I was sad to read the recent story about the pet border collie who leapt into the family car and attacked their 7 month year old baby so ferociously that it almost severed it's leg. The family were astounded at the dog's behaviour since it had seemed to get on well with the baby up to that point. They felt that the dog must have been jealous. The dog was put down of course.
The incident reminded me of our own similar experience when my daughter Amie was about 2 years old. It was a lovely sunny day and Amie was playing happily in the garden. Our golden cocker spaniel, Crumpet, was out there too together with Crumpet's puppy 'Muffin'. You may have met Crumpet and Muffin before when I wrote about 'Puppy Love'. As with the other family, we 'knew' that they were safe together since they had co-existed happily since Amie's birth.
On this occasion however, we heard Amie scream and start to cry. I rushed out to find her with a small gash just above her eye as Crumpet moved away from her. My best guess was that Amie may have poked Crumpet in the eye. Who knows?
It was an easy decision to take Crumpet to the vet's to be put down but I wept bitterly as I stroked her gently while she received the lethal injection.
The moral is clear. Small children and dogs should never be left together unsupervised. Spread the word!
my daughter when she was around 4 years old got bitten on the face by my elderly neighbour's dog while I was cutting her hedge. The bite required stitches and my daughter was dreadfully upset as was my neighbour. I hadn't the heart to insist Bonzo was destroyed but he was killed on the road a week later conicidence or divine intervention. My daughter has her own daughter Aimee now and they also have 3 cats and one very soppy German Shepherd, Sophie and as you say children should not be left unsupervised with dogs nor unfortunately should some adults.
ReplyDeleteOne reason Linda and I only have Teddy Bears
ReplyDelete