January 29, 2008
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Dog or Son
This is two year old Noah Newbold.
His face was scarred by the family dog. But his mother has said she will keep the dog because her son was responsible for the attack.
The two year old toddler “provoked” the dog by pulling his ears. The site asked the question “Would you have gotten rid of the dog?” Here is the link: Link
Would you have gotten rid of the dog?
Comments (208)
Yes, he hurt a child.
YES! poor little boy.
The child was only 2… the mother should have stopped him before the dog attacked.
Sick. How could a parent keep a pet that would do something like that? The child is more important than the animal. Poor boy.
that just makes my stomach turn
I’d give the dog away.
poor baby
Nope
I would however make it a point to try and teach the dog a lesson and the kid a lesson.
ummm its the parents fault for letting the dog be around the kid.
they should get rid of the parents!
Of course!
… and 2 years old is too young to be held responsible!!
The dog would be gone in a heartbeat.
Kathi
But I would not have a dog like that around the kid, obviously unsupervised, to begin with. The mother is a whack-job.
no…
no…. the dog didnt know what he was doing was wrong…. if he really hurt my kid….then yes….but a little bit banged up…. not at all…. besides the kid will learn fast not to pull on the dogs ears…
i think the child should have been watched more closely, and the mother wouldn’t have the question of whether she was giving the dog away or not.. but then again i know its hard to constantly watch small children…. and regardless, the dog bit the boy… she should give it to someone without children.
In a heartbeat. #1, you can’t leave your children alone with a dog, no matter how much you think you trust your dog. Dogs are dogs. #2, children don’t know any better, not to pull on the dogs and stuff. You have to have a dog that is patient and can take the pulling and poking.
I love my dogs, but they would have to find a new home if they hurt my son.
And just why did the mother leave the child unattended? The kid is two years old, and he’s left with a large dog… unattended. Idiot much?
I would get rid of the mother.
AWWW!!! Poor kid. What a crazy mother
When my son was starting to crawl he discovered that he could follow the dogs around and they made great playmates. Knowing that my ten year old dog is not very kid friendly, I started curbing that practice every time he did it. Despite my best efforts, my dog still bit my son (only a little snap out of fear not maliciousness). I debated long and hard about getting rid of him, but instead I took my dog to training classes and kept both of them apart until my son was old enough to understand the the dog was not a toy and he would get bitten. That happened 4 years ago, not once has that scene been repeated and my son is now old enough to respect the dogs when they want their space. He recognizes that a tucked tail and lowered ears means that the dog does not want to be messed with and has learned to wait until they want to play with him.
The story is not always as simple as it seems, in this particular case I would say it is the mother’s fault for not having done more to teach her son not to bother the dog and not having properly trained the dog to tolerate the child. Unfortunately we can’t know the full set of circumstances, but that is my snap judgment.
I hope the mother gets attacked by the dog.
She’s provoking him by being an idiot.
If she’s not giving the dog away, she should at least start keeping it outside, and her kid inside.
She’s lucky the dog just bit him and not completely mauled him. She’s lucky to still have a child.
I would probably get rid of the dog, but the mother is stupid for leaving her child like that!
I’d keep the dog and keep my kid away from it if there was no supervision. I would also make sure to teach my kid the dos and don’ts of being around dogs.
While I do think some breeds tend to be more prone to aggressiveness than others, most dogs can be trained to be gentle around their families. Pit bulls, bullmastiffs, dobermans, and the like get such a bad rap.
Sure hope the dog was up to date with its rabies vaccines.
My cousins’ dog bit the oldest (there’s three chilluns) in the face a few years back. Snagged her right in the eye while we were camping because he was sleeping and she tried to pick him up.
Just last month the same dog bit my little sister unprovoked– he jumped up, looking for attention– and bit her in the eye.
He still roams this earth sans fine and it irritates me to no end.
Stupid, idiotic mother…
yes
no, i agree with logicalemu. emu’s rule btw.
No, if I did that, I’d be just as bad as the Christian God.
If I didn’t get rid of the dog, that is.*
If a dog bites a child, it will do it again. Put it to sleep.
It’s the mothers fault – obviously she was not watching her son well enough to tell him to stop tugging on the dogs ears.
The dog would be dead within minutes at my house.. I don’t care how good of a family pet he may have been, nothing touches my babies!
My first reaction is shock that the mother would blame the child for making the dog upset, but then again dogs are dogs and you have to respect their instincts– always. I had a boyfriend who had a scar on his lip from when the family golden retriever bit him. What happened was that as a child he’d snuck up on the dog and the dog freaked and bit him, but immediately realized what he’d done and they could tell the dog was remorseful. That was not a case of a dog being overly aggressive, but of a person crossing boundaries. That could happen with ANY dog, and it’s a responsibility you have to take if you own a dog.
