janemc

A split lip from a fall is very common in toddlers, happens quite a lot actually they fall on their face and a tooth goes through the lip, cheek or gum. I've seen that many toddlers do it I'd put it at higher odds of causing that sort of injury than a dog bite, dog bites generally result in puncture wounds rather than cuts. sure, I understand what you are saying... I have seen that too. I guess my comment is out of frustration.

Have you? Or are you relying entirely on one side of the story. The truth is out there LED but most of us can't access it. Seems to me that the child was bitten. We're only arguing about how that occured and who was responsible. Because in the absence of personal knowledge of the event, that's all that's available. Seems to me that ignorance (not lack of intelligence) was the culprit here. Anyone who knows a damn thing about dogs would NEVER put dog, food and a child into a scenario and not take into account the chance of resource guarding. Strange dog + food + toddler = recipe for disaster. That's what played out. Dogs described by their owners as loving family pets kill children. Any dog will bite if sufficiently provoked. Our duty as adults is to protect dogs and children by preventing accidents such as these. A dog unused to children (if that was the case here) is even more reason for preventative action. Your average member of the public knows sweet FA about dog behaviour or body language. A quick browse of bite statistics makes that glaringly obvious. This incident is now one of those cases reported. He won't be charged.. ever. If anyone is charged it will be his owner. Does that mean the child wasn't bitten? Of course not. Its not her fault. Its not the dogs fault. That only leaves the adults who were there. Those of us who like our dogs to remain out of the clutches of the authorities act in their best interests by keeping them safe. That means never exposing them to situations where they may be provoked to bite. Its up to dog owners to protect their pets from the unwanted attention of children, other dogs and fools. Kids are quick - they can be somewhere before you turn around. Foresight is a wonderful thing. I see you're not one of the "ignorant" ones around this forum. How can we know for sure this child was bitten? Would a hospital report satisfy you? Well, one came back sayng that the child was treated for a cut to the side of her mouth. she might've even fallen over and bit her own self. This is where we can't rely on the media. They blow everything out of proportion. A bite and attack would be extremely obvious on day 1 if it were the case, but 4 weeks already and still no sign of that. BTW: the parents have two dogs of their own at home. "fallen over and bit her own self"????? now i've heard it all! And about the 4 weeks.... investigations take time. I too think the timeframe is unfortunate but there is a process that needs to be taken and that process takes time to complete.

Hold on Janemc, you weren't there either, were you? You're doing exactly the same thing as LED, "bad mouthing" the other party when you weren't there when the incident occured either. how am i bad mouthing? Is asking that lovesalldogs remain respectful bad mouthing? I havent said the owner is this and that or the hairdresser is this or that or did or did not do this or that.. I think I have said that its a tragic situation for ALL! I just don't see the value in her or him having to put the family/children down the way he or she is because the family are not on here making personal reference to the hairdresser/owner.

AND the owners of the dogs can also use their brains and prevent these situations occurring! The owner of the dog in this case has a duty of care towards the customers who come into the salon and has taken a risk by having a dog in the salon, a risk that can have a very high cost for the dog, for the customers or for the owner. This risk to all would not have been there if the dog had not been there. That my friend is the bottom line. Souff "Duty of Care"? Does every owner of every business (any industry) has to look after other parents' children as well? Did you know that they had a 4 yo there at teh salon at the same time that was running a muck? Jumping up and down stairs, and generally trying to get attention from everyone? Her parents didn't even tell her to behave or sit down. The dog on the other was sitting down in the back part of the premises away from these people. Dog or not, the mother should've been more careful. Given you were not there please have some respect for the situation and not mouth off. All you have is what your friend is telling you and that is all. The owner, your friend, remember was not even there. This is a very sad situation for all and does not need someone like yourself coming onto a forum and mouthing off, making allegations. The child's family are not on here bad mouthing the owner/ hairdresser or dog so please have some respect.

And I still maintain that why the dog bit is important. Were you there or have you seen the child since it happened? Asking because of what you have wrote about the bite on here.

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? All the published media information claimed that the child approached the dog.........someone says otherwise, but we don't really know what happened for sure and certain???. All published media information also claimed the father was 21 when he is 31. The published media also lead people to think that he was alone in the hairdresser, again not the case. You cant always 100% rely on the media.

I know hearing of something like this incident is distressing for all and it is natural to wonder how could it happen and then guess how it could have been avoided. Some further information for you is that the dog was not in fact eating at the time of the attack nor was there any warning growl, hairs standing up or showing of teeth at any stage. The child was not interested in the dog. The child is familiar with dogs, big and small. The child was not left unsupervised at anytime and was not left to wonder around as suggested by some posts. Its very tragic for all.