Horrible Story

[KathyM]

Completely agree TI - I have a Bullmastiff and this kind of publicity doesn't help with the morons who already think she's a "devil dog". And I say that with a heart full of sorrow for the baby, as a mother and as a responsible dog owner.

 

[OohFeeshy]

What also annoys me about the reporting is they write an article about an attack like this, dig out the traditional 'look here's an x growling with teeth bared at the camera, look at the devil dog' picture, but then, (as I saw), something different like cruelty against said dog breed, the language changes entirely.

 

[jarmado]

another attack yesterday:
Boy seriously hurt in dog attack

 

[PlecMama]

The baby probably cried. A couple in Northampton lost two kids in a bedroom fire. They had locked them in their room so they could have sex undisturbed. The children were crying but the parents "thought they were being naughty" and told them to shut up.

IMHO a lot of the parents should be put down.

it seems to be a status thing: there's more machismo or whatever with a whole male dog.

Yes, they make a product called neuticles that are in fact fake testicles that you have implanted after the real testicles have been reomoved so the dog looks intact still.

I haven't read the story in full, it's to early for dead babies in my world, I will read it later though. What a terrible shame.

 

[juliehainsworth]

Once again what was a 2 year old doing out in a garden with a dog on its own anyway?

I find it bad enough when I walk my dog Ty as he wears a halti and I often hear parents telling their kids oooh that dog must be vicious he has a muzzle on! This will not help things at all.

Why cant people be sensible when it comes to kids and dogs? Teach kids to respect animals and use common sense and never leave a child unattended with a dog not even the softest of dogs as they can still turn on a person yet alone a child.

 

[Bloo]

Once again what was a 2 year old doing out in a garden with a dog on its own anyway?

That report says two years, but when you click on the video link and all other newsreports I've seen, it says 14 months. That's just over a year old

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

Unless you have kids of your own, you wouldn't believe how quickly they can get away from you. I have three and I tell you, you need eyes in the back of your head. The baby in a crib, those dogs should have been locked away properly if they were moving things around and leaving doors open.

But reading this latest attack, it wasn't their dog. It probably got into the garden and it sounds like the grandmother was with him anyway. A few months back I remember seeing on the telly, a news report of a toddler playing in his own back garden when a pit bull got in and mauled him. He sustained sever facial injuries, but luckily survived. That was a unprovoked attack as well and that dog lived quite a few houses away.

The question shouldn't just be why were the kids left alone with the dogs, but why the dogs weren't properly locked away in the first place.

When I was a child we were all playing in our neighbours garden (quite a few kids from the area) and their kitten came out and a rotti from another neighbours house, jumped the 6ft fence and basically ate this kitten in front of us. We never provoked it or anything, but because we were all so shocked we were screaming. The dog then turned on us and the neighbours mom came rushing out and had to fend the rotti off with a broom. Luckily more neighbours heard and none of us were injured, but we never provoked that dog and yet she still tried to have a go at us.

Her owners loved her and she wasn't abused or neglected. Luckily she wasn't put to sleep, but her owners made sure she could never do that again.

 

[TigerIssey]

I was quite badly bitten on the face by a dog myself at about 6 years old, I know it was my fault, it was not my dog. A large old english sheepdog belonging to friends / neighbours, I was playing perfectly okay with him, and I was supervised. But me being me and thinking all animals just love me, I forcefully took his ball out of his mouth and would not give it back, I would know call it teasing the dog. Anyhow I was on a level with the dogs head and got bit on the cheek. My friends mom took me home and told my mom what had happened, the lady was so worried my mom would make her have him put to sleep. As soon as this was mentioned I started screaming, no kill doggy no kill doggy. I remember this like it was yesterday (am 28 now) my mom said it was my fault and no she didn't want him put to sleep.

I learnt one thing from all of this, dogs are animals that have been domesticated and as such deserve respect.

Since then I have lived with 6 dogs, of which 2 were dobermans and 2 staffords, I have never been seriously bit apart from splitting up two staffords. That again was my fault, I put fingers in mouth to seperate them. Having said that I would do it again tomorrow, I love my dogs, I give them respect, I know the damage they can cause, I am a responsible dog owner.

The owner is once again at fault for not securing the garden / house that that rottie got out of.
Obviously NOT responsible owners.

 

[lljdma06]

What a senseless, horrible tragedy. Senseless in its preventability. Never leave a dog alone with a child. Never leave a child unattended. What a waste. It is so very sad.

Some excellent, informative posts on this thread, however. Very well thought out and well-written.

llj

 

[KathyM]

Once again what was a 2 year old doing out in a garden with a dog on its own anyway?

That report says two years, but when you click on the video link and all other newsreports I've seen, it says 14 months. That's just over a year old

From what I've read his parents weren't around, and the neighbour found him and fought the dog off. Says a lot about the parents IMO. But again, the dog loses it's lie and the parents get the sympathy or not supervising their baby, and that's what he was, a baby. Shocking really

 

[catxx]

one of my boyfriend's friends had his face severely bitten, he had to have some reconstructive surgery to fix it. it was by his own dog, in his own home, for no reason, when he took him by surprise when he was barking at something outside the window. the dog was a mongral and a rescue. the guy didn't really blame the dog at all, the dog was just as shocked when it happened as he was! i believe the dog was rehomed not put to sleep.

to be honest, i'm more scared of chihuahuas than a bully breed. small dogs are far snappier and highly strung than big dogs.

 

[trace1]

but unfortunatly dogs of any breed do & can attack totally unprovoked. this happened to my sis when we were younger, a dog that we had known for year suddenly decided 1 day that it was going to bite my sis when she rode past its house on her bike, which she had done regular for years. we knew the dog well enough to pet it. the owners of the dog blamed my sis for tormenting it. now i know that she didn't cos i was with her. we weren't riding very close to the front door as there was a front garden.
i do feel sorry for the parents of this baby but i also think that it is good the dogs were put to sleep, weather they are guard dogs or not they should have been trained not to attack anyone unless they were being threatened.
i'm sure a lot of parents out there will agree that you cannot be with your child 24/7. all it takes is a couple of seconds & tragegy can strike & maybe that was the case here

 

[KathyM]

No, no parent can claim to be with their older children 24/7, but I would say it's a huge difference when it's a 5 month old baby alone with dogs they knew were aggressive, or a 14 month old child that was left alone and found being attacked by the neighbour, not their parent/carer. In both cases the people in charge of looking after the child didn't even know what was happening to them - how can this happen with babies so young? I know that at 14 months old my kids weren't out playing alone.

 

[PlecMama]

I think the neighbour said that he came out and saw the grandmother trying to shield the child, so the child was not alone.

Regarding dogs and young children....dogs are unpredictable and kids are worse. I tell and tell Dylan that we do not touch other people's dogs, but I know that the one time I don't say it, will be the one time he pets one. I would imagine that 99.9% of the time he will be safe doing so, but for the other fraction of a percentage point he might be unlucky - you just have to be on your toes with little children.

 

[TigerIssey]

It only takes a second to shut a door behind you, this could have saved that babies life. Also, a baby monitor may have helped. If your mind is elsewhere, take precautions to prevent disaster.

Secure your garden, in cases of children and dogs.

There is blame her on Non Resposible parents and Dog owners.