Dog attacks child, but is not put down

[Lace Neil Singer]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4812831a11.html

Is it right that this dog is spared being destroyed cuz of provocation? Does the fact that the child provoked the dog mean that the dog is not dangerous? Is the mother right, or do you agree with the dog's handlers?

[Greenday]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4812831a11.html

Is it right that this dog is spared being destroyed cuz of provocation? Does the fact that the child provoked the dog mean that the dog is not dangerous? Is the mother right, or do you agree with the dog's handlers?

Well, if you grabbed my balls and yanked them a few times, I'd probably kick some ass too.

Unless the dog has a history of attacking people WITHOUT being provoked, there is no reason to put the dog down. Now, why the mom thinks it's ok for her precious angel to yank on the dog's balls is ok is beyond me.

[McDreidel09]

If the dog is not normally an attacker, then no, it should not be put down. Now, if it has a history of attacking people,then yes, something should be done. Even animals deserve a second chance.

[Greenday]

If the dog is not normally an attacker, then no, it should not be put down. Now, if it has a history of attacking people,then yes, something should be done. Even animals deserve a second chance.

Second chance? The dog defended itself. In my opinion, it hasn't done anything wrong yet.

[McDreidel09]

Second chance? The dog defended itself. In my opinion, it hasn't done anything wrong yet.

I didn't mean just this specfic case. I meant in all cases. I didn't word everything properly.

[AdminAssistant]

Here's the most important part:

The investigation also revealed the child had been involved in two previous incidents of alleged animal cruelty

Maybe the kid learned a lesson. The animal defended itself, and therefore should not be punished. The mother should probably also take some parenting classes - child was in a yard with a pool and she wasn't watching him? What the hell, lady?

And the mohawk is such a hawt look for a toddler. :p

[Pedersen]

Is it right that this dog is spared being destroyed cuz of provocation?

May I try a bit of rewording of the question for you? If so, riddle me this:

Is self-defense a justifiable reason to attack someone?

If so, then this dog is free and clear. If not, then what should an animal do when being chased by someone who has invaded its territory and will not stop attacking it?

[Cat]

Sounds like the dog was defending himself. Dog should live.

This is why I warn people who visit me that the tabby cat will bite. Only pet her a few seconds, she like it, then she will attack. :)

[Gabrielle Proctor]

Sounds like the dog was defending himself. Dog should live.

This is why I warn people who visit me that the tabby cat will bite. Only pet her a few seconds, she like it, then she will attack. :)


I ALWAYS warn kids about my rat terrier(I even engraved his tag to say "My name is Tyke. I bite children"lol). He doesn't trust kids, so almost anything they do is a threat to him. Does that stop them? No. When he snaps at them(he never bites, but he will give warnings), I just say, "What did I tell you? You should listen to me when I tell you things."

[Boozy]

This mother is a real piece of work. She`s raising an abusive little psychopath and is blaming everyone but herself for the consequences.

She is condemning her child to a life in prison.

[Lace Neil Singer]

This is why I warn people who visit me that the tabby cat will bite. Only pet her a few seconds, she like it, then she will attack. :)

I always warned people about my cat; she's basically an attack cat, especially towards men. No reason whatsoever for this strange behaviour; she just seems to prefer women over men as far as interaction goes.

I have to say that if a child continuously provokes a dog (ahem, where was the mother? O_o) to the point that the dog, driven into a corner, is provoked into an attack, then it's not really fair that the dog be destroyed. I'd say that dog could probably use a lot of training and therapy to get it over being harried like that. I wouldn't go so far as to label the child a psychopath tho; young kids do hurt other kids and animals, and don't necessarily realise that what they're doing causes pain.

Example: Back in the mists of time, when I was a kid and my parents had just got a dog from a rescue centre, the dog once, and only once, bit my little brother. It was entirely my brother's fault; the dog had shown, by heading to her basket, that she'd had enough of being mauled about. My brother was not being cruel or provoking, but he was very young at the time and young children don't always know that what they are doing is not a good idea.

The dog bit him. My mum reacted instantly; the dog was placed outside, not in a punishing sense, but to get her out of the situation. My brother was dealt with as far as the bite was concerned; it didn't even break the skin and wasn't even a bite really, just a nip. He was then told that when the dog went to her basket, that meant she'd had enough and to leave her alone, dammit. He never did that again, and the dog never bit anyone again; mostly cuz when we told other young children that my little brother had been nipped by the dog for bugging her in her basket.