So really, thinking about it I think this is a wake-up call for the entire family to be more watchful of the dog and child and never ever leave them unattended together, but I don’t think the dog can be faulted for what he did if the child was pulling on his ears and making him upset. That’s a different situation from when aggressive dogs attack unprovoked.
People forget that dogs are still animals and have instincts. You can never 100% tame them or take all their aggression out. This is why you should never leave dogs and children alone together.
I think I would. I wouldn’t necessarily blame the toddler, either, though. Just because a dog attacks when being irritated doesn’t mean it’s actually an overly aggressive animal… most animals would do the same.
Then again, you’d have to reconsider how good an idea it is to have a dog and toddler in the same house. Neither really understand enough to not get into that sort of situation.
I was trained that if you get bite by a dog you did something wrong. it is not the dog’s fault as long as it warmed the child, as i am sure it i did. Dogs have a hard time remembering how easy it is to make us bleed. it is better that the child learn when to leave the dog alone than to kill a dog just trying to defend itself.
I would certainly keep that dog away from childern for now on, it is just not a gentle animal.
This will not be a problem for me because my dogs are always very well behaved
and I don’t have a child 
That dog would be long gone.
I’d have shot the dog! Or I would have sicced him on that crazy owner. A woman like that has no business with a child.
What mother in her right mind would let a dog that big be around her two year old son. From the looks of it, he could have lost an eye! It is common dog purchase knowledge to never get a dog that is much larger than your youngest child because more than often, the dogs will view them as other dogs.
Ugh. How stupid.
that is disgusting, she loves the dog more than the child?! he probably didn’t know any better.
Goodbye, dog.
See, cats are better.
Maybe the child did provoke the attack, but I would still find the dog a new home. From now on, that dog is going to have the concept that biting that child is the answer. And that child is going to be emotionally scarred and seeing that dog every day and remembering. Hopefully, it will teach the child to respect the animal. I don’t think the animal should be destroyed, that’s ludicrous. But I think a new home would be best.
It’s a 2 year old. How can a 2 year old “provoke” anyone?
Yes, there’s no way I would have a dog after it bit my child. Poor little boy!
I would’ve blown the dog’s head off myself. What an idiot, he’s 2 years old.
That Mom is going to end up in a home when she is older. The really bad kind.
How exactly is a two year old “responsible” for anything?
Really? Where is Child Services when you need them.
This is an incredible picture!
Anyway, I wouldn’t have to give up the dog because I would have killed it for attacking my child.
That is all.
YES! The child is two! Pets aren’t good around young children anyway… he probably wasn’t aware that he was “provoking” the dog… he was just learning… children do that by touch things…
that’s outrageous.
Of course it’s horrible the child was hurt…but getting rid of the dog or worse is not always the answer. I think of my dogs as my “kids” and hope to teach my upcoming human little one how to coexist with the dogs well… I think it’s good these people are keeping the dog but there needs to be supervision & education…
Most definitely! The dog ought to be given away to someone that doesn’t have children, and who will be able to train him not to attack.
If hypothetically all the lessons have been learned, including training the dog, then why would you give away the dog? If (once again, hypothetically) the kids learned not to mistreat the dog and the dog not to bite the child, then the only reason to give it away would be revenge. And revenge is fruitless! But, of course, this is hypothetical. Can you be 100% sure the dog won’t ever do it again and that the child won’t ever do it again? It’s a risk.
But I would’ve kept the dog.
-David
I would have gotten rid of the dog. Mom needs to pick her battles when it comes to lessons being taught. Ok she’s teaching junior a lesson, but junior is way too young to be held accountable to this degree. VERY BAD DECISION MOM.
DEAD DOG…
I understand that yes animals can be provoked and yadda yadda… but it is HER fault not the kids and not the dogs… if nothing else the dog needs to go to a home wher there are no kids.
Both the dog and the child need further training, but I would not like getting rid of an animal. It depends on how much the mother is willing to invest in both whether they should be separated. It would be difficult to keep the kid safe (he is only 2) with the dog around, but it could be done.
kid or dog? whats worth more?
I would have killed the dog. Family pet, provoked or not- NO EXCUSES. The dog could have killed that poor baby. It’s happened too many times.
@HEBCHILL - The dog may not have known that what he was doing was wrong, but neither did a 2 year old baby.
That child (or any other young child) should not have been playing with any dog unattended! We never know what a toddler might do – I recall my girls would pull my hair and poke at my eyes at that age. I would not blame the dog in this case – it is the parent’s fault for not doing their job!
They should not be blaming the child or the dog but themselves for allowing this to happen!!
No – I would not get rid of the dog! I would make sure that my child was not left alone with the dog ever again!
