If a dog bites a child

[DevaMajka]

My friend's dd got bit by a dog a while back. It was an awful bite- required stitches, and now she has a large scar on her cheek.
The dog that bit her was on a public farm type place.

The dd is 4yo, and has always been great with my dog. She's gentle and seemed to be aware of not getting in her face, etc. She likes dogs a lot, and has never been even remotely mean to my dog, or teased her. Just to give you an idea how she is around dogs.

So the dog's owner seems to be blaming my friend's dd for the attack. They said that the dd had crackers, and that's why the dog attacked her? I'm not even sure they've apologized.
My friend had to switch farms, because she doesn't want her kids around the dog (obviously).

This whole situation seems wierd to me. If MY dog bit a kid like that, I would be taking the situation VERY seriously. I would feel awful. I would possibly even consider my dog dangerous, and consider rehoming her or putting her to sleep.

Obviously, the dd should have been supervised around the dog (IMO this is true of any child and any dog- my super gentle tolerant dog included). But is it strange that the farm is being so nonchalant about it? And blaming the dd? This is a nasty bite. It will probably be there for life- it's not like the dog went to take a cracker, and accidently nipped her hand, kwim?

I'm just taken aback by their response, and I'm wondering if others think their response is acceptable, or if they are in the wrong.

[Ola_]

That's not a good reason at all. Heck, I'd be upset if my dog took a cracker out of the girl's hand without permission, never mind attack her face! However, there may well be more to the story than you've been told.

[*Jade*]

Definitely not a good reason. I grew up with dogs who LOVED it when you had food, they would sit and make puppy dog eyes until they got some, but OMG they would never attack for it!

[Catubodua]

are you hearing about the farm's reaction from the child's mother? perhaps she is exaggerating and / or leaving some things out?

[North_Of_60]

There's two perspectives here, and this might seem a bit callous (which may shed some light onto the dog owner's response), but there's the issue of being the parent of a young child around a loose dog, AND being the owner of a loose dog.

I have kids and dogs, and I will tell you that when we are in situations where there are loose dogs I don't rely on the owners of said dogs to keep my daughter safe, I take that huge responsibility into my own hands. I would NEVER let my daughter eat food and/or feed dogs unless I was right there beside her assisting her. And even then, it would only be a dog I knew well, otherwise the food gets put away, or the dog or 4 year old gets put away. It's simply a recipe for disaster.

Now, as the owner of dog (and a fellow horse person.. sounds like maybe this was a boarding stable?), I'd expect that my resident dogs be left alone by the boarders. If my dog was untrustworthy it wouldn't be loose, but I'd expect that parents exercise basic common sense and not allow young children to be eating food around and/or feeding the dogs if I or their parents are not directly supervising.

ANY dog bite is not automatically a death sentence. I'd certainly investigate the cause and, even if only for liability reasons, consider leashing or fencing the dog in the future.

BUT... where was the 4 year old's mother when she was eating crackers around this dog? And where was the dog's owner? The answers to those questions are really integral to how the situation should be dealt with.

One of the most frustrating opinions in situations like this is that the dog is automatically 100% at fault no matter the circumstances. No, dogs shouldn't bite children (or adults!), but what parents (and adults!) NEED to know is that ALL dogs have the capability of biting your child. Even the most trustworthy dogs have their breaking point. The single biggest mistake you can make with children and pets is assuming that the pet is 100% trustworthy. They're not.

We've also talked extensively here about how dogs view children, especially small children, differently than adults. To a dog they are practically a different species. They look different, they sound different, they move differently, they smell different. It's not uncommon for otherwise well behaved dogs to have incidents like this with children, especially in unsupervised incidents involving food. Children are also more likely to injure than adults - their skin is more sensitive, size, height (they're right at eye level with most dogs), etc. What might be received as a warning nip on another dog with a thick hide and fur coat can be a devastating injury to a small child.

It sounds preventable, that's the tragic part. My ego would be massively bruised if anyone insinuated that my child got hurt because of a lack of attentiveness on my behalf. I feel bad for the mother.

[DevaMajka]

Thanks for another viewpoint. I was definitely asking for both sides, so I appreciate it

It is true that I only have my friend's version of it. BUT I don't think it would have taken that much for her to stay. She certainly wasn't asking for the dog to be put down or anything like that. I think a basic apology and some sort of arrangement about keeping the dog/kids separated while they were there would have satisfied her. She didn't get even that!

Originally Posted by North_Of_60

No, dogs shouldn't bite children (or adults!), but what parents (and adults!) NEED to know is that ALL dogs have the capability of biting your child. Even the most trustworthy dogs have their breaking point. The single biggest mistake you can make with children and pets is assuming that the pet is 100% trustworthy. They're not.

True dat! Even my totally laid back dog that looks happy when kids crawl over her, is supervised when any kids are near. So yeah, probably preventable

[Fuamami]

I have dogs who have bitten people, unfortunately. They're both herders, and the smaller one has occasionally herded children, and given them tiny nips on the ankles. And they've both bitten strangers who have "invaded" their territory, like a random vacuum salesman who came one day when my sister was babysitting. I'm not sure if she was nervous about him or just not paying attention, but she let them out and then the guy got out of his car in spite of them barking and growling at him, and they bit him.

Anyway, I say this because I have sympathy for owners of biters. But I will also say that if either of my dogs ever bit a child (other than the playful nips), especially on the face, I would immediately put them down. I know that kids tease dogs, and that the dog might not be to blame, and that people should supervise dog/child interactions, but it is just incredibly dangerous to have a dog that you knew would bite a child. I know a child who had her nose bitten clean off by a protective bitch with puppies, and it was horrendous. Something like that significantly changes a person's life, you know?

Not to mention, what about the liability? I bet those people will at least see a huge increase in their insurance rates if the bite was reported.

[North_Of_60]

Originally Posted by DevaMajka

I think a basic apology and some sort of arrangement about keeping the dog/kids separated while they were there would have satisfied her. She didn't get even that!

Yeah, I think that is the very least they should do. I mean, I sort of understand the conundrum and why both parties might feel the other is to blame, but I can't imagine NOT apologizing.