This was a perfectly normal (as in, not an abused or tortured dog) animal, that we'd gotten from a rescue centre. She had been neglected, but not abused. It's a natural reaction from a dog, or even a person, to hit out at someone who's continually harrassing it. Point in question; if someone was continually bugging me, I might be provoked into clocking them one. O_o

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Dog has no history of prior problems.

Dog is a mastiff that I know is an extremely reliable, gentle breed. They were bred for protection. They are not vicious dogs. For one to bite like that he must've been harmed or extremely provoked.

It was not the first time the kid provoked the dog, and the dog didn't bite prior.

The dog bit him. It didn't attack him. Mastiff weigh upwards of 200 pounds and can puncture and ruin a car tire. They can bite through a car bumper. They are like bears. The fact that that's the only injury the kid suffered tells me that the dog was intending to warn, not harm. Which is in keeping with my comments about the breed. If the dog "attacked" him, he'd be dead.

The owner's reaction tells me he is not an irresponsible pet owner.

I'm not sure I can say the mom is a responsible parent. Her kid doesn't listen to her, and she's trying to pass the buck.

Putting down the dog would be a pointless waste. I don't believe the dog is a danger, nor do I think he'll be a repeat offender. I can't say the same about the kid.

I hope his face heals up okay, and I hope he learned a lesson. I doubt his mom has.

[DesignFox]

In the article it states that the dog has no prior history of biting or attacking.

The child, on the other hand, has been involved in two instances of animal abuse already.

At the party, the child was seen squeezing the dog's testicles. If that's not being provoked, then I don't know what is.

Seems open and shut to me. I'm glad that, for once, the authorities have done the right thing and let the animal live.

Maybe the little fucker will think twice before molesting an animal again.

[protege]

This is why I warn people who visit me that the tabby cat will bite. Only pet her a few seconds, she like it, then she will attack. :)

My cat would do that too. Snow, who was deaf, wouldn't attack anyone. That is, unless she was sleeping, and you startled her. She'd get scared, and would sink her teeth/claws into whatever was nearby. In fact, that's why she was at the shelter--her prior owner's dog wouldn't leave her alone. Snow would be asleep, doggie would want to play, she'd get pissed and attack the dog :eek:

Getting back on topic, I think the kid got what was coming. Like some of the others here...if someone yanked on my balls, I'd kick their ass too :mad:

[crashhelmet]

What I wonder is if this dog had been a pit bull, would we have learned that he grabbed its testicles? Would the dog still have been spared?

CH

[blas87]

I agree with ya'll. That little shit has already been involved in animal cruelty. That is NOT a joke. That is not fun. It's about time that kid learned a lesson.

Forgive the bluntless, but I am sick and tired of hearing of animals being put down because of stupid people (including children and even dumber parents) who are torturing and bullying around an animal. Animals have instincts, just as we do. They defend themselves when they feel threatened.

[Saydrah]

What I wonder is if this dog had been a pit bull, would we have learned that he grabbed its testicles? Would the dog still have been spared?

CH

QFT.

My opinion:

The child deserved a bite, and needs counseling. Tormenting animals is an early sign of violent sociopathy.

The dog should be neutered, since he now will probably be wary of anyone reaching for his testicles, and intact dogs' testicles need to checked regularly for signs of swelling (possible cancer) at their regular veterinary exams. He probably should have been neutered already, but I have an intact male myself (cryptorchid, was hoping the other one would show up, but I'm going to just give up and have him snipped soon) so I won't judge the owners too harshly on that count.

Other than that, no punishment for the dog or owners, and CPS should review whether or not this child is being adequately cared for in his home. Most children that show tendencies like this at a young age are either being abused/neglected or have some sort of serious disorder brewing, so they should check for the abuse/neglect explanation.

[MystyGlyttyr]

That kid has a crazy face. I don't mean it in the sense of ugly or anything, I mean that I look at his face and immediately think "this one is probably going to try and hurt anything it can."

Some people just look nuts, even as kids. I think this is one.

[DesignFox]

That kid has a crazy face. <snip>
Some people just look nuts, even as kids. I think this is one.

I agree. This is one of the first things I thought when I looked at his photo, before even going into the article. I try to reserve judgment on that sort of thing, but...his eyes just look...empty.

[Jadedcarguy]

I agree with the remarks that "the boy ain't right". Vacuous stare.

It sounds to me like this bitch just wants revenge for "what her boy went through".

Can we put her down?


<hides>:o

[Lingering Grin]

He never did that again, and the dog never bit anyone again; mostly cuz when we told other young children that my little brother had been nipped by the dog for bugging her in her basket.



