Five-Year-Old Girl Was Bitten By Dog Inside Bunnings Store

[The Spotted Devil]

I've got lockable cages in the back of my car, and I'm still not game enough to leave the back up. People are serious idiots, and we've had instances where people have tried to put their hands in the car to pat the dogs. In one case they tried to push us out of the way to do so!!! We told them one of them could be a bit protective, don't pat. (Yeah...and it ain't the Rottweiler :laugh: ).

I live in fear. Cos I know Dory would definitely bite someone's hand if they poked it in there. And I'm not 100% sure of Willow if I'm not there.

As for Bunnings, well I don't even take them into the petshops unless I'm fitting them for a coat and even then we just measure the dogs and do it that way. I think it's a nice idea for those occasions where you're caught out on a hot day. But otherwise I'd prefer to keep the dogs in the car...or at home.

I'm not really interested in the fault factor either. I cry for the fact that common sense seems to be truly dead.

Dory - check out vent locks from Clean Run. You can lock the rear door half open - they are brilliant and I use mine all the time.

Will do! Seems so pointless having dog cages when you don't feel safe leaving the car open for them.

Yep - I love it when I'm camping on my own too (tent). I can leave them safely and not worry that they are going to get hassled by people or kids who are super attracted to my Spotty dog.

Edited November 13, 2015 by The Spotted Devil

[OSoSwift]

...'Madelyn had attempted to pat the dog before she was told not to, and it is when she walked away from the Jack Russell that it bit her, Ms Hungerford explained....'

...that's a quote from here My link ...

and what's with this? from the same link

"Ms Hungerford said her daughter is at home recovering from the bite today.

'She can't go to kinder so she's is a little upset,' she told 3AW."

of course she could have gone to kinder, she has a sore knee, nothing more.

The kid has some bruiding and some scrapes that broke the skin. She didn't have gaping holes or deep puncture marks.

What is wrong with people. Breeding a generation of wimps

[OSoSwift]

...'Madelyn had attempted to pat the dog before she was told not to, and it is when she walked away from the Jack Russell that it bit her, Ms Hungerford explained....'

...that's a quote from here My link ...

and what's with this? from the same link

"Ms Hungerford said her daughter is at home recovering from the bite today.

'She can't go to kinder so she's is a little upset,' she told 3AW."

of course she could have gone to kinder, she has a sore knee, nothing more.

Yep. girl made mistake, girl got a nip, girl learned her lesson. Hopefully owner did too. Both at fault. Not a big story. Social media, please move on.

Yes no big story as far as I can see. Just trying to get their 5 minutes or fame and some compensation.

I got a bloodier would from a little dog who scratched me today. Maybe I should go to the media as well???!!!

[Willem]

....Yes no big story as far as I can see. Just trying to get their 5 minutes or fame and some compensation.

I got a bloodier would from a little dog who scratched me today. Maybe I should go to the media as well???!!!

....indeed, you should ...you could also go to Kinder on Monday playing with the other 5 year old in the sandpit - I'm sure they will be heavily impressed with your new band-aids, or did you just stitched it :laugh: ?

[OSoSwift]

....Yes no big story as far as I can see. Just trying to get their 5 minutes or fame and some compensation.

I got a bloodier would from a little dog who scratched me today. Maybe I should go to the media as well???!!!

....indeed, you should ...you could also go to Kinder on Monday playing with the other 5 year old in the sandpit - I'm sure they will be heavily impressed with your new band-aids, or did you just stitched it :laugh: ?

Funny you say that, the only bandaids I had were cars ones sooooooo I would have sand pit cred right there!!!!! I really think it is a huge beat up. Should the dog have been there, nope, should the kid have gone to pat it, nope. But hopefully it is a good warning to both parties not to take things fro granted and be thankful it wasn't worse!

Oh and I have no bandaid today. Too tough, that's me ;)

[aussielover]

I think its handy to be able to take the dog in with you if you're on the way back from a dog event or walk and are just ducking in to pick up a few things.

I wouldn't take my dog just for a day out or if i needed to get more than a few items or browse for a long time.

