Nice Doggy...
By twoey68
@twoey68 (13627)
United States
May 25, 2008 3:19pm CST
With all the dogs in the country there are bound to be dog bites so who’s to blame when it happens? If your dog is in your own yard and a child comes in your yard and gets bit, should the dog be put down? Most towns have a one-bite rule…if a dog bites someone once they are automatically put down. It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. It doesn’t matter if the dog bites a child, a nun, a burglar, a peeping tom or the mailman…he gets put down.
A family member had a dog chained up in his yard. This was a very lovable dog and in fact even kids of a policeman played with the dog, no problems. The family member’s kids went out to feed the dog and suddenly one of the kids came running in to say that a neighbor kid got bit. Later it was learned that the kid, who was 3 years old, was at least a ½ block from their home alone. He had tried to pet the dog while it was eating and the dog evidently thought the kid was trying to take the food. Earlier this kid and others had been throwing walnuts at the dog. The kid had to go get stitches and the parents were furious and threatening to kill the dog. The dog was moved out of town and the city said they wouldn’t destroy it b/c it had been moved and no longer posed a threat. The grandfather of the kid is still threatening to kill the dog if he ever sees it.
Personally I think a three-year-old should have been at home or at least supervised. He also should have been taught to stay away from strange animals and I think the family member should have had the dog fenced in. Regardless, I don’t think the dog should be destroyed after all he was in his own yard minding his own business.
Are you in favor of the one bite rule? Would you have wanted the dog destroyed? Do you think anything could have been done to prevent this? Who do you think is to blame?
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~
10 people like this
45 responses
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
26 May 08
The parents! for not beening with the kid he shouldnt have been out of his own yard what were they thinking letting him roam around like that.
No one bit not good.
WE warn people when they come to visit not to pet the dogs as we dont know for sure if they would bite or not if they dont know them.
also we put them in a room with door closed so noone should be in that room but the dogs!
@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
26 May 08
We also tell people not to approach our dog. When we first got her we made sure she knew all the people likely to come to our house so she veiwed them as friends not food lol. This was important for us. She will weigh 75-110 when full grown.
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
25 May 08
I think in a case like this the dog should be rewarded and the kid and his neglectful parents should be put down.
Yeah, you read that right.
I think the time has come to make people more responsible for the things that happen to them, and stop putting the blame on anything other then themselves.
There is a thing called personal responsibility, and I think people should start showing some.
I think that dog deserves a medal, and maybe even a statue in the park for standing up for itself against the wild yard apes.
@pendragon (3349)
• United States
26 May 08
ild's parents are to blame. I used to be a dog officer and no longer am, partially because of stupid 'rules' like this.
@ambkeb (782)
• United States
26 May 08
I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around a 3 year old walking around town by himself. That is crazy. I have a 3 year old son and he WILL never be out of my supervision when we are outside. Makes me wonder what kind of parents they are for not knowing that their son was that far from home.
As far as the dog goes...not its fault. Ive not met a dog who isnt a little aggressive while they are eating. I know my dogs are! My kids know not to aggrivate him while eating. He definatly does not want his head touched while he's eating. I am glad that this family did not have to put their dog down. That is really hard to do.
@grammasnook (1871)
• United States
26 May 08
I think that each dog bite should be handled differently, and sometimes the 1 bite rule does apply. Not in this case if all the facts where given.
My son at the age of eleven was walking home from school when a rottie came out of nowhere, he not all only bit my son in the back he was tossing him around like a rag doll. A neighbor had to go out and help my son. I got the phone call hysterically I met the ambulance at the hospital. This dog had been allowed to run the streets by its owners for months scaring children but this was the first bite.
My son received over 75 stitches on the flank of his back. The pain did not stop for him until he stopped growing. At the time my son got bit he was 5ft by the time he stopped growing he was 6ft 5 inches. You see the dog had bitten so deeply he tore into the muscle.
Yes it is the owners fault for not having him on the leash, but this dog attacked for no reason at all. Many people witnessed this incident and there I would have said the animal would have to be put to sleep. I fought and I lost they said the animal had rights. All I could think of what happened to my sons rights? That owner got up and moved and now some other child will more than likely be a victim.
@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
26 May 08
I am so sorry that your son had to go through that. In that case the owner of the animal was in clear violation and the animal should have been put down. A responsible owner would never let their dog run free no matter what the breed for the dog's safety as well as the safety of others. I own a breed of dog that is feared (akita) for its size and that years and years ago they were fighting dogs in Japan. They are no longer fighting dogs as far as I know, they were also highly reverred in japan as imperial guard dogs. Yes my dog is big, 40 pounds at 4 months old and 19 inches tall, but she is sweet and loving. I would never let her run free, be off her leash or without her choke collar on because I am a responsible dog owner. I don't take chances with my beloved pet. I love her too much to allow her to get hurt or to hurt others.
