It's happened again - another child mauled by a pet dog.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/8800888.Child_seriously_ill_after_being_mauled_by_family_dog/

Poor dog and poor family. :-(

Horrible.....I can't imagine how the family must be feeling. Relief that the child is going to be okay but then losing the beloved family dog (well both dogs as the other is going to be rehomed)

Again another sad story.

Very sad for all concerned :(

you shouldnt mix toddlers and dogs!

> you shouldnt mix toddlers and dogs!

Defiantely.
Poor little boy :(

'This was just a freak incident. Kona has been with Lewis since he was born. Lewis plays with him and pats him and pulls at him and he is always fine. He is normally not like this at all.' from here

I wouldn't call that a freak incident, I'd call it an incident waiting to happen :(

Cor blimely, how many more innocent children need to go through things like this before dog owners/parents realise that ANY breed, nomatter how tollerent are still dogs and one day may simply have had enough of being pulled about. Wake up parents, dogs are not toys!

> you shouldnt mix toddlers and dogs!

That statement alone is wrong, leaving them unsupervised really is the 'key' word here..I know many people who have toddlers and dogs who mix with no problems, but they are supervised..

Destroyed: The eight-stone Japanese Akita dog, called Kona, was immediately handed over to police and destroyed following the savage attack.

i do hate sensationalism. if this was a 'savage' attack, the child would be dead

sorry suejaw but you CANNOT supervise 24/7
if your friends have been ok then they are very lucky, it only takes you to need a trip to the loo for something to happen and you wont know why as you wont observe it

So are you saying that toddler should always be in a home without dogs then?

You can easily put kids and dogs into different rooms if need be or take one or another with you.

I was raised around dogs and I find it strange for this to be frowned upon.

I disagree tina s.
You can not leave a toddler alone with a dog.................toddlers poke and prod and probe and explore.
Dogs should not be expected to accept that, I do believe we all have a responsibility to our dogs and our children.
That means protecting both and supervising at all times.

Karen :)

We have a young children and they know how to behave around our dog, we have never left them in the same room, if I need to go into another room or upstairs the dog goes into the kitchen.Also they would never dream of "poking" or "teasing" any dog. The joy and learning that a child gets from having a pet and learning how to respect and treat them is a great thing. Our dog will take treats from the children gently and has never jumped up or even mouthed them when she was a pup, she also follows commands from them. I think as long as you are sensible and never take for granted how gentle your dog is then they can grow up the best of friends!

I was about to post up in arms about the non mixing of children and dogs but Bracey has said it all really!!  Well done.
My dog wouldn't dream of being alone with my toddler and immediately follows me everywhere.  My kids on the other hand grow up with a knowledge and respect for animals and the environment around them from the amount of time spent in the great outdoors.  I would never trade that experience for anything.  Makes you a much better person.

Wonder why they had a sign up saying Beware Rottweiler's as well?

I would never leave a young child with any of my dogs, especially not one of the age of this young toddler, even with my Pomeranian's.

What utter drivel! Why should toddlers & dogs not mix? What sort of insular environment do these people want? There is no greater pleasure for a child than to play with, love and respect his dog and there is huge fun for the family pet, playing with the child that he would no doubt protect with his life. I spoke to someone this week who has a 3 year old bitch, a 4 year old child and a baby due. The dog is "brilliant" with the 4 year old but they are going to rehome her because they don't want the cot knocked or hairs on the baby! They described themselves as "devastated" at getting rid of the dog. Nonsense. So I guess those who think that dogs & toddlers are mutually exclusive will consider this the right decision. Children need supervising and dogs need supervising. They both need to learn to respect the other and to do this, they need to live together with responsible adults in charge. God forbid that we ever get to the stage where every new born baby means another discarded family pet (oh yes, it could be the cat: don't they occasionally suffocate babies!)