A boy and his dog. March, 2006

I think this picture captures a perfect, fleeting moment in time. Toby is 2 1/2, Solo is 7 1/2 and although the boy and dog are almost the same height, the dog outweighs him by almost 30 pounds.  Toby and Solo are unusually close, and always have been. Solo used to come and "tell" us when the baby was crying (not that we didn't already know, but he felt he should alert us) and still to this day, his first duty upon rejoining us after a separation is to locate Steph, and then Toby.

For those people who feel Malinois are not safe with children, I would conditionally disagree. I believe that a Malinois of proper temperament, good socialization and effective training should have no problem as a family dog. I'm not saying every Malinois is great with every child, and unfortunately I have seen too many whom I would not trust around any child, but I think this picture says it all-both are relaxed, happy, and looking like they spent a few hours playing tricks together in the neighborhood!

Good temperament in Belgians is crucial, it's not "luck" and it doesn't just "happen". Stable temperament is a result of careful breeding by reputable breeders who know what they are doing and what they hope to produce in a litter. It is followed up by proper socialization (controlled exposure to a variety of events, items, people and experiences) which affect (by enhancing or reducing) the dog's innate tendencies. Solo and his littermates are the fortunate result when both excellent breeding and socialization are carefully planned. Ch. Calia Sister Act, "Whoopi Goldberg" is Solo's full sister. Please view Whoopi's page for more examples of Belgian Malinois with kids.