Four Year Old Saves Brother From Dog Attack

[Nic oh lah]

From news.com.au

Family's new dog attacks son

Four-year-old sister saves brother

Warns people over taking in adult dogs

THE Flanagan family had their new dog for less than an hour before it attacked their second youngest child and bit off part of his nose.

Now they want to warn other families about the dangers of taking in adult dogs without knowing the animal's behavioural history.

Christine Flanagan and her husband Barry, who live at Nanango in the South Burnett, said yesterday they were still in shock over last weekend's terrifying attack on son Connor, 6, and feared what might have happened if their plucky daughter Tegan, just 4, had not kicked and punched the dog to get him away from her older brother.

Mrs Flanagan said they had just taken the four-year-old male staffordshire dog home and had been playing with it with toys without incident for less than an hour when the attack happened.

"I just came inside to get my phone and my husband followed me, when we heard these almighty screams and we just took off back (outside)," she said.

"I picked Connor up and he was just covered in blood, and when I asked what had happened the kids said Connor was holding a toy up and when the dog jumped to get it he knocked him over and then kept biting him on the face and mauling him." Mrs Flanagan said

The dog had bitten off the tip of Connor's nose. "I got a towel to put on his face and he was screaming so much I couldn't even hear the operator when I dialled triple-0," she said.

By the time the ambulance took Connor to nearby Kingaroy Hospital he was in shock and lying quite still.

Mrs Flanagan said while she blamed herself for momentarily leaving the children alone with the dog, the family had had another "staffy" for 14 years without problems and they had not been told the dog was dangerous. "It's a warning to other people," she said. "We only heard about the dog needing a home from the friend of a friend."

She said they returned the dog immediately to its previous owners and advised the South Burnett Regional Council. They had since heard that the animal had been put down.

"Connor's petrified of dogs now," Mrs Flanagan said. "Even if he sees a puppy he runs screaming, 'It's going to kill me' and he's had nightmares."

Awful - but horrendous that this is being brandished on the web with "warning against taking in older dogs'.

Edited January 22, 2010 by NicGSDlover

[FranVT]

I agree, what the hell It's no one's fault but the mother's own that she didn't know the behavioural history of the dog, she got it from a 'friend of a friend' she should have bloody well asked, also waving a toy about teasing (presumedly) a brand-spankin' new dog? Probably not a great idea but there were obviously no bad intentions here, what this is is a great example of why you never take your eyes of kids playing with dogs ever.

[Nic oh lah]

Exactly. Very sad but the mother's fault. She'd had it an hour! I've had Sophie 2 months and I still watch her like a hawk with cats and kids and other dogs as i'd rather be safe than sorry.

[HollyMilo]

"I just came inside to get my phone and my husband followed me, when we heard these almighty screams and we just took off back (outside)," she said.

"I picked Connor up and he was just covered in blood, and when I asked what had happened the kids said Connor was holding a toy up and when the dog jumped to get it he knocked him over and then kept biting him on the face and mauling him." Mrs Flanagan said

The dog had bitten off the tip of Connor's nose. "I got a towel to put on his face and he was screaming so much I couldn't even hear the operator when I dialled triple-0," she said.

By the time the ambulance took Connor to nearby Kingaroy Hospital he was in shock and lying quite still.

Mrs Flanagan said while she blamed herself for momentarily leaving the children alone with the dog, the family had had another "staffy" for 14 years without problems and they had not been told the dog was dangerous. "It's a warning to other people," she said. "We only heard about the dog needing a home from the friend of a friend."

She said they returned the dog immediately to its previous owners and advised the South Burnett Regional Council. They had since heard that the animal had been put down.

"Connor's petrified of dogs now," Mrs Flanagan said. "Even if he sees a puppy he runs screaming, 'It's going to kill me' and he's had nightmares."

Awful - but horrendous that this is being brandished on the web with "warning against taking in older dogs'.

The parents should be blaming themselves! They left a 4yr old and a 6yr old alone with an unfamiliar dog that they'd had for less than an hour, that is what the story should have focused on - children need to be supervised with dogs.

