aussielover Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Dictionary definitions do not always reflect interpretations by the general public. Dog mauls girl is a sensational heading, designed to shock and arouse emotions. The same incidient could be described as dog bites girl; which is an accurate despcription of what happended without the added sensation. I am simply stating what the surgery could be- no where did I say it trivial or not serious. I don't know why you are getting so worked up about this. I am simply stating my opinion, you are of course entitled to yours. I think most people here are mature enough to come to their own conclusions about the nature of this incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Poor old dog . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatrinaM Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Not trying to take on ounce of blame away from the owner, but doesnt anybody think, particularly for their own safety that children should be taught its not OK to approach/pat/hug strange dogs without permission? This incedent could also have been prevented if the kids knew how to act appropriatly around unfamiliar dogs. I am not saying the kids are responsible at all, just that their behaviour contributed significantly to the outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris the Rebel Wolf Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Just out of a matter of interest, the article doesn't mention if the kids did speak to the owner about patting the dog at all. The seven year old at least, since he began patting the dog first, may have asked 'Can I pat the dog' and been told yes. Weather the owner was standing right beside them by the time the little girl hugged the dog, or was still ten meters away, if she hugged him and he turned and snapped it would have been hard to prevent with no leash. Not saying that is what happened but we're only getting a small fragment of the story, obviously. It could be fault on all parts, though to me letting your dog around offleash around houses and entering a house, the most fault is right there. Feel sorry for the Border, he's as much a victim as the girl. Also agree with those who don't agree 'timid' is the right word for a Border, I wouldn't use that descriptive for any of those I have met. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatrinaM Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 By the Comment "Very Timid" he looks to be refering to Border Collies being the oposite of aggressive. Not timid in the way dog people use the word. I could be wrong but I seriously doubt the kids were asking if they could hug a strange dog with the owner 10 meters away. The kids arent at fault (although I would have been flogged as a child for being so "stupid", we were always told it was an unwritten rule to never touch another persons dog) but it would be nice to give them a few skills to help keep them safe around dogs, just like we do with other hazards in everyday life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobie Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 With so many attacks, bites, maulings or whatever you want to call them going on. I am getting to the point I don't really care what the victim was doing whether or not the 3 year old should have been taught this or should have been taught that the facts are the stupid owner should have their dog on a leash as this is the law and if the owner followed the law this would not ever have happened. A dog owner has a responsibility to protect their dog and the community from their dogs actions. Thanks to another idiot owner a child is scarred for life whether mentally or physcially and another dog will most likely be euthanised, oh and lets not forget another attack to add to the list leaving another cross against dogs. :mad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marina Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Fault lies totally with the dog owner and the dog. Children have the right to play in their front yards in safety full stop. The dog may have been excited and not scared or hurt. It amazes me how people can say the child is to blame. The child is only three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Not trying to take on ounce of blame away from the owner, but doesnt anybody think, particularly for their own safety that children should be taught its not OK to approach/pat/hug strange dogs without permission? This incedent could also have been prevented if the kids knew how to act appropriatly around unfamiliar dogs. I am not saying the kids are responsible at all, just that their behaviour contributed significantly to the outcome. Absolutely they should be! Unfortunately children aren't always reliable. It has been drummed in to mine almost obsessively yet I still wouldn't trust her to always ask. Half the time when she's asking her hand is already stretched out ready to pat the dog and if the owner says yes my daughter often gets in the dogs face. It doesn't help that she has no fear and I am border line paranoid so we aren't a good mix. Obviously I am there with her but it's always nerve wracking for me, not wanting to put the fear of God in to her and pass on my paranoia but also trying to teach her to respect anything with teeth is proving more difficult than I would have ever imagined. Children are their own little personalities, not robots, so we can't always assume that a parent has been negligent in their duty to teach a child certain behaviours if the child behaves inappropriately. Sorry Katrina, I've just reread your post and I am not having a go just discussing ankle biters and how unreliable they can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I got a good bite in the face at about that age and had to be stitched up. I still have a tiny scar. The dog was an Irish Setter. I don't think I got mauled . . . I just crossed the line somehow and the dog struck. I'm glad that all the adults involved accepted it as an unfortunate incident, and that the dog wasn't disciplined, much less pts'd. My father, who was supposedly in charge at the time, may have been a little more cautious afterward, though I sort of doubt it. I don't think it's kind to the child to pts the dog. Very likely she'll end out feeling guilty. I would have if the dog who bit me had been pts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim'sMum Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Children are their own little personalities, not robots, so we can't always assume that a parent has been negligent in their duty to teach a child certain behaviours if the child behaves inappropriately. Sorry Katrina, I've just reread your post and I am not having a go just discussing ankle biters and how unreliable they can be. Well said Clyde....and remembering that this little girl is only 3, particularly an age when they do tend to push their boundaries too. For all we know this child has been taught how to behave around dogs and the dog may have been friendly initially? Perhaps it was just being hugged that made it snap into aggression, due to it's age and possible pain with arthritis? Our previous ACD was not happy about his hips being touched in advanced age, because he had arthritis in both, and as a result his patience with young kids seemed to disappear in his 14th year. He was fine with our kids because they knew his limits but we would keep him well away from others. I feel sorry for the dog too...his stupid owner has probably signed his death warrant by not clipping on a lead. Such