VA - 8-year old boy dies after being attacked by family dog - Danville, Aug 2025

[Clearsky]

Boy, 8, Dies After Being Attacked by Family Dog While Under the Supervision of His Teen Sister

An 8-year-old boy from Virginia died after he sustained injuries following an attack by a family dog. The canine is now set to be euthanized after the tragedy.

people.com

An 8-year-old boy from Virginia has died after sustaining injuries from a dog attack.

 

[Nieves]

What a pain! Animals are animals.

 

[LadyL]

poor kiddo
poor doggo

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Sincere condolences to the family of the boy.
They just wanted to have a caring home with a pet, but for reasons unknown, sometimes dogs do this.
I have heard of a dog attacking just because someone sneezed. Of course, you can't take the risk that a dog could do this twice. Extremely sad.

 

[mickey2942]

So odd when I read about these things. We have always had dogs. Growing up, never have our dogs even bitten anyone. Is it breed specific? Are there warning signs the dog is aggressive?

 

[Greenestdays]

So odd when I read about these things. We have always had dogs. Growing up, never have our dogs even bitten anyone. Is it breed specific? Are there warning signs the dog is aggressive?

Usually dogs give plenty of warning but people are too blind/ignorant to see the signs. Before a growl/nip/bite there are many stress signals an animal will display but those are subtle and/or people laugh them off.

Here’s one article from a very quick search but it gives an outline for further research if interested:

Why we need to get better at reading our dogs body language

www.bbvs.com.au

A seemingly random attack can also be due to health issues. But either way, there’s a trigger and there are warning signs.

Very sorry about the boy and the dog.

 

[mickey2942]

Sincere condolences to the family of the boy.
They just wanted to have a caring home with a pet, but for reasons unknown, sometimes dogs do this.
I have heard of a dog attacking just because someone sneezed. Of course, you can't take the risk that a dog could do this twice. Extremely sad.

Same as horses, one day nothing bothers them, the next day, they pass a waving flag, and decide to bolt.

 

[LadyL]

So odd when I read about these things. We have always had dogs. Growing up, never have our dogs even bitten anyone. Is it breed specific? Are there warning signs the dog is aggressive?

there's always warning signs IMO ... many people just don't understand dog body language ... we also don't know what kind of environment the dog was living in or if he came from an abusive home before living with this family

 

[tara83]

I have 3 dogs who have been to training and signs are there for sure. One thing upsetting I saw at the park yesterday was parents taking pics of a yellow lab and their son about 4 or 5 The kid kept jumping on the dog and the dog's eyes were wide and he was panting heavily. I finally said something to them how the dog was stressed. They just laughed and said the kid was always doing that and the dog loved it.

 

[Greenestdays]

They just laughed and said the kid was always doing that and the dog loved it.

Sadly a classic example of people who will be all surprised pikachu and blame the dog when the dog eventually snaps. But it was so brave of you to speak up! We need more people like you in the world who have the courage to speak for those who don’t have a voice!

 

[mickey2942]

I have 3 dogs who have been to training and signs are there for sure. One thing upsetting I saw at the park yesterday was parents taking pics of a yellow lab and their son about 4 or 5 The kid kept jumping on the dog and the dog's eyes were wide and he was panting heavily. I finally said something to them how the dog was stressed. They just laughed and said the kid was always doing that and the dog loved it.

That is terrible. Our kids were always taught to respect our pets, and their personal space. Kids need to be trained, as much as dogs.

Our dog was actually stressed by a child who came over, the child was screaming about how scared he was of dogs. Our dog was just sitting there. But, the screaming was upsetting him. I put him outside. Wish I could have just kicked out the kid, but he was a cousin's kid.

In any case, it is not the child's fault. Someone should have been close to intervene.