[FranVT]

Exactly, they'd had the other staffy for FOURTEEN YEARS of course it's a bit of a different story there, they know the dog and while I reiterate that kids should never be left alone with ANY dog, that goes a hundredfold for a dog you've had for less than an hour! There must be a reason it needed to be rehomed, shouldn't she have asked why?

[Kirty]

Ditto. How stupid!! And how sad that she is now brandishing all older dogs with this crap.

[spottychick]

If a 4 year old girl was able to get the dog away by kicking and punching it, and the dog didn't turn on her, then the dog was probably not intending to attack anyone and doesn't sound all that vicious. Note there sounds like only one injury to the kids face which doesn't suggest it "continued to bite and maul". It doesn't say anything about whether the dog was growling etc or just biting to get the toy and got the kid instead. Anyone, let alone a small child, holding a toy up for a newly adopted dog to leap at is obviously a disaster about to happen.

This is disgusting. That mother should never have left a child/children that young alone with ANY dog, no matter how long they'd known it. Stupid Stupid! And now the dog has had it all because people don't take the time to think about how to introduce a dog into the home.

These people should never be allowed to have a dog - hopefully they won't get another one because of this.

[FranVT]

If a 4 year old girl was able to get the dog away by kicking and punching it, and the dog didn't turn on her, then the dog was probably not intending to attack anyone and doesn't sound all that vicious. Note there sounds like only one injury to the kids face which doesn't suggest it "continued to bite and maul". It doesn't say anything about whether the dog was growling etc or just biting to get the toy and got the kid instead. Anyone, let alone a small child, holding a toy up for a newly adopted dog to leap at is obviously a disaster about to happen.

This is disgusting. That mother should never have left a child/children that young alone with ANY dog, no matter how long they'd known it. Stupid Stupid! And now the dog has had it all because people don't take the time to think about how to introduce a dog into the home.

These people should never be allowed to have a dog - hopefully they won't get another one because of this.

for that whole post spottychick but particularly the bolded parts. I bet it was just trying to get the toy and got carried away. How long you reckon it'll take before 'someone who knows the family' comes in and tells us we're all being big meanies who don't know anything about the situation?

[mr.mister]

If a 4 year old girl was able to get the dog away by kicking and punching it, and the dog didn't turn on her, then the dog was probably not intending to attack anyone and doesn't sound all that vicious. Note there sounds like only one injury to the kids face which doesn't suggest it "continued to bite and maul". It doesn't say anything about whether the dog was growling etc or just biting to get the toy and got the kid instead. Anyone, let alone a small child, holding a toy up for a newly adopted dog to leap at is obviously a disaster about to happen.

This is disgusting. That mother should never have left a child/children that young alone with ANY dog, no matter how long they'd known it. Stupid Stupid! And now the dog has had it all because people don't take the time to think about how to introduce a dog into the home.

These people should never be allowed to have a dog - hopefully they won't get another one because of this.

Definately. I held up a ball for my dog once (stupid) and he accidentally got caught on my hand trying to grab it. Luckily I wasn't a young child that could have suffered worse injuries. Of course as the parents of these kids weren't there to see it it can never be guaranteed whether it was an attack or just an attempt to grab the toy.

Supervise, supervise, supervise - can't be stressed enough!! Poor kid, poor dog.

(edited to make my sentence clearer)

Edited January 22, 2010 by alexhegyesi

[megan_]

If a 4 year old girl was able to get the dog away by kicking and punching it, and the dog didn't turn on her, then the dog was probably not intending to attack anyone and doesn't sound all that vicious. Note there sounds like only one injury to the kids face which doesn't suggest it "continued to bite and maul". It doesn't say anything about whether the dog was growling etc or just biting to get the toy and got the kid instead. Anyone, let alone a small child, holding a toy up for a newly adopted dog to leap at is obviously a disaster about to happen.

This is disgusting. That mother should never have left a child/children that young alone with ANY dog, no matter how long they'd known it. Stupid Stupid! And now the dog has had it all because people don't take the time to think about how to introduce a dog into the home.