No, but I think the mother should be held liable. The dog was innocent and why would you fuck up her life because the kid wasn’t taught to play nice with it. Next time he’ll learn.
First of all, I would not have such a dog with a small child in the house. However, to answer the question, I would get rid of it within a heartbeat of its having done that to my child. Not sure if the dog would have survived frankly.
Look at the picture of that boy… that wasn’t just the dog nipping at him because he was annoying, that is a serious injury. Dogs are dogs, and they react to their basic instincts, but it’s a mother’s job to protect her children, and keeping this animal around isn’t the best way of doing that.
when i was growing up we had two dogs… both at one point were kept inside… until one snapped at my little brother… didnt hurt him… but that dog was made to stay outside since then… the other dog had been laid on… dressed up… ears pulled… and everything else you can think of… never once even thought about snapping… he stayed inside… there is something to be said about a person that would really put a dog above the safety of a child… i loved my dogs… both of them… i would play with the one outside all the time… and shed come inside on a leash in the winter… but if you are a dog that does anything to endanger a young member of the family… you are clearly an outside dog… i wouldnt say she had to get rid of it… but just use some brains and not let the kid around the dog until the kid was old enough to know how to handle himself around it…
Wow, that dog is kind of enormous.
And yeah, I’d get rid of the dog. Pets should be good with kids, or they shouldn’t be around them. I’ve known plenty of pets that thought having their ears pulled on by a kid was just part of every day life. I’ll bet the kid’s face hurts a lot more than the dog’s ears.
Oh God is that the mother in the picture? Why does she have that stupid smirk on her face? Are you kidding me..It looks like she doesn;t give a hoot…
I would get rid of the dog. Besides I’m not that much of a dog person. It makes my blood boil so I will stop my rant now….
Anyone with sense would take her child away from her. Lets hope the dog turns on her and mauls her face off. It would be her fault anyway.
Wow, no wonder so many kids are turning out screwed up. Everyone wants to blame the media and Video games. Never blame these shining examples of Parenting like this broad, Britney Spears, and the lady who put her baby in a microwave.
@Completely_Compelled -
actually it is quite easy for a two year old to provoke a dog. Pulling at a tail or ears, trying to hug it, chasing it around. There are a million different things that a toddler can do that will provoke even the tamest of dogs, the question really is whether or not the mother had been working with said child in how to treat animals with respect. Along with that is whether the dog was child friendly to begin with or simply had been put into a situation where it felt the need to defend itself from an aggressor (two year old).
My boys are very rough because they don’t yet fully understand that even though they are small that they can still hurt other living things. They have learned however to read the signs that animals give that indicate that they are unwilling to play nice. Ears down, tail tucked, teeth barred, or growling are all signs that the dog in question doesn’t want to play. These are lessons that even a two year old should be able to understand, and the mother should have been teaching if she was going to have a dog. If she wasn’t willing to teach those lessons then she shouldn’t have both in the same home in my opinion.
That picture is beautiful. The child is loved.
i cannot believe that the mother was saying that the child was responsible for his own injuries. as i’ve said before, it’s always the adult who is responsible.
i don’t know if i’ll give the dog away, though. it’s not its fault. but then again the dog will probably be happier in a household without children anyway.
I know everyone does not like the pic… the point is that the kid provoked the attack. sorry, but its the kids fault. Sometimes there are just stupid kids who like to mess with the pets even when they are told not too…. I have a brother and sister who do this too our dog. I know one day they are going to be messing with him and he will bite them and I wont feel bad because they knew better. I will feel sorry they got bitten cause it hurts but sometimes being hurt is the only way stupid people learn to not do things.
yes, just because i don’t think i would think of the dog in the same way. or love it the same way. although the dog and the child didn’t know any better….
YES – and where is CPS?
I would have gotten rid of the parents … that’s neglectful.
Fuck no. It was the kids stupid fault for provoking the dog. Get rid of the kid why don’t you
No, I wouldn’t. I would train the dog; a dog that’s properly trained and disciplined will not attack. But most people are so completely ignorant of animal behavior that they just don’t get how to discipline their dogs correctly.
And to those who say to keep the dog outside… most dog attacks are caused by dogs who live outdoors. How can you discipline a dog that you never see or interact with?
Wow…as much as I love animals, I just can’t condone this.
And what a picture…
@WiLD4SURFiNG - So, if an owner doesn’t train a dog, doesn’t discipline it, and then allows it to be provoked, it’s the animal’s fault if it attacks? That’s like saying that if you leave a loaded gun on the table and a child shoots himself, it’s the gun’s fault — except that a gun won’t hurt or feel betrayed if you get rid of it or kill it. How naive.
I wouldn’t blame the kid but I’d keep the dog and keep them away from each other.
