Michigan Girl Killed in Attack from New dog

[Snick1946]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/michigan-girl-killed-dog-brand-new-giving-a-treat/

I wouldn't want any discussion on this to devolve into argument about various dog breeds. I do question the wisdom of having this breed around a young child, or at least leaving her alone with it before any bonding.Very sad story.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

I read about this yesterday. This poor girl didn't stand a chance.

 

[Snick1946]

One of my coworkers did Doberman rescue. She always said the breed was misunderstood and most were very sweet dogs. I do think you need to exercise reasonable caution with them and it sounds like that is not what this family did, leaving her alone with the dog minutes after its arrival. They had a Doberman prior to this so maybe just didn't stop and think.

 

[Guuj]

This isn't breed specific. This is absolute human error. A dog she *just* "bought" (ugh) and had no idea the history or temperament of. This is a large, powerful animal. Your child is a small, fragile human. This is a horrible tragedy I would not wish on anyone.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/michigan-girl-killed-dog-brand-new-giving-a-treat/

I wouldn't want any discussion on this to devolve into argument about various dog breeds. I do question the wisdom of having this breed around a young child, or at least leaving her alone with it before any bonding.Very sad story.

but saying that and then getting into the breed issue does just that. This was not breed specific.

 

[katydid23]

It is not breed specific, but there are large aggressive dogs that should never be left alone with children unless you know that dog VERY well. We always had German Shepherds. My kids grew up with our Shepherd, and our dog LOVED the kids. She acted like she was their MOTHER, herding them, sleeping next to their beds, licking them clean. But I never left OTHER children alone with my dogs because I didn't know if she would have the same 'love' for them or might see them as threats to her babies.

I would ever get a brand new large aggressive breed dog [ Shepherd, lab mix, Pit mix, Dobie, Chow, large Poodle, boxer....WHATEVER..] and leave the dog alone with a child. :no:

 

[Snick1946]

Instead of saying 'this breed' I perhaps ought to have said something like 'a large dog like this'. Any size for that matter. Five minutes after bringing a dog into a new home is not the time to put your child into its space, no matter what the breed.
From the article it seems they had a similar dog this was to replace so perhaps they failed to realize the risks they were taking. This was just a careless mistake of a moment they will live with for the rest of their lives.

 

[mrseeker]

I have heard it said that dogs can become aggressive with children because their face is so close to theirs. Not sure about that, but I get it. Most people understand you should introduce dogs slowly to each other, but that should always be considered when dogs meet children too. I am not sure the breed matters here. Such a sad story. The dog might have just been trying to process a lot of info. Who knows what kind of vibes the adults were giving off. This appears to be an adult dog or near adult dog, being sold to someone. Within minutes of his arrival the child approaches with a treat. The previous owner is still there. Who knows what this dog thought was going on? I think all new dogs should be treated with respect if not wariness. The dog might have acted totally different if the child visited the dog at his home, or had been allowed to get use to its new home without the previous owner present. Who knows what vibes the dog was getting from its previous owner. It might have been misinterpreted by the dog. Anxiety might be due to having to give the dog up, but the dog though he was in a threatening environment. Really sad and unnecessary death.

 

[flourish]

I'm already irrationally scared of dogs. Why did I click this story?

 

[Margotrita]

I volunteer/work in dog rescue and have seen way too many attacks from dogs that happen within the first week of that dog being fostered or adopted into a new home. These are animals who need time to adjust, trust and acclimate to their new humans, new home, new food, new smells, new routine. It is a lot for them to absorb and they are only dogs. Heck, we humans need time to adjust to new situations.

This makes me so sad for this family.

 

[katydid23]

I love rescue dogs and we always get ours from a rescue. But if you have children, I think it is best to get PUPPIES from a rescue, so the dog can grow up with the children and feel comfortable around them.