1 yro boy killed by Rottweiler - UK

EGAR

Family dog kills one-year-old boy
A one-year-old boy has died after being attacked by a dog at a relative's home, police have said.
West Yorkshire Police said the boy was in the yard of the home in Wakefield on Friday afternoon when he was attacked by the pet rottweiler.

He was taken to hospital with serious injuries but later died.

The dog was destroyed in order to ensure the safety of others at the address, a police spokesman said. The incident is being investigated.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said they were alerted by the ambulance service at 1530 GMT.

He added that the boy's family was being supported by specially-trained officers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_yorkshire/7163696.stm

Ruu_Old

Sad but has happened a number of times this year as far as I can remember (a couple of times reported on Sky News). Should have been under close supervision.

peasant

Who on earth would leave a one year old child and a dog (any dog !) alone together ?

Duzzie

Sad.

No doubt we'll get the usual "Killer Dog" stories. Blame the dogs owners not the dog. How can anyone let a rottie, or any dog really, anywhere near a 1 year old baby???:mad: Dont know the full story but no baby of that age should be left un-supervised with any type of dog.

Duzzie

EGAR

It doesn't say *alone* - it has just been on breaking news so there is no more info . It's a sad day indeed..

RIP little boy...

BanzaiBk

It says nowhere in the article that there wasn't sufficient supervision/the child was alone. It seems to be developing. Similar sentiments shared though.

ztoical

awful awful awful thing to happen at this time of year, actually awful to happen any time of year.

A 1 year old shouldn't be left out of sight period. On xmas eve a couple of years ago, my mum [a doctor] was called to a house where a 1 year old had accidentally strangled himself with christmas wrapping ribbon - you can never EVER take your eyes off a toddler.

Children that age are very active but have no sense of danger. not keeping them in you eye line and they pull dogs tails, fall into uncovered ponds, or pull heavy objects down off tables. Don't think people should wrap children in bubble wrap and never let them out, children need to explore to learn but you should always be no more then a half step away from them at that age, as they get older you can step slowly further away.

Duzzie

True, we'll have to wait for the full story to come out. That said, if appropriate supervision was in place, the dog should not have been able to attack the child. Big dogs tend to give a warning before attacking but as you say we dont know the full story.

Appologies if I came accross as being tactless. I'd hate to think of any child going through such a horrific attack. It is indeed a very sad story and you cant help but feel sorry for the poor child.

Duzzie

the_syco

Meh. Rottweiler are fairly docile dogs, unless you train them to be vicious. And in that case, you're a dumb f**k for leaving a vicious dog, trained to hurt, with a defenceless person.

Oh, and hit a dog on the neck/back area from behind, and they'll attack you. Pretty sure on pure instinct. Baby may have just done so, and BAM, baby is ****ed.

BanzaiBk

Any rott I've seen irl has been very placid and friendly, no doubt the "some dogs are vicious" brigade will be out in force after this. My heart breaks for that poor baby though.

EGAR

I am sorry but alot more causes a dog to attack then being trained to and that goes for every breed: genetics (granted, it's a small percentage but yet can't be ignored), no proper socialisation, extreme dominance not properly brought under control, pain, brain tumour etc. The list is pretty long...

BanzaiBk

EGAR wrote: »

I am sorry but alot more causes a dog to attack then being trained to and that goes for every breed: genetics (granted, it's a small percentage but yet can't be ignored), no proper socialisation, extreme dominance not properly brought under control, pain, brain tumour etc. The list is pretty long...

Yeah but generally it's not breed specific? Or is it? I don't know anything about this at all, any info would be great.

EGAR

No, it is not breed specific but studies have shown that large guard dog breeds such as the Rottweiler are more often less properly socialised as most owners can't be bothered and keep them as *yard dogs* which heightens the incidents with such breeds .

peasant

EGAR wrote: »

I am sorry but alot more causes a dog to attack then being trained to and that goes for every breed: genetics (granted, it's a small percentage but yet can't be ignored), no proper socialisation, extreme dominance not properly brought under control, pain, brain tumour etc. The list is pretty long...

But these things would have manifested themselves before, would they not?
Such a dog would at least have been a "grumpy focker" every now and then, if not plain aggressive.

all the more reason to keep it away from the baby.

ztoical

EGAR wrote: »

No, it is not breed specific but studies have shown that large guard dog breeds such as the Rottweiler are more often less properly socialised as most owners can't be bothered and keep them as *yard dogs* which heightens the incidents with such breeds .