I sure would have!
I wouldn’t have blamed the dog, because it was provoked. But you don’t keep a dog around that is dangerous to your kids!!!
When it attacks that viciously Absolutely!!! Hillary poked our schnauz in the eyeball when she was about that age, & he nipped her hand, but didn’t draw blood, I didn’t have a problem with that.
Holy shit, yes. Yes, the child provoked the dog. But some dogs are more aggressive than others. I pinched, poked, and prodded my collie for years growing up and she never once tried to harm me.
That poor kid. He should be taught a lesson how to handle dogs, but he’s probably seriously disturbed by the incident, and keeping the dog around as a reminder is just salt in the wound every day.
Yes,
That mother is a complete whack job in the first place. I would NEVER keep an aggressive breed as a pet when I had a child who would be around them. CPS should keep an eye on this family. Breeds like that are none to attack small children even unprovoked.
The pic is pretty telling, take the child and leave her with the dog.
I woudn’t have had the dog in the first place. I can’t stand them, really.
she’s called a mother? shame!
i hate it when parents are so insensible as to favor their pet over their own child. i think the mother is in need of some form of correction here- you can’t hold 2 yr olds responsible for their curiosity! doesn’t she know how many kids are killed each year by the family dog? oy!
in my house- the dog would be gone in a heartbeat. you can always get another dog but you can’t replace your own child.
Poor baby…,-( i would have gotten rid of that dog in a minute! What is wrong w people…your kids should come before your pets!
That is one trashy bitch for a mom. DFS should just cut the red tape and take her son away. No good mother would choose a dog over her own child.
OMG! OF COURSE!! That is ridiculious! If you are going to have a 2 year old or any child that doesnt understand “provoking” a dog then you shouldnt have the dog. Especially if it attacks!!
@GermanWrench - I checked your site out… Im assuming you DON’T have children.
Your opinion WILL change when you have children. If I’m wrong, then forgive me. Have a blessed day.
what an idiot.
absolutely. there is something wrong with that mother….
STUPID ASS FUCKIN WHITE TRASH….
OK, YEAH OF COURSE IT’S THE KID’S FAULT. THAT DUMB FUCKER DOESN’T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HOT AND COLD BUT THAT STILL MAKES THEM SHITTY PARENTS FOR LETTING THE KID HANG OUT WITH A DOG THAT’S TWICE HIS SIZE.
*ahem* =)
Momma’s fault here. Bad parents, go to your cage.
wow…the mom is actually with the dog rather then her kid and no one is even helping the kid AND someone takes a picture??? wth.
When I was 2, I got in my grandmother’s Chihuahua’s face inside its box and it bit my cheek, I was thereafter terrified of that little dog. They kept him, but made sure he stayed in the laundry room (a big room where his box and food were anyway) while I was visiting from then on.
I used to babysit a 5 year old girl who LOVED dogs, but refused to listen to how to behave with them- she’s the reason my miniature schnauzer is afraid of little girls- she’d try to pick him up when told not to all the time. Her family dog (a Hound/Shepard mix, about 40 lbs) bit her in the face, requiring stitches in her lip b/c she was sticking her face in the food bowl when the dog was trying to eat. The mother (who was a great mom) kept the dog as well, but gave the little girl a stern talking too and made sure to separate the dog and the child at meals after that.
I guess my point is that if the dog bites a kid, there is probably not enough supervision going on, which is understandable when you have a dog and a kid that have interacted well for a couple of years. But although you don’t have to give away a dog for snapping, you do need to keep the kid and the dog more separate.
Although I will say my family did get rid of a cat we had b/c it walked across the back yard with no prompting and scratched my 8 month old brother on the face. But then again, my parents aren’t exactly cat people anyway.
Why would you get rid of the dog? Get rid of the kid for being dumb.
Oh my goodness. Yes. And I would probably have the dog put down. . . Or if it didn’t have a history of being aggressive, I imagine I could give it to someone who assured me it would never be around children.
Kids that young don’t know that dogs will bite if you pull their ears! Stupid woman. Why wasn’t she watching her kid in the first place?
in a minute!!!!!!!!!!!!
that is a dog. her child is only two and possibly doesn’t understand not to provoke the dog. people suck. i don’t think most people would have to even think about that.
I would definitely get rid of the thing. That’s horrible, it’s her fault that she wasn’t paying attention to the boy and the dog…. Would she want that dog doing that again to her son?
That dog would be gone faster than Brittney’s sanity………..
If the dog has a history of being agressive-definitely.
I went through this with my son, Our dog was incredibly agressive and when he attacked him, we said goodbye to the dog.
i’d get rid of the mom
It seems to me that this woman is guilty of child endangering. Let her keep the dog, the child should be taken away. How sick.