@jczvrse (169)
• United States
26 May 08
I had a similar situation a while back. Some neighborhood wanna be gang bangers that live in the neighborhood would go by and poke sticks through the fence at my rottweiler and tease him daily. Then one day the kids dared one of them to go over my fence, I have a six foot fence to keep my dog in well the kid did it an sure enough my dog bit him he didnt break the skin but bruised him. Kid went home told his father, his father came over yelling and screaming that he was going to shoot my dog etc..I informed this father that his son and his friends had been here terrorizing the dog daily, they were tagging gang crap on my fence almost adily, and that his kid hopped the fence into my yard, I also offered to call the police to settle this matter, he declined didnt realize his kid hopped the fence nor they other things he had done he apologized and left.
If you have a dog and no matter how sweet it is remember a dog can bite out of instinct, if you keep your dog in your yard chained or fenced and someone gets in your yard and gets bit I think it is their fault not yours. Just to be safe when my kids have friends over my dog gets penned not because he is vicious he isnt but because you never know and better to be safe then sorry.
@kcbabez14 (967)
• United States
29 Jul 08
I don't beleive that the parents are to blame unless they are the dogs owners.. Yeah you may tell your kids beware of dogs that you don't know.. But come on for real what child is going to listen? If any of you have children you should no that even after you tell your child no he or she still does what you don't want them too.. and yeah it is wrong that people blame the dog for bitting.. What about the owners? They are the ones that's either, taught the dog not to be friendly, never socialized the dog with children or anyone, abuse the dog etc. There are so many facts that i could go on for days on why a dog would bite. With story with the 3 year old. I'm sorry that had to happend but where were the parents and why were they letting their 3 year old run the neighboorhood without any supervision? That's just carelessness and the parents shouldn't be furious for something that they weren't doing ( ie. watching their child)..
I have two toddlers and a dog (half pit bull as a matter of fact) and my kids jump on her, bite her etc.. and she just lies there and takes it.. She also does this with every child.. We trained her that way.. if i wouldn't of trained her that way then yeah she probaly would bite.. If you are thinking of getting a dog with small or even big children remember this:
1. when they are eating play with their food and stick your hands in their mouth (yeah it's gross but it helps)
2. pull and tug on their ears, skin and tails (not too hard at first, gradually do it)
3. always reward a dog when they have done something good.
I hope this helps
@shooie (4984)
• United States
2 Jul 08
Well maybe they are angry because by the dog biting the child it proves how irresponsible they are if their 3 year old is out roaming around. No decent parent would allow ther child to be out roaming like that. If the dog was on a chain and the front yard not so good because yes children love animals and well they wanna touch but it still is not the home owners fault if someone comes into the yard. I have my dogs in the back well they have a doggie door they can go in and out into a small fenced area because they are not big dogs but there are a couple of kids that like to tease them from the road. Sometimes I just want to open the gate and let just one of them out. lol
@katty0004 (386)
• United States
31 Jul 08
I ve had this happen , they did put my dog down . The health dept sent some one to my and they came checked dog told me to keep him up for 10 days and they would be back to check and see if he was ok . He was alway kept in the house any way and when out side he was on his chain with me . But when the people came to my house to visit , I told them to wait . I had to put my dogs ups they didn't and their little girl got bite . Not real bad it really did scare me so they took her to the hospital to be checked and the hospital called the health dept . But that was all they did I still have my dog and not one comes till the dogs are put up .
@cassidy22 (2974)
• United States
30 Jun 08
That's really tricky. I generally say it's the owner's fault - for not training the dog better, for leaving the dog unattended, etc. But if someone is taunting a dog or hurting a dog - than can you really blame the owner?
Children should be taught to stay away from all strange animals - dogs, cats, raccoons, etc can all be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.
Owners should keep their pets leashed and NOT leave them unattended where someone else may hurt them, tease them, or get hurt by them.
The unfortunate circumstance is that it's the DOG who pays in the end. Not the perpetrator, not the negligent owner. It's the dog, and that's the sad part. I believe all dogs have the potential to be good dogs with proper care and TRAINING... a dog that bites is a dog that was pushed by some trigger, and that trigger came from the hands of a human somewhere.
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
22 Aug 08
I am sorry, but I don't think the dog was at fault..For one, throwing things at the dog will cause the dog to be aggresive, the kids parents should have been notified about this behavior..(I better not find out my son did this, he would be in serious trouble) And for two, like you said, the 3 year old had no business being there..
The reason I say this is because we had neighbor kids through rocks at our dog..9i didn't know this until much later though) and one time she was eating and we had a friend over with her daughter, she was about 10 or 11 y/o) and my dog did bite her because the dog was eating..(Thankfully the skin was not broken)
I think this goes back to the parents.."TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THE SAFETY OF BEING AROUND ANIMALS AND DON'T TEASE THEM!!!"
