If a child taunts and teases a dog and that animal attacks, is the dog the only one to blame??". ...?

Question

The dog is the LAST one that I would blame. I would start with the parents of this child. Then I'd say the child is next in line to blame

Answer 1

not this flaming question Again IT IS NEVER THE DOGS its the owners responsibility

Answer 2

Certainly I'd agree with you. Children should be taught how to behave around animals. They should be supervised until they are old enough and responsible enough to act safely on their own. If the child is old enough to know better and ignores what she has been taught, then the child is to blame. A dog that is well raised and socialized is much more likely to resist provocation. So, next in line would be the owners of the dog. My dog would probably run away if he was teased. Also, the dog should be either on the owner's property or under control of the owner. The dog is the last to blame because the poor dog doesn't know enough about what is going on to make a good decision.

P.S. That answer above by Zebra4 cracks me up - "you can't blame a child for being a child" So true, but can you blame a dog for acting like a dog! :)

Answer 3

Well it depends, If the dogs is on private property and either fenced or leashed and the child gets to close and teases and taunts then I would say the blame falls on her, and the parents...if the dog is loose then the blame falls on the dogs owner....

That being said, any dog that would attack like that has not been trained and socialized properly....a well trained and socialized animal would not attack unless physical harm to it or the owners was expected.

I do think there is a differance between a warning nip saying leave me alone...like my dogs do when a child pokes an eye or grabs a handfull of hair.and yanks, and and attack....as I said...a dog that would out right attack has has some bad training and that is the fault of the owner

Answer 4

I agree with you to a certain extent.

But it depends - if the owner of the dog was around then some of the responsibility rests with the owner. If the owner wasn't around then the responsibility also rests with them - they should not be letting their dog run around unsupervised.

Children should be taught NOT to approach dogs they do not know without the permission of the owner - so it goes on and on and on really and usually the dog gets the blame - which is not fair - most of us would lash out if taunted - and although dogs might have a reasonable level of intelligence, they cannot reason like an adult!

Answer 5

no i think the child is to blame. dnt get me wrong it is bad for the dog to attack but there is always something that makes a dog go bizerk! ofcorse the dog will attack if he/she is being tormented by a child or a human and then the poor dog gets it full on and ends up getting put down or something. parents should keep their children well out of the way of dogs if they think there will be a problem but if you know the child will not do this to a dog and if you know the dog is one hundred percent friendly then by all means let the dog and child be togeather but keep an eye out all the time and do not let the child in anyway tease the dog. even if the child is hugging the dog all the time sometimes the dog can get annoyed by this. I mean if the dog is tormented or annoyed in any way they are sure to defend themselves by giving a little growl out or even attacking if they feel threatened. anyway hope this info will be useful to you.

Answer 6

First to blame are the child's parents for not teaching the suspect child to be kind to animals. Second to blame is the suspect child for not listening to the dog's owners telling him/her to stop. Lastly to blame is the dog's owners for not removing the victimized dog from the suspect child's grasp. The animal is NEVER to blame. In most situations, animals act on instinct, and if threatened or taunted, they will defend themselves.

Answer 7

it depends on who owns the dog if its your dog then your to blame first you should tell the child its a wild animal even though domesticated he must never torment the animal or he may get bitten and second your to blame for not teaching your child not to torment any dog as they can bite. so your to blame.
many children regard any dog as playthings to their peril.
my youngest tormented our huskie the other night and that's after keep telling him its unacceptable and the dog snapped and grazed his face he has now had a short sharp shock i will not be putting the dog down because it was our child's fault not the dogs.
now if the dog had gone and attacked our child i would have had the dog put down because to me the dog is aggressive and you cannot trust even the most affectionate and trustworthy animal they can turn.

Answer 8

you do know you are opening a whole can of worms up right?

so im gonna be a fish and take one- i agree with you, if a child is taunting a dog and the dog attacks it is wrong to blame the dog completely, we as people attack when provoked and we are more evolved than a dogs are (i hope), i think if a child is picking up sticks and pokeing at the dog and throwing rocks, the dog is gonna be pissed, i would get pissed, if you throw a rock at me im a throw something back, you feel me? I feel bad for the child and family i really really do, but watch your child, you know they dont always act right in front of you, do you really think theyre perfect behind your back?

Answer 9

You can't blame a child for being a child. Dogs should be trained to deal with child behaviors before they are ever allowed around the child. So, the dog owner is the most responsible. Next, the parents are responsible to keep children away from dogs they don't know and dogs with any potentially dangerous behaviors, even if they do know them. You should never have kids, you sound like you have no clue about them.

Answer 10

Yes the parents should be monitoring the child if they are young enough to be causing trouble like that. Also if the parents know it is an aggressive dog, then that dog should always be kept away from children.

Answer 11

i don't think the dog is to blame. if the child is taunting the dog it is the child and the child's parents fault. I take my nephew to the dog park with me and i tell he has to ask me before he pets a dog because i know which dogs like children and which don't.