Friend's dog bit a child, whose fault?

Bring your dog in, stand in front of him when kids are around. Do NOT trust parents to control their children. Your dog was not at fault.

totally the kids parents fault, the amount they kicked off shows they know it as well.

four is old enough to know better

I’ve seen people keep their dog away from people only for children to run up to them and touch them.

Also unless the parents learn to control their children it could be so much worse. Unfortunately you can’t cure stupid.

I'm not saying it's okay, but ultimately it is ALWAYS the dogs who pay the price when they react, and therefore as an owner the onus is on YOU to keep your dog safe. You can't rely on the public to do it for you.

Yes, kids are fast. Yes, they don't always listen - which is why you walk away, make space and tell them VERY clearly not to touch your dog. It's really not that difficult.

I’ve seen this too, I physically block, and when I hear the whining ‘I want to stroke the doggy’ I stand up and move away. Giving a clear message to parents. I won’t take the risk.

So have I, which is why you body block your dog and say NO very clearly - and I have never once had a child be able to touch any of the dogs I walk (unless with my permission).

Lack of impulse control is normal for young children. It develops, in some it takes longer than others. Parenting plays its part, as does general socialisation.

Absolutely. As a dog owner you HAVE to be prepared to do what it takes to protect your dog. Body block. Pick them up if it's possible etc.

Because a nip could easily turn into a bite
Not at all. If a dog nips as a startled reaction, they are no closer to actually biting. Otherwise, it's likely to be what they would have done in the first place. You have no idea how this dog would react under different circumstances.

If you can't tell the difference between a "child and an old man", you probably shouldn't be allowed out in public on your own
And you must have eyes behind your back! Anyway, the point remains that adults do have reactions as they are startled just like dog. I smacked my oh in the middle of the night when he kicked me. I don't intend on causing him serious bodily harm!

You are working with dogs and can't tell the difference between a startled and an aggressive dog?

I had the most placid, stoic, bomb proof Labrador on the planet, but I still would have pulled him in close if a child was approaching, both for his sake and the childs.

To me, both the dog owner and the childs parents are at fault here, but I’d put more responsibility on the dog owner.

There is a greater potential for a dog to seriously hurt a child than for a child to hurt a dog, so I think the onus is more heavily on the owner to make sure their dog is under control and able to cope safely with whatever situation it encounters.

Of course the parent should also have seen the dog ahead and brought their child closer, but as a dog owner I will ensure I am never in the situation where my dog is responsible for harming a child.

Someone near us was tripped up by a dog recently BTW and the police were incredibly interested and paid a visit to the owner of the out of control dog.

Sure, that happened. In one breath you say the police are too busy, and in the next your claim the police are hunting down dogs who...trip people?

Did you know pigs fly and the sky is yellow?

The dog should have been on a short lead in a narrow pathway with people coming in the other direction, then this might have been avoided. Your friend should have been more in control of the dog, I don't see how they could have been 1.5 metres in front.

The dog was fully under control, and my friend wasn't inattentive. The only uncontrolled element was the child who wasn't being supervised by the adults with them.

No, you've decided to link two totally different scenarios for some reason?

What I said was that the reason the police often "don't bother" with these things is that they have other things to be doing. That doesn't mean they never attend.

HTH.

Your friend's dog was out of control - 1.5 metres is too long a lead when walking near others. One must always anticipate that small kids could do sudden, random things.

Was walking with my friend and her dog once, and a child (must have been about 6 or 7 ish?) made a bee line for her dog. My friend told the kid no and put her dog behind her, but the kid really really wanted to pet the cute white fluffy doggy.

My friend actually held the child off the dog! As in actually hands on kids shoulders holding her back.

The mum went mental "don't touch my kid etc"

To which my friend replied "You've got two seconds to come and get your kid before I use the spare lead in my pocket to walk it over to you"

Mum was hella pissed.

I just stood there open mouthed. 🤣

Masterclass in advocating for your dog 🤣🤣🤣

I agree that as a dog owner, it is your responsibility to police the public, including children. It shouldn't be, and it isn't fair, but it is the way it is. You cannot rely on strangers to be sensible, and your responsibility is to keep your dog safe and keep things that it is afraid of, or that could hurt or startle it, at a safe distance.

I understand it's not easy. One of DD's chihuahuas is gorgeous. He is, without bias, the cutest dog you will ever set eyes on. He is also the canine embodiment of pure evil. What started as fear aggression ended as attention-seeking behaviour; he knows if he growls, snarls, or snaps at strangers, someone is likely to pick him up and hug him to remove his ability to bite the object of his rage.

Walking him during the summer holidays is hell. He is a child magnet. He also loves nothing more than causing fear and misery, and children are his preferred targets, not because he's scared of them, but because he knows he is more likely to be picked up to keep the children safe from his wrath. Parents think his warnings (snarling and growling) are funny and cute. They don't often warn their kids to stay away, no matter how much we beg them to.

As much as I'm tempted to let him bite people who intrude on his space, I don't, because I am responsible for keeping him safe, and that means not allowing the targets of his hatred to get close enough to him to be bitten.

If your dog "nips when startled" then it should be wearing a muzzle in public. The vast majority of dogs do not nip in that situation.

And obviously I meant I'd know the difference on turning around - because my instinct when I'm touched is not to immediately reach out and "smack" someone.

it also doesn't matter whether is dog is startled or aggressive if the outcome is the same. A dog who nips when scared should be in a muzzle. End of.

Ha, that's amazing. I have been known to put my hand out to keep a small child at bay before now but have never used the threat of lead yet 😂

it also doesn't matter whether is dog is startled or aggressive if the outcome is the same. A dog who nips when scared should be in a muzzle. End of
Well the law disagrees. If the dog nips and injure the child yes, otherwise no. For a child to have no injury or marks, it not even a nip, more like push. It's the unpredicted reaction and/or bark that would have scared them.

Also, it's your job to watch dogs when you walk them. If I'm in a park, having a conversation with a friend whilst my dog is peacefully sleeping next to me, then no, I don't expect to have a constant eye around my dog to make sure to jump in front of them quicker than the kid can touch it.

Parents do have to have control of their kids in public places too.

I don't like dogs at all, and frequently have words with inattentive dog owners.

But even I'm on the dog/owner's side in this case. Dog was on lead, didn't instigate the situation, and parents had failed to instil the lesson of 'always ask the owner before approaching a dog' lesson in their child.

A nip is the easiest way to learn what the parents didn't yet teach.

This.

Both parties are at fault.

So you train your kids not to touch dogs then you should train your dogs not to bite kids