Friend's dog bit a child, whose fault?

The dcs dps fault.

Personally I'd forget the whole thing.

My huge ddog nipped dd.

When she ran over her paw in skates...
Told dd I would have done the same !

The dog got a startle and warned the child with a nip - if it had wanted to, it could have bitten her hand off so it's clearly not aggressive.

Definitely not the dogs fault. It’s the parents responsibility to make sure their small child doesn’t slap pat random dogs without asking.

I taught my children from a young age not to touch other people's dogs without having been invited to. I think it was the girl's parents' fault.

Parents need to ask owners if children can stroke their dogs. And then teach them how to stroke a dog.

The parents are at fault.

Dogs and children are an unpredictable mix. My dog has never bitten but in such circumstance I would always move him to be on my inside and away from passers-by and with no slack on the lead.

Fault on both sides but not on the dog’s fault. Parents should teach children not to approach but owners need to be aware protect their dogs from unexpected approaches.

Well girls fault for touching dog.

Have to say Im not a fan of extended leads when there are kids around in parks as its hard to stop situations like this (i know you shouldnt have to but people are idiots)

The girl was at fault and so were her parents.

I think it's on all the adults to do better - the parent should not have let the child touch the dog, and the dog owner should have had the dog closer than 1.5m when passing young children.

Both party's are in the wrong

When passing people the dog should have been on a short lead 1.5m is not short there is no real control there
Anything could happen as has been proven
A short lead the dog could have been pulled away easily when it was obvious the child was reaching for the dog

The child should not be approaching strange dogs or touching them and the parents should have reminded the child as it's still young when walking towards the dog if they know it grabs at strange dogs often

Unfortunately if the dog has snapped it may be in their best interests to muzzle on walks from now on as a precaution
You never know if they have the start of a painful ear infection which could have caused the reaction but better safe than sorry

The Parents of the touchy child should have taught their children not to touch random dogs like that.

Most dog owners are very accommodating when parents try to teach their children how to safely interact with dogs.

I missed the bit about being in 1.5 meter lead. Irresponsible of your friend I’m afraid when passing by on a narrow path.

i mean dog being on lead and presumably didn’t have the slack to approach the kid, and was able to be pulled back… I’m actually not a big dog fan in general (though love specific certain dogs) but I’d say not your fault. What more could you do? Not being a dog in general fan I’d teach wariness to my child even if inadvertently. That being said, not the fault of the child or child’s owners (jk) either. The dog was the one who bit. But very aggressive of them to follow you about. I’d be furious if my child got bit, but would I want to intimidate the (I can only hope) apologetic dog’s owner? Certainly not.

whats the phrase, ‘once bitten, twice shy’? Hopefully dog and child have learned a lesson.

Bit of both, girl should not have pet dog without permission but I would have had my dog closer to me when passing people

I admit I missed the dog was on a long (extendable?) lead. That can’t happen again where there are to be strangers, particularly children, around, now this has happened. In an ideal world, people wouldn’t touch a random dog unasked but it’s not an ideal world and, regardless of blame, I wouldn’t want my dog to injure someone.

Two things. Dog walker needs to be more proactive around keeping dog away from oncoming children (as already suggested keep to side on short leash). And secondly, this dog now needs to be muzzled when out. The outside world is unpredictable. If a dog is reactive when startled it's a problem, especially a dog with a powerful jaw like a staffy.

To a dog a hand coming towards their head can feel aggressive. Obviously the little girl is too young to know that. But her parents should not have let her run ahead,

50/50, as said. When you're passing people the dog and children under 5 should be by you. From that far away you couldn't intercept a dog off a lead running over. It protects the dog, especially breeds like a Staffie, who can give as good, if not better than they get. It used to scare me when a small, unleashed dog, would go for my GS, because my dog would be blamed if he killed the other dog.

Parents of the child. Running up behind an unknown dog and donking it on the head is pretty much going to guarantee it snaps at you. I mean, I'd do the same if some random smacked me on the head.

Fault on both sides, though it could be argued a dog on a 1.5m lead is not under control. The parent should have taught their child not to approach strangers dogs and your friend should have had the dog on a short lead.

The child shouldn't have touched the dog. The dog shouldn't have been on a long lead.

Both parents and owners at fault.
The girl should have been taught to ask permission and how to stroke an animal safely. The owner shouldn't have a dog on a long leash on a narrow path. So an accident happened. Accidents happen. The aftermath could have been handled better ...
Your friend should have apologised for the dog, explained he was startled, and asked if the girl was OK. Advise to ask before petting. Say they will keep dog on shorter leash in path in future.
The parents should have apologised for their child startling the dog, a d been understanding, not following people about the park shouting.

Both.

Dog needs muzzling now as it has bitten once.

1.5m is not a long lead
Child should have been on a lead if it's likely to smack pat random dogs.

Yes most parents ask if their child can stroke my dog before they go near her. If a child runs up to my dog I would usually move her out of the way and tell them she doesn’t like children. Just because I think it’s rude and children need to be aware not all dogs are friendly.