Toddler Attacked By Dog In Hair Salon

[lisash]

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.

No the dog was on the floor not far away, it left its position. It all happened so quickly. Mothers and fathers are not superhuman and cannot stop something they do not know is going to happen, even under supervised conditions.

[Nekhbet]

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.

because idiot salon owner probably went 'oh he's right'

dogs should never be left unattended. Different if the owner was there holding the dog on a leash, no food. When we do therapy dog we NEVER allow our dogs to be unattended or leash out of our hands. If someone wants to walk the dog we have another lead for them to hold. It's a dog. I dont blame the parent, I blame the salon owner. It's a stressful place for an animal all day and to feed it there too - jeezus how stupid could you be.

you leave your dog there unattended it is YOUR fault as the owner. Not the customers, YOURS. You have a duty of care to both dog and customer, who rightly so would assume that a dog that sits in the middle of a busy hair dressing salon is approachable and will not bite their child.

If people come to my house with children there are heavy duty child/dog proof barriers and the back door is locked and key removed so there is no way out. It would be on my head if my dog bowled over a child - I wouldn't blame the parents, it would be me. If the child is rambunctious or trying to poke the dog then I would put the dog outside and tell the people 'OK they don't like children poking them so we'll take some time out from each other'. Simple and responsible.

Edited November 23, 2009 by Nekhbet

[Zhou Xuanyao]

No cause to be saddened or take offence lisa. We can only go on the information available.

[Akayla]

Hi Everyone, I have read all the posts on the attack of the little girl and I must say I wouldn't usually do this type of follow up post myself, but I thought it would be important for every one to get some clear information before they start making rash statements. I am very good friends with the family of the little girl who was attacked and I believe that there has been a lot of misunderstanding around this attack. Firstly the father was not 21 as stated in the press and was actually at the salon with his wife and two children. At no time was the little girl roaming around the salon freely and when she was attacked she was standing right next to her mother. The woman working in the shop had advised my friends that the dog was completely harmless and not too worry about it.... It is correct that the dog was eating, however, it was not mentioned that the dog was eating a bone. I have been a dog owner my whole life and had great and not so great experiences with dogs, but I do know that I would never give a dog a bone around anyone, especially a child. The little girl did not approach the dog....

I was really saddened to read all the posts that suggest parental neglect was to blame for the injuries she sustained. I think we should ask ourselves what purpose we have a dog for? In my opinion this dog was used as a type of gimmick for the salon...but what sort of a place is that for a big dog to spend its days? The simple fact is that the dog did bite the child and it was severe, she had surgery and has a terrible scar. Please before throwing blame on the parents, put yourselves in their shoes...their perfect angel has now been through a horrific incident and on top of that, their other daughter watched the whole thing.

I had a gut feeling that what had happened - dont ask me why.

What a terrible thing to happen. I know from experience how quick a dog can go from hello Im soft and friendly look to full on attack. I dont blame the family especially from what has been written here. The owners had a dog, assured people it was safe, gave it a bone, didnt react when it walked over ect. They need to take responsibilty of their dog.

Hoping that the child is ok and that the rest of the family heal too.

Feel sorry for the dog aswell.

[mutt lover]

Firstly Lets hope the poor little girl is not too badly hurt or scared of dogs for the rest of her life.

Secondly Since when has it been ok by Health regulations to have animals in shops especially eating a bone, surely if they must take their dog to work they can have it out the back tied up or away from people, some people obviously don't have a clue.

if this husky has been put down the owner should take a long hard look at themselves as you YOU DO NOT TAKE RISKS WITH ANY DOG AROUND ANY CHILDREN EVEN IF IT'S YOUR OWN!. Any Idiot knows that.!

[megan_]

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.

Post didn't day this. dog could have been a few metres away, child not near the bone, dog gets protective and attacks.

