Another baby killed

I would never leave a dog anywhere near a small child even though we have always had a dog in our home I feel so sorry for that little one it must have been horrific.
Monday was a very warm day and I think maybe the dog was hot and irritable when it made for the attack we will sadly never know for sure.

Dog ownership has grown significantly over the years with dogs becoming a fashionable accessory to have . No real thought seems to have gone into the impact of owning a dog on daily life. Real dog lovers that I know are responsible and undrstand that a dog is not a toy or a fashion item or a substitute baby/ human family member.
New neighbours, a young couple, got a puppy during lockdown, & I have heard them struggle to train this attractive bouncy animal. It pulls and jumps up on the lead and the young woman struggles with it as she goes out with him. The young nan gas regular tantrums when said " for baby" destroys another trainer or phone!

They are animals. Animals are unpredictable. I get so sick of hearing people say their dog would never attack anyone. Sorry but they might, they are dogs not humans.

Kate1949
Many years ago my friend had a pet goat, always walked on a lead. One morning 2 Labs ( not on leads) attacked the goat so badly it had to be put down.
I have a scar from a dachshund.
What I’m saying is: no dog is 100% safe

Total stupidity and ignorance on behalf of the parents to buy the dog in the first place and then let it anywhere near a toddler.

Horrific should not have happened.. Dogs get jealous of new babies, sometimes. Even sweet little dogs, so I'd never leave a baby unattended, even for a minute.
In this case they brought a full grown powerful dog into their home, nature unknown. So wrong. Poor baby.

I agree with your last paragraph entirely Iam64

As a dog lover and owner of several rescue dogs I am horrified by this fatal attack.
It is irresponsible in the extreme to bring an adult dog with no known history into a home with a young child. As someone said earlier rescue centres are very careful who they rehome their dogs with. It's a tragedy but one which could and should have been avoided.

It has been said that it is a Staffordshire whatever dog and tests are being undertaken to check whether it is one of the banned breeds.

Many of these animals are bred to be fierce to attack other animals and people. I once had to visit someone who had three huge dogs, breed I cannot remember, they were locked in a small yard and throughout the visit were launching themselves at the French windows barking and snarling. It was very very scary and I kept wondering what would happen to me if the doors had come open. When I reported back, it was agreed that no one would be sent to the house again because of the danger.

Pepper59, I’ve always had two, occasionally 3 dogs. We rescued and fostered for a breed charity for years. My current two are different breeds but both pedigrees from reputable breeders. 4 young grandchildren, along with our dog shelters being full of bull dog crosses, elderly German shepherds and various of those breeds that look like wolves, stopped me getting a rescue. The charity I volunteer for has, like others, an influx of lockdown dogs, poorly socialised, untrained, resource guarding, not toilet trained and so on.

I don’t want to sound hypocritical given I have two dogs., I agree there are too many dogs, too many untrained out of control dogs. They aren’t fur babies, they’re dogs and need boundaries, routines and training. Training isn’t a 6 week puppy course, it’s life long

There are many breeds that are definitely not suitable as family pets. Dogs also become jealous of new arrivals, whether they be another pet or children. I have seen this for myself. I don't know the circumstances of the situation. Children should never be left unattended with ANY dog. A terrible tragedy and sadly there are just too many people who own dogs, who are clueless about the breed and the animal. I also think certain breeds are bought for status. Lockdown saw a massive increase in dog ownership, because the dog was a must have. In my opinion there are way too many dogs now and people don't seem content with one, it's two, three and more.

An horrific thing to happen. Poor child, poor family. To lose a child is hard enough but if a parent thinks they may be responsible for enabling the situation..how hard to live with.

I can see little difference between them and a parent who kills a child with a blow.

... except that a blow is a deliberate act of violence against a child. I'm critical of the parents, but I'm sure they are not in the same category.

I adore dogs. I've always had dogs. I'd not be without dogs. They are very important in my life.

I've also had 5 babies growing. up alongside dogs. And now 6 grandchildren who have always known and loved our dogs

Nobody has ever been bitten. However I would never leave a young child or baby anywhere near a dog. Mine have always been placid dogs but one never knows.

Terribly sad for this family. Lovely little girl.

I read today from a usually reliable dog breeder and trainer that research links low educational, low social economic owners to dogs that bite or attack. I’ll consult Google.
My childminder had 2 staffies, my children were at school with hers, all aged 3 and 5. I knew foster families with staffed, German shepherd, spaniels, dobies and more. The staffordshire terriers were true staffs not mixed with other bull breeds. That’s a major problem, back street breeders, crossing bull breeds, bitches having multiple litters , breeding from dogs with poor or aggressive temperament

It not only upsets me, it really annoys me, it should never have happened. Poor little mite.

Blame the deed, not the breed. There was a time when Dobermans were the 'devil dogs', then it was Rottweilers and now it's Staffies. All I can say is that the biggest, softest dog I've ever known was a Rottie - while the most bad-tempered, vicious dog I've ever met was a Jack Russell.

No one has said it’s a staffy though deedaa the breed hasn’t been spoken of yet just that they were checking to see if it was on the banned list which I think is more pit bulls than staffies isn’t it ?

In the past Staffies were known to be wonderful family dogs and very good with children. Unfortunately now they are seen as fighting dogs and trained to be aggressive. I think taking on an adult dog of any breed is dangerous if you have small children unless you all know the dog very, very well. And even then I wouldn't leave the children alone with the dog. We took on our friend's middle aged Border Collie who was an exceptionally well trained dog. He was not a lover of small children and, while I don't think he would have bitten, he made it quite clear when he had had enough and we would remove either him or the children. This was a dog we had known very well for a long time, not one we had brought home on a whim.

Well

We'll said Monica.

You are all beng so kind and generous to this family. Frankly I think anyone who goes out and buys a large dog of a breed or range of breeds that are in the papers or on the news for savaging and killing small children at least half a dozen times a year is criminally culpable of that childs death and should be prosecuted.

I can see little difference between them and a parent who kills a child with a blow.

We knew someone who had a very old Labrador which was placid. This lady had a baby and when the child was about 18 months old, the lady was hanging out her washing when she heard the baby screaming.
The dog had savaged the baby's face. She was scarred for life.
I've been called nasty, not a nice person and much more because I don't like dogs, which I don't.

this one?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-60640561#:~:text=Baby%20girl%20died%20after%20husky%20dog%20attack%20at%20Ostler's%20Plantation%20%2D%20police,-8%20March&text=A%20three%2Dmonth%2Dold%20girl,23%3A13%20GMT%20on%20Sunday.

What happened about the child that was killed by a Husky recently. There was very little news about it and I don’t know if the dog was owned by the child’s parents or if it was a random attack?