Oh look! ANOTHER dog attack yesterday.

[i-need-a-martini]

On a 3 year old girl. This times it was (surprise, surprise!) the family staffy who has never "lashed out" before.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/family-staffy-bites-girl-3-on-face-in-richmond/story-fni0c...

What does that make it? One death and 2 serious injuries in a fortnight.

[twinkles**stars]

Yes PCT....I'm not a fan of them myself. Ankle snappers that can jump fairly high in my experience.

Meant to tell you, Toby is in disgrace. Ran through the house with muddy feet and ran all over my doona on the floor that I had just stripped of the cover! $26 to have it dry cleaned so he is in the dog house so to speak.

[purplecarrot-top]

Naughty Toby. lol

[i-need-a-martini]

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@twinkles**stars wrote:

I have no need to prove anyone wrong....this is a discussion borad / forum is ot not?

Bassett Hounds were bred for hunting hence their abitily to  attack. There are many reported cases of Bassett Hound attacks, resulting in death should you like to look at them

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There is one internet report from 2007 about a bassett hound attack that was discussed on an american forum? No links though. Plus lots of fun YouTube videos titled "bassett Hound Attacks" which are a whole bunch of videos of bassetts play fighting with their owners or other animals. Other than this one I can't find any other reported attack that includes a basset. 

Is this what you are referring to? If not I'd be interested to see what reports you saw because it is unusual.

But for you information, Bassetts are indeed good hunting dogs. But for one reason only - their sense of smell. They don't actually catch anything on a hunt cause they don't move quickly or quietly. The most they will do IF they ever caught up with the scent is bay at it. That's what they were bred to do and smelling is the only instinct they have. They certainly don't attack. No hound does as this is not their 'job'.

So, no. They are not dangerous as a breed.

[***super_nova***]

Dog is an animal and should not be treated as a kid's toy, kids have to have a respect for dogs, and while there are probably some dogs who would never snap even if the child was trying to take their bone or sticking pencil in their ears, child coming near a dog with a bone is the usual scenario of dog attacks.  When I said never to allow a dog to have a bone while kids are around, I was talking about very young children.

It is a natural instinct to fight over food, and especially bones; I feed my pups from one large dish, and make sure nobody is growling or snapping at their litter mates.  My adults eat from separate dishes, but all lined up next to each other, and I can take anything from my dogs, even a bone.  However, when my granddaughter is here I am not about to test how safe they are, and until she is old enough to understand that she has to be careful of dogs when they are eating and never try to take food or bone from them, they are fed behind closed doors.

When my daughter was about 3 we moved on land - 100 acres - and she got a pony, and we had other horses.  The pony lived on the acre of our garden surrounding the house, until we managed to get a paddock that she could not escape from.   If my daughter got kicked by a horse the question  would have been why did the parents allow 3 years old unsupervised near the horse.  Nobody would be saying that it is the horse's fault. 

Unfortunately, too many people lack a common sense, and they cannot "read" their dogs, not to mention other people's dogs.  And I am sick of people allowing their kids to run to my dogs and pet them without asking my permission; when I pointed out to one woman that she should not allow her small (2-3yo) child to approach strange dogs on the street, she told me that if my dogs are likely to bite to keep them off the street.

[twinkles**stars]

Ok....but any dog can attack and Basset Hounds have mained children too 🙂

[i-need-a-martini]

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@twinkles**stars wrote:

Ok....but any dog can attack and Basset Hounds have mained children too 🙂

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Isn't that what I keep saying? Any dog can bite. I mentioned in the other thread that even my basset snapped at a vet once when she was in pain and there is nothing more docile than a basset.

The difference is that SOME dogs bite to kill because that is their instinct. THOSE dogs are a problem.

Most breeds can be slapped on the nose to make them let go of something. These breeds won't let go even if you hit them with an iron bar and kick them as was the case with the cyclist. THOSE dogs are a problem.

[i-need-a-martini]

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@twinkles**stars wrote:

Ok....but any dog can attack and Basset Hounds have mained children too 🙂

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As an aside I have been searching the last hour and there is not one reported dog attack by a basset in any state of this country in any of the statistical data so not sure what you are referring to in the last section of your sentence. I would be genuinely interested to see what makes you say that.

[azureline**]

I can agree with you Martini but because I don't particularly like Staffies, it's easy. I guess you then need to address the rest of the dogs that bite and can kill.

[patchoo78]

Wasn't the dog chewing on a bone or eating? 

No child should be left unsupervised with ANY dog regardless of breed, especially when the dog is eating. 

The problem is, some people think that their dog should be tolerant of everything from ear pulling, taiil pulling etc then put the dog down for responding the only way a dog knows how, which is usually snapping or biting. Dogs do give warning signs before they bite/snap which is usually growling, but obviously kids can't pick up on this.. 

dogs are animals, you can't expect them to act like humans 

[azureline**]

Not every dog that has ever attacked had a reason to.... no bone, no food, no mistreatment.

The issue is the potential to kill a child.