Tragically, an eight year old girl in Australia had to have her hand removed this week after being bitten on the wrist by a dog.
The girl put her hand under the fence into the dog’s yard. He bit her. The dog is a malamute. One of three who live at the home.
Is it tragic for the little girl and her family? Absolutely.
Is it tragic for the dog and its family? Absolutely.
Should the dog be put down because it bit the girl? Absolutely NOT.
What business was it of the dogs to bite the hand that appeared under the fence? I’m sure if the dog could talk it would tell you I was protecting my home.
There has been a lot of sensationalist media calling for the dog to be put down and blaming the breed. It has the pro-BSL people cheering that ‘yet another dangerous breed dog has caused harm’. The dog in question is currently being held by a welfare group.
I’m going to pose this: if the hand which appeared under the fence and was bitten {not bitten off as reported by some media outlets, but bitten on the wrist} belonged to a robber, a rapist or any other person who could potentially cause harm, would there be such an uproar or would the dog be being hailed a hero of sorts? And before anyone goes there, I am in no way, shape or form suggesting the girl was causing anyone any harm.
But it’s about perception. It is also all about education. It is the responsibility of every parent , whether their family has pets or not {and this is not just about dogs, most animals have the ability to harm people} to teach their children to respect animals.
Respect their space.
Respect their right to not want to be touched.
Respect their right to defend their homes and their packs.
Teach them to recognise the signs of an animal who is not as keen to play as the human coming towards them.
I have thought about this story a lot – and if this were Love Bug I would be utterly devastated. Naturally. But I would not want the dog put down. The dog did not provoke the girl, it was minding its own business, contained in the garden at home. Its own home.
My heart breaks for everyone concerned in this tragedy.
I’m probably going to get some backlash for this, but I tell you who my heart breaks for the most?
The dog.
bumpyroadtobubba 
No backlash here! You need a license to have a dog, to drive a car, but not to parent! Just saying… X
Yep most people can have children without any test or approval; you do need a police check to have IUI or IVF!
Dogs will do what dogs do… and you’re right, this one was protecting its home. Putting the dog down is not going to stop dog bites from other dogs and it’s not going to bring the girl’s hand back. You’re right in saying that all parents, and the community need to teach children to respect dogs and their boundaries (in every sense of the word). It was a devastating accident, and I feel for the girl, her family and the dog’s owner, but the dog does not deserve to die.
😦
Wholeheartedly agree.
Completely agree.
It saddens me that people are so willing to blame someone else because of a choice made with serious consequences. If a child understands that there are things that they should and should not do then they can take responsibility for their actions. While this is a tragic circumstance, it is a lesson learned. Keep your hands to yourself. Do not touch other peoples things. Do NOT blame the dog because you invaded it’s space.
I totally agree with you on this post. It was only a couple of days ago that i put a picture on-line of my malamute and child playing and the back lash it got did really upset me. People don’t see the good of children and dogs bonding and getting a chance to learn about each other and like you said respect each others space. They just see these story’s in the news and don’t get to see the back story. It so sad! 😦