I've had a number of people tell me dalmations are a very aggressive breed and shouldn't be let near children - no clue how true that is as I had a dalmation for 15 years and he was the biggest softie.

Duzzie

EGAR wrote: »

No, it is not breed specific but studies have shown that large guard dog breeds such as the Rottweiler are more often less properly socialised as most owners can't be bothered and keep them as *yard dogs* which heightens the incidents with such breeds .

Thats my point exactly. It is not the dog that is to blame if the owner does not provide it with the required surroundings. If you can not give the dog, or any animal, the time, effort or space/conditions that it needs, then you have no business keeping the dog.

EGAR

Not necessarily, the Labrador which mauled me a few years back, had been here for some time before he attacked me (from behind). It usually takes a catalyst which we humans are too dumb to see.

EGAR

Duzzie wrote: »

Thats my point exactly. It is not the dog that is to blame if the owner does not provide it with the required surroundings. If you can not give the dog, or any animal, the time, effort or space/conditions that it needs, then you have no business keeping the dog.

I COMPLETELY agree with you there.

peasant

EGAR wrote: »

Not necessarily, the Labrador which mauled me a few years back, had been here for some time beofre he attacked me (from behind). It usually takes a catalyst which we humans are to dumb to see.

Yes ..but your circumstances are different. You run a rescue with lots of animals.
You would get to know them less intimately than a family dog and they'd be under more stress than any family dog ever should be (with the noise and the other dogs and all that).

What I'm trying to say is that if a family dog is a real family dog (and not just a half neglected "thing" in the garden) any latent aggression should be spotted pretty quickly (or not happen in the first place)

EGAR

The Lab had been a family pet. He was surrendered for *lack of time*. They did not know that their dog (4 yro) was a ticking time bomb due to a brain tumour. And neither did I although he had been checked by a vet. He was quite happy here, tottering about until one day he attacked. Had I been a child and/or a less dog savvy person I would be dead by now.

peasant

A brain tumor would be a very extreme and rare occurence, though

EGAR

You can read my thoughts I was just going to add that in 99% of the biting incidents it is human error that leads to it.

EGAR

And I might add a bit of Irish research which was done:

CUDDLY family pets such as Golden Retrievers and Cocker Spaniels are more likely to bite people than "vicious" dogs such as Pit bulls, according to new research into aggressive behaviour in dogs.

Although the research is not complete, Edmond O'Sullivan, a veterinary inspector with Cork County Council, has debunked some of the myths about vicious dogs.

His study, the first of its kind in Ireland, has also warned that dog owning is turning into a legal minefield.

The preliminary research found that "restricted breeds" such as the Staffordshire Pit Bull are not more likely to bite than non-restricted breeds.

It is the damage that a dog can do and not the likelihood that it could attack, which is central to a dog's restricted status, he explained.

"The idea of saying a breed is dangerous is neither here nor there. The reason certain breeds are restricted is not because they are more likely to bite but because, if they do attack, they are more likely to kill you.

"For example one of the restricted breeds, the Staffordshire bull terrier, on the basis of our results, was one of the five breeds that were least likely to bite."

The five breeds he cited as being most likely to attack are the Golden Retriever, Labrador, German Shepherd, Rottweiler and Cocker Spaniel.

Mr O'Sullivan is now calling calling for the compulsory micro-chipping of all dogs in Ireland because of the significantly low rate of owner prosecutions.Speaking before the findings of his project were due to be released, he said the entire area of dog owner responsibility had turned into a legal minefield.

"Micro-chipping of all dogs or even just restricted breeds is an absolute must. We have an absolute nightmare trying to enforce legislation here because owners can argue so easily that the dog isn't theirs. It's been a legal nightmare for us and there have been very few prosecutions in Ireland as a result."

The research, which took into account 100 dogs that had been previously involved in a biting incident, focused on both their past behaviour and the event itself.

With the data collected, O'Sullivan was able to find characteristic links between the dogs that had no history of previous aggressive behaviour and the dogs that had.

Preliminary findings suggested that adult dogs, which had been fully house trained, began to have house wetting accidents a certain period before the attack took place.

