Dog attacks little girl at our local animal shelter...

[TheBimbo]

This happened a few days ago here in my area... Looking up some stuff on Big Ben and figured that this deserved to be posted... Just another warning for people adopting new pets, please be very careful:( ...


http://www.wjactv.com/news/9349907/detail.html
Dog Attacks Little Girl

POSTED: 6:10 pm EDT June 9, 2006
UPDATED: 7:07 pm EDT June 9, 2006

Richland Township -- The Cambria County Humane Society director tells Channel 6 the little girl's name is Kayle and she just graduated from kindergarten. She and her family stopped by the humane society Thursday to find a pet, but instead they found themselves in a very scary situation.

"We've never had an incident like this at our shelter because our people are so good at working with the animals and reading the dogs behavior," says director D Black.

Black says no one could have predicted that a dog, believed to have been friendly, would turn on a little girl. But that's exactly what happened when the little girl and her family decided to adopt a Malamute. When they took the dog outside, it snapped and lunged at the child, biting her face. Black says the dog was a stray and had been at the shelter for 5 days, never showing any signs of aggression. Black says they look for that kind of behavior, especially in stray dogs. In fact, the family had spent more than a half an hour in a visitation room with the dog prior to the attack and everything was fine.

The humane society is not sure what, if anything, prompted the attack. The dog will be quarantined for 10 days and euthanized. As for the girl, the humane society was told she had to undergo emergency surgery. No other information is known at this time.



Christy...

[crzy4reefs]

omg that's awful,

wonder what could have set the dog off like that.

[TheBimbo]

Not sure Shanna :( ...

I had always thought that this breed was like a Siberian Husky and that once they bond with a family, that they should never be seperated... Is there any truth to this???

Christy...

[Minuteman]

OMG!!! That poor kid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheBimbo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7546037#post7546037 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lbrty9
OMG!!! That poor kid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


When I heard about it, I immediately thought bout' your little one ...


christy...:(

[crzy4reefs]

yeah me too christy,


if they dog was a stray he could have an abusive past with small kids......not really sure......

[marie]

The problem with dogs like malamutes are they have a strong prey drive and if the little girl ran, squealing in excitement, to the car it might of sparked something in the dog :(

[emilye2]

Ummm...First thing, the dog had only been there 5 days. Waaaaay to soon to tell the dog's true personality let alone adopt it out to a family! A dog in a shelter is in an extreme stress situation for a dog, and no dog will be accostomed to that environment enough to interact in any "normal" way with a family.
Secondly--"We've never had an incident like this at our shelter because our people are so good at working with the animals and reading the dogs behavior," says director D Black.

Which is mostly likely the reason they never saw the behavior. They are not average Joe pet owners. They aren't unsure around a new dog. They know how to behave and handle animals in a way that the animal is immediately aware that the people are in charge. All that little girl had to do was move to quickly, hug too hard, talk to loud etc to be seen as a target by a dog with a likely hood to bite. A dog in a new situation like that, that is unsure of itself is likely to want to establish who's in charge right off the bat.
I feel terrible for the family, but that shelter is directly responsible for letting that dog out to a family waaaay to soon IMO.

[crzy4reefs]

yeah i agree, they can't possibly know the dogs personality in that short of time, i put all blame on the shelter

[NewMariner]

That is a sad news report.....

First however, Id like to point out that MOST Shelters have no clue what dogs are, or are mixed with. They claim it was a malamute, but I adopted a dog from the shelter a few years ago who also claimed it was a mal, and I took their word for it. Now that I have a mal, that previous dog was NOT A MAL....so there is no clue really as to what that dog could have been breed with. Ive seen German Shepards with a Malamute Description on them:rolleyes:

As a Mal owner, we do have to watch my Mal along with my 28 month old son. I dont think she will bite him, as she has shown no agression, but we dont leave them alone together. She does knock my son down though cause she doesnt realize how big she actually is and is a little to anxious to run into the house when we let her in. Generally she stays in all the time like a MAL is supposed to be, but when she wants back in after doing her business outside she runs in as soon as we open the door. My son likes to run to the door when we open it as he thinks its fun to open/close doors. One time she did this she knocked him down and she got spanked, and put back outside, she hasnt done it since.

I want to know if it was a true Mal, and if so its history. As we will probably never know it. Its a shame that dog lost its life and even more of a shame the girl got bit. Thats not a good situation at all...

[TheBimbo]

As I hear more I'll be sure to post the updates...


Christy...

