Dogs: man's bestfriend no more?

were i live all animals legally have to have a rabies shot there for if someone gets bite by a dog here they don't even need to worry about getting any needles. No dog should EVER be trusted with a child or left unsupervised with a child no matter how friendly the dog is children are not capable of noticing the signs that a dog is going to bite nor are they capable of understanding what the animal is trying to tell them depending on the age of the child any number of things could happen from them pulling on the dogs ear or tail, hitting the dog or even simply stepping on the dogs foot or falling on the dog. Even though my dog is only 7lbs i never leave her alone with my b/f's kid if i cant be supervising she either go;s outside or in her crate until i can keep an eye on things and my dog has never bitten, never groweled or shown the least bit of aggression towards anyone but when your back is turned anything could happen

when ever the man was born thus onwards dogs are the best friends of man.the dogs are thinking as their masters so it wouldnot hurt the masters. at some reasons the bite master due to some reason or if the master beat his pet for no reason. it would hurt the dog very much so the dog bite the master.Ihave also a pet named "CHOTTU" he is dashchund. it thought us as there parents. the dog love my mother very much and guard all the items of mother's. so that i'm saying that dog's are the best friends of man...........................that is it....................

Hi! I am sorry to hear about your nephew. I think, you are are very right that one must take care while dealing with dogs etc. after all they are animal and one can never come to know, when their animal instincts will flare up, as happened with your nephew. Dogs should be trained in the best possible manner and even then one should not show his/her carelessness, while dealing with them. Hope your nephew will recover soon.

staria, If I may add here, I wonder how your nephew could end up playing with someone else dog in the first place. Don't his parents and/or you ever teach him what to be wary or most of all, to leave unfamiliar dogs alone. I feel that most of the time parents and/or guardians to be partially at fault when such incidents happen, as there wasn't enough emphasis on taking the necessary precautions to warn and watch over the children. Besides, coming as a dog owner yourself I am sure you are wary of whatever dogs are around your neighborhood for you to take the necessary precautions this which is also beneficial for your own pet dog when you bring it out of the house. Last, I would take it on the dog owner for letting it out without proper restraint and/or even muffler to prevent such incident. Besides, he/she should have been well familiar with its' temperament and inclinations to know what to do, than to let it on the loose like this. Anyway, I hope that your nephew is alright and wishes him well. This is just unfortunate.

As all my friends know I am a cat lover but I do own a dog too and I love her as I love all animals. I admit that there are dogs out there that do frighten me a little such a pit bulls etc. Having said that it is not true that all dogs of that breed are dangerous just like it is erroneous to presume any dog is carrying rabies or any other type of disease. It boils down to the owners as the pets are their responsibility. Potentially dangerous canines should be muzzled and all dogs should be vaccinated and kept healthy. Sadly there are those cruel people who don’t care enough for animals to deserve owning one. Dogs can be temperamental and unpredictable and certainly it is wise to remind us all to take care. Your nephew was unfortunate to encounter one of those moody dogs by the look of it. It’s a shame. I hope he is okay now.

Is that so? Well, maybe your nephew has played with the dog too much pissing him in the end. I guess, animals are just like humans that also have their limitations. Once irked, it will bite. But animals are animals, so we should always be aware on how to deal with them.

That is so sad. Is the little boy ok? I have an iddy biddy grandson, and my daughter has 2 dogs, and I have one there most of the time. We have to really watch close, because he go up to the two little ones and hits them and pokes them and they growl at him if there's no way for them to move out of the situation. I try to watch him close enough to scold him for hitting them to avoid anything like this happening, but the way he gets around, oh my goodness.

I was thinking about the pain one has to go through when a dog bites him, not rabies.Rabies is very rare and pet dogs must be vaccinated. And you're right.Sometimes dogs do act like wild animals.When i was playing with my pom by hitting his head with my head,he got angry and bit my head...several times!I couldn't stop him because my mind became blank.He only retreated when someone shouted him to stop.Blood started coming from my face.I know that i was provoking him to attack.He growled several times before biting me and i thought he was not really angry and i kept annoying him..That is the only incident that i had to suffer with my dog in the 10 years with him.Never let your dog to be with your child without your presence.

