Dog Attacks

Why is it I read the news just now and it seems like every other day there is a story about a dog attacking a child?

The season is changing - is that causing changes?

Why is it so common in the past week?

if you look at them, it`s usually the grandparents dogs. In the past most dogs would have had children round them and got used to them. We mixed more, visited more, were less insular. Now dogs and kids don`t mix unless the family have young children of their own.
So when the grandparents get a new dog, it only comes across children when the grandkids come, which can be a pretty terrifying scenario for a dog. Short noisy, unpredictable people invading their space.
This was a timid collie who was surely sending loads of Go Away signals, which were ignored. Very sad.

I haven't seen or heard todays news, what's happened now?

There does seem to be a fair few of late. Wonder if this has any relation to the attacks on dogs that seem to be on the increase at the moment?

You have to ask.. are there more dog attacks, or are the newspapers reporting more dog attacks? Dog attack stories come in waves, usually just before dog legislation is about to change or be discussed.

I was bitten by dogs when I was a child... It was one of those things, like falling over or scraping a knee... I was picked up cleaned up dusted off and shown how to introduce myself to dogs properly and safely and how to see the warning signs next time.. The dogs weren't immediately demonised and put to sleep.

Not denying there are some occasions where the dog is clearly dangerous and out of control aggressive. But sometimes it's just a family dog pushed too far by an child who hasn't been taught better.

Personally I would hazard a guess at a rise in irresponsible owners!

collie attacked a toddler. The dog was said to be timid and was on a farm.

Interestingly the news reported it as child needing 200 stitches rather than "toddler attacked by collie" ( we know what would have happened if it had been a bully breed )

It is just a rise in irresponsible dog owners in my opinion.

You would think that people would err on the side of caution with their own grandchildren.

When my newborn great-nephew came to visit Parker was way too interested. Even though he is normally a very friendly dog and good with children he is not used to babies and wanted to investigate and was getting too excited. We put him upstairs behind the stairgate. Not rocket science is it?

I wonder if it's not so much an increase in dog attacks but an increase in them getting reported & written about?

Personally I think it's a bit of the above coupled with the fact that so many kids aren't taught the correct way to treat animals anymore. When I was little I was always told never to approach strange dogs, never to stroke someone's dog without asking first, never to be loud around them and never to grab at them. Nowadays you walk through the park & you get tonnes of kids running up & stroking your dog, grabbing them, screaming at them etc. and the parents just stand there and smile yet you know that if your dog had reacted it would be all your fault for having a 'dangerous dog'

why has there been a sudden increase in newshounds attacking the same stories this week?

does anyone think the shorter days and colder weather is have an affect upon investigative journalists?