Dogs and kids

I’m sorry, I cannot – damnit, will not! Hold my tongue any longer.

Earlier this year a young child (unsupervised, and the very crux of my argument) approached two dogs chained in their garden.

He, or she, I can’t remember, was attacked and badly mauled.

More recently, a four year old infant was mauled and tragically killed by another group of dogs in their back garden.

The concerned parties expressed outrage, laced with a healthy dose of sanctimony, the owner showed the appropriate contrition, and the animals were put down.

Now, let’s just look at the facts as I see them (and if they’re incorrect, I’ll stand corrected).

A four year old infant, what my dear old mother would refer to as ‘barely out of nappies’, ‘got out’ , much like a dog ‘getting out’, and proceeded to wander about – on her own –. She went through two gates (maybe we can jail the owner for not having them locked) and…get this – a six foot (two metres) fence, into the garden housing the group of dogs. (two – four of, at least one chained in its own back yard). The infant approached the animals and was mauled to death.

Who’s responsible? The infant? Don’t see how. She’s only four. Her young brain hasn’t developed enough to grasp that dogs don’t enjoy being ridden on, stood on, ears pulled, kicked, punched, and treated like a punchbag. She can’t know that all dogs, no matter how docile will inevitably snap with extended times of such treatment. (Adults, however, do!)

What about the owner of the devils spawn – sorry, dogs. He had his animals sequestered in his back garden behind two gates and a six foot fence with one dog chained up. What more could one reasonably expect him to do?

The dogs as I’ve already explained, where just being driven by the greater force of nature, they don’t know any better either – they’re just dogs after all.

No, I’m afraid there is only one person responsible for this saddening event (two actually) – the parents. Where…the hell… were they, while their…baby, let that sink it…baby, was wandering alone out of sight. A four year old child should never be out of their parents’ sight. At the very least not outside the homes boundary – especially knowing that next door lay the threat of this occurrence. As horror and grief-stricken the parents must be, I’m afraid that’s where the responsibility lies. You are ultimately responsible for your child – no-one else.

This happened, purely and simply because you weren’t supervising your daughter. If you had’ve been, this wouldn’t have happened, would it? How, for example, do you see it happening if you were with the child?

In the name of all that’s good and holy, don’t ever let an infant (or young child, for that matter) near a dog (especially one chained up)…period actually, but at least not unsupervised.