Wow...this thread is really stirring up some strong emotions in me this morning.
(TGIF!)
Too many good points have been made to quote them all.
In regards to the statement that Labs are the #1 culprits of serious bites, CORRECT. (
YorkieMother?) (Don't ask me for my vote on banning
them.)
To the person who referenced the size and structure of the dog as being the issue. (
nana911) I could not agree with you more!!! If it had been a Yorkie, or a smaller dog, the end result would not be the same. Some dogs are simply larger and more physically capable of inflicting more harm. Obviously, in this case, 3 dogs with access to this child, you have to question poor ownership or the parents, but even with one dog, in a controlled environment, disaster can happen. Even with well trained, family pets, one act of random agression can be disasterous. You never know when something is "off" with a dog. They can't speak to us to let us know that they have an earache or a sore paw.
And
chachi I completely agree that no child should be left alone with a large dog unsupervised. I get nervous sometimes when they ARe supervised.
And
Villette, in regards to the harbored guilt...would you like me to write you a book to further stress your point?
(Hope everyone has a great Friday...so far, mine SUCKS!)