Posted on 05/21/2010 4:46:38 PM PDT by solosmoke
GIRARD - The owner of the dog whose bite left a 12-year-old with more than 100 stitches is sorry the girl was injured but says she was not bitten while walking past the 15-month chocolate Labrador as she claims, rather because she was too close to it.
"Destiny (Turner) walked over to Schnook and put her face next to the dog's face," Christina Morris said Thursday. "That's when he bit her face."
The girl claims she was walking toward her house, 211 Broadview, about 7 p.m. Sunday when the chained dog leaped on top of her and began biting her face.
Morris says she has told Destiny and other kids in the neighborhood on numerous occasions not to go too near to the dog, which she said was chained to a tree in the rear of the house Sunday.
Morris said she has owned Schnook for five to six months and that he listens to commands.
"He is basically a good dog," she said. "Yes, he can be aggressive at times. Kids in the neighborhood throw rocks at him at times. I think something may have happened at the prior owner's home." Schnook, meanwhile, has been kept at the home of Nick Spelich, 622 Johnson Plank Road, Bazetta. Spelich is Morris' sister's boyfriend.
(Excerpt) Read more at tribtoday.com ...
“Too bad the owners think it’s acceptable to keep an aggressive dog chained up outside.”
Because running around the neighborhood is a more acceptable option?
Keeping a dog chained tends to make a dog that is inclined to bite even more inclined to bite. The owner is clearly at fault here, and is an idiot to boot. He’s an irresponsible pet owner. He knew the dog had a tendency to bite and yet he put the dog in a situation in which he could bite someone. I suspect he will be sued and I suspect he will lose.
BTW people don’t realize that labs are not the same as golden retrievers and are somewhat more prone to bite.
No, they have a responsibility to keep the dog confined. Period. Was your question really a serious question?
A lot of dogs don’t like someone getting right in their faces but it sounds like the owner needed to keep the dog someplace where a child wasn’t likely to do it.
My Jack Russell is the same way with strangers but he’s in a fenced yard. He’s very friendly otherwise. I have made sure that he knows my neighbor’s grandkids and is friendly but they still know better than to get in his face unless he wants to lick them.
I hope his homeowners’ insurance refuses to cover this, and he has to pay for his stupidity out of his own pocket.
I got bitten by a dog a few years ago. Luckily, it didn’t require any stitches. But it was very painful nontheless and got infected. And I am a grown man. I can’t imagine the pain that 12 year old girl must be going through with over 100 stitches. A mauling indeed. I think that dog should be put down.
We had a GSD when I was a kid. She was great with us, and generally great with the neighborhood kids. HOWEVER if she thought someone was hurting us (even if they were just playing) she would not hesitate to bite (and almost did bite a couple of times, and was only stopped because someone else was quicker than she was). We kept her in the house or in a securely fenced yard. She had a correct temperament for a GSD, but I would not have kept her tied up in the front yard as that would have been asking for trouble.
I think most dog bites are caused by stupid owners, and usually it’s kids and usually it’s in the face. You sound like a responsible dog owner.Can we just clone you?
“Was your question really a serious question?”
No.
Sorry then. :)
BS! he should have been more vigilant and pulled the dog away.
Oops I jumped before reading the whole story.
So I leave him chained in the yard, where's he's an easy target!
What a tool.
I have two rules for being a responsible dog owner.
1. Understand that its a dog and it will do what dogs do.
2. Let it be a dog.
what the h...is a GSD?
We’re not all in the club.
“Because running around the neighborhood is a more acceptable option?”<<<<<<<<<<<<<
I was under the impression that a third option (keeping the dog inside where pets belong) was available. Either that or euthanasia. Responsible dog owners don’t put their dogs in situations where they are sure to fail.
German Shepherd Dog.
I thought that being chained up was confined? Silly me. I guess the dog must be kept in a small pin or something. Also, the kids had been warned. What else was the owner to do?
I’m sorry if I was snippy...watching the news on fox I get cranky..ha. Love shepherds.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.