I just read something that disturbed me somewhat. I found a different message board based on dogs, like this one. Well, in the General section of that board, I found a topic concerning dog attacks and bites. I read a few of the stories and couldn't believe what I was reading.

This one story involved a 13 year old girl. She lived with her mom and dad and two dogs. Both dogs were mixed breeds, a male and a female. Well, the girl said that the male dog, Shadow, always growled and snarled at her when she was around him. But her parents never did anything about it. One day it all cracked. The girl was outside playing fetch with Shadow when he suddenly "mauled" her. He ripped at her arm and back and clothes. She was screaming for help of course but her parents weren't home. Her other dog, Saphire, appearently ran and attacked Shadow, knocking him off the girl's back. The girl tried with all her strength to get back inside. She managed to run into the house, but said Shadow was right at her heals. She couldn't find her cell phone to call anyone, so she took the chance and ran across the front yard to her neighbor's house. (the dogs were in the backyard) The girl was taken to the hospital and cared for, released later that evening. Appearently the girl's parents aren't very nice to her and didn't really care much about the dog attacking her.

The things that disturb me are this. The parents won't remove the dog from their home because they believe the girl is lying, saying she did something to make the dog attack her. Because of this, the girl has to live with her grandparents' house. The second thing that bothers me is this girl says that Shadow "MUST DIE! He tried to kill me so he has to go to doggy h*ll! But my parent's won't kill him!!!" :(

So, what do you all think? Do you believe that a dog that has attacked a human should be killed? Or do you believe that it should just be removed from the home and worked with to try to improve it's behavior?

My opinion is mixed. I believe that this girl has every right to live with her parents again and that the dog should be removed from the home. But I don't know if it should be put down or not... Yes, it could have killed the girl. It could attack again. But it might not. What if it could be worked with and live a happy life again. I'm glad I don't have to make choices like this. It would be so hard.

So, if you'd like, share any stories you have or give your opinion! I'm sure everyone would enjoy both. :)

In my opinion any dog which attacks in this way should be put to sleep - if what you say is accurate this child was lucky not to have been killed. A nip or single bite I may forgive and work towards rehabilitating the dog ( and we all know that kids can tease dogs sometimes ) but this sounds like a full blown attack. Next time the outcome could be worse.

As much as we all love our dogs, A childs life comes first. IMO

Michelle.

it doesn't sound like it was the dog's fault, as it was always said to be like this  - the owners just never bothered to do anything about it

The child must come first - no doubt aboujt that - but someone must talk to this girl she is obvioulsy feeling frighted and rejected  - I don't know how old she is - but for heaven's sake - "it must go to doggy hell because it attacked her"?   

The poor dog was doing what it has been bred/programmed to do - the owners/breeders are to blame, not the dog - and this point must be made firmly to her.   It's something that we all have to keep telling people.

Margot

A dog like this should be destroyed.How would you feel if your son/daughter/nephew etc were attacked only to find out that the dog had attacked before and been allowed to live???
It doesn't matter whos fault it is at the end of the day ,the dog is a danger to life and people must be protected from it.
In an ideal world the person who caused the dog to be like this wether it is the owners or breeders would be held responsible but its not and so the only thiing that can be done is to deal responsibly with the consequences
Archer

Sorry - reading my post it does sound as if I'm saying the dog shouldn't be destroyed - no - it must be destroyed - no question about it, if it has attacked like this once, it could happen again and that certainly cannot be allowed to happen.

At the end of the day there are probably lots of "issues"regarding why this dog was like this in the first place,thats another topic for debate,the fact remains this dog didnt just bite, but "mauled"the poor girl,(actual wording in original post)and so the ONLY option,in my opinion would be sadly to put him to sleep,i cant see that a dog who "has always been like that"and has now finally gone on to launch this horrific attack could ever be rehabilitated:0(