[Souff]

Hi Everyone, I have read all the posts on the attack of the little girl and I must say I wouldn't usually do this type of follow up post myself, but I thought it would be important for every one to get some clear information before they start making rash statements. I am very good friends with the family of the little girl who was attacked and I believe that there has been a lot of misunderstanding around this attack. Firstly the father was not 21 as stated in the press and was actually at the salon with his wife and two children. At no time was the little girl roaming around the salon freely and when she was attacked she was standing right next to her mother. The woman working in the shop had advised my friends that the dog was completely harmless and not too worry about it.... It is correct that the dog was eating, however, it was not mentioned that the dog was eating a bone. I have been a dog owner my whole life and had great and not so great experiences with dogs, but I do know that I would never give a dog a bone around anyone, especially a child. The little girl did not approach the dog....

I was really saddened to read all the posts that suggest parental neglect was to blame for the injuries she sustained. I think we should ask ourselves what purpose we have a dog for? In my opinion this dog was used as a type of gimmick for the salon...but what sort of a place is that for a big dog to spend its days? The simple fact is that the dog did bite the child and it was severe, she had surgery and has a terrible scar. Please before throwing blame on the parents, put yourselves in their shoes...their perfect angel has now been through a horrific incident and on top of that, their other daughter watched the whole thing.

Lisash,

Thank you very much for coming on and telling the parents side of the story.

I will remove my comment about being with her father, but I give an apology for it first. I am sure he is a great dad and I am very sorry he had to have this nightmare explode into his life on a simple trip to the hairdressers.

Please pass on my warm wishes to the family and I hope their little girl recovers quickly and that both the girls can hopefully not have too great a fear of dogs in the future. Dogs in the right places can be wonderful friends to children.

Souff

[Souff]

well even more unfortuanate. that poor little girl had both her parents watching her and she still got into danger.

how on earth did this happen?

Because the dog was in the salon?

[Nekhbet]

Secondly Since when has it been ok by Health regulations to have animals in shops especially eating a bone, surely if they must take their dog to work they can have it out the back tied up or away from people, some people obviously don't have a clue.

by victorian law animals must not be in food preparation areas. So they are allowed IF the owners of the premises allow it in there and they are not handling, storing or preparing human food. So technically you are allowed to bring your dog into a cafe/restaurant dining area, but it is the business that says no to that.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

well even more unfortuanate. that poor little girl had both her parents watching her and she still got into danger.

how on earth did this happen?

Because the dog was in the salon?

i do not believe it is that simple unfortuanately. i could say the child shouldn't have been in the shop and then we go round and round again getting nowhere.

i am really interested because I wonder how things can happen. i will assume that all the circumstances that were to play that day had happened before so what i look for is what was different...why on this day did this dog react to this child...this is complex and that is why i do not blame anyone or anything, i simply do not know why this would have happened.

what i do know is that an innocent child and an innocent dog will pay the price for this situation and that is sad.

[Souff]

i could say the child shouldn't have been in the shop and then we go round and round again getting nowhere.

:D Just when are you (and others) going to GET IT?

A hairdressing salon is open for business to cut the hair of adult and junior humans - i.e., CHILDREN!

Having children there to have their hair cut is how they make their money to open the doors and stay in business!

THAT IS THEIR CORE BUSINESS AND CHILDREN HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE THERE IN SAFETY.

A hairdressing salon is not the local DOGGY DAY CARE CENTRE - nor is it the DOGGY LUNCH ROOM!

:D :rofl: (steam is now coming off this keyboard!)

Souff

edited for grammar

Edited November 23, 2009 by Souff

[mita]

I was really saddened to read all the posts that suggest parental neglect was to blame for the injuries she sustained. I think we should ask ourselves what purpose we have a dog for? In my opinion this dog was used as a type of gimmick for the salon...but what sort of a place is that for a big dog to spend its days? The simple fact is that the dog did bite the child and it was severe, she had surgery and has a terrible scar. Please before throwing blame on the parents, put yourselves in their shoes...their perfect angel has now been through a horrific incident and on top of that, their other daughter watched the whole thing[/i].

