You’ve probably heard the rumor that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s mouth.

But your dog also drinks from the toilet and eats garbage. So is it safe to let Fido shower you with wet, slobbery kisses?

According to "Prevention Magazine", although the chances of getting sick from dog smooches is slim, it’s not because a Fido’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s. That’s the word from Dr. Elizabeth Scott, who’s the co-director of the Simmons College Center For Hygiene and Health in Massachusetts. She says although a dog’s mouth naturally contains a lot of bacteria, most of those germs aren’t harmful to humans. However, the bacteria Fido picks up when he digs through garbage bins could cause problems. For example, if your dog rolled around in trash containing contaminated raw meat, there’s a chance that dangerous salmonella bacteria could cling to his fur, and rub off on the people who pet and kiss him.

So how can you stay safe? Dr. Scott says you should keep your dog’s vaccines current, and have Fido checked for parasites or harmful diseases once a year. And although the chances of getting sick from dog slobber is slim, it’s probably a good idea to avoid kisses directly on the mouth. Also, make sure you wash your hands after playing with your dog, and keep kids under 5 away from sloppy dog smooches all together – since their immune systems aren’t fully developed yet.

Oh yeah – and you may want to keep the toilet seat down when your dog’s around, unless you want Fido to shower you with toilet water.