Dog attack

[artme]

Late yesterday our neighbour rang us in teras. Her 8 year old grand daughter had just been savaged by a Mastiff cross dog. The daamage was extensive and the child is undergoing a second lot of surgery right now.

The girl lost a litre+ of blood.

We are all hoping that things turn out for the best.

[wheelinround]

Hope all goes well Arthur and she doesn't come to hate all dogs because of it.

[wolften]

...my wife's and my heart are with the parents at this point and we hope the littley has a speedy recovery from the dog attack.
I will not comment any further as to my opinions on this matter as I detest these stupid so called breeds of dogs...my opinion only

[SAISAY]

I will not comment any further as to my opinions on this matter as I detest these stupid so called breeds of dogs...my opinion only

I am glad you said "so called breeds of dogs"
All this nonsense about "designer dogs" when all they are is an excuse to make money from mutts with no consideration about genetics or temperament.

Poor little girl and poor parents and grandparents too. So much heartbreak because of someone else's stupidity
What else can I say except that I hope the little one will recover soon and that there will not be any permanent damage.
SAISAY

[Scott]

So sad. Having 2 girls myself (4 & 5) it breaks my heart that this kind of thing happens. She's in my thoughts.

Hope the dog and owners get their just punishment.

[SAISAY]

Hope the dog and owners get their just punishment.

I have yet to see that happen. The irresponsible owner always seems to have an excuse that gets accepted by the authorities.

SAISAY

[ozhunter]

Very tragic indeed. I hope she makes a full recovery. I'd like to know what the dog was crossed with.

I have owned a Mastiff/Ridgeback dog and he didn't have a mean bone in his body. My daughter used to lay in the kennel with him, pull his ears - all the usual kid stuff. Old Ralph would just lay there and take it with his tail wagging. I know several people who have pure bred and cross bred Mastiffs and have never had a problem. Wonder if the cross was Pitbull?

[Scott]

Any dog, regardless of breed, can bite. Ultimately its the owners who are responsible for the dog.

[chambezio]

Very sorry to hear the news. I love kids and I love dogs. My 2 girls grew up with a kelpie/german shepherd. Fairly large and lean but had a wonderful temperament. Even though my girls could do any thing to him/with him they also knew that other dogs could be a danger.
I hope the little girl won't be traumatized now at the sight of any dog.

[artme]

The little girl is fine but very lucky.

One puncture wound from a tooth went perilously close to a major artey and one other tooth penetration actually took a small chip from a vertebra.

One of the blokes present at the time had to repeatedly belt the dog with a heavy lump of wood in orde rto get it to desist.

[specialist]

I hope they did some damage to the mongrel in the process. I'm glad the little girl is alright. I've had my share of dog bites in my youth and was always a traumatic experience.


Robert

[Bushmiller]

Arthur

Dog attack is a very emotive subject. Don't get me wrong on this. Any dog that attacks in this way, to my mind, has to be put down. Once a dog knows he can do it, there is a high probability he will re-offend.

I like dogs, but I am far from stupid about them. For me they are an animal pure and simple. Sometimes they are a delight and sometimes they should be got rid of. The reputation of some breeds often preceeds them. We have had three rottweillers: All of them wooses (is that the right spelling, I'm sure you know what I mean). We don't have a dog now and probably won't again.

Blue cattle dogs (and red) are responsible for as many attacks as any, but that is because there are a lot of them and people take liberties with them not seeing them as potentially aggressive.

Just on the subject of the Mastiff, it is listed in the breed description as being ferocious. It is the Bull Mastiff that is more commonly seen and of an all together different nature. People cross breed them for pigging but this doesn't neccessarily make them aggressive. I knew somebody who bred pig dogs. He told me that if he couldn't leave his dogs with small children he shot them (I think he meant the dogs.) It's a pity more animals are not bred for docility.

I hope your neighbour's daughter recovers well and is not traumatised. A litre of blood in a little girl is a big percentage.

Regards
Paul

[BobL]

Good post Paul.

My worry about just focusing on the disposal of offending dogs is that it is (necessary) but half arsed solution after the fact.

It is very interesting to see the new Australian Vets Association view on this.

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has released a comprehensive report, Dangerous dogs – a sensible solution which sets out the scientific evidence about dog bite incidents, and explores the factors that influence a dog’s tendency to bite. It demonstrates the ineffectiveness of breed-specific legislation in addressing aggressive behaviour in dogs, explaining that this approach does not increase public safety and is unworkable.

[artme]

Have to agree with you Paul. Many years ago the German Shepardbreeders began breeding for passivity and not aggression. The proof of their success is quite evident with today's Shepards.

Unfortunately things took a slight turn for the worse when a parasitic bug was found in the girl's blood test results. The assumption is that this came from the dog. She is up and walking around
but still in hospital for observation.

The dog has been put down.

[BobL]

Have to agree with you Paul. Many years ago the German Shepardbreeders began breeding for passivity and not aggression. The proof of their success is quite evident with today's Shepards.

That would have been my perception as well but the numbers involved in attacks are still high.
As a border collie owner I am surprised they are even on the list - I think they just appear cuddly but are maybe not as reliable as we think?