These people should never be allowed to have a dog - hopefully they won't get another one because of this.

for that whole post spottychick but particularly the bolded parts. I bet it was just trying to get the toy and got carried away. How long you reckon it'll take before 'someone who knows the family' comes in and tells us we're all being big meanies who don't know anything about the situation?

yip - no way a 4 year old could fight off a staffy that meant business

[persephone]

I agree with spottychick- kids razzing the dog up- teasing it with toys and running around... I can imagine what followed.

parents need some educating- newspaper needs some follow-up letters.

R I P poor dog.

[sandgrubber]

"I just came inside to get my phone and my husband followed me, when we heard these almighty screams and we just took off back (outside)," she said.

"I picked Connor up and he was just covered in blood, and when I asked what had happened the kids said Connor was holding a toy up and when the dog jumped to get it he knocked him over and then kept biting him on the face and mauling him." Mrs Flanagan said

The dog had bitten off the tip of Connor's nose. "I got a towel to put on his face and he was screaming so much I couldn't even hear the operator when I dialled triple-0," she said.

By the time the ambulance took Connor to nearby Kingaroy Hospital he was in shock and lying quite still.

Mrs Flanagan said while she blamed herself for momentarily leaving the children alone with the dog, the family had had another "staffy" for 14 years without problems and they had not been told the dog was dangerous. "It's a warning to other people," she said. "We only heard about the dog needing a home from the friend of a friend."

"warning against taking in older dogs'.

The parents should be blaming themselves! They left a 4yr old and a 6yr old alone with an unfamiliar dog that they'd had for less than an hour, that is what the story should have focused on - children need to be supervised with dogs.

I don't think the blame game is useful. Blame just makes the blamed person feel like shit and makes everyone resent one another. Focus should be on what went wrong and how to prevent it, and accepting that no protection system will be 100% effective. People should be warned against taking older dogs without asking questions and assuming that because the dog is such-and-such a breed that it will be like their old beloved dog of the same breed. Each dog is an individual. Before adopting, ie, making a long term committment to living with the dog, you must assess the individual temperament, and if your ability to assess temperament isn't wonderful, better to get a behavioural assessment than end up with a 'lemon' that someone else couldn't cope with and is, with best of intentions, fobbing off on anyone willing to take the bait.

[slk]

I agree with everything that has been said except one thing, and that's the parents not getting a history. That may not be the case, they may have been told the dog was ok with children (I'm not saying that makes it ok for the dogs to left with children unsupervised, no way, but they may not have been warned the dog was not socialised with children).

I'm talking from experience. We took in (from a 'friend of a friend') a 3 year old maltese/pappilon dog. I was told she was raised with their 3 year old daughter without incident - she even sent me a photo of her 3yr old daughter & dog in the cubby house together.

Said dog went from sitting position next to my daughter (who was not even touching the dog) and latched onto my daughters lip - full snarl, quite vicious & very very unprovoked.

I put the dog outside, tended my daughter and straight onto the phone to the previous owner .. response. "oh no, not again" Yep, they ACTUALLY got rid of the dog becuase of aggression towards their daughter, and in fact all children.

I asked the right questions - I just got given untruthful answers. Sad, but it happens.

Still, would i leave my 4 and 6 year olds unsupervised with a dog I've known less than an hour, who is probably stressed from arriving in a new environment - HELL NO.

[mita]

The mother says they had just taken this new dog home. But doesn't say from where.

After the incident, she issues a warning about not taking an adult dog in, with no knowledge of its behavioral patterns. Well, I'm sorry to tell her.....but that was her responsibility to find out.

In what circumstances was it raised & what evidence did she look for re how it behaved with people, especially children?

Dogs have to LEARN how to get on with people (including children). And the evidence is, that should commence from the time they're baby puppies.

So dogs aren't born socialised, ready to grow up behaving like the perfect dog of TV ads. Or, in this case, like the family's previous 14 yr old staffy....who likely had a much different upbringing.