The project, which is due out in the next few weeks, was jointly undertaken by the Cork County Council veterinary department and the faculty of veterinary medicine at UCD. The aim of the scheme is to put together an education package which will teach how to prevent aggressive behaviour and biting by dogs.

macshadow

Hi EGAR, do you know what might cause a pit bull to be dog aggressive for no apparent reason, and you could rule out that it had been trained to fight.

kerrysgold

Sad about the little boy but there is bound to be a reason, most dog's wouldn't just attack for no reason unless like EGAR's lab, a medical reason was the cause.

macshadow, I think any dog could possibly be aggressive with other dogs if it wasn't socialised with them when it was a youngster, but bull breeds were bred to fight with other dogs etc so probably need more socialisation than a dog that was bred originally to herd or whatever, that's just my take on it though.

ztoical

From the bbc website:

Mr Payne said the boy's aunt, aged 16, was caring for him and two girls, aged six and seven, in the house.

The 16-year-old girl was upstairs when the seven-year-old carried the baby outside to stroke the dog.

Mr Payne said: "Without any warning, the dog snatched the baby from the youngster's arms and carried him into the yard."

He said the 16-year-old tried to rescue the baby but was unable to do so, despite striking the dog.

Paramedics and police arrived within six minutes following an emergency call to police at 1530 GMT, he said.

The baby was taken to Pinderfields General Infirmary where he was pronounced dead.

The boy's parents were at a nearby property at the time.

More details coming out about the attack and all I can say is I feel very sorry for that 7 and 16 years old as I fear they are going to be the ones dealing with alot of emtional issues as a result of this.

This is an awful thing to happen to any parent but its never a simple black and white case of "crazed dog attacks baby" A one year old left alone with a seven year old and the only thing close to an adult in the house is a 16 year old upstairs? I could understand someone feeling comfortable leaving a 6 and 7 year old with a 16 year old but a one year old?

You never leave children that young alone even if you don't have a dog around. I saw the case of a 3 month old being rushed to hospital, no idea what was wrong and then they found out the 6 year old sister had been left lone with the baby and she had been pouring tons of 7-up into the baby and of course the baby couldn't deal with all the sugar.

RAFC

I have to agree ztoical - a 1yr old is still a baby and should be properly supervised at ALL times. While I have a very trustworthy 16yr old, I certainly would NOT be leaving him in charge of any baby. No. 1 they cannot see the dangers around and more importantly no.2 it is unfair to give them the responsibility attached to minding a baby.

This 16yr old will forever blame herself for something she was too young to foresee in the first place.

RIP Archie-Lee Hirst

Huggles

BanzaiBk wrote: »

Any rott I've seen irl has been very placid and friendly, no doubt the "some dogs are vicious" brigade will be out in force after this. My heart breaks for that poor baby though.

I agree with you. I have four dogs myself and come from a family that has always had dogs in 4s or 5s when I was growing up.

Anyways, my best friend had a rottie that was placid as you like but had a terrible jealous streak, if anyone came near my friend she turned instantly. I remeber a few times being asleep on my friends floor and said dog standing over me ready to tear the face off me. Sometimes it is the dog.

peasant

TheGooner wrote: »

Anyways, my best friend had a rottie that was placid as you like but had a terrible jealous streak, if anyone came near my friend she turned instantly. I remeber a few times being asleep on my friends floor and said dog standing over me ready to tear the face off me. Sometimes it is the dog.

eehhhh ...NO !

In the above case the dog was anything but placid. It just wasn't bothered 95% of the time, but it did clearly display undesirable behaviour for the other 5%.

A responsible dog owner would have noticed this and either trained the dog to change that behavior or kept the dog out of situations where such behaviour could manifest itself.

EGAR

macshadow wrote: »

Hi EGAR, do you know what might cause a pit bull to be dog aggressive for no apparent reason, and you could rule out that it had been trained to fight.

it all depends on the breeding, early socialisation, upbringing and training. I have worked with many dog aggressive APBT and only two resisted a change . PM me if you need help.

macshadow

Thanks for the offer EGAR, while walking my dogs once three pit bulls came running towards us and all three of them grabbed one of my dogs, just kind of locked on to him and didn't do anything else, no shaking or growling.They were a bit like clothes pegs hanging from his ears:D.
When their owners caught up with them they were very appolagetic and explained they usually had muzzles on. I'm not even sure if it was real aggression, i find pit bulls very hard to read.

Sorry for going a little off topic:)

Freddie59

TheGooner wrote: »

Sometimes it is the dog.

Precisely. I applaud your common sense.

kerrysgold

IMO 99% of the time it's the owners that don't raise the dog's properly. maybe the other 1% would be the medical causes?

peasant

This is pure speculation now (because I wasn't there) but that Rottweiler needn't have been "viscous" at all for this to happen.

