Rottweiler Tears Off Shop Worker's Lip - Nz Herald

[Burkes]

'Blood was just pouring out' - rottweiler tears off shop worker's lip

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article....jectid=10660889

A pet store assistant lost her lip in a dog attack at a "bring in your Rottweilers" promotion in West Auckland yesterday.

The attack happened about 11am at Animates in Westgate.

A horrified witness told the Weekend Herald he was talking to the dog's owner at the shop counter when the female assistant - believed to be in her early 20s - leant down to give the dog a treat.

"He just latched on to her face. It was horrific. Blood was just pouring out. One of the other girls said her lip was basically pulled off.

"On the floor was a tooth, either from the girl or the dog."

He said the owner pulled his dog away immediately and put him in the back of his car before going back inside to check on the woman.

The victim was taken to Waitakere Hospital by car and later transferred to Middlemore.

Spokeswoman Lauren Young said the woman was last night in the emergency department with facial injuries which were not thought to be life-threatening but might require attention from plastic surgeons.

Animal Control says the promotion - which invited owners to bring in their Rottweilers in return for free dog food - was "not a good look".

Waitakere City Council's manager of animal welfare, Neil Wells, said staff had spoken to the owner but the dog would not be destroyed.

"The dog is back at home, he is secure and we are not intending to take any direct action concerning the dog.

"The owner didn't do anything wrong. He had the dog properly contained on a lead and the staff member put herself into the territory of the dog," Mr Wells said.

An Animal Control officer had seen CCTV footage of the attack and there were other dogs in the store at the time but not at the counter.

"We consider the promotion by Animates not well thought out and had the potential for going wrong," Mr Wells said. "Bringing a lot of especially Rottweilers into one place at one time ... was not a good idea ... I think Animates now understand that ... They regretted the whole thing."

Animates general manager Richard Bowker said a review of safety measures for staff and visitors during pet visits was under way.

"The dog and its owner were visiting the store as part of a free dog food promotion for Rottweiler breed-specific premium dog food. Animates has discontinued the promotion."

Mr Bowker said the firm deeply regretted the attack and was doing all it could to support the staff member.

Occupational Safety and Health is investigating.

[Staranais]

Oh dear. Bad for the breed, bad for the dog, and bad for the poor girl.

I wonder what the whole story behind the incident is? Obviously a dog that will do this shouldn't be out in public unmuzzled, full stop. On the other hand I have seen some very clueless behaviour from Animates staff before - I wonder if this girl didn't notice, or couldn't understand, the dog's defensive or aggressive body language as she leaned over it. In which case, the owner should have noticed how uncomfortable the dog was, and intervened and stopped the encounter before the dog decided to defend itself. Whatever happened, this is a sad story.

[KOE]

wonder if she even asked if she could give the dog a treat probably not.

I went to a pet shop to buy dog food whilst we were away and the dogs were in the back of the car, the sales girl asked if she could give the dogs a treat to which I replied no. She asked why and I informed her that they are very protective of their car, so it wasnt a good idea.

[Brennan's Mum]

Ouch...not good. Admittedly I am happy that the dog at least will not be PTS over the attack.

[tarope]

Firstly why does this newspaper show a Rottie bearing his teeth, as I bet this dog is not the dog responsible.

Anyone should be able to give a Rottie a treat without getting their face ripped off My Rottie was given a treat by a staff member at the pet barn and she didn't rip her lip off.

Waitakere City Council's manager of animal welfare, Neil Wells says - "The owner didn't do anything wrong. He had the dog properly contained on a lead and the staff member put herself into the territory of the dog".

Guess again Mr Wells, a dog that unstable is a danger to everyone and this dog is not in it's territory. Blame falls on the owner as the dog was not properly contained in the first place, how do we know how the dog was raised.

I feel very sorry for the woman shop assistant and I hope she gets over this and makes a full recovery and doesn't have a fear of Rotties from now on.

Edited July 25, 2010 by tarope

[Ashka]

Animates need a reality check. Damn stupid idea.

The staff also need animal common sense training, although most of the staff are good some are just plain stupid.

Last time I walked my dog through Animates a large female staff member rushed over to grab my Cavalier just cus she had one like him at home. Scared the shit out of him. Other staff members had patted him without a problem. He's an eight year old show dog and generally loves everyone.

Note: I had him in there to try on a new travel harness.

Edited July 25, 2010 by Ashka

[kiwioz]

My aunt saw this on the news last night and was telling me about it - the girl is taking full responsibility for the incident and admitting she approached the dog incorrectly.

