Child's head crushed in dog attack

[Blondette86]

I agree with Rahni, you SHOULD have to have a licence to have children.. Would save so many problems these days..

 

[FusionMorelia]

all dogs have the capacity to be a dangerous dog, and as a former postie i can tell u very well that rotties , bullies all the "dangerous" dogs are 99% safe we always had bad bites and attacks but the worst by far are from little dogs and im not joking ask anyone who works delivering or going house to house!
this is a bad story i know but like most animals they are a product of environment as well

 

[Kristy_07]

As an owner of both rotties and snakes I cop it from all angles, obtaining animals in general is far to easy......people can purchase almost anything over the net and very little proof of experience is required. This goes for the reptile scene as well, especially in Victoria where an 18 year old with no experience can get their advanced permit and purchase coastal taipans. Animal ownership is not a right, it is a privilege.......correct training of the owner and animal is required.......when things go wrong, people always blame the animal!

I agree. The only difference I think worth pointing out is that if an 18 yo with no experience buys a coastal taipan for the thrill or look of having a dangerous snake, the person most likely going to get bitten first is him/herself. If that same 18 yo decided, instead, to buy a 70kg mastiff or rotty for the same purpose, he is probably not the person most likely to be bitten by the dog. It's much more likely to be someone else, or a child, or another dog.

 

[cris]

I agree. The only difference I think worth pointing out is that if an 18 yo with no experience buys a coastal taipan for the thrill or look of having a dangerous snake, the person most likely going to get bitten first is him/herself. If that same 18 yo decided, instead, to buy a 70kg mastiff or rotty for the same purpose, he is probably not the person most likely to be bitten by the dog. It's much more likely to be someone else, or a child, or another dog.

I would rather a rotti bite than one from a tiapan or brown snake, none of them are as dangerous as horses or humans though. Cars are even worse. This would have to be one of the stupidest threads i have seen on this site so far (then again i could probably do better lol).

A rotti or mastiff has a practical role as a guard dog in many cases, so being able to cause harm is essential in such cases. They are also fun to spar with :lol:

 

[dreamkiller]

dogs, cats, snakes whatever, they are all animals and all have the potential to be dangerous. yea it is a terrible shame about the child but it does not mean we should kill every animal that defends itself the only way they know how.

 

[xxMelissaxx]

Everyone is always looking for someone to blame...

 

[Defective]

hmmm tough situation. i say that because we're only getting half the story yet we're already condemning the dog. we don't know if the child was teasing it or anything which was the trigger for the attack, my cousin has a rottie and a 4 or 5 yr old and its fine around children. my old neighbour also had the most beautifulest rottie i've ever met in my life so docile and would let you do absolutely anything to her and just lay there or she'd lick you and walk off.

on the other hand my stepmum had a bull terrier that at the sight of another dog would go nuts and i feared for my life that if she got off the lead she'd attack the other dog or me. so it's also how they're treated. Those breeds of dogs have a reputation as killers because that's what they were used for.

 

[SomeGuy]

I remember once being scratched by a cat, I had to put it down as it was a danger to my family, I don't usually do anything unless they are within 100 metres of my house, I live to far from a hospital for if something goes wrong and we get attacked and get a bad scratch or bite.

 

[Defective]

I remember once being scratched by a cat, I had to put it down as it was a danger to my family, I don't usually do anything unless they are within 100 metres of my house, I live to far from a hospital for if something goes wrong and we get attacked and get a bad scratch or bite.

can i ask, do you own a snake or lizard? if you do, why? i've seen some really serious bites on here (and for lizards i've seen them in person plus been bitten myself) and if you had to put a cat down because it was a threat to your family due to the fact you live to far from hospital, i own a cat and have been scratched to many times to recount but have the scars.

i know that theres a whole 'feed cats to snakes' thing but they are less harmless than dogs and will generally warn you before having a massive go. my cat has jumped me and sunk her claws in the top of my thigh and dragged them but i have never ever gotten cat scratch disease from her (an infection treated with antibiotics)

 

[snakehandler]

I think people need to take a long hard look at themselves and realize that we need to step up and take ownership of the issues, its so easy to blame everyone but ourselves. Cats and dogs belong in peoples yards not wandering around, they are all potentially dangerous and people need to take responsibility for the actions of their pets.....

 

[hypochondroac]

I'm not sure a licensing system would help.
People will pay their money, get a license and get the dog, or they'll just get one off the internet and go about it quietly. I understand it might deter some people because of there being more effort involved but for the most part it will just be like the reptile licensing system, pretty useless.

If you have half a brain, you would avoid owning a powerful large breed and very young children at the same time.. that or you'd (properly) train and supervise them.

 

[giggle]

I grew up with rotties I rode their backs (still have the photos) I hugged them and played with them... and my skull is intact. I think.

It comes down to responsible ownership, training, supervision and teaching your children as much as you teach your animals. A rotty is not an animal ANYONE should own without obedience training, I am deadly serious. These dogs NEED to have tough training with a strict owner. Most people buy a rotty to have an impressive dog in their backyard. But they forget they are a working breed in a massive powerful body! If you don't have that animal trained to perfection, its like letting your toddler have free reign with a loaded gun.