Absolutely.
Sounds like a CPS case pending… It is the mother’s first and foremost responsibility to ensure her son’s health and safety. Her priorities are out of wack. She needs a reality check, like a CPS case. That little boy should not be in an unsafe environment where he could potentially be further injured or worse.
I would have got rid of the dog.. It happen to me that my dog bit my baby.. I got rid of it fast as I could.. No dog is worth it to hurt the child.
Poor baby! I would have killed that fuckin dog with my bare hands. Then again, i wouldnt have that kind of dog. Period.
i agree with whoever else said to make it a point to teach both the dog and the child a lesson. not all dogs are good with kids. kids need to learn they cannot provoke things. adults don’t go around provoking things (usually) because they know the consequences. if children knew, they would not do such things, therefore not resulting in being attacked.
I would keep the dog. if the scenario did play out as the woman said, then the dog was defending himself.
The mother should take responsability though. Most dogs will give some sort of warning before biting. Did she not notice any growling? And if she wasn’t in the room, what the hell was she thinking? I own 2 large dogs (over 60 lbs); both of whom are good with children. Still, I NEVER leave them unattended around a child. If I need to leave I’l call the dogs and have them come with me.
As it started with ear pulling, this story reminds me of a story I read a few years ago. A young child, around 5, was bitten quite badly after her family’s Golden Retriever bit her. The dog was euthanized but, upon autopsy it was discovered WHY he lashed out: he had a raging ear infection.
The dog would be history. I don’t like dogs around little kids anyway. Too much can happen in just a split second. I speak from personal experience and probably more than a little prejudice towards dogs.
i think it’s more the parent’s fault than the kids
umm.. YESSSSSSSSS
how can a two year old “provoke” anything by means of thought???
what a stupid bitch.. her and the dog
Right now I want to say “no.” I really love dogs, but I’ve never had a child so I can’t say that I’d get rid of my pet in that kind of situation. That dog doesn’t sound like it was trained very well to me, though.
yes
Yes! It’s as if she’s giving preferrential or equal treatment to a dog. It could happen again even if he won’t provoke it. What a stupid cow!
Uh, I think it’s time for child protective services to step in and evaluate the sitch.
That dog would be gone faster then youcould post this question!
The dog would be sooooo gone!!!! We actually got rid of our dachschund because he was getting snippy with our 14 month old. Dogs will defend themselves, I don’t blame the dog, but as a mother she really needs to take a good look at her son’s face and re-evaluate if she wants to keep the cause of that around.
ANY dog that isn’t even tempered should not be around toddlers and even very young children. Childrenat that age don’t understand gentleness in handling a dog. That is just INSANE to have a pitbull with any kids under 12 at least. And then it needs to be a pitbull that has been trained NOT to attack people. My 25 year old daughter has a 5 year old and an 18 month old and they have 2 pitbulls that they are raising pitbulls with. The dogs are sweet and do well with the kids, but still one wrong move by my granddaughters at the wrong time and it’s over. I’d like to say I wouldn’t kill the dog because they are sweet dogs, but I just don’t know. I’ve never been a dog lover myself, so when I see people with these big dogs that have very small children I just cring, and yes I cring at my daughter haven’t their’s.
Yes.
When I was really young, I chased the dog around the yard until it turned around and chased me, yanking out a chunk of my hair when it caught me.
It was 100% my fault, but my parents still got rid of the dog. My dad always told us kids that he took the dog to “the pound” but I very very very much doubt it! lol.
yes. the dog would be better off in a home without young children, or stupid mothers.
poor kid.
the mother needs to loose custody of her child because she is unfit.
i don’t care if she keeps the dog or not, just get that poro child out of that house.
I read the article and based on what was there, I probably would not have gotten rid of the dog. I’m reading some of these comments and I decided before I judge her so harshly, I would actually read the article. She did tell the son to stop pulling on the dogs ears.
My husbands comment was “If you have multiple kids and one of them punches another in the nose, would you get rid of that child?” No. So No, i would not get rid of the dog. I also would not call this mother an idiot.
Just my opinion.
That woman is seriously chose the dog over her son? What kind of a mother does that? He’s only 2! Who was supervising him to make sure that he was no where near a potentially dangerous animal?
I agree with la_vida_linda; it sounds like the dog needs training. And unlike the suggestion of the video in the middle of the article, it has nothing to do with the breed. A badly-trained Pomeranian can be just as dangerous to a two-year-old as a Great Dane.
The dog needs training, and the child needs more supervision, but I don’t think it’s necessary to get rid of the dog.
sorry to you animal lovers out there but i would have gotten rid of that dog in the blink of an eye. no dog or “lesson” is EVER going to be worth my child’s pain.
