Please supervise your children around the family pet...

[SarahBeth9394]

This is exactly why hospitals have to report dog bites. What utter morons.

 

[debilorrah]

As the almostaparent of a 3 1/2 year old that has never been taught ANYTHING, there is a chance that the child aggravated the dog. Our almostachild frequently chokes the dog and the cat and while we make sure we are with him, he does have a some scratches on his face from the cat. Sometimes kids don't realize that a pet is actually a living, breathing animal. We tend to catch him at the beginning of the abuse, so he IS learning. Slowly, but learning.

 

[redhen]

Quote:

I agree 100%!!
18 months old playing with a dog ALONE in her room? Come on now...

 

[crtrlovr]

unless an 18 mo. old is sleeping (and that should be less than a half-dozen steps away from wherever the parent/caregiver is), they should NOT be alone in a room with ANY animal with the possible exception of a (COVERED!) fish tank or LATCHING bird cage. Too many opportunities for injury, even accidental as in the case of the child's falling onto the sleeping pet. Not the child's fault, not the pet's fault, and not the parent's fault -- just one of those accidents that happen. The issue w/ the 18 mo. old getting bitten by the dog was the parents'/caregiver's fault, not the dog's. The issue with the ferret and the baby -- not the ferret's fault, and heartbreaking all the way around.

 

[gumbii]

i wouldn't trust leaving an 18mo old with even a chicken... stories like these really grind my gears... sometimes i hate breeders (parents) for having kids and having something bad happen to them...



hopefully the baby's scars will go away as she grows... if not, it's going to be a permanent reminder to the parents on how because they weren't careful, they almost lost their child...

 

[claud]

That's too bad for the family.
NO dog should be left unsupervised with a small child. No one heard the dog's side of the story either.
My dog is fine with kids but he would not tolerate abuse from a child. My kids know that and my dog knows that I will correct my child if the child does something "inappropriate/hurtful" to the dog - which I think makes my dog more tolerant than what he would be.
Everyone should understand that a dog is not a human and doesn't think of children as we do. A child acts strange to a dog(compared to adults) and sometimes hurts them - a baby can seem like a small animal to them. A snap/bite is an pretty normal reaction from a dog as tragic as it is for the child and their family.