a simple thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatrinaM Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 My worry is so much focus is on punishing the owners lack of responsibility when one of the single greatest factors in the reduction of dog attacks is the education of children. Just like stranger danger, pool safety and road safety kids can learn skills to keep themselves and their peers safe. Personally I would rather see a method used that has been proven to work rather than flog the same old tired horse. Maybe it wouldn't have helped this time but maybe it would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozzie Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Not trying to take on ounce of blame away from the owner, but doesnt anybody think, particularly for their own safety that children should be taught its not OK to approach/pat/hug strange dogs without permission? This incedent could also have been prevented if the kids knew how to act appropriatly around unfamiliar dogs. I am not saying the kids are responsible at all, just that their behaviour contributed significantly to the outcome. My worry is so much focus is on punishing the owners lack of responsibility when one of the single greatest factors in the reduction of dog attacks is the education of children. Just like stranger danger, pool safety and road safety kids can learn skills to keep themselves and their peers safe. Personally I would rather see a method used that has been proven to work rather than flog the same old tired horse. Maybe it wouldn't have helped this time but maybe it would. This incident could have been prevented IF the owner was RESPONSIBLE and had his dog leashed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatrinaM Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Yep, and every incident of child abuse could be prevented if child abusers were kept locked up too. I think that irresponsible owners need to have the book thrown at them but just would like to see the most effective form of dog bite reduction supported. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Yep, and every incident of child abuse could be prevented if child abusers were kept locked up too. Umm are you implying by that last comment that children are somehow at fault if they are abused???? Children are CHILDREN!! They need to be protected and if you knew anything about kids, you would know that you can teach them all you like but it doesn't mean they will know what to do when a situation arises. As others have said, this child was playing in her OWN yard. OK so she shouldn't have hugged the dog, but she is 3YO!! Thats what 3yo's do! They act on impulse, they do not rationally think about things. Bloody hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Would this have been reported more widely if the dog had been a pitbull? It doesn't come up when you do a search on dog attack in google. I wouldn't have known if the link wasn't posted here. I think the dog owner could have prevented this. Toddlers will hug dogs if you're not there to stop them. And I've tried to train toddlers not to run around screaming when there are dogs they don't know nearby and it's a complete fail. Even their dad couldn't convince them not to. If I see small children I don't know at the off lead parks - I put my dog on lead pronto. I know she's fine with a hug but what about an eye poke? Todders always want to put their fingers on the shiny bit. I don't want to find out my dog would do if that happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatrinaM Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I would like to think I know a little about kids after having a few of my own and even from being one myself. I try and give my kids the information and skills to deal with hazards and decision making in a controlled enviroment, not wrap them in bubble wrap and hover over them for the rest of their lives. No, I am not saying children are responsible for being abused, not for one second. Nor am I saying children are responsible for being attacked by dogs. I am saying that everyone seems so caught up in focusing on blame that they cant step back and see what else can be done to prevent attacks like this occuring. We punish child abusers and reckless drivers that harm others (the ones that get caught anyway) but we also teach kids about personal safety around strangers and road safety. It is a two pronged approach and it works. Why not employ the same method for dog attacks? Even if knowing not to approach a strange dog and what to do if menaced by a dog stop one single kid from being bitten then its worth it. What I am saying is a proactive approach to dog bites achieves greater results than a reactive one. In Calgary it is a combined method of education, especially young boys as well as enforcement and punishment for those own dogs irresposibly that sees results. Again, punish bad owners. This is a must. But, if we really want to see a reduction in bites why not use the method that has the greatest results - educate children in how to keep themselves safe from dogs. We have a whole day in QLD schools devoted to personal safety from strangers. It doesnt mean we dont want to stop punishing peadophiles or that kids are to blame. It means it is one more thing that can be done to keep kids safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 How do you know that educating kids has the best results? My kids are educated about how to approach dogs, not to touch strange dogs, etc but no way do I actually expect them to do it right all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatrinaM Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Statistics collected from Calgary, statistics collected by enforcement agencies who run education programs in conjunction with penalties? Why do you think education campaigns educating drivers and pedestrians are so important? Because they work. Education is not a substitute for supervision of kids and dogs nor for punishment of the irresponsible. It is just another tool to help keep our kids safe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 (edited) Would this have been reported more widely if the dog had been a pitbull? It doesn't come up when you do a search on dog attack in google. I wouldn't have known if the link wasn't posted here. I think the dog owner could have prevented this. Toddlers will hug dogs if you're not there to stop them. And I've tried to train toddlers not to run around screaming when there are dogs they don't know nearby and it's a complete fail. Even their dad couldn't convince them not to. If I see small children I don't know at the off lead parks - I put my dog on lead pronto. I know she's fine with a hug but what about an eye poke? Todders always want to put their fingers on the shiny bit. I don't want to find out my dog would do if that happened. It only makes the news locally because of the beatup over the state of the Health system, it was not a dog attack, it was a bite, on the face yes because of the size of the child, she needed treatment but was not at all a serious attack or mauling, not every dog bite incident makes the press, nor should they. Edited October 29, 2011 by Crisovar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 The dog ran up to the kids... It is unrealistic to expect a THREE YEAR OLD to know what to do. The only way this could have been prevented is if the owner had it on a leash and under their control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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