[jackie_a1]

Firstly. I hate pet shops. I don't discriminate I hate them equally. Simply because the staff are usually undertrained, under experienced and sometimes under aged to deal with issues like this. You don't need any qualifications to work at pet shop although you are handling LIVE animals. You should need to have basic training FOR ANY job dealing with companion or captive animals. Now not laying the blame on the girl at all but with adequate training the staff would and should be better equipped for any incidents occurring regardless if they are similar to this or not.

We don't know the details of the story but I don't care. NO DOG in public should ever bite a person. Regardless if the dog thought it was protecting itself or it's owner the dog should not be allowed unmuzzled. The dog and it's owner have to be able to correctly assess what is a threat to them and what is simply a lady offering a treat. If the dog cannot correctly decipher the difference itself (between something that is a threat and something that is not) then the owner then has to identify that the dog is unpredictable and will show signs of aggression and obviously will bite. So therefore the OWNER IS responsible. He did not correctly ensure he knew his dog and it's temperament therefore putting a staff member in direct danger. Spin it anyway you want. It was not the staff members fault. She came into work thinking this was another doggy day thought the dog was socialised and approachable and would not get her lip bitten off. Everyone has the right to be safe in their own home as well as work.

She may have not read the dogs signs or body language properly but so? The dog was in the store. Not in its own yard, or bed, which doesn't justify the reaction but would clarify it a little. The dog was out in public where there are plenty of roaming kids. She shouldn't have to pay for it with her face. The owner should not have brought his dog in. If this was the first time the dog had ever snapped or showed any aggression (which I doubt) but if it was the first time. Well he knows his lesson now.

Quick edit to say,

Kiwi regardless if she approached the dog incorrectly it SHOULD NOT have bitten at her face. I need to reiterate this is a public store and place. The dog should not have lunged or bitten. If you approach my dog in the wrong way I guarantee he would not bite your lip off. He would stare at you with a WTF look?

Edited July 25, 2010 by jackie_a1

[kiwioz]

Kiwi regardless if she approached the dog incorrectly it SHOULD NOT have bitten at her face. I need to reiterate this is a public store and place. The dog should not have lunged or bitten. If you approach my dog in the wrong way I guarantee he would not bite your lip off. He would stare at you with a WTF look?

Oh I agree the dog should not have bitten her, I was just pointing out the girl's take on the situation.

[Staranais]

My aunt saw this on the news last night and was telling me about it - the girl is taking full responsibility for the incident and admitting she approached the dog incorrectly.

Yeah, but...

She probably did approach the dog incorrectly, I've seen Animates staff do dumb things dogs many times before. But I think the owner needs to take some responsibility too. I've had Animates staff attempt to do dumb things to my dogs before too, but if I thought that there was any chance that my dogs would bite them for being dumb, then my dogs would NOT have been in the store at all. It is the owner's job to know the temperament of their dog and to keep the dog out of situations where it may feel compelled to defend itself. It is also the owner's job to intervene when the dog is looking uncomfortable, and tell the staff to back off.

Oh sorry, just saw your second post. I am very unobservant today!

Edited July 25, 2010 by Staranais

[Burkes]

I was in two minds when I read this article. I am probably a bit over protective of Rotties being an owner and wanting people to see the good rather than the bad stories. They always get such a bad rap when all I have known is love.

But, I think all three parties are in the wrong here.

1. I certainly wouldn't take my dog to Rotty day out in a Pet Shop if I thought it might rip someones face off. Maybe the dog has never shown signs of this before though. Who knows?

2. People shouldn't try and pat dogs without asking the owner. Even at the Dogs Day Out events we hold in Canberra I always ask if I can pat them, even though you would hope the dogs are friendly being that they are at a large public event.

3. Pet shop - dumb idea! I hate pet shops anyway - well the ones that sell animals.

[Zhou Xuanyao]

Why do they have to have a review ?

Why was the promotion not a good idea ?

People are just so over the top all the time.

The poor girl, its a regrettable accident. They do happen, someone or something does not always have to be to blame. It is this type of thinking which is harmful and in the extreme leads to BSL, why ? Because lets learn that sometimes we have to accept an accident has occured and move on.

[kiwioz]

My aunt saw this on the news last night and was telling me about it - the girl is taking full responsibility for the incident and admitting she approached the dog incorrectly.

Yeah, but...

