Reply #34: Thanks for bringing up the obvious [View All]

[TorchTheWitch]

Though of course I feel badly this girl was bitten it was foolish to put her face or any other appendage over the fence into the dog's territory. What the dog did by biting her was normal dog behavior in protecting that property. People can be unbelievably stupid when it comes to dogs they don't know, which is why I go overboard in protecting stupid people from themselves when it comes to my own dog. When he's in the yard, I'm out there with him, and there are MANY times I've had to tell both strangers and neighbors not to go right up close to the fence or reach over it. Children especially need to be taught not to do things to invite harm... stay away from the fence, don't tease the dog behind the fence, etc.

However, anyone with a dog that is protective of their property should have that property clearly marked with "Beware of Dog" signs, and it is my guess that this particular owner did not. Nevertheless, peering over anyone's fence whether they have a dog in the yard or not is invasive, and the mother of this child bears a certain amount of responsibility in allowing her child to trespass in this way. Had the child not invaded the property by puting her face over the fence, the bite would not have occurred. But since there are nosey stupid people everywhere and children who don't know better, proper signage can go a long way in curtailing it... but not always since some people are really that stupid.

It does bother me that the article is written in such a way as to portray the dog as vicious and the owners as irresponsible while glossing over the personal responsibility of the mother of this child to not permit her to invade another's property and invite possible harm by puting her face over someone's fence. The dog behaved in a way that is normal for a dog, and the owners had the dog properly contained.