11:19 pm - People are idiots.
Stuff like this seriously shits me.
People, TRAIN YOUR DOGS.
Most dog owners are responsible, caring people, who understand that to own dogs in the suburbs (or anywhere, for that matter) requires extensive obedience training.
But some people are stupid, and think that because the dogs respond fine to adults (bigger, authority figures) they'll also respond in the same way to children - but think about it, children are small and weak, and the dogs often believe that the child is acting out of "rank" in the family "pack".
Children also should be "trained" or taught to treat dogs with caution and not as toys.
That said, big or aggressive dogs should always, ALWAYS be muzzled when around children - or anyone unfamiliar, for that matter. Problems of biting and aggressiveness can be trained out only to some extent. Instinct plays a huge part when dogs are faced with an unfamiliar or frightening situation - training can only prepare dogs for certain scenarios. Actions outside of training are determined by instinct and natural impulses.
The other half of the story usually goes that the child was teasing or taunting the dog, and the dog, frightened, lashed out at the child.
Or in the case of the husky that killed that baby a while back, the baby was perceived as an unfamiliar threat when the dog was abruptly reintroduced to the household. AND THE BABY WAS LEFT ALONE IN A ROOM THAT THE DOG HAD ACCESS TO!
Ugh.
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