I've said it before and I'll say it again, dogs and toddlers do not mix.
"A GIRL of three was scarred for life yesterday after being mauled by her grandparents’ Doberman guard dog.
Little Hope Dew had been playing in their back garden when the dog lunged.
Neighbours rushed to help and managed to pull the girl free in the village of Claverdon, Warwicks.
One, farmer David Burman, 58, said: “The dog had something in its mouth — I thought it was an animal — and was shaking it ferociously like it was a rag doll.”
Last night Hope was “very poorly” in intensive care after being airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, with serious neck and facial injuries.
Hope and mum Emma, 26, lived with grandparents Kim and Martin Dew. Last night all the adults were at Hope’s bedside.
Warwickshire Police were investigating. The dog, named Slynn, was destroyed."
There has been a spate of toddlers attacked by dogs recently and in some of those cases the children have died.
Is it really so difficult for some people to understand that children that small should not be allowed near a dog, ESPECIALLY a guard dog.
That it was a doberman that carried out this attack is terrible and bad news for the breed as now everyone will once again associate them with being dangerous animals, which they are not. I had a doberman for years, he was a lovely, well trianed highly socialised animal, quick, intelligent and fiercly loyal. I loved him comletely and trusted him.
But I wouldn't have left him alone with a child for love or money.
Kids have no concept of animal tolerance. Kids will be kids. They can't read sign of distress in a dog, they pull ears, poke, run around making a lot of noise. In short they make dogs nervous. And even the most placid animal can bite if hurt or distressed in any way.
I hope this little one pulls through, but really it is time for all dog owners to come to terms with one thing, he might be your baby, but he is an animal at the end of the day.
You can't go wrong with a goldfish
ReplyDeleteHere here FMC!
ReplyDeleteI used to bring my old dog Bella to the library with me when I was a teenager - I'd tie her up outside while I dropped in and collected books. One of the days I heard a child crying and a mammy came rushing in with her little girl in her arms and a streak of blood o the girl's face. A question was raised as to who owned the dog outside and of course, I owned up.
Long story short - there was an elderly woman on my side who had seen the whole thing. Mammy tried to say that the dog had attacked for no reason - me, crying with upset because I knew that was not my dog who'd do that, denied it but apologised fiercely, and little old lady saved the day.
Turns out mammy had been talking to a friend and little angel there had been pulling my dog's ear and stepping on her tail right beneath mammy and friend's noses. The kid only had a very primary graze on the bottom of her cheek but the scare made it worse
Whose fault is that ? Certainly not my dog's fault.
We paid for the child's doctor treatment and a tetnis shot but refused to be moved on anything else. She wanted the dog 'destroyed' GRRRRR I almost bit her for that
I nearly had my ear torn off when I was a toddler by the family collie. He had been in a fight earlier that day and had been badly bitten, I was standing on the front step slapping him on the back, as toddlers do and he went for me. I'm not saying it was his fault, he was in pain, but toddlers haven't a clue and it only take a minute for a docile dog to maim or kill a little 'un.
ReplyDelete"..children that small should not be allowed near a dog, ESPECIALLY a guard dog."
ReplyDelete... as an entirely innocent bitee in my youth I think this should be re-phrased to but the onus on the dog owner, rather than on the child's parent or guardian...
ie
A dog, ESPECIALLY a guard dog, should not be allowed near small children.
Either way suits me fine.
ReplyDeleteArm toddlers. Teach them to gouge.
ReplyDeleteNo, you're coming at this all in the wrong way. What we're going to have to do is start a national programme to get thick padded foam suits for all children under the age of three to protect them from dog bites. It shoudl then become mandatory for the infants to wear them outdoors.
ReplyDeleteThis is the safest solution, and should be acceptable to dog-owners and parents alike.
I think it depends on the dog, and depends on the kid.
ReplyDeleteWe had Black Labs when I was growing up, and in my experience, they are a great dog for kids. As a field dog, they are practically impervious to pain, they love to play, and the females tend to be very maternal. The most danger we were in from them was their tails, which were deadly. Several of my mother's plants went to an untimely demise after being decapitated by a Lab's tail. They are very exuberant, to say the least.
My brother did get bitten by one of ours, but that was because he purposely got in between two of them while they were roghhousing and wrestling. He had been warned, and knew better. The dog immediately knew he was in deep shit, none the less, and immediately tried to run away by jumping the fence. That dog had guilt. Serious guilt.
That being said, one of my dogs that I had had for a couple of years bit my extremely well-behaved daughter when she was a 5-year-old, right in front of me. It was a cocker mix. We had a routine; every night, the daughter would kiss me goodnight, and pat the dog goodnight (the dog would be laying at my feet), and then she would go to bed, and then later I would come and tuck her in. One night, when she reached down to pat the dog (which was right at my feet, remember), the dog went for her face and bit her nose clean through. No provocation, no warning, no growling, no barking, no body language of any kind.
We got rid of that dog.
My toddler son knows that he can play with our Black Lab, but not our terrier mix, and he knows not to go near any other dog without permission. He is also always supervised around our dogs, even our Lab.
"He is also always supervised around our dogs, even our Lab.'
ReplyDeleteThat's what I mean. Keep you eye on them at all times.I bet you wouldn't let your toddler toodle about with a guard dog though, no matter what the circumstances. Sigh Labs, you're right about the tails though. Lethal, it's like being clubbed across the knees when they're really happy.
My mother has a KIng Charles Spanial called Bobby Ewing, and I have to say, he's possibly the most placcid little chap I've ever seen. But even he does the duck and cover when ever my sister's children are about.