[Nina51]

my siberians were kid-friendly to a point. they did not tolerate loud, screaming kids and would go to another room on the few occasions we had little visitors who couldn't contain themselves. ;)

my female died at age 9 but my male lived to almost 15. the last 3 or 4 years of his life, he was a grumpy old man on arthritis drugs and under NO circumstances was he allowed around children. ever. period.

northern breeds, as was said above, do have a very strong prey drive and it doesn't take much to get them excited. poor shelter dog, what a shame it came to this. i, too, blame the shelter people for trying to adopt him much too soon. i wonder if they do any sort of temperment tests prior to offering a dog for adoption. if not, shaaaaaaame on them.

[Wolverine]

NewMariner, I'm glad you don't leave them unattended. Every time a kid in this area gets attacked by a family pet, it's when they're unsupervised. That's a big pet peeve of mine no matter what the breed is. Back in 2000 or 2001 a child was killed by his family's pomeranian.

Many of the shelters in this area won't adopt larger breeds like Mals to families with young children, because they feel it's just not worth the risk. They also specify that you have to be experienced dog owners for a lot of those (I'm not sure that they verify that, but at least the warning label is there).

I completely agree with NM about the issue of shelters not even knowing what breed goes into a dog. I saw one listed as a 4 year-old, 35 pound, german shepherd-rottweiler mix. So you have an 80# breed mixed with a 110# breed, and you end up with a 35# dog? Not to mention the fact that it looked more like a border-collie, beagle mix to me. I see these things constantly, and it drives me nuts when I'm looking for a specific breed.

There's no question that 5 days is too short to find a dog's true nature. They're not even settled into the new environment by that point.

Dave

[JazzMan]

Click.....rolling the revolver......come here pooch.

[KEstep]

That is sad. We had a mail man mauled by a Pitt last wed. The dog was in a truck and broke out the back window to get to the postman. During the attack the man had a heart attack and the stints he had collapsed. The neighbors beat the dog off with a garden hoe. The owner of the dog came out yelling at the postman while he was bleeding to death in his drive way and told him he was not going to sue him etc.. etc... He was in intensive care last I heard.

[graveyardworm]

Ummm...First thing, the dog had only been there 5 days. Waaaaay to soon to tell the dog's true personality let alone adopt it out to a family! A dog in a shelter is in an extreme stress situation for a dog, and no dog will be accostomed to that environment enough to interact in any "normal" way with a family.
Secondly--"We've never had an incident like this at our shelter because our people are so good at working with the animals and reading the dogs behavior," says director D Black.


My thoughts exactly, 5 days and its already up for adoption, a dog with no history whatsoever? Then they mention the QT period for rabies is 10 days. It seems that shouldve been the bare minimum observation period before going up for adoption.

[JmLee]

why is it always little girls getting attacked by dogs?.

[emilye2]

very......high.....pitched.....screams. and they move fast. and they are drawn to hug animals.....

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7550487#post7550487 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by emilye2
very......high.....pitched.....screams. and they move fast. and they are drawn to hug animals.....

Bingo

[JmLee]

well that just sucks.....

[skippy2]

When I was little, my Mom and I went to the animal shelter to get a dog for me. There was a dalmation in an enclosure all by herself. I told the attendant that was the dog I wanted to see. He left saying he needed to get some gloves and whatever else he needed because the dog wasn't to be trusted. I had no patience left after the guy didn't come back in 5 mins. so I opened the door and went in. The dog immediately jumped up and put her 2 front paws on my shoulders and buried her nose in my neck. Of course, that is the dog I took home. Once home, she was my constant companion. She would wait for me at the doors of the high school.
Whenever my Dad thought he needed to yell at me he always made sure that the dog was no where around. She was my protecter against all men.
She would also steal the cat's kittens 1 by 1 and hide them from the mom. She wanted babies even though she was fixed. The cat would just take them back.

[TheBimbo]

Skippy, what a wonderful story... Thanks for starting my day out with a genuine smile ;) ...


I just checked and there's still no more recent news on this story, but will keep everyone up to date when I find out something more recent...



Christy...

[TheBimbo]

Well here's the latest on this story, and like I said I'm keeping you posted...


http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_213001653.html


Dad sues after dog bites daughter
By SANDRA K. REABUCK
The Tribune-Democrat

EBENSBURG — The father of a young girl who was seriously injured when bitten by a dog she wanted to adopt is suing the Humane Society of Cambria County contending negligence.

But society Director D Black has said the shelter had taken proper precautions, including keeping the dog under observation for 10 days to check for rabies symptoms and aggressive behavior before offering it for adoption.