But really if you take your dog to a public area that is busy it should be able to handle pats and attention under supervision.

[_PL_]

Wouldn't Bunnings have had security cameras? I'm almost sure I've seen them.

[Loving my Oldies]

But really if you take your dog to a public area that is busy it should be able to handle pats and attention under supervision.

In an ideal world, perhaps. So many people have absolutely no idea what their dog is about and wouldn’t understand body language if it (and not the dog) bit them in the bum.

[kdf]

I actually took my 7 month old Aussie to a Bunnings on the weekend. Didn't see another dog inside the store at all. A quick run inside ended up being a 30 minute socialising session for my girl though. At one point I think we had 6 employees hanging out patting Maddie. So if you weren't getting help at a Southern Adelaide bunnings on Saturday afternoon, I'm sorry.

[sheena]

I took my dog to Bunnings on the weekend, but I drove into the trade section undercover & left her there with the windows down. I reckoned that if my car was in the way of some tradie, then they would give me a call over the loudspeaker. I went away & did my shopping in the nursery, came back & went to drive out through the boom gates & this very serious looking guy came out to the car & said....."I am not going to open the gate until".... (I held my breath because I think I am in trouble)..."you let me give your well behaved dog a kiss & a cuddle" :laugh:

[colliehound]

I completely agree with you. Haven't read any more posts past this one of yours. My head hurts.

If I am reading the majority of posts right - Why do dogs have to be PERFECT, yet kids can run riot, do what ever they want, pat whom ever and what ever they want, scream, yell anything like that - but my dogs need to be statues??? When did my dogs become everyone else's children's play things - simply because I popped into a store on the way home to grab some essentials for the farm.......with very obedient dogs with me (can't leave in the car in a QLD summer no matter the set up) . The dogs should not have to tolerate kids tearing up to them, smacking, patting firmly and generally being "all over them" just because they both (dogs and kids) have had to come with their "parents" to the hardware store??

I completely agree a Bunnings on a Saturday morning, or other peak time - is no place for kids or pets.......but a late night run past on the way home from another event.....is hardly cause for everyone to have a melt down. Can't we all just go about our business and give each other some space / respect ?

My dogs are fine and I know they're safe with children however yes, I do expect people to have their children under control because that's the responsible thing to do.

And yes, it's true that children take longer to mature but their parents are mature and if they aren't able to keep an eye on their children then the same argument can be used for the dogs. Why are they there?

It's a two hour round trip for me to go anywhere so I won't apologise for needing to combine a few errands when I need too.

This thread just reminds me of why I am so desperate to move away from this backwards country....

[Steph M]

Because your dogs are yours and you have control over them, random kids are not yours, and sadly you cannot exercise control over someone else's kids.

You never know what they're going to do but you want to make sure your dogs don't react with teeth if you can, if you can't be sure its better to leave them home.

[colliehound]

Putting flame suit on.................do I therefore have the right to ask people to control their kids (e.g. don't hit the dog, don't stand on the dog, don't grab the dog) - or should I expect that any time I go into a public place - I have to be prepared to accept any behaviour / conduct from kids? I am half asking this in jest - half asking for real.

What is the current accepted protocol out there in the real world (in rural towns like ours you can tell the kids to leave dog alone)? I suspect if I asked someone to pull their kids off in a city these days I would probably still be in the wrong............

opinions please..........don't flame me - just asking to learn.........

Because your dogs are yours and you have control over them, random kids are not yours, and sadly you cannot exercise control over someone else's kids.

You never know what they're going to do but you want to make sure your dogs don't react with teeth if you can, if you can't be sure its better to leave them home.

[Steph M]

Sure you have the right to ask but what I meant was you can't watch every kid and be sure nothing surprising happens. Even the best behaved kids can act up, it happens.

You have every right to ask but damage might already be done, kids are quick!

[Two Best Dogs!]

