Are You Serious Jo

Is anyone else feeling REALLY sorry for the breeder

You are right, the child provoked the dog.

I know we can't guarantee which version is the truth, but if the person who posted saying they know the family is legit then that is the scenario we have to accept is closest to the truth. Generally unless a story is big a lot of news stories come from the same source, so I wouldn't be too quick to assume that just because there is more the news version is most accurate.

Of course there is always a reason for the attack, but if we take out human stupidity then it comes down to something with the dog. We have to make the decision of where to draw the line, especially if the reason isn't apparent, how can you prevent dog attacks with dogs that are unpredictable.

If the facts were true, would you like to encounter that dog loose in the street, or visit their home with he dog having access to you. Maybe the owner has missed previous signals, how many times have you heard the story of someone being told a dog is friendly moments before latching onto another dog or person. I think once a dog has bitten for no reason it's goodbye, many people just don't contain their dangerous dogs properly and why should the rest of us pay the price?

Wild dogs are not the same as domestic dogs and there are limits to what people are told to allow their kids to do, which is why there are age limits on certain activites. Domestic dogs have been artificially selected to be different from wild canids, therefore, you cannot compare, for example, a great dane or mastiff to a wolf.

I disagree. Why? From the latest information, the child wasn't near the dog, and there may not have even been food. So a dog can get up, approach a child and attack and there still isn't anything wrong with the dog? When kids annoy dogs and get a snap I don't think the dog should be blamed, but in what way do you think this is acceptable behaviour for any dog? Are you saying the child provoked the dog just by being there? What happens the next time the dog doesn't like the look of someone standing near it?

It was an unprovoked attack on a child who wasn't near the dog, it should be PTS, we don't need dogs like that in our community, dogs like that have already caused ridiculous dog laws to be enacted.

That better be in my fricken stocking this Christmas or I am going to sue somebody!

God I'm dumb, but if you can make one in purple can I please buy one

Whippet and pitbull. Do I get an elephant stamp?

If what happened is how described by the person who said they know the family then the dog should be PTS. It left the place it was eating to go over to a child and attack, not just give a warning snap, which some do if someone reaches for their bone (which I wouldn't tolerate anyway). Dog isn't a victim and should be PTS, and owner of salon prosecuted for having a dog at large and attacking.

That's not fair. The stats are there, children make up the majority of dog bite victims from dogs in their home or dogs they know, so yes there should be concern over children and dogs being unsupervised.

I also agree with the diet thing, 99% of the time yeasty ears are due to intolerance of the diet.

So the dog took the bone over to where the mother was standing and ate it there? Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but sympathy for the poor child, but why did the mother have her child standing next to a dog she didn't know that was eating a bone? Salon owner of course should have known better as well.

Even if the dog wasn't there the child should have been supervised more effectively. Instead of going near the dog, she might have pulled down some chemicals onto her face, run out on the road, gotten hold of dangerous objects. Whether the dog should have been there is a side issue, the fact is the child wasn't supervised appropriately for that particular place. I don't think the dog should have been there BTW, but the salon still contains things that are dangerous to toddlers.

Not bored, I just get worried that people that have little knowledge come here asking questions and might be given incorrect advice that may result in injury or death of their dogs. I am familiar with the concept of dominance, but also realise that hierarchies in primates are different to that seen in domestic dogs, or that seen in wild canids or behaviours of lagomorphs. If your dog refuses to come when you call him then he is calling the shots, whether you acknowledge it or not. When it comes to the topic in the OP I strongly encourage the writer to seek out the advice of qualified professionals because more than one DOLer has had issues arise with aggression and come home to a dead dog. You may wish to raise your dogs with little intervention other than trick training, but others can't manage this because their dogs can and will injure each other.

So corvus, when your dog has another small dog in it's mouth holding it still and you can't recall your dog do you think you are in control? I've seen the "he's only being friendly" too often to take a chance. From what you post you don't seem to have effective control over your dog. I worry when I see you suggest to other that they should let their dogs sort out their differences because reading between the lines in your posts you misinterpret a lot of their behaviour.

Dogs have amylase in their saliva, Cavalier said so and she's a vet! Yah, about that, the endocrinologists don't actually agree, bit of a dilemma there

Dogs produce amylase from their pancreas, not salivary amylase as humans do. So dog saliva doesn't contain amylase.

Ok then you people totally disagree and think wolves are nothing like our dogs we have at home, they arnt born with the same instinct etc....they dont live in packs like wolves either, and they certainly dont communicate the same, they dont even insticivly know anything about pack hierarchy.....ooookkk Domestic: Canis lupis familiaris Wolf: Canis Lupis Why do their scientific names state they are in the same family/genus and they are the same species???? Obviously their is no reason to keep debating this topic, you dont agree with the way i do this, fair enough, BUT NOW you even come up with statements saying dogs communicate differently from wolves to try and back yourself up....either your just being stubborn or your uneducated Actually, not uneducated, I research animal cognition, dogs included. Which is why I have said what I said, they are not wolves, there are behavioural differences. I did say they retain some instincts from their wild days but they respond differently to humans than wolves do. That is why I suggested you go look at some information on cognitive experiments with wolves and dogs, it will show you how they are different.

Which wolf pack studies are you referring to? I'm interested in that too. You dont watch national geographic, animal plant or have even watched the "wolf man"......obviously not. here is a website on wolf communication - http://www.wolfweb.com/facts-communication.html "Wolves use body language and facial expressions to communicate with each other. Dominant wolves will freely look other animals directly in the eye, this declares and reinforces their superior rank." You tell me then, if this is not the case how do wolves communicate then???????? Domestic dogs aren't wolves, they are wired up differently. Look up some studies of problem solving in dogs vs wolves, dogs are different in the way they think and interact with humans.

People need to remember that domestic dogs aren't wolves, they have undegone a lot of selection during their associtation with humans and have been partly rewired. It is not fair on the dogs to expect them to be wolves in different coats. Dogs do retain some primitive behaviours for sure, but they cognitively are different.

Somehow I doubt he would have gotten a rap over the knuckles for his press release. I would love to see a complete reversal of BSL and the RSPCA backing that, but won't hold my breath just yet.

Yes, silly people, why didn't they reach into the ambulance and just grab it. why would you reach into the ambulance to get one? now that's a silly statement. Sorry, should have said or police car.