Kelpie Causes Facial Injuries To A Child

[mixeduppup]

This isn't a bite, the kid needed hundreds of stitches which to me is a mauling. The dog does not have a good enough threshold and I would not be comfortable with a dog like that on my property.

[*Lolapalooza*]

A Rottweiler bit a child in SA a few years ago and it was big on the news......no one ever knew that the child had rammed a pen down his ear canal and ruptured his ear drum causing him enormous pain.

[mixeduppup]

I stand by what I said

[raineth]

I too think there is a difference between a provoked bite and a sustained attack (mauling) causing huge injury.

How dreadfully sad about those dogs put to sleep because of kids being naughty.

Sometimes kids can do really stupid things. But honestly I just can't ever imagine my kids doing something like that to our dogs (or any dog). Makes you wonder under what circumstances a kid would consider shoving a pencil in a dog's ear or something similar, that's pretty extreme behaviour I think.

In this case, we ofcourse have no idea whether the child did anything untoward at all. Its a very sad situation, poor little girl.

[JulesP]

This isn't a bite, the kid needed hundreds of stitches which to me is a mauling. The dog does not have a good enough threshold and I would not be comfortable with a dog like that on my property.

It sounds like the child was bitten near the mouth. This could increase the number of stitches needed in comparison to a bite of the same size on the arm. If the lip was bitten through then you would be looking at internal and external stitches.

So it could just have been a bad bite rather than a mauling.

Really this is all just speculation though.

[Salukifan]

"Kid's fault?" "Dog's fault?"

If you're engaging in this debate people you are missing the point entirely.

Such incidents do not occur in the presence of EFFECTIVE ADULT SUPERVISION.

All the speculation in the world as to the provocation for dog bites on children will not make up for the fact they simply shouldn't be allowed to happen.

You don't blame animals and children for simply being themselves. Separate or supervise - it really is that simple.

Edited August 9, 2013 by Haredown Whippets

[mixeduppup]

This isn't a bite, the kid needed hundreds of stitches which to me is a mauling. The dog does not have a good enough threshold and I would not be comfortable with a dog like that on my property.

It sounds like the child was bitten near the mouth. This could increase the number of stitches needed in comparison to a bite of the same size on the arm. If the lip was bitten through then you would be looking at internal and external stitches.

So it could just have been a bad bite rather than a mauling.

Really this is all just speculation though.

This dog was a great working dog, with, I imagine, experienced owners and trainers. I trust their integrity in deciding what was best in this circumstance. I would have done the same thing if one of my dogs caused a child to have 100 stitches on their face. Each to their own but I would pts.

[mita]

It's sounds so clinical to point it out....after all a little girl has severe facial injuries & a dog is dead.

But it fits the stats of high risk.... the little girl is in the age group most vulnerable. She's in the most peak age group for being bitten. Where children are closer face to face level with a dog. They also have finer skin & less 'tough' tissue, so the facial injuries tend to be really severe. So extra vigilance is needed with young children & dogs.

I'm not making any comment on that case.... who knows what happened. And it's not a matter of 'blame'. But when those high risk factors are known, then it at least helps in managing children & dogs somewhat. It also can fit in with the golden rules to be drummed into young children. Like don't wake a dog that's sleeping. Don't go near a dog that's eating. Don't put your face close to a dog. Etc.

Here's the stats.... so you can see this little girl is squarely in a vulnerable group. Research from Prince Charles Hospital.

The annual incidence of dog bites requiring emergency department hospital treatment is 12.9 per 10 000 persons, with children aged 5-9 having an incidence of 60.7 per 10 000 persons aged 5-9 years. Face, neck and head bites are more frequent in children.

Those stats also show how relatively peaceful dogs tend to be around people. If only injury rates done by humans to humans could be so low.

Edited August 9, 2013 by mita

[Weasels]

Not saying this is the case here, but a trainer told me once that some of the top working dogs actually have quite a bit of fear-predisposition in the lines, either because it makes them work wider off the stock, or because 'on-stock' temperament is unrelated to 'off-stock' temperament so the fear (and associated fear aggression) was allowed to slip through as long as the work was good. She only mentioned she'd seen this in BCs but it's possible it could be in kelpies too.

So yes, again never assume just because a dog is trained well in one thing that it's 'safe'!

Edited August 9, 2013 by TheLBD

[Yonjuro]

If my dog ever did that, regardless of what the child did I would euthanise and this is coming form someone who loves working kelpies with a passion.

Agree'd 100%!

Regardless of what the child did ..if the kid needed hundreds of stitches then..."this was a mauling"... it wasnt just a quick snap to say stop standing on my Paw !!

Kids can be pretty awful. I've often retold a story that a vet told me. Family comes in to pts the family Labrador cause it bit a kid. After the green dream is administered, they find several staples through the poor dog's ear.

PTS may be appropriate, but it would be good to hear the full story before forming an opinion.

Oh damn, I wish I didn't just read this - that is so bloody sad

[Zereuloh]

"Kid's fault?" "Dog's fault?"

If you're engaging in this debate people you are missing the point entirely.

Such incidents do not occur in the presence of EFFECTIVE ADULT SUPERVISION.

All the speculation in the world as to the provocation for dog bites on children will not make up for the fact they simply shouldn't be allowed to happen.

You don't blame animals and children for simply being themselves. Separate or supervise - it really is that simple.

This Exactly! I'm left wondering why was a six year old left unattended with a dog anyway. I don't care how much you TRUST your dog kids can be unknowingly cruel, and there are several scenarios in which can lead to a dog attacking. Family friends of ours when I was growing up received stitches in the head from their pet rottie, who had previously been incredibly gentle and loving pet. However, They didn't get their dog PTS because, only moments before their son had tried to drive a screwdriver through the dogs foot. Understandably its going to attack.

It makes me so sad to hear dog attack stories in the news, especially when a large majority of family dog attacks kid - could be avoided through adult supervision.

[persephone]

When we were bitten as kids , we were the ones punished , and asked what we did to deserve it ! No bad bites but they did break skin sometimes ...

[mixeduppup]

Me too Perse. But this was't a bite or a nip this was a mauling that required hundreds of stitches to the face. It's on a different level. I personally would never be able to trust or look at the dog again and no one would want to buy pups from a dog that mauled a child (from a working dog point of view).

Edited August 9, 2013 by mixeduppup

[Crisovar]

My injuries required over one hundred stitches...I was bitten twice...not mauled...bitten twice..on the face..the stitches used by plastic surgeons to repair facial injuries are minute and there are many of them. Not trying to make light of what happened to this particular child..but having once been that child myself I know! I can also say that my backside was sore as well.

[tdierikx]

It's like a follow-on from the stupid laws that stop anyone from disciplining any child for anything nowadays...

Like others have said, back in the day, we were asked what the hell we did to the dog to make it bite us - then were paddled for good measure to make sure we fully understood that we shouldn't have done it.

Dogs have fewer methods of telling us to back the hell off than humans do - and usually the last one (and most effective one) is to bite.

Any dog that snaps first (without any provocation) is not safe, and should be contained as such, or humanely euthanaised. That sort of behaviour is NOT OK for ANY dog, regardless of breed, size, or any other reason one cares to use.

T.