hard bite and it left a mark Thankfully the injury wasn t severe but it was enough to cause a lot of distress especially for my cousin and her husband My cousin was understandably upset and while she tried to be civil about it I could tell she was angry and hurt I feel so much guilt about the bite but I m also worried about what this means for our relationship moving forward and for my dog I don t know how to make things right Should I have done more to prevent the situation How do I approach my cousin now and express how sorry I am without making things worse Dog Bite DEAR DOG BITE Follow up with your cousin to make sure her son is OK Apologize again for what happened Assure her that in the future you will put your dog on a leash or otherwise ensure that your dog is nowhere near the child when they visit Chances are they won t be visiting anytime soon In time they might if you can guarantee that their child will be out of harm s way Specific people cage their dogs or shut them in another room when they have visitors DEAR HARRIETTE A friend keeps self-sabotaging her future but I can t quite figure out why or how to help At one point she was doing really well in school She was a stellar novice and had a sharp mind We were both supposed to graduate two years ago but halfway through our senior year she decided to switch her major altogether which set her back about three years Since then she changed her major once more and then decided school just wasn t for her Since leaving school my friend has had long periods of unemployment or short periods working here there and everywhere This is someone who used to have her whole life planned out Do you think it is pressure that caused her to change so drastically Did I miss something major that happened to her Complete Related Articles Dear Abby I at last located out why he has been hiding his hair Asking Eric Now I know why we never met at her house Harriette Cole Is there a way to compromise on having a baby Miss Manners My secret lover died and the family has been making pointed inquiries about me Dear Abby What do I look like the Cheesecake Factory DEAR COMPLETE Your friend might be suffering from depression or another mental illness that has derailed her Perhaps a traumatic experience occurred that she is not dealing with directly If you think she will talk to you ask her what s going on Gently try to get her to talk to you about her choices and her desires for the future Do your best to be there for her without judgment as she weathers this period of uncertainty but don t beat yourself up Your friend is living her life You must live yours Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams You can send questions to askharriette harriettecole com or c o Andrews McMeel Syndication Walnut St Kansas City MO