Two Dogs Attack A 10-year-old Boy In Bellambi

[Panto]

<H1 class=cN-headingPage itemprop="name">Two dogs attack a 10-year-old boy in Bellambi

July 9, 2014 - 9:17AM A Wollongong boy has been transferred by helicopter to Sydney Children’s Hospital after he was mauled by two dogs in the front yard of a home on Tuesday afternoon, police say.

He sustained 20 puncture wounds to his head, stomach, buttocks, hips, legs and arm, and underwent surgery last night.

“He is in a serious condition,” a hospital spokeswoman said on Wednesday morning.

<P style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 14px">The 10-year-old entered a fenced property on Waley Avenue in Bellambi in search of his brother when two dogs - reportedly a German Shepherd cross and a Staffordshire Terrier cross – attacked him. Emergency services arrived at the scene at 2pm, and rushed him to Wollongong Hospital. He was then transferred to Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick.

The boy lived on the street, inspector Brian Wyver said, and was told his brother was at a particular address.

"The fence is 1.2 metres high, and on that street it's usually wire mesh," he said. "There were 'beware of the dog, enter at your own risk' signs."

The investigation is now in the hands of Wollongong City Council. The dogs have been seized and will be put down.

The incident was one of three dog attacks on children that occurred on Tuesday afternoon, reports the Illawarra Mercury.

An 11-year-old boy suffered multiple minor puncture wounds after being bitten by a small dog at 3pm on Waley Avenue. He was treated at Wollongong Hospital.

And a 10-year-old was bitten on the buttocks by a dog in Bellambi’s Whitby Mews. He was driven to Sydney Children's Hospital for treatment.

</H1>

[Panto]

I'm wondering about the paper's editing - were there really 2 incidents on the same street - Waley Ave?

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

The owners have surrendered their dogs and they are going to be euthanased. It sounds like they were defending their property from what they saw as an intruder.

I feel sorry for the boy, the owners and the dogs if this is the case.

Only last week a kid suddenly leapt at my dogs as I was walking them along - my dogs are very good and did nothing but I took the opportunity to explain to the boy (aged about 9 or 10) - no parents in sight - how he should always ask the owner if he can pat their dogs and then if all is ok, how to pat the dog ie, never on the head.

It happens to me pretty regularly at this park where I go once a week. We need so much more education of children in schools about how to interact with animals and care for their pets and explain that pets are a long term, lifelong commitment etc.

Education is the key.

[OSoSwift]

Would the dogs HAVE to be put down if the owner didn't want to surrender? They were in their own yard with signage and the gates were shut.

Edited July 9, 2014 by OSoSwift

[Panto]

Agree with everything you've just said DM. I am seeing a few more kids these days firstly ask their parents if it's ok to go over to the doggy, and on permission, ask me (as owner) if it's ok to pat the doggy. They're still not the majority but others are also very willing to listen and learn on how to approach a dog if they want to say hello.

I hope the boy and the other kids mentioned in the article recover well and don't develop a fear for dogs.

[twodoggies2001]

Would the dogs HAVE to be put down if the owner didn't want to surrender? They were in their own yard with signage and the gates were shut.

Wouldn't having a sign on the front gate saying Beware Of the Dog mean the owners admit these dogs would attack, even on their own property, and it would seem that the dogs were able to use the front area. How then would anybody be able to come to the front door?

[cavNrott]

Irrespective of the legality of the sign, a 10yo boy is capable of reading the sign and the fencing was stated to be 1.2m high. It should be enough to warn people that it's not safe to enter the property. But kids can't be trusted to take note of signs even if they do read them.

This is a lesson to all of us to keep our dogs in the back yard and securely lock all points of entry.

I feel sorry for the boy, the dog owners and the dogs who will lose their lives. This awful incident happened because due caution wasn't taken by the boy or by the dog owners who didn't keep their gates locked.

I wonder if the owner surrendered the dogs knowing they would be put down.

[twodoggies2001]

Irrespective of the legality of the sign, a 10yo boy is capable of reading the sign and the fencing was stated to be 1.2m high. It should be enough to warn people that it's not safe to enter the property. But kids can't be trusted to take note of signs even if they do read them.

This is a lesson to all of us to keep our dogs in the back yard and securely lock all points of entry.

I feel sorry for the boy, the dog owners and the dogs who will lose their lives. This awful incident happened because due caution wasn't taken by the boy or by the dog owners who didn't keep their gates locked.

I wonder if the owner surrendered the dogs knowing they would be put down.

Yes, again its the irresponsibility of the owners.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I think the owners surrendered the dogs to be put down, that's how I understood it on the news.