It's appalling for the little girl to be so badly bitten. And I understand your need to get some clear information out there....about your friends' side of the awful story.

You'll notice that my post spoke about not knowing certain research-based facts about children & dogs. If those facts were better known, parents & dog owners would recognise a high risk situation.

There have been streams of media accounts about young children, especially the littlies, infants, toddlers & preschoolers being badly bitten by dogs. Each time, there's understandable shock & horror...and grief that a child is scarred. But nothing has been done, at a community level, to prevent them.

I said that a medical body, such as the National Health & Medical Research Council, should set up a task force to thoroughly bombard the community with the simple facts:

.The most vulnerable group, by far, for dog bites/attacks are the littlies. The 2 yr old was within that highest risk group. Whatever assurance dog owners give, super-care is needed when children of that age are accessible, eye to eye with dogs.

.The risk is heightened if the dog is eating.... (or woken from sleep.)

There's also valuable research evidence about what is in the background of a dog that goes on to bite or attack a human. It's revealed that the key to preventing that, is early socialisation of puppies. You're right to ask, what are dogs for. Safe companions to humans. We know now that socialising puppies well & continuing it, with training, will help achieve that .

I hope the little girl makes the best recovery possible from her injuries. There's also the terrible shock she's had (& her parents & sister, too.)

Edited November 23, 2009 by mita

[RL1]

My local salon used to have a loose dog there. Then one day it wasn't there - apparently not allowed due to OH&S - so this is all very interesting.

A former friend of mine going back 10 years or so owned/ran a salon/barber shop out at Petrie

and would take her 70kg Rottweiler/Ridgeback cross to work everyday. She wasn't meant to and

we all knew it, but 99% of the customers loved him. He'd come out and greet them, lay down or

walk off out back.

Looking at it now i can see it was a risk, but back then it never crossed my mind that anything bad could happen.

Edited November 23, 2009 by RottyLover01

[kyliegirl]

i could say the child shouldn't have been in the shop and then we go round and round again getting nowhere.

Just when are you (and others) going to GET IT?

A hairdressing salon is open for business to cut the hair of adult and junior humans - i.e., CHILDREN!

Having children there to have their hair cut is how they make their money to open the doors and stay in business!

THAT IS THEIR CORE BUSINESS AND CHILDREN HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE THERE IN SAFETY.

A hairdressing salon is not the local DOGGY DAY CARE CENTRE - nor is it the DOGGY LUNCH ROOM!

;) (steam is now coming off this keyboard!)

Souff

edited for grammar

yes because hairdressers are all about safety with their scissors, spiky objects, hot presses, crimpers, bleach etc.. Sorry but a child shouldnt be allowed to roam around a hairdressers period because it isnt a safe area.. What if the kid decided that cup of bleach next to an old lady getting her hair done might be yoghurt..

A person has every right to take their pets to work if they wish, its their workplace, possibly even their home, the same rights as a mother has to taking her own kids to work to her own business. Pets in the workplace has been a slowly growing fad as it lowers stress levels, many high end companies like google allow and promote people on bringing their pets to work (so long as they behave) to increase working abilities. There is no black and white in a business, you cant say something doesnt belong in the workplace just because you think it doesn't, there is actually a day celebrated overseas which is take your pet to work day in june annually.

Edited November 23, 2009 by kyliegirl

[Kirty]

Kyliegirl, did you even read all the threads here? Including the one from the person who knows exactly what happened? The dog approached the child who was standing next to her mother.

[Okami]

i could say the child shouldn't have been in the shop and then we go round and round again getting nowhere.

Just when are you (and others) going to GET IT?

A hairdressing salon is open for business to cut the hair of adult and junior humans - i.e., CHILDREN!

Having children there to have their hair cut is how they make their money to open the doors and stay in business!

THAT IS THEIR CORE BUSINESS AND CHILDREN HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE THERE IN SAFETY.

A hairdressing salon is not the local DOGGY DAY CARE CENTRE - nor is it the DOGGY LUNCH ROOM!