Here's the theoretical scenario:

The grandparents keep the dog mostly in the back garden, he's supposed to guard the property after all. He does get his walks, he gets his food, he's well cared for. Every now and then he's even let inside to lie by the fireside for a while.

When the older kids come around, they are introduced to him and they can pet him under supervision of the grandparents.

Everything is fine, the dog is regarded as docile and that's that.

What the dog doesn't get, is proper training with the kids and taught proper rules how (not to) behave around them.

There probably were several occasions where the seven year old went out to the dog with something in her hands like a toy or a treat to give to the dog or play with him.

On these occassions, it is likely that the dog just snatched whatever the kid had in her hands and ran away with it ...played with it or ate it.

All in good fun ...isn't it hilarious ...

Nobody bothered to correct him for that behaviour ...sure, he's only playing, isn't he ...

So ...in the dogs' mind (because he was let away with it several times) ...whatever that seven year old brought outside was his ...to play with or to eat. And it was his for the taking.

On the night of the tragic accident, the seven year old didn't walk out with a toy or a goodie though ...it was the baby.

The dog doesn't know that (he's probably never "met" the baby before) ...all he sees is his sparring partner with something very interesting in her arms. By habit, this interesting thing is also his to play with ...so he goes for it.
The seven year old most likely pulls the baby away and starts screaming.

Tragically, this is the point where the dog's natural instincts kick in: Something he wants is taken away from him ...there's shouting and excitement ...the "hunt" is on !

What was play to begin with becomes earnest ..he really goes for that poor baby, snatches it and runs away with it.

The baby cries, the other kids shout at him, try to pull the baby away, he even gets beaten by the older kid. The excitement grows, the adrenalin flows fast. So he just holds on tighter.

Whether the dog now has the intention to kill the baby, or whether he just holds it firmly because he regards it as his "toy" and doesn't want to release it is purely academic ...two, three hard bites and the baby is lethally injured.

I'm not saying this is how it happend ...but it could very well have.


Now ...all you dog owners ....think long and hard:

Have you let your dog away with just helping itself to whatever it was it wanted?
Have you had your kids play with the dog and the dog snatched something from them?
Have you taught your dog that snatching something from you or your kids is not allowed?
Do you allow your kids to play tug games with your dog?
Have you taught your dog to release things on command?

arybvtcw0eolkf

^^^^

And thats almost exactly how I described it yesterday.

That the dog didn't neccessaily know the baby was a human!.

I know my dog wouldn't have a clue what a baby is. It (the baby) being all wrapped up in its baby grow etc. Simply because my dog has never seen or been even close to a baby.

EGAR

Press Release:

UK KENNEL CLUB RESPONSE TO ROTTWEILER ATTACK

DEAL WITH THE DEED NOT THE BREED

It's time to better protect the public and encourage responsible dog ownership

The Kennel Club is extremely shocked and saddened by the tragic incident that has resulted in the death of a one year old boy in Wakefield. Our thoughts and condolences are with the boy's family and everyone who knew him.

This dreadful news highlights two things. Firstly, the need for a revision to the current Dangerous Dogs Act to place more responsibility on the owners of aggressive dogs, to cover the actions of the dog rather than the dog's breed or type (deed not breed) and to apply to incidents that take place on private property. Secondly the need to educate the public on the vital importance of training dogs correctly and to punish those that fail to do so.

The importance of training and education cannot be overstressed since displays of aggressive behaviour by any dog, regardless of breed is the responsibility of the dog's owner and in the wrong hands, any type of dog can be dangerous.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary said: "The key is in taking preventative measures, so these types of attacks don't arise in the first place. These measures include awareness, education and training - the onus being on the owner. A responsible dog owner knows that you never leave a dog and a child, especially an infant, alone and unattended. It is the responsibility of parents, teachers, and the government to educate dog owners and children with what to do and what not to do when they are in the company of a dog".