If the dogs were being kept in the garden shown on TV, the fencing looked too low to hold a German Shepherd and if they were reactive to other animals or people going by, I imagine it could have been quite easy for them to get over a fence like that.

Just waiting to hear more info if any is forthcoming ..

[Panto]

Would the dogs HAVE to be put down if the owner didn't want to surrender? They were in their own yard with signage and the gates were shut.

Wouldn't having a sign on the front gate saying Beware Of the Dog mean the owners admit these dogs would attack, even on their own property, and it would seem that the dogs were able to use the front area. How then would anybody be able to come to the front door?

it's what could be argued, but people without dogs put up these signs as security/safety measures / deterrents too.

[cavNrott]

I think the owners surrendered the dogs to be put down, that's how I understood it on the news.

If the dogs were being kept in the garden shown on TV, the fencing looked too low to hold a German Shepherd and if they were reactive to other animals or people going by, I imagine it could have been quite easy for them to get over a fence like that.

Just waiting to hear more info if any is forthcoming ..

According to the report the boy entered the yard. The dogs didn't jump the fence.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I think the owners surrendered the dogs to be put down, that's how I understood it on the news.

If the dogs were being kept in the garden shown on TV, the fencing looked too low to hold a German Shepherd and if they were reactive to other animals or people going by, I imagine it could have been quite easy for them to get over a fence like that.

Just waiting to hear more info if any is forthcoming ..

According to the report the boy entered the yard. The dogs didn't jump the fence.

I know, that's why I was saying that education is needed on how to interact with animals, esp. dogs that are strange to you and not to enter yards with dogs in would be on the list.

The fencing just seemed pretty low to keep big dogs in - it had a sign on the gate - but it was hard to know if that was the side that he entered from or if there was a rear yard that the boy went into.

[Salukifan]

An incredibly traumatic and difficult situation for everyone involved.

And a bloody good reason to keep your dogs separated from access to your property by locked gates.

[Simply Grand]

The dogs' owner said on the news this afternoon that the boy jumped the fence into the yard

[cavNrott]

The dogs' owner said on the news this afternoon that the boy jumped the fence into the yard

Well there we go. Even if the dogs were fenced off in the back yard the boy would still have jumped the fence if he was determined to get in. I have strong doubts that he actually was looking for his brother. If the boy knew these neighbours he would know the dogs were there and his brother would not be in that yard.

Why are aren't parents teaching their children to respect other people's property? Fences are there for a reason.

In my case no one can get in from the front because it's a house high brick wall all the way across from fence to fence. The garage can be opened only with the remote. The only way a kid could get into my yard is by going through one of the neighbours yard, and both of their driveways are 6ft gated half way down as well as having front gates. The property at the back of mine has a 6ft gated side entrance.

This 10yo boy has paid a very high price for his escapade and I hope he recovers without permanent damage.

What exactly do we have to do to keep other peoples kids out of our fenced yards?

[megan_]

There are conflicting reports. Witnesses say that the boy opened the gate . If you have an unlocked gate then you can't have your dogs loose in the front yard. That isn't adequate containment and you aren't providing safe passage as required by law.

Even without the law, you'd be pretty stupid to have two powerful dogs that anyone could let out.

If the boy jumped the fence and the fence was at least 6' then I don't believe the owners are to blame.

[Sabbath]

Destroying these dogs is idiotic.

[Simply Grand]

I don't know about that, it sounds like it was a pretty full on attack. If any dog of mine responded to a kid jumping the fence like that I'd have to think long and hard about keeping them alive

Edited July 9, 2014 by Simply Grand

[*kirty*]

How do we know that the boy was in the wrong? He may have known the owners of the house. He may have been there before and thought it was safe. Why would he think it was OK otherwise?

As for putting the dogs down - if it were my dogs, I'd drive them to the vet myself. I don't want to own a dog like that. I have no doubt if a stranger entered my yard, especially a child, they would not be attacked.

[Loving my Oldies]

I don't know about that, it sounds like it was a pretty full on attack. If any dog of mine responded to a kid jumping the fence like that I'd have to think long and hard about keeping them alive

Whatever the details of how the attack happened and the whys and wherefores of the little boy being in the yard, I would be struggling too. I think the damage and suffering of the little boy would overshadow all other considerations,

That said, I sometimes wonder what on earth we have to do to keep ourselves safe from the irrationality of others. I have an 18m frontage without a gate to the driveway and a very low fence. People walking their dogs (off leash ) think it is okay for their dogs to come into my yard and run around. One day I saw a flash of movement through the greenery and went out to investigate thinking it might be a lost dog. There was a man standing on the footpath watching his little son run around my front yard. Seemed to think it perfectly okay.

So many people (and dogs) pay dearly for lack of foresight or even just using a bit of commonsence.