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
29 Jul 08
If a child goes into a yard that has a dog, the dog should be trained well enough to not attack the child, under any circumstances. I have owned a couple dogs in my lifetime and I have never owned one that would ever bite a child, let alone anyone else. I also work for a vet and she has 4 dogs and they can be mean, but they know not to be mean to children. She, the vet, is a dog trainer as well, and her dogs will only attack on command, from her only. Anyways, most people can't train there dogs like a trainer or a vet can, but still people should have some kind of control over their pets and teach them not to bite kids or anyone for that matter.
I think the only time it is understandable that a dog attacks a child is if the child is hurting it or throwing things at it. But for a child to just go into the yard, the dog should not attack it.
I disagree with the rule of having to put the dog down, as you state, because I think the situation should be reviewed to see why the dog attacked and if it is a robber or something, then I think the dog is doing it's job by stopping the robber. So I think it depends on the situation.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
2 Jul 08
no I do not like the one bite rule, it has no modifications and thats wrong. no i would not have had dthe dog destroyed, and people should teach children not to bother a dog when its eating and furthermore no three yr old kid should be wandering around unchaporoned anyway. I think the parents of the three year old are to blame as the kid should have been supervised in the first place and none of this would have happened.
@jess07 (319)
•
2 Jul 08
If the parents are silly enough to not supervise they're child then they can not be annoyed at the dog.It was his yard, his property!and besides what kind of education did the kid get if he throws things at a poor dog minding his own business!Obviously it was a private property so what is the kid doing there in the first place do the parents not realise what danger they're three year old child is in when out and about on its own? well they do now!if anything the owner of the dog should be prosecuting the parents of this child for mistreating an animal and being on private property!No i do not believe in the one bite rule!having myself a dog (a tiny shih tzu)who has bitten my uncle at least ten times and myself also! But it is because the vet mistreated him so i do not see why i should put him down he is a calm loving dog.The only thing that could have prevented the child being bitten was for the parents to look after they're child properly.No offense.
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
28 May 08
I'm with you! What's a three year old doing out wandering the street or alleyway? People should always listen to the other side of the story! No I definitely don't think the dog should be put down..
@massaj03 (4367)
• United States
28 May 08
First off thats just crazy for a kid especially age 3 to be walking around town alone...but everyone has their own opinions I guess..
As far as dogs..I guess some are aggressive when eating, but could be taught better then that...our dog isn't bad at all..my little girl can take the food from his bowl and feed him..he doesn't care....
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
31 May 08
Not the dog's or the child's fault. It was the child's parents fault for letting their kid roam unsupervised. I wouldn't even let my daughter play in the yard unsupervised at that age. I just started letting her ride her bike out in the street and go to her friend's house 2 yrs. ago at the age of 8. B4 that, she wasn't allowed to leave the yard, even to go get the mail. That child's family has no right to be so upset being it was their fault. The dog was tied up in it's own yard.
@Loverbear (4918)
• United States
29 May 08
The parents of the three year old are to blame. The child is way to young to be allowed to roam the neighborhood unsupervised. My daughter wasn't allowed to be out and roaming around on her own when she was three. Besides the point that the parents haven't taught the child proper etiquette in respect to going onto someone else's property without permission. Not to mention the fact that they obviously haven't taught the child how to be around an animal...you don't approach an animal while it is eating. Even though I have taught my dogs that it is okay to have their food taken away and I can mess with them while they are eating, not everyone thinks to teach them not to be aggressive when they are eating. Also, throwing walnuts at the dog can be considered as threatening the animal. Also, it is tormenting the animal and they don't like to be tormented like that, especially if they are chained in the yard as a means of controlling their desire to wander. The dog was chained in his own yard and in any town it is recognized as the dog was on private property. The child was trespassing. The total fault falls at the feet of the parents, and if the grand parents live with the parents it is at their feet too. As for the grand father threatening to kill the dog if he sees it, he needs to think about who's fault that the child got bitten. It is both the parents and the child's fault.
@roberten (3128)
• United States
29 Jun 08
twoey68, I totally agree with you on the 3 yrs-old child, he should not have been out unsupervised. The child's family members should look to themselves for blame, and the authorities should also look to them for posible neglect and child endangerment. Makes you think....
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
29 Jun 08
It is always so hard to answer things like this, I mean I know from experience that children torment dogs and so if a dog bites a child through torment is it then fair that the dog gets destroyed. No, I do not think so.
Then there are the people who train their dogs to be nasty or do not train them at all and so they grow up wild, these dogs then bite. Should they be destroyed, yes maybe, because they have been ruined and there are not enough people about to spend the time retraining them so they cannot be rehomed.
Then there are the dogs that bite accidentally because they feel threatened or know that someone is trespassing on their property, they are just defending their owners and the place they live, so when they bite should they be destroyed, again no I dont think so because they are just doing their job and following their instincts.
I do not think that the dog in your discussion should be put down, if the dog was tormented and then the child tresspassed it is not the dogs fault, like you say what on earth is a 3 year old doing roaming about alone anyway.