With a kid that age, I’d have to get rid of the dog. I do think the child provoked the dog, but you can’t expect a 2 yr old to understand the repercussions of his actions. Better to find a tougher, more patient dog.
@Brilliant_Innocence - There is no comparison with a dog and a child, none what so ever. I didn’t read the article myself and don’t intend to, dogs that have an aggressive nature DO NOT need to be with small children. You are just asking for your child to get hurt.
I’m still thinking as hard as I can here to understand your comparison, a sibling hitting another sibling verses a dog hurting a child. My mind is blown with that one! **shakes head**
The mother should have been more responsible about letting a 2yr old play with/provoke a dog of any size, especially one that’s 3 times the size of the child. The dog needs to be in a home without children. In my area, if a dog does that to the child—no matter the reason, the owner of the dog has no say in the matter….the police and animal control take the dog away.
How does a two year old consciously provoke an attack by a dog that big? Next time it will be someone elses child and she’ll have no choice but to get rid of the dog. The state will do it for her.
Personally, I would’ve shot that dog if it had done that to my child.
I would of gotten rid of the dog as soon as it happened. Let it be killed as it could of damaged that boy so badly, he could grow up terrified of simple things. Of course, I wouldn’t of left the child unsupervised with the dog to begin with. And that never would of happened. I agree with kboy25. Get rid of the parents!!
I don’t know if I would get rid of the dog, but I would make sure my child was supervised whenever (s)he was around the dog. Animal/child safety has to be taught and implemented with both the animal and the child.
oh god yes. stupid mother.
No! If the baby provoked the dog, then there’s no reason to punish the dog for that.
I commend the woman for her common sense. o__o; It seems so very rare to find that, lately.
yes.
@Brilliant_Innocence -
yeah. dogs =/= children. invalid analogy. and dumb, too.
@jberg134 -
good job–a well-reasoned comment.
Brilliant Innocence’s husband is a moron and should be banned from having children of his own or going out into civilization for that matter. Saying/thinking a child who hits and plays with his brother and a dog who viciously attacks a 2 year old baby is one and the same is something a 6 year old or moron would say. In this case, its the latter.
damage is already done.. hopefully the kid will learn… this is one reason why i prefer cats..
@soggy_fries -
you don’t know my husband for anything, so SHOVE IT soggy fries!
Heck YES I’d get rid of that dog… When my brother was a baby, we heard our dog yelping from the next room one day and discovered my brother pulling as hard as he could on the dog’s ears, but still he never got bit. We were lucky, as we had a very kind dog, because he was untrained. I would NEVER have left my new dogs alone with a baby until they were trained. And if that dog was already “trained” and bit the kid? The dog goes, because obviously, it’s not okay with kids.
nope! dogs don’t distinguish between human and canine children so it reacted in a species appropriate manner. therefore that kid now knows not to pull on dog ears. you can only tell a child so many times, and sometimes they must learn a lesson on their own. this is a phenomenon that also tends to include injuries. now should a child that age be unsupervised with any dog? no way! but that is the parents fault. i am in no way saying the dog is blameless as it did attack but the notion that dogs DON”T attack is ridiculous.
that picture breaks my heart… the dog would be out of the door in a heartbeat.
Get rid of the dog. Period.
It may have been the little boys fault for pulling it’s ears. But good grief he is only 2 years old.
What is wrong with that woman. I hope the dog doesn’t hurt him again. Next time it could be a lot worse. Looks like the authorities would step in and make her get rid of the dog.
yes
I cannot believe that Social Services hasn’t gotten involved in this case–okay, I didn’t read the link so I don’t know for sure that they won’t, but either way, this woman does not truly understand the nature of ANIMALS!!! Once they show agression, provoked or not, they will attack again. That is because they are not human, they are ANIMALS. Some dogs just don’t do well with children, and I am guessing this wasn’t the first time, there were definitely impending signs that this would happen. Come on lady—your child or your dog? I was so hoping that common sense would make a comeback this year!!!!
ok wow…
yes, i’d get rid of the dog.. for my son’s safety.
Yes siree!
Sounds like the mother cares more about the dog than him. He’s only 2 years old! How can he know any better? Would this be a case of child abuse?
I’m not sure. The dog didn’t do this out of malice; dogs discipline their puppies by nipping them on the head. Of course, puppies take it a little better than a 2 year-old. Since the Mom told the boy not to pull on the dog’s ears, then I don’t think she’s completely crazy. I think, though, that this should be a good reason to go back to square one and teach the boy how to behave around dogs.
holy crap, insane mother much??
i’d have the dog given away. to some far off place, never to be seen again.
poor boy <33
In a heartbeat, no questions asked. Even if I didn’t put the dog down, I would immediately find it a new home without children. I have a 2 year old and a large dog. My dog is probably the most patient, loving dog ever. However, I NEVER leave my daughter in the room alone with our dog. Like someone said earlier, dogs are dogs. They are unpredictable. And my daughter’s life is so much more important to me than any pet. They are just lucky that the boy only suffered minor injuries, it could have been a lot worse.
look at how that pathetic excuse for a mother is just sitting next to the dog while she has a bleeding son.disgusting
Stupid bitch…
Hell no!