The Kennel Club offers two education programmes; one aimed at children - Safe and Sound, and one for dog-owning adults, the Good Citizen Dog Scheme. The purpose of the Safe and Sound Scheme is to promote the safe interaction between children and dogs, and teach children how to behave around dogs to stay safe. The scheme is in the form of a fun, interactive programme, and is very popular with children. The Good Citizen Dog Scheme, aimed at adults, covers both the theory and practical dog training skills, which are important in everyday life situations. There are three levels of award, adding to the incentive to take part in the scheme

Caroline Kisko added "Our deepest sympathies are with the family after what has been a horrendous incident. As far as any future action is concerned we would counsel a measured response rather than an immediate reaction. We have long been working with representatives of the Metropolitan Police and other organisations on our objectives for future dangerous dog legislation, which we believe would better protect the public and the welfare of dogs. The original legislation was drafted in haste in response to a spate of dog biting incidents in the late 1980's, and it's because this legislation was a knee-jerk reaction that it was poorly drafted and these incidents continue to occur. Another hasty decision will do nothing to address the real issues of responsible dog ownership".

ztoical

I've been taking with a number of friends of mine who all have children under 5 and I was suprised to find that they, as parents, had alot less sympathy for the parents of the poor 1 year old then I had.

We can argue back and forth about the dangers of dogs and how they are raised and breed and so on but the facts of this case are that the dog did not come at the child - a 7 year old carried the one year old to the dog, a situation that would never have happened had there been a parent/adult present. The mother of the baby described her 16 year old as a hero for trying to save the child from the savage dog, like she was implying the dog had broken into her house and snatch the child from her arms. That child should never have been left alone like he was.

More details keep coming out, like the mother of the 1 year old only turned 18 today and she was no longer with the father - a fact that I'm sure will start another single parent/babies having babies discussion on the parenting forums.

Of course we are going to focus on the dog as this is an animal/pet forum but I am sure there will alot of disccusion on parenting forums about this case and the focus there will be about the parents actions as much as the dogs.

nesf

I don't think the dangers of dogs really matter when people are going to allow seven year olds to carry around one year olds like that. The parenting side of it is of more importance than the breed of the animal here, but it'll be ignored in the furore in the papers etc.



Mairt, I thought that too with my parents dogs who'd never seen a baby but they did react very differently than normal when they were introduced to my son. They begged for attention from him, if you know what I mean.

arybvtcw0eolkf

nesf wrote: »

.



Mairt, I thought that too with my parents dogs who'd never seen a baby but they did react very differently than normal when they were introduced to my son. They begged for attention from him, if you know what I mean.

I know what you mean, my dog loves children and like your parents he goes overboard in seeking attention from young children.

But he's never met a baby, and I honestly haven't a clue what his reaction would be to it.

Although he's never grabbed anything from someone's arms, but I'd never leave him alone with a child. Even my 12yr old daugher would never be alone with him.

I've never owned a Rottie, but was offered one for free by a mate who breeds them. My reaction - "Mick I'll never own a dog whose big enough to kill me".. I was of course half joking, but I do respect the fact that these are a huge dog and I've no experience of owning a dog so big and strong.

ztoical

nesf wrote: »

The parenting side of it is of more importance than the breed of the animal here, but it'll be ignored in the furore in the papers etc.

very true this report in the english indo makes not mention that the aunt "babysitting" wasn't even in the same room as the child.

Sparkpea

Its a very sad thing that seems to be getting more common. I do love Rottweiler's, my brother in law's father breads them and I've been considering getting a puppy recently but I'm young - in a stable relationship and will be looking to start a family soon so this has played on my mind when it comes to purchasing. As nice as Rottweiler's are they still always have it in the back of their minds that they can bite or attack and I could personally never put my kid or anyones kid in a risk environment like that.

So this is my new pup instead, cavailer king charles Got her yesterday

ztoical

Sparkpea wrote: »

Its a very sad thing that seems to be getting more common. I do love Rottweiler's, my brother in law's father breads them and I've been considering getting a puppy recently but I'm young - in a stable relationship and will be looking to start a family soon so this has played on my mind when it comes to purchasing. As nice as Rottweiler's are they still always have it in the back of their minds that they can bite or attack and I could personally never put my kid or anyones kid in a risk environment like that.

So this is my new pup instead, cavailer king charles Got her yesterday

Awwwwww what a cute puppy.

I think the key information people should take from this awful event isn't what type of dog you have but that you need to watch young children. It doesn't matter about the breed, hell a cat can harm and, yes even kill, a child if your not paying close enough attention.

Having a pet is a responsibility. Having kids is a bigger responsibility and there are too many lazy people out there.

cowzerp

Mairt wrote: »

I've never owned a Rottie, but was offered one for free by a mate who breeds them. My reaction - "Mick I'll never own a dog whose big enough to kill me".. I was of course half joking, but I do respect the fact that these are a huge dog and I've no experience of owning a dog so big and strong.