I live in the city and it takes practice (to fight the silent social expectation) but I have had very little problems with telling kids not to bother the dog. You want to get in BEFORE they even start interacting. You know the look, intent face staring at the dog? Interrupt and tell them to leave her alone then. Most people are surprisingly respectful but if you suspect they're not going to listen - move off and leave, come back some other time.

(I find young adult men the worst. They ask to pat, I say no, then they try to pat her anyway. I repeat "I said leave the dog alone" louder so everyone else can hear and frown at them for breaking social expectation ;) and I leave the location)

But you do need to accept unpredictable situations can occur, ranging from a small child being recalled and your dog going for them (knock on wood no-ones dogs do that) or that child running pass "too close" or continuing forward/falling/doing something to startle or god forbid hurt your dog. Multitudes of things that can happen before they even get to the fabled pulling ear stage.

All you can do is mitigate it and use your best judgement based on where you are, time of day, your dogs personality+training.

(was absolutely baffled by an unattended 3yo who came running up with a squeaky toy (aaahhhh!), last week. Stopped her with a "woah! Hey there sweetie. You can't run around the dog! You can stand there quietly and look though", then positioned myself between Thistle and the kid to avoid any accidents from either party. Father was found a couple of minutes later, he'd lost her lol)

Edit: Here! I found this video helpful in helping me to tell people NO in regards to the dog:

Edited November 17, 2015 by Thistle the dog

[Simply Grand]

Putting flame suit on.................do I therefore have the right to ask people to control their kids (e.g. don't hit the dog, don't stand on the dog, don't grab the dog) - or should I expect that any time I go into a public place - I have to be prepared to accept any behaviour / conduct from kids? I am half asking this in jest - half asking for real.

What is the current accepted protocol out there in the real world (in rural towns like ours you can tell the kids to leave dog alone)? I suspect if I asked someone to pull their kids off in a city these days I would probably still be in the wrong............

opinions please..........don't flame me - just asking to learn.........

Because your dogs are yours and you have control over them, random kids are not yours, and sadly you cannot exercise control over someone else's kids.

You never know what they're going to do but you want to make sure your dogs don't react with teeth if you can, if you can't be sure its better to leave them home.

You absolutely have the right to ask/tell people to control their kids and I'd well and truly tell someone else's kid off if they ran up to us and hit Justice and I couldn't care less how much that might upset the child or their parents. I think it's a bit like dog parks though. You should be able to take your dog in to them and not be accosted by other dogs and everyone is supposed to have their dog under effective control but the reality is very different so, even though you have a right to be there with your dog who doesn't like other dogs racing up to them and getting in their face, that's what's going to happen so it's better to avoid the dog park with your dog. Bunnings has lots of areas (like aisles) where movement is restricted and your dog will be forced in to close contact with people (including children who aren't under control) and other dogs, so while it may not be fair it's better to not take your dog there unless they're bomb proof and can handle that.

Exactly Snook!

Thistle, I agree, Quinn has been known to be worried of some men lately and as soon as she barks at them they seem to decide they must win her over and approach with more determination

And yep, I'm quite comfortable telling children to stop or wait a minute or leave that dog or be gentle. As long as you are calm but assertive about it kids generally respond well IME. I haven't had a parent have an issue but if they did I'd be very tempted to say "fine then" and let all three of my dogs go to knock the kid over and scare the crap out if with their barking... NOT REALLY! I would never do that, and my dogs actually love kids, they can just be a bit overwhelming sometimes, but there is a reason I am saying something if I am!

[raineth]

I get over all the endless talking about who is to blame in these scenarios. I think its much better for us to think about what we can learn from these situations rather than arguing about blame.

For instance this might be a cue to us as dog owners to question our knowledge. Do we know our dog's signs of stress? Do we know about trigger stacking? Have we helped our dog to cope with stimuli such as running children and rough pats?

If you are a parent, this is hopefully a cue for you to talk to your child about dogs, and talk to them about being calm around dogs and staying away from strange dogs, and to remind yourself that not all dogs are friendly.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

That's a good video Thistledog...

I have found putting a hand up like a stop sign and saying "Bad Idea" stops people too.