Not until I beat the crap out of it.
Then I’d kill it
And make some bo shim tang.
dog would be gone
Wow, the dog’s the only innocent one in this whole mess.
What a trashy woman.
You like my picture ?
The mother is clearly an idiot. Regardless of whether her child provoked the dog or not, it is plain stupid to have a dog that reacts that way in the same house as a small child.
@THEMEformurder - my mother’s dog is always snapping at my kids. and my mother loves her dog more than she loves me, and the grandchildren.
some people just think animals are better than the person’s well beings.
No, I wouldn’t put the dog down or get rid of it. Stuff happens. I dont know how many times my mom said, “don’t touch the stove. IT’s hot” and then I go and burn my hand. I’m sure that the boy’s mother had told him not to pull on the dog’s ears and said, “Be nice. or Gently” because my friend does that with his kid all the time! He’s just over a year old and he knows, so why wouldn’t a 2 year old understand that?
I most definitely would remove the dog from my house. The same thing happened to my cousin several years ago. He was a rambunctious two-year old and got a bit too friendly with the family dachsund. They got rid of the dog after it bit him. They did not, however, remove the child for being rambunctious.
Social Services needs to step in. Yes the dog must go.
I’d get rid of that dog. In fact, under similar circumstances, we did get rid of our dog, when it bit me, an adult who didn’t provoke it in any way.
the dog would have to go.
Where the hell is CPS????
HOLY CRAP. Dogs are wild animals, no matter how much everyone likes to think they’re timid and predictable, they’re not. This is not the dogs fault, nor the son’s fault. The blame lies solely on the mother, for not being responsible enough to teach the kid that doing that is not nice, and being responsible enough to separate the two if the kid couldn’t understand that its not right. I’d say, keep the dog, but get some sense lady.
although, if the dog did this unprovoked, yeah, get rid of the dog, without question
i would have broken the dog’s neck instantly
A thousand times; “YES!”
Wow. Holding a 2 year old accountable for pulling on a dog’s ears. I agree with what was said above, somewhere: get rid of the parents, they’re clearly idiots.
I wouldn’t want to, but living in the USA I might not have had the choice. I was surprised to see the woman was free to choose.
Children shouldn’t be abusive toward dogs, and the mom should have intervened when she saw the boy picking on the dog. It looks like she had the opportunity to prevent the situation from getting that far.
A vicious dog is one that attacks unprovoked and can’t be controlled. I have no tolerance for those who knowingly and purposely get vicious dogs and endanger the lives and peace of mind of others.
The dog would be dead. I don’t care if the kid grabbed the dog by the balls, my kid(s) will always be more important than an animal.
Ah, the lessons of life! Gotta love em!
Yall got to realize two things here:
1) A pet is part of the family and trained or not, sooner or later they will get tired of being pestered, whether by an adult or a child. As an adult, usually, we have the reflexes to avoid being bit. A child is not neccessarily so fortunate. Can’t blame the animal for instinct.
2) We can not protect a child from themselves. They are quick to act out of sight. They are curious beyond all reasoning. They love to tug, pull, yank, bite, suck on, and hit anything within thier reach. A two year old is the worse because they have found mobility. Many of them can still understand a parent when they are told “No”. Sometimes it is all we can do to give the child warning before catastrophe strikes. Bottom line: A child will insist on learning the harder lessons on thier own. If not now, some other time. If not here, somewhere else. We can only protect them so far. The rest? They need to learn the consequences of thier own actions. Unfortunately, they are the hardest lessons ANY OF US would have to learn.
They shouldn’t have a dog like that around a two year old so they should get rid of the dog since the poor little guy could have lost an eye.
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@WiLD4SURFiNG -
You’re right, I don’t have kids. I have had dogs all my life, and I’ve trained my neighbor’s dog (terrier/staffordshire mix). I have friends who are animal behaviorists and friends who work in animal rescue, and I think it’s disgraceful how people will throw their pets away without ever giving them a chance for rehabilitation. We’re not talking about a thing, we’re talking about an animal. It’s the parents’ job to supervise and the child’s job to listen to his mother (and to learn that bad consequences ensue when you don’t). But destroying a life over an accident is absolutely disgusting.
@GermanWrench - ”a child’s job to listen” doesn’t mean that a child, especially a TWO YEAR OLD realizes that she/or he is provoking the dog to retaliate.