Yup I had a dog that did the same thing to my uncle. For some unknown reason, she never really liked him, and one day he was trying to make friends.


She growled at him, he put his hands out to show he was no threat (she ignored him), tried giving her food (she wouldn't take it), tried talking nicely, everything.


Well what he did, seemed right but ended up being a mistake, he got down on her level, and stuck his hand out. He was thinking that maybe she wouldn't be threatened by the gesture if it was down from a lower (submissive) position. Well she had had enough of it, and snapped at him. I don't think she was actually TRYING to bite him, just more of tell him off. but she did end up nabbing his hand, even drew blood.

Only time she EVER bit anyone, and in my mind it was perfectly justifiable. She was scared, and she reacted, shit happens. My uncle saw it the same way, he's had a lot of dogs in his time, including one HUGE golden retriever that did not like strangers or small children, (So much so that I first saw the dog when I was 8, and wasn't allowed in the same ROOM as him until I was 12). So he didn't throw a fit and call the dog vicious, he just got up, went to the bathroom, cleaned the cut on his hand, and left the dog alone lol.

[kiwi]

If I was the mother of said child I would be more worried that my child was trying to hurt an animal despite being warned not to

isn't that one of the big red flags of psychotic behavior, cruelty to animals?

the little shit got what he deserved in my opinion

animals should have the right to defend themselves against abuse to

edit to add

good lord she called her son Caine.....

[Jadedcarguy]

good lord she called her son Caine.....

I picked up on that too. :(

She doesn't really look much like a saint either. No offense to those with facial piercings but there is a line. She crossed it.

[the_std]

She doesn't really look much like a saint either. No offense to those with facial piercings but there is a line. She crossed it.

I'm sorry, minor threadjack, but what do her facial piercings have to do with her ability to mother her child? I'm not defending this woman in the slightest, but what do pieces of metal in her face have to do with her parenting abilities?

[Jadedcarguy]

I'm sorry, minor threadjack, but what do her facial piercings have to do with her ability to mother her child? I'm not defending this woman in the slightest, but what do pieces of metal in her face have to do with her parenting abilities?

I said that there is a line, and she crossed it. That has more to do with her state of mind than her ability to mother a child. State of mind, being she is a narcissist. She is more preoccupied with her little world than the world at large, which is displayed with her "Look at me!!" face metal.

I have nothing against getting pierced in any place you like, but I have known quite a few people in my time here, many with face metal, many without. One thing I have noticed about a lot of the more 'egocentric' acquaintances I have made is the drive to 'augment' their face with metal or tats. This augmentation is usually accompanied by a 'damn the torpedoes' attitude towards the world at large and unfortunately their ability to responsibly rear a child.

Someone who has an eyebrow pierced or a lip or nose is a common occurrence. If all she had was something like that she wouldn't even have tripped my radar.

However, and this is a big however, she has the full menu of face metal. Her boy has a fucking mohawk and a biblical name that doesn't have the benevolent connotations of Paul or Luke or Matthew or John or Mark or Adam or Isaiah or Joseph or Luke or pick one, any other than Caine, and now, facial scarring. She is narcissistic enough to demand that someone else's beloved dog die for biting her son when clearly it was provoked. My pets are my children, and I feel very strongly about that. Would you put your "kids", whether they have fur or not, to sleep to satisfy such a narcissist?

Do I need to go any further about my doubts of her "good parenting" skills, or do you get my point?

[Flyndaran]

I'm sorry, minor threadjack, but what do her facial piercings have to do with her ability to mother her child? I'm not defending this woman in the slightest, but what do pieces of metal in her face have to do with her parenting abilities?

Choking hazard?

[Sylvia727]

People who go far outside the norm in one way are more likely to have a chip on their shoulders about the establishment and The Man, which can be positive ("I want to make the world a better place") or negative ("it's The Man's fault that my life sucks"). I wouldn't say that extreme piercings affect her parenting ability, but combined with the information from this article, they are an indication of her probable attitude, which is probably being passed down to her son. Not an exact science, but certainly a factor worth discussing.

[the_std]

I have no problem with her piercings being considered with the rest of the factors she's presented us with to come to a judgement about her parenting abilities. That's completely understandable. I was just asking about her piercings in specific, because that's what Jadedcardguy's post mentioned. It made no mention of any of the other factors, aside from her naming her son Caine.

I still hold that the piercings, when considered by themselves and divorced from the rest of her personality, have no bearing on her parenting abilities. That was the point I was trying to make.