Im a rottie man and stick up for them all the time-my dog is so placid and loves to play just like my labrador-but as martin said, there very powerful and need to be kept bottom of the pecking order just like any dog should be so they dont try to take over the pack, simple behaviour training and socialising sorts this out,

my ma's dogs get away with jumping up on everyone because there small but i treat all dogs the same, im the boss and they need to respect that, and they like knowing where they stand and dont get confused about there place in the family..

Guard dog types are regularly not socialised deliberatly and this is where the problem lies, not the dog, the owners. my dog loves kids, but i make it my business to make sure he socialises with them when im around so he does not see them as a threat.

nesf

Mairt wrote: »

I know what you mean, my dog loves children and like your parents he goes overboard in seeking attention from young children.

But he's never met a baby, and I honestly haven't a clue what his reaction would be to it.

Although he's never grabbed anything from someone's arms, but I'd never leave him alone with a child. Even my 12yr old daugher would never be alone with him.

Yeah, leaving dogs alone with young kids is just a no-no. My being left to play with a Kerry Blue from the age of 3 by my grandfather notwithstanding. They're both good with him, and they don't make physical contact with him outside of licking his hand. I still wouldn't even consider leave them near him without myself or my father within a touching distance of the pair of them for a long time though.

Mairt wrote: »

I've never owned a Rottie, but was offered one for free by a mate who breeds them. My reaction - "Mick I'll never own a dog whose big enough to kill me".. I was of course half joking, but I do respect the fact that these are a huge dog and I've no experience of owning a dog so big and strong.

Yeah, the biggest issue with my parent's dogs is one of size. They are between 35-40 kilos. Their enthusiasm is as much a danger to my son as their having teeth. A rottweiler is substantially heavier again, and the mass alone of such an animal can do damage when "playing". Never mind if a child provokes an attack with a poke or similar. It's a different ballgame owning large dogs to be honest.

EGAR

I ahve and have had more big dogs than small dogs. I am not a big person myself. However, especially with large dogs the socialisation and training is paramount. As with every other dog/animal the responsibility to see this done lies with the owner.

littlebug

peasant wrote: »

This is pure speculation now (because I wasn't there) but that Rottweiler needn't have been "viscous" at all for this to happen.

Here's the theoretical scenario:


Have you let your dog away with just helping itself to whatever it was it wanted?
Have you had your kids play with the dog and the dog snatched something from them?
Have you taught your dog that snatching something from you or your kids is not allowed?
Do you allow your kids to play tug games with your dog?
Have you taught your dog to release things on command?

Excellent post peasant. These points should apply to all dogs not just the big so called dangerous dogs. One of my parents dogs, a small little mutt, 8 or 9 years old and not the brightest. She's never been the brightest spark but my mother loves her spoils her and she pretty much lives on the sofa. When we visited over Christmas I was delighted that my children seemed to have overcome their fear of dogs and actually went so far as to pat her on the head/ back. Yesterday (with my back turned ) I heard a growl/ snap/ bark and then a scream and I honestly expected blood when I turned around. Thankfully there was no harm done only a scared little boy(3 years) and a small red mark over his eyebrow where I think the dogs nose hit him. It wasn't even a scratch, it was gone in minutes. He says he just patted her on the head.... there were 3 adults in the room and no- one saw what happened. He may have accidentally poked her eye but he says not. He may have moved his face in really close to hers like he does to me.. maybe that triggered something With HINDSIGHT I can now see that the dog wasn't liking the attention she was getting she was just tolerating it and I think she'd had enough. She didn't once go to the kids looking for attention... they went to her.... not excessively in my opnion but it was obviously just too much for her.:( I think it was a warning as she could have taken his eye out with one bite if she really wanted to. She stands no more than 1 foot tall and has never snapped at anyone before. I do believe that ANY dog out of their comfort zone and faced with unfamiliar circumstances can behave unpredictably. If she had taken my child's eye out whose fault would it have been? Mine I think for not taking heed of the signals that she wasn't entirely comfortable in the company of the children.
I had planned getting a rescue dog in the springtime...I'm rather confused about it all now

EGAR

I had planned getting a rescue dog in the springtime...I'm rather confused about it all now

No need to be confused, just look for a rescue which fully assesses the dog prior to putting them up for adoption .

Duzzie

EGAR wrote: »

No need to be confused, just look for a rescue which fully assesses the dog prior to putting them up for adoption .

I hear that there is a great place in Galway EGAR

EGAR

Where will I send the cheque to, Duzzie .

Duzzie

EGAR wrote: »

Where will I send the cheque to, Duzzie .

Spend it on the puppies