3-Year-Old Child Mauled By Dog

Should Golden Retrievers be banned?


According to the journalist, 

Golden Retrievers are generally among the most gentle of dogs and are usually excellent with children.

Blanket statements such as this are very dangerous. They are as dangerous as classifying dogs dangerous by breed. There is no such thing as a dangerous breed and likewise there is no such thing as an all encompassing breed "gentle/excellent with children". It depends on the owner and depends on the dog. It depends on how much training and socialization a dog has. It can also depend on other factors such as nobody noticing or identifying the warning signs of a bite. The signs are always there. There is always a reason, but many times the humans weren't paying attention or ignored the signs. 


Maybe McGuinty could have legislated bite prevention programs in schools? He is the "education" premier after all! (tongue firmly in cheek and swallowed).


Here is the rest of the article. 
h/t Social Mange

It's usually the perfect combination - a loving youngster and a gentle dog.

But something went horribly wrong at an Oshawa home Tuesday and now a three-year-old girl is facing the possibility of having plastic surgery.

Police say the youngster was being cared for by neighbours at 506 Lanlark Drive just after 1pm, and was petting a normally friendly Golden Retriever.

Cops aren't sure what provoked the animal, but it suddenly turned on the child, mauling the tot from her eye to her cheek.

The toddler was rushed to Lakeridge Health Centre, where plastic surgeons began examining the damage. It's believed her eyesight will be O.K. but she may require surgical repairs to her cheek.

The same people looking after the child were also looking after the dog for the day.

"They were petting the dog," relates Richard Ovila, the babysitter's husband. "I don't know if they were patting together or what, when all of a sudden the dog turned around and took her on the left cheek."

The dog has been seized by animal control and those who know the creature are baffled. Golden Retrievers are generally among the most gentle of dogs and are usually excellent with children.

"It was a very serious dog bite," confirms Dave Selby of Durham Regional Police.

The youngster was surprised by what happened and reportedly continually asked the doctors who were treating her why the dog bit her. But like police, they didn't have those answers, either.

"It's just a very unfortunate incident and obviously our thoughts and prayers are with that young girl right now to make sure she can get through this situation and hopefully not have too many damages as she grows older," Selby concludes.

It's not clear what will become of the canine, but the owner is the neighbour's son and he has no idea about what's happened to his beloved pet. He's currently away on vacation down south for March Break.

Authorities hope this tragic event will provide a lesson for others.

"The best thing to do is keep your children away from unknown dogs or strange dogs that you don't know their personality or behaviour," suggests Tre Smith of the Toronto Humane Society.

The little girl has been taken to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto for further assessment. She'll be staying there until at least Wednesday.