All the other stuff like "keep away", "call your dog" etc doesn't work...

And people do want to argue with you... but they don't argue with "bad idea"...

[colliehound]

Good reply and quite agree.

I am just so grateful that I now live rural and a lot of these things just don't come up.

Or if they do - a firm "OI - Don't do that" to adult, child or dog - tends to pull them up short.

Putting flame suit on.................do I therefore have the right to ask people to control their kids (e.g. don't hit the dog, don't stand on the dog, don't grab the dog) - or should I expect that any time I go into a public place - I have to be prepared to accept any behaviour / conduct from kids? I am half asking this in jest - half asking for real.

What is the current accepted protocol out there in the real world (in rural towns like ours you can tell the kids to leave dog alone)? I suspect if I asked someone to pull their kids off in a city these days I would probably still be in the wrong............

opinions please..........don't flame me - just asking to learn.........

Because your dogs are yours and you have control over them, random kids are not yours, and sadly you cannot exercise control over someone else's kids.

You never know what they're going to do but you want to make sure your dogs don't react with teeth if you can, if you can't be sure its better to leave them home.

You absolutely have the right to ask/tell people to control their kids and I'd well and truly tell someone else's kid off if they ran up to us and hit Justice and I couldn't care less how much that might upset the child or their parents. I think it's a bit like dog parks though. You should be able to take your dog in to them and not be accosted by other dogs and everyone is supposed to have their dog under effective control but the reality is very different so, even though you have a right to be there with your dog who doesn't like other dogs racing up to them and getting in their face, that's what's going to happen so it's better to avoid the dog park with your dog. Bunnings has lots of areas (like aisles) where movement is restricted and your dog will be forced in to close contact with people (including children who aren't under control) and other dogs, so while it may not be fair it's better to not take your dog there unless they're bomb proof and can handle that.

[colliehound]

That is exactly right - you are not going to say - No, please don't approach the dog - if you don't have a good reason for it.

And they say people are the superior species...................hmmmmmmm

Putting flame suit on.................do I therefore have the right to ask people to control their kids (e.g. don't hit the dog, don't stand on the dog, don't grab the dog) - or should I expect that any time I go into a public place - I have to be prepared to accept any behaviour / conduct from kids? I am half asking this in jest - half asking for real.

What is the current accepted protocol out there in the real world (in rural towns like ours you can tell the kids to leave dog alone)? I suspect if I asked someone to pull their kids off in a city these days I would probably still be in the wrong............

opinions please..........don't flame me - just asking to learn.........

Because your dogs are yours and you have control over them, random kids are not yours, and sadly you cannot exercise control over someone else's kids.

You never know what they're going to do but you want to make sure your dogs don't react with teeth if you can, if you can't be sure its better to leave them home.

You absolutely have the right to ask/tell people to control their kids and I'd well and truly tell someone else's kid off if they ran up to us and hit Justice and I couldn't care less how much that might upset the child or their parents. I think it's a bit like dog parks though. You should be able to take your dog in to them and not be accosted by other dogs and everyone is supposed to have their dog under effective control but the reality is very different so, even though you have a right to be there with your dog who doesn't like other dogs racing up to them and getting in their face, that's what's going to happen so it's better to avoid the dog park with your dog. Bunnings has lots of areas (like aisles) where movement is restricted and your dog will be forced in to close contact with people (including children who aren't under control) and other dogs, so while it may not be fair it's better to not take your dog there unless they're bomb proof and can handle that.

Exactly Snook!

Thistle, I agree, Quinn has been known to be worried of some men lately and as soon as she barks at them they seem to decide they must win her over and approach with more determination

And yep, I'm quite comfortable telling children to stop or wait a minute or leave that dog or be gentle. As long as you are calm but assertive about it kids generally respond well IME. I haven't had a parent have an issue but if they did I'd be very tempted to say "fine then" and let all three of my dogs go to knock the kid over and scare the crap out if with their barking... NOT REALLY! I would never do that, and my dogs actually love kids, they can just be a bit overwhelming sometimes, but there is a reason I am saying something if I am!