Another baby savaged to death by pet dogs

[Ethel]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-113860 8/Baby-boy-mauled-death-family-dogs.html

Will people never learn?

[andy-hughes]

No, because what is the well-worn phrase we always hear?

"He's never bitten anyone before, he's such a gentle dog ..."

I should bloomin' well hope he HASN'T bitten anyone before, but as in this casae, just once is enough.

Borth breeds are known to be in the upper end of the 'pack' mentality, and they will challenge for their place in the hierarchy if a newcomer seems to be a threat. With either breed, if one starts, the other will join in, that's nature.

It's so easy to say you should never leave a tot within reach of any dog of any size, because ANY dog is a potential child-killer if it decides to act on the threat to its pack place.

But it's a fact, and this poor family have learned that simple lesson in the most heartbreaking way possible.

My heart goes out to all of them, but no, people will never learn.

[Lonnie]

You've hit the nail on the head, people will never learn, and it'll keep happening.

It always happens to somone else.

[Ethel]

Very sad

[saxy_jag]

Another case of people being stupid/careless/blase where any dog is concerned. And yet again, because of a human's mistake a dog does what is only natural to it and dies as a result.

Jackies and staffies are great little dogs and, with careful and sensible handling, can be brilliant with kiddies. But all dogs get jealous. Two dogs - as andy says, both potentially 'dominant' breeds - competing for attention with a baby? It's not surprising if canine tempers get frayed.

[Ethel]

Learn from past events, and learn to be responsible, doc

[horselady]

I cried when I heard it on the news, I have a baby granddaughter of 8 weeks and of course I think I would never, never leave her with the dog, etc. but something seems to make people drop their guard for a while, same as when a child dies by falling into a pond. So, so tragic.

[rov1200]

Well its no coincidence that these loving pets descended from wolves

http://www.trussel.com/prehist/news24.htm

[raysparx1]

If only people would learn Ethel, if only people would realise that any dog, no matter how gentle and placcid is capable of doing great harm, it is very sad, it should not happen, but alas it does, I hope it wil never happen again but deep down i know it will.

[sheribee]

We had a husky bitch, she began to turn on me if i tried to stop her steeling food or stood up to her and tried to be dominant, she saw my hubby as leader and her next.
I couldnt risk her with my 2 children so we rehomed her with an older couple with no children around.
My heart goes out to the babies parents, and cannot even imagine the pain they must be feeling.
We dont know the circumstances yet, but if the grandma did leave the baby alone then she has to live with the guilt forever, she should have been more careful, another inocent life taken by carelessness, how many more???
Rest in peace sweetheart x May your parents cherish the memories and heal with time xx

[Ethel]

My dog was always very gentle with everybody, never a cause for concern and totally trustworthy, until one day when I took her for a walk on her lead and she suddenly turned on another dog. She was 15 year old and totally out of character. Nobody was injured but it was still a shock.
It turned out she had a tumour on the brain which affected her behaviour, and of course caused pain.

You can just never tell if a dog is going to get a sudden pain or illness.

[Nannyjillx2]

The baby must have been left alone with the dogs as the report says the grandmother the dogs must have done it. If she as with them or the baby then she would have seen.

I had a couple of alsatians when my children were growing up but I never them in a room with my children and they were very trained.

You could put treats on the floor and leave them in the
room go upstairs and come back and the treats would still be there because they hadn't been told they could have them. But I'd never trust them with children becasue as Ethel mentioned you can't tell what can happen.

Poor baby

[gelda]

I used to walk a golden retriever Ethel who was the sweetest most docile dog you could imagine, she suddenly started to get very aggressive with her owners biting them badly, she was taken to the vets who found she had a brain tumour, unfortunately she couldn't tell her owners that she was in pain, poor little thing had to be put to sleep at only 4 years old.

[Ethel]

:(

[saxy_jag]

Nannyjillx, my sis has a GSD. He's quite old and wobbly now, but when he was younger she'd take him to the training club and he'd let all the kids make a fuss of him and climb all over him. Other owners loved him too, because he'd also let the puppies play with him and not turn on them.

It's easy to see, though, how some incidents happen. I know we haven't got full facts of this story yet, but I'm thinking - two terriers watch 'mum' as she makes a fuss of another creature (ie baby). Each of them wants mum and/or said creature to itself. Growling and snapping between terriers ensues until one of them makes a grab for it and they end up fighting over it.

We used to have a lovely bassett hound and a very gentle-natured crossbred bitch. Both very docile with adults and kids, except they would often 'argue' at feeding time. On one occasion, my bloke stood between them as they ate. They began to fight among themselves across his feet and it ended up with the basset biting his foot as he tried to get out of the way. It wasn't serious - didn't even draw blood - but goes to show just how easily these things can get out of hand. Luckily we're experienced dog owners with an understanding of canine behaviour. Both dogs lived and the feeding regime was changed.

I, for one, would like to see the return of the dog licence, issued only upon passing a test to show that you know how to care for and control dogs properly and humanely.

[wendilla]

On our local news this morning a man was saying that the smaller of the dogs are not proned to being vicious. What an idiot and I suppose he would leave his dogs unguarded with a child. I have a golden labrador and he is the most gentlest of dogs I can trust him with children but no way would I ever leave him alone with children.When my grandson used to fall asleep on the carpet he would lie by his side .But no way would I leave them alone.

[anotheoldgit]

Yes a very sad case, what this poor family must be going through, is too hard to envisage.

Just as modern day humans, are dogs getting more violent also?

I being one of four children was always brought up with a dog in the family, these dogs took some rough treatment from me and my brothers as children, but never once turned nasty or even bared their teeth.

Our Uncle and Aunt who had no children but owned a very large Bull Mastiff who was also just as placid, so much so that it would allow us to ride on it's back.

I can never remember any nasty dogs in those days, and in some poorer areas they would roam the streets in packs. So what has changed?

[horselady]

Interesting point aog, we used to dress our dogs up and push them around in dolls prams! Poor things used to take all sorts from us kids and never got nasty. Is it the intensive breeding we hear so much about now I wonder?

[kita1]

Staffies are often bred by teenagers who are into smoking cannabis (there are tons of them round here they get a Staffie bitch and it comes into season is mated by their mates male Staffie, probably the dogs brother or other close relative) the bitch gives birth to the pups in the living room. The pups are exposed to cannabis smoke virtually from birth. We know that cannabis can make humans mentally ill - could it do the same to a dogs brain?

I recently watched a programme where they were doing experiments on rats to see if taking cannabis when young was worse than taking it when older. The cannabis made the rats have less concentration and a worse memory so it is quite possible that dogs can be affected by the passive smoke too.

There is no control over the breeding of these dogs, like I said many are mated to close relatives and no health tests are ever done on the dogs. The pups are given/sold to the kids mates - they don't bother getting them neutred (they are not going to pay for that!) and they mate with the next Staffie (probably another brother/sister mating) and so on.

There is no wonder dogs are getting more aggressive (similar to the kids that 'own' them).