I'm sorry to hear that about your nephew. Dog's are still animals, domesticated or not, we tend to forget that sometimes.*sigh* I don't detest dogs, but I'd rather not risk any accidents at home especially with children running around the house.

Oh gosh this is really sad to hear. I do hope your nephew will be okay. You are right staria we just never know when a family pet can and will turn like this. This is why I am very cautious when it comes to having children around pets. Sometimes no matter how cautious we are we just never know when the pet will do something like .

Dogs are cute. However, we're still careful with them. If they're not well or they're set up, they're maybe dangerous for human.

Yes, no matter how tame a dog is, they are still part of the wild life, and they will always have the wild instinct in them, especially when they feel threatened as well as having strangers around them. NOt all dogs are human friendly and so it's best to keep a safe distance from them, unless they start approaching us first. Even toy dogs can be very fierce at times.

Firstly every responsible dog owner should vaccinate their dog against rabies. I find that much of the time it isn't so much a dog problem as it is a people problem, and I am as guilty as the next person of continuing the problem. We have a tendency to attribute human feeling and thought to dogs, after all they seem to understand us when we speak, they react to our physical actions, they respond to our emotional state...we forget that there are still the original genes still inside them, the genes of wild animals. Dogs that appear healthy to us may still have things that are wrong, infections of the ear, teeth that are painful, sores in mouth or throat, joints that are painful, sensitive areas of skin...or just plain bad moods. Since dogs can't tell us what's wrong, it's up to us to figure it out and often we aren't paying enough attention because there are no obvious signs. Under 'normal' circumstances this dog would most probably allow the child all the play the child desires, up to and including what could be termed abuse...children don't realize that some of the things they do playing or showing love can be painful... There is a lesson here to be learned, vaccinate our dogs, take care that they are healthy, be aware of the dogs moods and physical condition, and to remember that under that loyal exterior there beats the heart of an animal who's ancestors hunted prey.

sometimes animals don't intend to hurt you especially when you are their masters, dogs are playful and just look at them when they play they usually use their teeth for like biting almost anything but they are just playing, as humans we also sometimes don't intend to hurt others but accident happens for some reasons. you just also said your nephew is just playing with their dog when suddenly it bites him, maybe it's an accident try to look on the other side. Im sorry if this is my point of view im an animal lover and sometimes my pets do bite me or scratch me sometimes even harder but i still loved them and take care of them.... wishing you goodluck with your nephew :)

Dogs do suffer lunacy too like humans. They can suddenly turn aggressive when we lest expect it. Just have to be careful when handling dogs.

I'm sorry to hear about your nephew. I hope he is ok. Since they gave the vaccines, does that mean the dog was rabid or was it just a precaution? Did they put the dog in quarantine or have to take some other action? I hope everything there is ok. Have a great weekend!

That is just awful! I hope all is alright with him. Rabies is something we don't really thingk about much anymore. It is good to bring it to out attention even with such a sad story. It certainly isn't a joke.

That's right staria. We (with my partner) are both dog lovers. In fact, believe it or not, we have five (5 month old pups) puppies 3 adult dogs. They are all so attached to us that we considered them not a dog but a human. But. still we take some precautionary measures to be safe always in dealing with them. They don't have good thinking like human though it is true the are people's best friend. To lessen the power of rabies, let them have a ready-supply of drinking water. The most basic thing to do. Extend my regards to your dogs.. Mobhomeir

For me dogs are still man's best friend only if you are careful about dealing with your pets. I think the dog was hurt that's why he bit your nephew. Also we should be careful when the dog is eating or not in a playful mood, do not do things that will surprise him or else the dog will instantly bite you. Our dogs should be given his proper immunization as we are not only taking care of them but also those people around him.

Wow.... See thats one of the reason that I dont like dogs or any other jind of pet... Is he ok? What have they told yall am really sorry to hear that,but I now god is there with yall and your nephew will be great and will be with yall again.Ill put ur nephew and your family in my prayers god bless yall :)