She probably did approach the dog incorrectly, I've seen Animates staff do dumb things dogs many times before. But I think the owner needs to take some responsibility too. I've had Animates staff attempt to do dumb things to my dogs before too, but if I thought that there was any chance that my dogs would bite them for being dumb, then my dogs would NOT have been in the store at all. It is the owner's job to know the temperament of their dog and to keep the dog out of situations where it may feel compelled to defend itself. It is also the owner's job to intervene when the dog is looking uncomfortable, and tell the staff to back off.

Oh sorry, just saw your second post. I am very unobservant today!

Hehe no worries I agree that the owner has to take responsibility. The girl probably did the wrong thing, and I applaud her for standing up and saying that instead of just crying 'vicious dog'. But as you say, an owner should know their own dog.

[tarope]

That was my big mistake, I think. Apparently rottweilers don't like being patted on the head. There was no one to blame but me because it was an accident I caused. It was just one of those things that happened." She also wanted to learn more about animals. "If I'd known more about rottweilers I probably wouldn't have been so friendly."

Can you believe this statement, I don't know who told her Rotties don't like to be pat on the head or not to be friendly with them. I hope the NZ Rottie club contact her and explain that it wasn't her fault and Rotties are not like this.

At the last Rottie club fun day there were plenty of Rotties,people,kids and some other breeds all mixing together.

Every one had a great day and no one was attacked or lost any fingers in the cleanest teeth contest why? Because it all falls back on the owners as to how the dogs are raised.

[KitKat]

Good grief...i not only gave treats to at least one Rottie at work today (i did check with the owners if allowed first of course) but also got smoochies to boot, same said of a very smoochie Staffy, a freshly washed GSD and a baby black and tan puffball of which i wasn't sure of the breed/s...did i barely escape with my skin?

I've only known of one bite/attack that happened at work and that was a few years ago...the dog latched onto a staff members stomach as she moved to walk past the owner and dog at the counter (from memory). From what i remember it came back to the dogs owner and their knowledge of the dog rather then anything the staff member did/didn't do.

Some places are better then others with knowedgeable staff - but so much comes back to the owners of the dog/s and their knowledge and acknowledgement of their dogs behaviour, even if it's just to keep an eye on how the staff (or general public in the store) approach their dog.

[geo]

Why do they have to have a review ?

Why was the promotion not a good idea ?

People are just so over the top all the time.

The poor girl, its a regrettable accident. They do happen, someone or something does not always have to be to blame. It is this type of thinking which is harmful and in the extreme leads to BSL, why ? Because lets learn that sometimes we have to accept an accident has occured and move on.

Ah the voice of reason as always Lo Pan, i agree.

My 1 year old is still learning about strangers, he is a little scared if they approach him and i'm not with him (ie he barks at my one neighbour but not the other and never when i'm in the garden and never when the older bitch is in the garden..?) though he's quite happy with women for some reason.

Same with children, loves our baby, likes others when he gets to know them but when new people enter the house he's always stand offish.

I wonder if this rotti was just startled, scared.. not making excuses just wondering why.

[hortfurball]

There was an incident involving a highly trained police dog that bit a celebrity journo during an interview with the police handler when the interviewer/journo leaned over the dog. Sorry but I think that situation makes a bit of a joke of the comment "It's how the dog was raised." That is a blanket statement that doesn't take into account the fact that dogs are NOT teddy bears that should allow themselves to be approached in any way, shape or form. If you approach a dog in a way that the dog perceives as threatening, leaning over it, then expect it to act like a dog and bite you.

As we weren't there and don't know the full story, it is possible that the dog was either defending itself, or perhaps defending its owner. It stated in the article that the owner was talking to the witness when the incident happened, he may not have seen the girl approach. The dog may have perceived the girl's approach as a sneak attack on the owner from behind, we just don't know, and yet there are calls for this dog to either not be taken out in public or to be muzzled.

I think it's great that the dog is not being PTS and great that the staff member is taking responsibility for approaching the dog in the wrong manner, if a little concerned that now she has the mistaken idea that all rotties don't like being patted on the head. What we need is proper education of the public, with the most important rule being "NEVER approach ANY dog without the owner's permission and attention" and the other vital rule (unrelated to this story) being "NEVER leave children and dogs unsupervised." If we could achieve the aim of getting those two messages across to ALL, then dog bite statistics would be significantly reduced.

