Do most Children that are mauled by dogs Actually provoke the dog to attack?

Question

Do we need to protect innocent dogs from children and not the other way around?

Answer 1

no. it's the owner's fault. it's like parents not controlling their children's behavior. it's only a matter of time before they snap!

Answer 2

Sometimes, like when a child goes near a dogs food dish, the dog may attack to protect its food,or when a child abuses a dog.......pulls its ears or hurts the dog in some way, most dogs will try to defend themselves by attacking. On the other hand, some dogs r teased, abused and provoked to attack by their owners, these dogs r a threat to children and others. So sad, because it actually is the owners fault for making the dog aggressive, but its the dog put down for being dangerous.

Answer 3

i would say this is about 50-50 there are cases where children procoke it but there are cases where if the dog was loose its the dog most of the time..kids can provoke a dog sometimes without knowing they are but, i say if everyone keeps there dogs in a fence this will not happen near as much

Answer 4

No. Children do not attack dogs. I had a dog who attacked a child for no reason at all. Most dogs are not provoked and it is not only in the case of children. Dogs are like prople and cannot be trusted, they will attack without reason.

Answer 5

I was attacked by a Pitbull as a child. I was playing in a friends front yard with a dozen other kids. We were nowhere near the dog. The dog was kept in their backyard. He was attached to a chain and a stake in the ground. He broke the chain, jumped over the fence and came running at the kids. He chose me over the others. I specifically remember him knocking me down and trying to get at my face. I grabbed his color and was trying to keep him from getting to my face. He bit into my arm multiple times. He got me in the back, shoulder, armpit, butt, one of my legs and my arm.

The owner came out and got him off of me. He broke loose from her and attacked me again.

I was VERY lucky considering some of the stories you hear. I got 25 stitches. Turns out I was the 3rd child he had attacked. He was put to sleep.

That is my story.

I do suspect there are some cases where kids are teasing dogs though. Ultimately, it is the owner of the dog's responsibility to have full control over their pets at all times. I am annoyed at how many people let their dogs running freely...even in good suburbs. Any dog can turn.

Answer 6

When I was 7 years old, I had no friends. So my Mum used to tie a piece of steak around my neck so that the dog would play with me!

Answer 7

Oh this is a soap box subject for me in which i could write volumes. But i will keep it short as possible. Some children most certainly do provoke the attacks.

Had some BRATS living behind me once that would kick the chainlink fence to make my dogs go insane. The parents sat on their butts in lawn chairs and said NOTHING. I said hey you guys dont do that i dont want you to get bit and i dont want my dogs upset. It happened more than once so i finally put up a wood fence then the monsters climbed on it. i Told them if they fell into my yard and got bit it was too bad.

Parents need to teach their children not to tease dogs. They also need to be taught how to behave with dogs in general and not to RUN from them.

By the same token , dogs need to be controlled. Dogs need to be socialized when they are young and as they grow up so they wont become violent for reasons that the dog misreads in human actions. Most dogs are not mean on their own. People make them mean. ( As a side note, NEVER play dominance games with a pit. Nothing that makes you have a test of who is stronger etc like tug with a rope or play fighting, You dont want to get that started. )

The whole pit bull thing is one of my pet peeves. I have a pit that i found that was dumped and i brought her home. She was about a year old or more and she is awsome. Acts like a goofy puppy. But she can sence when i need protection. She will growl at a dog or if a stranger comes to the door. However if i say hey it's ok then she is just as silly and fun loving with them as she is with me.Unless you mean me harm.

Backyard breeders are another problem. They breed unstable dogs to unstable dogs to get meaner dogs to be "cool" or to fight them. These people should be horse whipped and i would gladly volunteer for the job.

And last but not least....just as many people get bit by chihuahuas and cocker spaniels as they do by pit bulls...if not more....a few years ago the issue was rotties and before that it was dobermans. It is crazy.

But if you are going to own a bully breed or a Lab ( which are very aggressive often ) or any large dog then it is your repsonsiblity to keep the dog contained. I had to keep my pit bull tied to a cable for a year until we could fence her. Pit bulls are bad about getting out and she did ,so we put electric fencing around so she cant climb out anymore.She got to get out ONE TIME and went back on the tether and the next day we bought the electric fencing.

I dont like to tether a dog either ( for all you who will freak about this ) but...1 it was the responsible thing to do....2. for her good and mine i did not want her loose for some jerk to CLAIM my dog bit their kid and wind up costing her her life and me a lot of money ....and 3 i could not haul her to a shelter as they 99 percent of the time kill bully breeds and do not try to adopt them out. So i chose t o keep her and the tether was our compromise for a time. They have gotten a bad rap they dont deserve ,even though a lot of kids have asked for it. I just wish the kids could have gotten a good nip and not any serious damage.....

I would like to see more reporting of other breeds attacking as well...for some reason they dont report that . Not enough sensationalism i guess.

Ok off my soap box.

Answer 8

Oh yeah blame someone instead of the adult in the situation.
It is neither the dog or the child's fault.Both only operate with instinct.Adults are supposed to use wise judgment.

Answer 9

every child/adult i've seen attacked by dogs were just walking around and minding their business.one child bit in the face by a dog had the candy skittles,and the dog wanted them.

Answer 10

its in dogs nature to attack, some just repress it better than others..
but I guarantee that if a pitbull percieves that little toddler walking down the street as prey, he will jump the fence (out of no provocation on the part of the baby) and try to maul him..