topic Re: Is this a fair decision?. in The Round Table

Is this a fair decision?.

margaret*e — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 09:15:05 GMT

Some of the comments underneath the article disagree.

http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2014/02/07/dog-owner-found-not-guilty-after-his-pet-mauled-toddler/

Re: Is this a fair decision?.

saasher2012 — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 09:58:46 GMT

Morning Marge, once again another child has been hurt! As to the fairness of the decision , I feel that the fault lies with both sides, the Landlord for not securing his private area , & the parents for allowing the child to wander about without supervision. The dog was only doing his duty, but for the child the outcome could have been fatal.

Re: Is this a fair decision?.

millielilac — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 11:01:01 GMT

It is very lucky that the child was not hurt more than they were........

It was very unfortunate but the biggest fault lies with the parents of the child ......a 3 year old should NOT be wandering around unsupervised in a pub ...absolutely anything could have happened and although the dog bite was bad events could have been much worse.

The dog could have inflicted severe ( even fatal ) injuries on the child of it was in full attack mode and although no one can say for certain what really happened it would appear that this was not a full on attack by a vicious dog.

I am a dog owner and although I am confident that my dog would not attack a child ( even strangers are welcomed into the house by her ) I know that she could cause accidental damage to a small and vulnerable child as she is boisterous , big and has sharp claws that could easily inflict when she gets excited and jumps around .

Children and dogs can be a toxic mix .....in this instance the child was very lucky ....but if the dog has no previous history of aggression and has not displayed any such behaviour since ( and no one knows what the child did to the dog ) then it must be viewed as a very unfortunate incidence .

Re: Is this a fair decision?.

saasher2012 — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 11:29:33 GMT

Good points! I also have dogs In the main working dogs I can say if I am with them I know how they would react! I would never leave a child alone with a dog in any circumstance. The dogs that live outside cannot be reached without my knowledge. Even a small dog can really hurt a small child with a leave me alone nip. Why oh why cannot people understand the first line of defence for a dog is to bite. Children are the innocent victims of this inability to understand dogs usually give a warning unless surprised .

Re: Is this a fair decision?.

electric*mayhem*band — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 14:16:20 GMT

Yes, I think it was fair. I have been in cafės and restaurants where sprogs have been left to run wild, while their parents have been fiddling around on mobile phones. Were they to run into a waitress/waiter carrying hot food and drinks and were then scalded, whose fault would it be ?

I suppose the waitress/waiter's fault, for not looking where they were going.

Re: Is this a fair decision?.

suzieseaside — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 17:56:32 GMT

Yes, I think it's the right decision. I blame the parents 100% for not minding their child. They can't have been attentive if the child managed to get into a private part of the pub and jump on a sleeping dog.

Re: Is this a fair decision?.

023mjc — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 22:46:49 GMT

The parents are to blame. The child should not have been wandering around on his own, into private rooms or anywhere else. The dog had a right to be there, the little boy did not. The dog was asleep and the child jumped on him to play. I may have lashed out too in those circumstances.

I don't think kids should be allowed in pubs any way. With all the fuss being kicked up about smoking around children ( which I agree with totally ), but it's OK to expose them to alcohol / drinking / drunks. Besides that, there is nothing worse than going for a quiet drink or a nice meal, and having screeching kids running around. Once, a little girl came over to our table and snatched food off my plate. The parents thought it hilarious.

That said, I wish the little one well. He's not old enough to know better so it wasn't his fault either.

Re: Is this a fair decision?.

dr-whos-assistant — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 13:15:48 GMT

I think its the right decision the dog snapped it didn't attack there is a differnce, I would be very careful with the dog in the future though especialy around children.