Another child bitten by a dog! Why do dogs attack children?

“Three-year-old child bitten by a dog!”, “A pet attacked a child”, “Nobody expected a quadrupedal attack” – these are the headlines of the articles that can be read on almost every news portal. A badly bitten child who will have an ugly souvenir – and trauma – for the rest of his life. And the pooch who will be put to sleep. This is how often similar situations end. However, each of these events could have been prevented. Just a bit of sober thinking and a bit … respect for the animal.

A child bitten by a dog – how did it come about?

Many dog ​​owners love their pets and treat them as real family members. And rightly so! However, we are not always fully aware of how our pet really works. Growling, snapping and biting are natural behaviors for every dog. Especially when the dog is brought to the end with our persistent, irritating behavior. Canine patience, as well as human, has its limits … In which, unfortunately, lead small children.

bitten by a dog
photo: Shutterstock

In many cases, when a clearly annoying child is bitten by a dog, among parents’ comments we will find statements defending the child’s behavior. “A good dog will never bite a child”, “an attack is only the dog’s fault” or “do not overdo it, children behave like that” – these are just some comments that show disrespect for the animal! The same parents often upload to the Internet movies and photos showing their children riding or lying on the dog, pulling them by the ears or even jumping on the stomach of the animal. They praise how calm and loving a dog they have. However, all by the time …

Dogs are not people. They don’t use human logic and moral principles. And it has nothing to do with being good or bad. If it was someone who would beat you, pull him, pinch and scratch you, you would eventually react to it. Dogs can’t say “stop it hurting me” – they can leave, bark and bite. Such behavior may accidentally or intentionally harm your child. It doesn’t matter how many times the dog has endured something like this. At any time, it may not last. You can’t teach a child that a dog is a punching bag. It is not right either for a child who can be bitten or for a dog who will be put to sleep later – dunlaoghairek9 writes on his Instagram.

bitten by a dog
photo: Shutterstock

That the child would not be bitten by a dog

Adults are responsible for the safety of the dog and the child. It is they who should supervise the behavior of the dog and the toddler and teach appropriate behavior.

First of all, teach your child that a dog is not a toy. Any interaction of the child with the dog should be supervised. Parents should show their child how to treat a dog, how to play with it and spend time together. Also tell your child that the dog does not like being accosted when eating or sleeping and that it can make him very angry – advises behaviorist Vida Radzeviciene for Bored Panda.

Learning to respect animals, not letting your child hurt the dog, and not leaving him alone with the dog is the responsibility of every parent. The vast majority of pet pets that hurt a small family member experience a lot of harm from a child, and their aggression is only a form of defense. It is worth providing a safe shelter or separate room for every dog ​​living with a child, which the toddler will not have access to!

Pictures illustrating this text show children handling dogs improperly. In the photographs we see stressed dogs who have been forced to adopt such and not other positions, are immobilized under the weight of children and cannot leave this very uncomfortable situation for them. It is from such – seemingly harmless – situations that begin and end with bites …

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