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Status:
"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 4 days ago)
35,613 posts, read 17,940,183 times
Reputation: 50640
Well, there's nothing in the story about removing the dog from the home; rather, designating it a "dangerous animal", and then other things come in to play - the dog can't bite again, can't run loose in public, etc.
When a family's pet is inside its own home and a child is inside the home of where that pet lives and is bit, then the code says you cannot deem the creature a dangerous animal," Commander Deaton said.
Contrasting this with Austin, nearby, a dog in a home who bites someone gets one warning before legal action is taken. I have a friend who was keeping her daughter's freaky little dog, when a plumber came to the house and was bitten in the leg. The plumber reported it (although he didn't need stitches, the dog was then just subject to quarantine) and Animal Control came out, met with the family, and said the dog was now deemed "dangerous".
If local law/regulation doesn't happen to be written so it provides a mechanism for removing the dog the police can't do anything more than they have. Authorities have to uphold existing law, they can't mold it to suit every single situation. To change law someone would have to petition through the courts. If there's enough outrage, it happens.
The article doesn't say whether there has to be more than one bite before the dog must be removed/kenneled/chained or not. It's common to have a progressive scale such as 1st bite, second bite, third, etc. The article doesn't say anything about what was going on at that moment to provoke the dog, just a vague sentence. Doesn't say who witnessed the whole thing. I am not saying it's acceptable for a dog to bite someone, just that there could have been extenuating circumstances. Get "in the face" of a dog that doesn't know you you can be bitten. The dog could have given a lot of warning but no one, especially a kid that young was not reading it. It comes down to hearsay...the dog was not provoked, the dog was provoked. Its obvious who is going to say which.
IMO the girl's parents might have more recourse going after the dog owners' homeowner's insurance. Not only for compensation but because the homeowner could get a huge premium hike or lose their coverage entirely UNLESS they remove the dog. Kind of hits them right where it hurts.
At the bottom of page 7, there is a section about how to lawfully keep a vicious pet - and one of the requirements is they have to be restrained from contact with other persons or animals. In other words, when the neighbor girl comes over, the dog is in the kennel.
Status:
"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 4 days ago)
35,613 posts, read 17,940,183 times
Reputation: 50640
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quietude
No one in these stories ever does anything to provoke or antagonize the dog. It's miraculous.
There were witnesses - the dad states he saw it, while he was talking to the neighbor (dog owner) so the dog owner saw it also, as well as the sister. I guess.
I would think if she were obviously provoking/abusing the dog, the owner and dad would have stopped her.
No one in these stories ever does anything to provoke or antagonize the dog. It's miraculous.
The girl in question is a seven-year old. Seven-year old's act like... well, like seven-year olds, because they're... well, seven years old.
People who own dogs and let their dogs mingle with children who are not fully developed and can be expected to act like normal children need to accept responsibility for their dogs. The adult, not the young child, needs to be the responsible one in such cases.
Also, the notion that the seven-year old 'provoked' this bite is mere speculation. What is not mere speculation is that some dog owner has a dog and that dog bit a young child.
Also, the notion that the seven-year old 'provoked' this bite is mere speculation. What is not mere speculation is that some dog owner has a dog and that dog bit a young child.
Never argued it. Merely noted that we never see an article like this that includes the slightest provocation by the food object. Odd how that is, having seen countless examples of someone teasing or challenging a strange (to them) dog with the apparent idea it's fun. I guess dogs never bite anyone when challenged or threatened, only when being completely, passively ignored.
At least, so the journalistic data would suggest.
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