I would like to see more regulation... so that to own a certain breed you need to do a government approved course.

Ironically though... the most aggressive animals are the smaller breeds. Especially designer breeds. But if they bite you, you get stitches. If a rotty bites you, it may mean your death. Interestingly though, the only medium-large breed I have seen actually bite an adult was a rough collie (lassie dog).
I worked primarily with pitbulls... yet my chihuahua bites far outnumbered my brushes with pitbulls.

I liken most rottweiler owners to urban 4wd drivers.

Both are very rarely in the right hands.

 

[AllThingsReptile]

hmm, see i think it should be against the law to have a dog unless:
its microchipped
its desexed (get permit for breeding)
lets face it, dogs can all be dangerous, although most arent, its the same as if you own an eastern brown, and free handle it, even if its the most placid of any snake you've ever had, it has deadly potential
another thing is, if a reptile you own escapes, it doesnt pose a ecological threat, whereas a cat/dog does
just my 2 cents

 

[SomeGuy]

What if your beardies escape at wodonga? I would call that an ecological threat, presuming they are central beardies, not being found there.

 

[snakehandler]

Rotties are not status symbols they are a wonderful loving dog.

It is interesting to watch people walk their dogs, you can tell the ones that are trained, they walk beside the owner....the untrained ones tug at the lead all the time, usually unchecked. If you are going to own any breed of dog, train it properly, from an early age.

Read the papers, chihuahuas, maltese terriers, sharpei and fox terriers make the list now too......small dogs inflict small wounds, but the frequency of bite is horrendous, there are over 6000 people hospitalized every year from dogs bites, yet the only ones we hear about are the large breed dogs, usually because the do a great deal of damage, but psychological damage is also a problem, people develop fears based on bad experiences, so even a small dog that does a small amount of damage is dangerous, it has been estimated that less than 20% of dog bites are inflicted by large breed dogs!

Why do we only hear of the big dogs that bite......because the media sensationalize it.......just like when a person encounters a snake....they always go the sensational side of things.

 

[hypochondroac]

Because large breeds can inflict that much more damage, so little dogs are disregarded because the general consensus is that they're cute even when they're being little snot faces.

I've groomed thousands of dogs, i work with them five days a week and of all the larger dogs i have groomed i've come across three that acted aggressively.

A kelpie that is completely nuts and in my opinion should either be sent off to a full time trainer or put to sleep.

A german shepherd cross, his owner has crap for brains and it's easy to see why the dog is how it is.

and an english staffordshire, he is a joy untill you pick up the nail clippers.

Okay, small dogs? Hmm atleast sixty, give or take. Most of which i can give them what for and then they sit there like angels, about twenty or so constantly try it on, mostly when dealing with front legs and nails. English cockers have to be the worst, such cry babies.

 

[snakehandler]

Let put it into perspective......if a small python bites, no one knows, when a large python bites lots of people know, when a venomous snake bites EVERYONE knows.....why because there is more story value in venomous snakes and the danger!

 

[Kristy_07]

These dogs NEED to have tough training with a strict owner.

I know I'm setting myself up with this one, giggle, but..... dum dum daaaaaaa!.... I'm going to disagree with this part

It will sound as though I am mincing words, but I believe there is a BIG difference between "tough training" and being a "strict owner" vs. showing your dog consistent training and leadership. Rotties, mastiff, danes, bulldogs, wolfhounds, even labs are all perfectly capable of reaching 50kgs or more, and, in my opinion, strict, tough training will not develop the trust, bond, and sense of leadership required to have complete control over these kinds of dogs. You are unlikely to EVER be able to control one of these dogs physically if they don't want to be, and positive punishment or fear-based control will never be consistent.

My dogs are now 50 and 60kg each, and their training has been a long process of patience, consistency, persistence, and trust. I'm 65kgs, and the other trainer that has helped me along the way is a tiny woman of 49kgs! Neither of us would have a hope in hell of controlling either dog physically, but through positive reinforcement, training, and, more importantly, leadership, both dogs and I are in tune with each other, and they listen to me (okay, mostly! The puppy is still a bit of a git at times ) - better control than anything I could provide physically. But, the time and effort it took for us to get to this point has been a sacrifice, and one that I could honestly say most pet owners probably aren't aware of, let alone willing to commit to, when they bring home their new gorgeous, squishy rotty pup.

Now, giggle, I know YOU probably know all this BUT, I think most people that don't have a better than average understanding of dogs and their behaviour would easily interpret tough training and being a strict owner as having to have physical and mental dominance over their animal, and many would turn to a fear-based solution, especially when it comes to 50kg PUPPIES that only have half a brain but look the part of a big, tough animal. Which can lead to some very unstable dogs, indeed. It's something I'm pretty passionate about, and I thought it could use clarifying. Like I said, I realise that, to you, I'm mincing words

****... I've got 2 big dogs AND an urban 4wd drive (to cart the dogs around in, of course!) - what does that make me?! :shock::lol:

 

[Australis]

another thing is, if a reptile you own escapes, it doesnt pose a ecological threat, whereas a cat/dog does
just my 2 cents

Not true.