In the lawsuit, the girl is identified as Kaleigh Owens, daughter of Joseph Owens of Allegheny County. The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages.

The girl, reportedly about 6 years old, went June 8 to the shelter at 743 Galleria Drive Extension with her mom in search of a new pet.

She played with the Alaskan malamute, which is about 4 years old, and wanted to take it home. Yet when she and others took the dog outside, it suddenly attacked her, biting her on her face, including her nose, and her neck.

The injured girl was rushed by ambulance to Memorial Medical Center, where she underwent surgery.

Allegheny County attorney Jeffrey Pribanic, who represents the girl and her father, contends the society had failed to adequately assess the animal’s behavior or to provide adequate protection.

Judge Norman Krumenacker has delayed the destruction of the animal for three weeks so animal trainer Jeffrey Woods of Allegheny County can examine it.




Sorta been waiting for this to happen, always does...


Christy...

[llpoolej]

My daughter was attacked last week by a breed that is not known AT ALL for aggression. It was acting a little different but in no way was it acting aggressive. The rescue person who had driven across the US and back, plus my friend who does rescue, plus two other rescue people were sitting there.

My daughter walked out of the house, eyes forward at a leisurely pace and the dog struck her first in the face and then in the back. We were on it by that point.

She did not react. Thank GOD it was her and not my son. He would have hit the ground screaming and it would have gone for blood. It was eerie how she just ignored the attack, eyes forward and kept walking at the same pace. Thank God for her instincts as I believe it kept it to deep bruises vs drawing blood.

It terrifies me where the face bite was, under the eyebrow and on the cheek. You can see where the canines hit.

I came to find out this dog had a history of "nipping" but never kids. This is with the breed's national rescue group. I have been assured it won't be adopted out again, and if I see it on the rescue list, I will make a huge stink over it. I personally feel it should be euthanised, having seen the way it attacked completely unprovoked.

It isn't the breed's fault if a dog attacks and it doesn't mean the breed is an aggressive breed. It also isn't the child's fault. I know it wasn't my child's fault as I was there and she did NOTHING to provoke it. Not even anything to incite its prey drive. She didn't even make eye contact.

[graveyardworm]

Glad to hear your daughter wasnt terribly hurt, you never mentioned the breed.

[llpoolej]

I didn't and at this point I am not going to. As small as the internet is, I am afraid to cause rumors and cause trouble for a rescue group.

I will say it is not a large breed and one known for an excellent temperament

[Sk8r]

People think of their children as precious: how could anything hurt a child? Predators, however, simply see the world in sizes: tall and inedible, small and edible. People who bring children around big cats, for instance, should do so only when there's secure containment. A puma that's willing to rub the hands of adult visitors takes on a very different aspect when a child comes near: something ticks over in the brain that says 'bitesized' and the animal sees prey.

High voices, rapid movements, are all triggers. A dog that has any kind of hunting or attack instincts intact in the breed, particularly if he's had a bad prior experience with children, should be carefully assessed on introduction to small children. Fear is a trigger. So is just plain excitement.

Why on earth wasn't this dog on a lead, and if he was, how did the child and he get together? There's a lot of this story that's sad all the way around.

[llpoolej]

Problem is, some dogs are just not right in the head. Period. No explanation, just mentally not altogether there. The shelter dog may have not shown any signs of aggression before this incident

Sometimes I think dog attacks on children are looked at the same way rapes are. HAS to be the kids fault for being a child and inciting it. Just like it has to be the woman's fault for bringing it on themself with how they dress or what not

I haven't pursued much with the rescue organization in my case, as I KNOW they will just look at me like a mother who believes their child is perfect. I don't. I was there, and so were 4 other rescue people. My child did not do anything to bring on an attack or excitement. I doubt I will be believed though.

A dog who attacks needs to be put to sleep as it WILL happen again. It is just a matter of when.

Oh, and attacking is different than fear biting where a person gets a dog cornered. I have been bitten by my own dogs in the right situation. Same dogs would not bite(and have not bitten my kids) when drug around the house, carried, had kids screaming, shrieking and running.

Be in the middle of two wanting the same food bowl or try and drag one out of the back of a crate thinking it is in trouble and it is a different story.

[Sk8r]

"Problem is, some dogs are just not right in the head. Period. No explanation, just mentally not altogether there. "

True: there are aberrants in every species. I had a cat who was absolutely dangerous. Fortunately he was only 10 lbs. A large dog who's as crazy as my poor old Tom was would be a very scary proposition.