Then there's the golden rule of not letting young children be unsupervised around dogs. Especially so in this case....as the dog was new. And by the woman's own admission, she had no knowledge of the dog's behavioral patterns. And also because these children were in the highest risk group for dog bites. With an additional risk marker for the boy.

Ignorance caused this problem. And the newspaper account just spreads the ignorance. I'm too charitable to add '& stupidity'

[Diva]

I don't think the blame game is useful. Blame just makes the blamed person feel like shit and makes everyone resent one another. Focus should be on what went wrong and how to prevent it, and accepting that no protection system will be 100% effective. People should be warned against taking older dogs without asking questions and assuming that because the dog is such-and-such a breed that it will be like their old beloved dog of the same breed. Each dog is an individual.

Trouble is they had no protection system.

Leaving a dog they didn't know alone with 2 very young children and toys, after having revved the dog up by playing?

I'm sorry but in any one's world that is pure negligence.

They are happy to blame the dog and label it dangerous, and by the extension the people who gave him to them for not warning them it was dangerous. I hope people reading the article have enough sense to see through that and not be blinded by a very reasonable sympathy for the child - which I share.

slk I'm sorry about your experience - unforgivable you were lied to.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Diva

[poodlefan]

Lets bear in mind that we only have the kids word for what happened.

RIP Staffy. This was a tragedy for you and for Connor. A totally preventable one.

Edited January 22, 2010 by poodlefan

[sandgrubber]

I don't think the blame game is useful. Blame just makes the blamed person feel like shit and makes everyone resent one another. Focus should be on what went wrong and how to prevent it, and accepting that no protection system will be 100% effective. People should be warned against taking older dogs without asking questions and assuming that because the dog is such-and-such a breed that it will be like their old beloved dog of the same breed. Each dog is an individual.

Trouble is they had no protection system.

Leaving a dog they didn't know alone with 2 very young children and toys, after having revved the dog up by playing?

I'm sorry but in any one's world that is pure negligence.

They are happy to blame the dog and label it dangerous, and by the extension the people who gave him to them for not warning them it was dangerous. I hope people reading the article have enough sense to see through that and not be blinded by a very reasonable sympathy for the child - which I share.

A lot of people don't know much about dogs. They've had good experiences with one. They expect the next one to be the same cause it's the same breed. I agree, it's gross ignorance. But I don't think blaming them helps anything. However, recommending behavioural assessment before adoption is a win, win. It would be a bigger win if the recommendation was to keep a close eye on a new dog with kids. That didn't happen. Not good. But not the time rub the family's face in it either.

Edited January 22, 2010 by sandgrubber

[spottychick]

Yes, people should be looking at what went wrong and trying to avoid it happening again - but in this particular case that had little to do with the dog itself. The focus SHOULD be on how to properly bring any new dog into a new home and on educating people about the need to train their dogs and NOT to leave young kids alone with ANY dog, regardless of it's history or temperament. That's what went wrong here. (tho of course all dogs need to be temperament checked and people should do their homework on the dog before taking it home).

From everything I'm reading and the little info we have, including the pic of the injury to the child's face, it doesn't look like this dog was a "dangerous" dog with serious temperament issues. The fact that the little girl has NO injuries at all speaks volumes. If this had been a dangerous dog attack both children would have been in a far more serious state. Seriously, we're talking about a dog who let a 4 year girl beat him up!

At it's absolute worst, the issue seems to be a simple case of a dog being too rough around kids when playing and accidentally biting a face instead of a toy. That is easily resolved with very basic training and by not leaving small kids to play with a dog unsupervised.

This is as opposed to unprovoked snarling and attacking which this dog did NOT do, even when provoked by the 4 year old's attempts to help her brother.

The whole thing is horrifically tragic for the children and the dog, but is being compounded by unfair negativity about adopting adult dogs.

[poodlefan]

Spottychick:

Yes, people should be looking at what went wrong and trying to avoid it happening again - but in this particular case that had little to do with the dog itself.

That's a big call given how little information we have about the dog.

[spottychick]

Perhaps you're right, make that "only half of it was to do with the dog itself".