;) (steam is now coming off this keyboard!)

Souff

edited for grammar

+1

I hear you

[huski]

It annoys me that people seem to forget that children are little people. They have the right to go anywhere their parents go and feel SAFE. I have a toddler and I should not have to worry about her getting attacked by a dog while I get my bloody hair cut!! Mind you, I do supervise my children and while I normally don't take them to the hairdressers with me, on the odd occasion I have they play with the toys in the corner. Dogs do not belong in places like that unless they are confined.

No one said that the child shouldn't have been able to go to the salon. Everyone agrees the kids should feel safe, which is why everyone is emphasising the fact that she should NEVER have been put near a strange dog who was eating.

Are you saying that it would not be your responsibility to keep your child safe, nor your problem, if you let your child near a strange dog who was eating, and it attacked her?

Hi Everyone, I have read all the posts on the attack of the little girl and I must say I wouldn't usually do this type of follow up post myself, but I thought it would be important for every one to get some clear information before they start making rash statements. I am very good friends with the family of the little girl who was attacked and I believe that there has been a lot of misunderstanding around this attack. Firstly the father was not 21 as stated in the press and was actually at the salon with his wife and two children. At no time was the little girl roaming around the salon freely and when she was attacked she was standing right next to her mother. The woman working in the shop had advised my friends that the dog was completely harmless and not too worry about it.... It is correct that the dog was eating, however, it was not mentioned that the dog was eating a bone. I have been a dog owner my whole life and had great and not so great experiences with dogs, but I do know that I would never give a dog a bone around anyone, especially a child. The little girl did not approach the dog....

I was really saddened to read all the posts that suggest parental neglect was to blame for the injuries she sustained. I think we should ask ourselves what purpose we have a dog for? In my opinion this dog was used as a type of gimmick for the salon...but what sort of a place is that for a big dog to spend its days? The simple fact is that the dog did bite the child and it was severe, she had surgery and has a terrible scar. Please before throwing blame on the parents, put yourselves in their shoes...their perfect angel has now been through a horrific incident and on top of that, their other daughter watched the whole thing.

That the dog was eating a bone really shouldn't make a difference. Dogs can resource guard inanimate objects, any scrap of food they can get their paws on etc. I know kids who have been bitten by a dog resource guarding a bowl of kibble. What the dog was eating is not important. The dog was eating, it should have been confined and that little girl should not have been anywhere near it. She could have done something as simple as look the dog in the eye to have set it off. She was obviously close enough to the dog for it to grab her quickly without warning (or without warning that the owners or parents could recognise).

I don't think the parents are solely to blame but I do think any parent should be responsible for their children when they are around strange dogs.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

i could say the child shouldn't have been in the shop and then we go round and round again getting nowhere.

Just when are you (and others) going to GET IT?

A hairdressing salon is open for business to cut the hair of adult and junior humans - i.e., CHILDREN!

Having children there to have their hair cut is how they make their money to open the doors and stay in business!

THAT IS THEIR CORE BUSINESS AND CHILDREN HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE THERE IN SAFETY.

A hairdressing salon is not the local DOGGY DAY CARE CENTRE - nor is it the DOGGY LUNCH ROOM!

;) (steam is now coming off this keyboard!)

Souff

edited for grammar

i get it. i also get my hair cut at a hairdresser that has a dog in it. we have a difference of opinion and if you had read my post i said that i COULD say "blah blah" but that we would just go round in circles as you have done.

[huski]

Kyliegirl, did you even read all the threads here? Including the one from the person who knows exactly what happened? The dog approached the child who was standing next to her mother.

I understand the poster is a friend of the family but really it's impossible to know what really happened without having witnessed it. I'm not saying that what she's saying is incorrect, but it's really hard to judge this sort of incident from second hand information.

[Kirty]

Oh for christs sake. I give up. Obviously dogs should be allowed anywhere they like and we should all leave our children at home in their cages.