Until you have children, you won’t understand. I don’t give a CRAP about “PETA” issues, once my children are hurt.
I have been around animals all my life too and I have worked at BCM (Baylor College of Medicine) with animals. NO matter how well-trained they are, they could *snap* at any given moment. I have two full bred weimaraners who I love very much so and I hope they never hurt my kids, Lord willing, because I’d hate to “throw them away.” But I WILL. Whether you like it or not.
I will PREVENT any chances for it to happen again. Ever. Any mother who LOVES her children would do the same. Why put a dog before your own child. That is what I call “inhumane!”
“People are telling me I should shoot the dog, and as much as I love my son to death, I believe Noah was annoying her. I love the dog and she’s part of the family,” Ms Cottier said.
I don’t know how many people really read the article or not, but I think it’s sad when people start to just ASSUME that the mother does not LOVE her son. The mother I believe DOES LOVE her son. Just because she’s not getting rid of the dog doesn’t necessarily mean that she doesn’t love her son or is putting the dog before him. You all can disagree all you want, I don’t care. But I think it’s pretty sad when you start to assume things about people you DON’T KNOW!!!
Yes. I’d kick that dog across town! No, actually I’d probably take it to the humane society and…
i say get rid of the kid to a family that wants and loves him and knows that no way in the world a mother would keep an animal that would do that to her child ! Hope family service keeps an eye on this one -Sad really
Well, if the dog can’t tolerate the child, I’d give it away. I wouldn’t risk it. The child might do something again like that to the dog, and worse things could happen. The child is a human. The dog is just a dog.
I would have killed the dog if it hurt one of my babies!
Why would you have an aggressive animal near a toddler? Obviously they dont get along, or that boy wouldnt have cuts on his face. Obviously the dog is a danger to the boy. Dogs cant be child proofed. It should be sent to a home with no children, if it is fit to be around adults.
@WiLD4SURFiNG -
If having a child means I have to give up any sense of humanity and compassion for living beings, then I hope to God I’m barren. It’s not a “PeTA” issue (those guys are insane), it’s a basic compassion and decency issue. If you accidentally backed over one of your kids in your car, should the state shoot you? If one of your kids accidentally seriously injured another, do you “put one kid before the other” by not getting rid of the aggressor?
It’s not putting the dog before the child, it’s accepting that accidents happen and that life shouldn’t end, literally or figuratively, because of it.
That mom is retarded. He’s a TODLER, he doesn’t know he’s provoking an animal that’s three times his size with teeth and claws ><
I’d give the dog to someone who’d take good care of it. MAYBE get him back when my children were older, but slim chance.
yes, but then i dislike dogs
it’s not the child’s fault_2 yr olds tend to pull things, it’s basic curiosity. It’s not dog’s fault_the dog was just doing this to protect itself. But it is the fault of adults…
I’d have to get rid of the dog.
no, the little bastard shouldnt have been playing with it and the mother should’ve been a bit more responsible
get rid of the dog. this mom is putting the dog before the child. if the dog did it once he will do it again.
looking back at the picture is that dog a pit. mom is stupid
Dead dog.
someone needs to get their priorities straight.
Yes, of course.
I think a situation such as this reflects the poor education level people have prior to conceiving children. To teach you must be taught.
@havechanged - Yeah, cause cats don’t scratch or bite. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight!!!
The mother told her child to leave the dog alone and the child did it anyway. Those of you who don’t read the articles really annoy the piss out of me.
ANY and I mean ANY person who has a child or has been around a child for any length of time knows without watching a child every single freaking second of every single day is IMPOSSIBLE. You can tell a child no and remove it from a bad situation and 10 seconds later that are right back where they were.
Stuff my nephews have pulled:
Turning the gas on my stove. (left alone long enough to pee)
Coloring on my white door with a purple dry erase marker. (Left alone for 2 minutes tops)
Walking out of the front door and almost to the street. (Left alone 4 minutes.)
Stuff happens with kids, you can’t be up their asses 24/7 in order to keep everything in life from happening to them. Yes, I think it sucks this dog bit the crap out of him. However, I stand behind the mother on the fact that she told him no, and at 2 he understands that concept, he did it anyway, and unfortunately got a negative consequence.
I think everyone should be reading MomentKeeper’s response. I agree 100%.
I would get rid of that dog so fast it would make heads swim, or whatever the saying is.
who in the right mind would keep a violent dog over her OWN CHILD?!
sick… SICK!
telling picture…. who is getting the comfort.
that mother should loose custody of her child,i mean it could happen again and who know it can turn out to be even worse next time.if she doesn’t seem to care much about her own child’s safety i don’t see why she you have have him.
Yes, how would I know if the dog might attack again in the future.