On newyearsday an American bulldog bit a child of 5 to death, what do you think about this?

Answer 1

Dont know anything about the circumstances but in most cases like this I wonder why the child was left with the dog in the first place.
I have owned several dogs, all of whom were loving and well behaved but I would never have taken the risk of leaving them alone in the same room as a child in any circumstances for the simple reason that a dog, no matter how well behaved and docile, is still an animal with a mind of its own that can turn at any time.
If more people kept this in mind then perhaps we would have less tradgedies like the one you have mentioned.

Answer 2

Thank you for clarifying the breed in this attack...I have an american bulldog and she loves children. Of course I don't have young children and she is always supervised when children are present due to the fact that she likes to lean against you when you pet her and has a tendency to knock you over if you're not prepared. I was reading all of the answers thinking..."that doesn't sound like an AB"

The american bulldog is a sensitive breed and a wonderful family dog. They were NOT bred as fighting dogs. Just another example of ppl expressing opinions without having the facts.

Answer 3

Unless there was another 5 year old that was attacked on the same day, the dog you're referring to was a pitbull breed, NOT a bulldog. Of course, it's very tragic, but it's the owner that need to take the punishment for this. It's unfortunate that the reputation these dogs have attract the very people who shouldn't own dogs anyway.

Pinkjessie and others, please don't label staffs as "dangerous dogs". I've owned a Staff at one time, and I've known many other owners of this breed and we have all agreed that staffs have a bad reputation that is not all deserved. They are not the same as pitballs and they don't even look the same. Staffs are actually very good family pets, they are friendly and, contrary to popular belief, get on well with children. I know one staff owner that also had a cat that went on to have kittens, the dog never hurt the kittens so much as once, she was actually quite protective of them. So please, don't bring staffs into this.

Just to put things into perspective, if I remember right, the news story a while ago about the girl who had a face transplant after being attacked by a dog, was actually attacked by a Labrador, which is widely considered a family dog. So it's not the breed, it's the owners that need to take responsibility.

Answer 4

Wow a great form of themes with people and single canines... I DONT have 0.5 those themes with 5 or extra at one time. First that's a domestic dog- aggressive at 6 month? If a bully canine bites out of aggression Im prepared to wager there may be blood. How old replaced into she once you acquire her? How oftentimes is she around different canines? A domestic dog does not merely unexpectedly at some point come to a sort to develop into food aggressive... she has scientific issues that are out of control... like what? Does she itch consistently? might that impact your attitude? I dont comprehend maybe that would reason you to be slightly loopy, or aggravated? You fairly plenty have 3 toddlers in the homestead and it seems such as you're crushed by potential of all of it. You dont anticipate you a million a million/2 year old to comprehend each and every thing and proportion & be potty knowledgeable, yet i think of you anticipate the 6 month old domestic dog to have all of it jointly- she is a baby no remember if that's merely too plenty place her now jointly as she has a extra perfect hazard at adoption! Peace Ruby

Answer 5

It was a culmination of a number of factors.

Pit Bull Terriers are bred for fighting and to tear things apart.

Hundreds of years of evolution have created a pure fighting machine.

Idiot chavs with more gold chains and tattoos than brains think that owning a dog like this is a status symbol.

Government banned ownership of these dogs, the controls exist however little is done to enforce the law.

One idiot chav decided that owning a banned breed would make him look cool/hard/clever/tough.

Idiot chav dog owner - loved the fact that his dog scared people.

Other family members being attacked in the past but no one doing anything about it.

This breed has been banned for years and should by now be extinct.

It is not the dogs fault. It is doing what instinct and breeding has taught it to do. His owner continued to allow him to do it, encouraging pulling at the lead, snarling and barking and generally being vicious.

Any dog that is not correctly handled can turn. This is why I keep my mild mannered, gentle giant of a German Shepherd on a muzzle when we are walking in the local park.

Bring back dog licenses and put this guy and people like him in prison.

Answer 6

Thanks, DJ for clarifying that. It was NOT an American Bulldog that did the attack, but a Pit bull Terrier. Two different breed of dogs. I raise American Bulldogs and own 2 females and 2 males and they are as gentle as a Lab. I have not had any problems with them as far as aggression, my oldest is 11 years old and I've had him since he was 6 weeks old. American Bulldogs are generally white and looks more like a boxer than a pit bull. That's like comparing a chi to a doxie!

Answer 7

It is a terrible tragedy. But before everyone starts going after the dog owner, I would just like to ask where the 5 year olds parents were? Why weren't they supervising her? Did the dog come onto the child's property or the child trespass into the dog's territory? There are two sides to every story and every tragedy. Speaking as a parent, we have to watch our children constantly (there are so many dangers out there) and as a dog owner, we have to watch our dogs, make sure their territory is secured so they don't feel threatened and be responsible dog owners.

Answer 8

You cannot blame a dog for the negligence of the parents. No animal should be left alone with a small child. You don't hear about dogs like dachshunds or golden retrievers mauling kids on the news, but it happens, they just don't get the publicity that bulls and pits get.

Answer 9

Good question. Dogs are pack animals and do what their pack leader (the owner) trains them to do, whether it was intentional or not. For example, if a dog is allowed to bite, then the dog thinks it is ok to keep this type of behaviour.
I don't think the dog is fully responsible for what he/she did. Where were the owners when this happened? Why haven't they been interviewed? Dogs are like children, the parents are responsible for every action a child takes. I know a few teenagers that I would love to yell at the parents for what they do, but the parents aren't any better than their kids if they are allowing them to behave that way.
The dog should be allowed a second chance and this time with more supervision for his/her owners. Come on, we give sexual predators a second opportunity, and we are mean with dogs? Why aren't we killing these perverts, too????? They are a threat to society too!!!
I tell you, I have had all types of dogs surrounding me, and I can tell you for certain that, if a a behaviour is not corrected in time, then the dog will revert to its natural behaviour. Just like kids, if you do not rebuke your kids for doing awful things, then they think that they can get away with anything they do. Can you tell, I hate kids more than I hate dogs?? Oh, I can deal with misbehaved dogs, but misbehaved kids.....oh, heck NO!!! After a while even the meanest dog will listen, kids (and adults)....you can beat them senseless and they still will refuse to do what they are told.

Answer 10

Its up to the 'owner' to control their dog... this is just another example of gross, disgusting and horrible negligence on the part of owners of pets that are dangerous.

A five year old is not that small - and being attacked and murdered by a dog is unacceptable.

The owner should be charged with murder, and the dog and all its relatives destroyed.

Disgusting what we allow in this country... times have changed...

-dh.