[K9Nev]

Firstly. I hate pet shops. I don't discriminate I hate them equally. Simply because the staff are usually undertrained, under experienced and sometimes under aged to deal with issues like this. You don't need any qualifications to work at pet shop although you are handling LIVE animals. You should need to have basic training FOR ANY job dealing with companion or captive animals. Now not laying the blame on the girl at all but with adequate training the staff would and should be better equipped for any incidents occurring regardless if they are similar to this or not.

We don't know the details of the story but I don't care. NO DOG in public should ever bite a person. Regardless if the dog thought it was protecting itself or it's owner the dog should not be allowed unmuzzled. The dog and it's owner have to be able to correctly assess what is a threat to them and what is simply a lady offering a treat. If the dog cannot correctly decipher the difference itself (between something that is a threat and something that is not) then the owner then has to identify that the dog is unpredictable and will show signs of aggression and obviously will bite. So therefore the OWNER IS responsible. He did not correctly ensure he knew his dog and it's temperament therefore putting a staff member in direct danger. Spin it anyway you want. It was not the staff members fault. She came into work thinking this was another doggy day thought the dog was socialised and approachable and would not get her lip bitten off. Everyone has the right to be safe in their own home as well as work.

She may have not read the dogs signs or body language properly but so? The dog was in the store. Not in its own yard, or bed, which doesn't justify the reaction but would clarify it a little. The dog was out in public where there are plenty of roaming kids. She shouldn't have to pay for it with her face. The owner should not have brought his dog in. If this was the first time the dog had ever snapped or showed any aggression (which I doubt) but if it was the first time. Well he knows his lesson now.

Quick edit to say,

Kiwi regardless if she approached the dog incorrectly it SHOULD NOT have bitten at her face. I need to reiterate this is a public store and place. The dog should not have lunged or bitten. If you approach my dog in the wrong way I guarantee he would not bite your lip off. He would stare at you with a WTF look?

She had the option to leave the dog alone You can never be sure how a dog may react to a stranger and what may trigger them..........best the owner doesn't encourage stranger interaction and people learn not to approach other people's dogs and these horrific encounters are minimised.

Cheers

Nev

[K9Nev]

That was my big mistake, I think. Apparently rottweilers don't like being patted on the head. There was no one to blame but me because it was an accident I caused. It was just one of those things that happened." She also wanted to learn more about animals. "If I'd known more about rottweilers I probably wouldn't have been so friendly."

Can you believe this statement, I don't know who told her Rotties don't like to be pat on the head or not to be friendly with them. I hope the NZ Rottie club contact her and explain that it wasn't her fault and Rotties are not like this.

At the last Rottie club fun day there were plenty of Rotties,people,kids and some other breeds all mixing together.

Every one had a great day and no one was attacked or lost any fingers in the cleanest teeth contest why? Because it all falls back on the owners as to how the dogs are raised.

I disagree with the statement that aggressive behaviour is the result of how a dog is raised. It's easy to raise a dog of solid nerve and stable temperament over a dog that is overly sharp and nervy which is dependant upon the traits of the individual dog. Over the years, I have had some wonderful GSD service dogs that were freindly joyous pets and others that you could never trust and were an absolute handful to control albiet, had exactly the same training regimes, not all temperaments and dispositions in one breed are the same IMO.

Cheers

Nev

[K9Nev]

There was an incident involving a highly trained police dog that bit a celebrity journo during an interview with the police handler when the interviewer/journo leaned over the dog. Sorry but I think that situation makes a bit of a joke of the comment "It's how the dog was raised." That is a blanket statement that doesn't take into account the fact that dogs are NOT teddy bears that should allow themselves to be approached in any way, shape or form. If you approach a dog in a way that the dog perceives as threatening, leaning over it, then expect it to act like a dog and bite you.

As we weren't there and don't know the full story, it is possible that the dog was either defending itself, or perhaps defending its owner. It stated in the article that the owner was talking to the witness when the incident happened, he may not have seen the girl approach. The dog may have perceived the girl's approach as a sneak attack on the owner from behind, we just don't know, and yet there are calls for this dog to either not be taken out in public or to be muzzled.

I think it's great that the dog is not being PTS and great that the staff member is taking responsibility for approaching the dog in the wrong manner, if a little concerned that now she has the mistaken idea that all rotties don't like being patted on the head. What we need is proper education of the public, with the most important rule being "NEVER approach ANY dog without the owner's permission and attention" and the other vital rule (unrelated to this story) being "NEVER leave children and dogs unsupervised." If we could achieve the aim of getting those two messages across to ALL, then dog bite statistics would be significantly reduced.

Nice post Hortfurball..........thanks

Cheers

nev