11/25/2024
Never say "my dog would never bite my child"
A truly tragic and horrific case to read.
A seven month old baby girl killed by the family pet in a hideous incident in their home.
The little one leant on to the dog as she was toddling and was bitten on the neck and very sadly died. A stark reminder of how fast dogs can turn, How quickly something can escalate and how fatal one bite can be.
A dog will correct other dogās behaviour with a snap or bite and in an agitated state of mind will lash out before investigating the situation. The Malinois was fixated on a bag when the baby touched him, both parents were in the vicinity and present when the dog bit.
Owners who have asked for advice with young babies around dogs know I am incredibly strict and have a 0 tolerance for babies/toddlers/young children being next to, touching, climbing on, leaning on, sitting with or āpettingā a dog and this is the worst case example of exactly why I am so adamant about it!
Dogs shouldnāt have any access to young children who are crawling for exactly this reason! Itās so fast!! And in this case the dog had been seen by behaviourists for ādominatingā behaviour in the months before the incident.
I would have absolutely tied the owner down to ensuring the dog and baby were never in the room together whether or not the parents were present for exactly this reason so maybe some owners out there who think Iāve been too harsh with rules around babies will understand why now!!
āOh we never leave them alone togetherā is absolutely NOT good enough!!!! The parents were right next to the dog and baby!! Please remember this!!
Everyone thinks being a dog behaviourist is a dream job working with dogs but I have to deal with child bites and injuries every week and itās always upsetting and highly emotional!! The only way to deal with this is to PREVENT!
And if you need to hear it hereās your reminder!
Dogs are NOT a furbaby
Dogs are NOT thrilled for the arrival of your baby
Dogs are NOT protecting your baby
Dogs are NOT ākissingā your child
Dogs are an ANIMAL
Dogs are an apex predator in your home!
Please no hate or comments about the parents in this case they have suffered enough and I hope this post may just save another child from injury!
