4-Year-Old Girl Attacked by Dog at Carlsbad Restaurant

[SHRED]

I noticed here in California a few years ago many business became what they call "dog friendly".
My initial reaction was that's kind of neat until I thought about the risk that incurs. I wondered why any business would take this risk and why any insurance company would cover this risk of having a dog on their client's premises?

Years ago my daughter was babysitting a dog. She was renting a house from my mom. That dog bit someone across town, a claim was filed, and my mom's homeowners insurance dropped her and she went a few years without being able to find insurance.

If I owned a business or was a landlord I would not allow dogs. Too much risk.
Especially eating establishments where dogs plus food can lead to disaster.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/4-Year-Old-Girl-Attacked-by-Dog-at-Carlsbad-Restaurant--443497093.html

[uppityperson]

1. Big mistake is to leave your dog with strangers in a strange place.

[milestogo]

2. The risk of getting bitten by a dog is actually pretty low

but they don't belong in grocery stores or restaurants.

[scarytomcat]

21. I'm not sure they belong in a city either

People with yards and fences maybe (it may not be real fair to dogs to be locked in) but not in apartments where they use someone else's property to take a dump and pee. I have been chased more times than I can count by dogs (while riding my bicycle) that are just let out to run the neighborhood or from owners with broke down fences. I once saw my neighbors dogs (3) barking and circling the 90 something year old women in the next block that likes to go for walks around the neighborhood. She was terrified.
Restaurants around here where I now live have outdoor seating and encourage dogs with water bowls. This area is almost all apartment. I understand that a lot of these dogs spend the day in a crate while their owners are at work because they destroy everything.

[milestogo]

38. Your view is pretty distorted and extreme.

I live in an apartment in a city with my dog. I walk him on a leash 3x daily - about 4 miles. When he poops I pick it up. He goes to dog day care 3 times a week. He is friendly to people and other dogs. On the days he is not in daycare he is free in my apartment, where he doesn't bark and doesn't destroy anything.

There are leash laws just about everywhere. There was someone in my building who walked his dog off leash. I reported it to the landlord and now they walk the dog on a leash.

If I saw a dog running loose I would call animal control or the police.

Dogs can be good citizens if their humans are.

[scarytomcat]

54. sounds like you are responsible but many are not

Many cyclist have been injured by dogs chasing them and crashing into them.
Do you use other people's property to let you animal do his business? Or does your apartment provide an area? Have you noticed the damage done from dog pee to plants and lawn? Do respect others property?

[Drahthaardogs]

78. I live in the country and cyclists often take rides out here

They are not the paragon of private property rights either. The mountain bikes, 4 -wheelers, and motocross guys only care about themselves too. I'm sure you have seen what the bikers are doing to Moab.

An idiot is an idiot. Doesn't matter if he rides a bike or owns a dog. Some people suck. That is all.

[elehhhhna]

55. You prove your own point and seem ti be the exception.

I can't comment on dogs running loose bc we adopted a criminal outlaw one-year-plus street-living hobo AussiePoodle who is nicknamed el chapo. He can escape. He lives for it. He plots. He is devious and diabolical. And cute as hell.

[SharonClark]

67. You need to call Animal Control, your City Council, and local news

it is probably illegal to let dogs run loose. Make it an issue.

[scarytomcat]

83. I have called animal control many times

was on a first name basis, little help
police are no better, they have important things to do
i have made an issue here were I live now and it has gotten better
but private property should be respected and to get back to original theme dogs bite and can be dangerous
you should never approach or pet a dog you do not know... ever. Teach your children.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

3. I never allow kids faces anywhere near my dog's face.

Too much risk. Too much potential lasting damage.

My dog will be 15 in the spring and has never bitten anyone until recently she snapped at my mother in law. Didn't break skin through the sweater. Just scared her. The MIL was watching her for us and tried to clean her feet after being outside in the rain.

Our girl has never liked her hind paws touched by strangers. To make matters worse she just had her nails clipped and the back dew claw split -- it was a bloody painful mess.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. I find it annoying and frustrating that most dog owners

think that everyone else of course loves their dog. Guess what? Not all of us do.

[mythology]

20. I find the same thing to be true about other people's kids

Can I get them banned from public places?

[The_jackalope]

22. That.

</curmudgeon>

[DrDan]

25. and off your yard . . . blasted kids

[PoliticAverse]

30. No, but you can keep them off your lawn. n/t

[hamsterjill]

34. I'd have to agree.

Only in my case with my age, it's now their grandkids.

[Loki Liesmith]

35. Nope. Because kids are legal persons

Dogs are property.

[BannonsLiver]

37. Zing! + 1,0000!

Most children are annoying.

BTW, to those who don't get out much, or don't travel to other countries, you can bring your pup into most pubs in the UK, especially those outside of the big cities. Have seen it a million times and there's never been a problem. Americans have a lot of hangups.

[cwydro]

68. In Germany also.

Saw them in bars and in departments stores of all places lol.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

44. Yeah, because the kids bark and bite.

I have no problem with parents if ill-behaving children being asked to leave a restaurant, but keeping in mind that you were yourself a little kid at some point in the past, I find the children bashing to be offensive. Yeah, offensive.

I have a friend who, despite having raised a child of her own, will respond with extreme annoyance at the most normal of kid behaviors. We don't get together all that often, but the next time it happens I'm going to confront her about it.

So, if I have to put up with other peoples' dogs in restaurants, then you can put up with other peoples' kids.

[BannonsLiver]

46. It's never been more true

[BlancheSplanchnik]

66. ⭐️👍🏾⭐️

Real sick of self-righteous pronatalism.

Thanks for the overpopulation, breeders.

[sharedvalues]

80. No. America needs more kids, not fewer.

Birth rate is nearly below replacement in the West. We need more kids. And more "breeders".

[BlancheSplanchnik]

82. Overpopulation is global.

Everyone, everywhere needs to limit family size.
We're headed for over ten billion worldwide by 2030.

Comfortable carrying capacity, including human activities, livestock and necessary habitat for wildlife is around 3 billion, according to a college environmental studies course I was involved in, not too long ago, in my professional role at work.

When people pine for the old days, they're yearning for a time when there were drastically fewer people, more space per person, and much much more beautiful wild land.

[elehhhhna]

56. Probably yes, if they bite you in the face

[Major Nikon]

39. In this case it wasn't the dog owners

The kids parents encouraged the girl to pet the dog.

[CentralMass]

5. Was the breed of the dog mentioned ?

[Doreen]

6. Why does that matter?

[uppityperson]

7. Not that it matters, but yes. Collie-Shepherd mix

http://www.10news.com/news/dog-attacks-little-girl-at-carlsbad-restaurant

[Codeine]

8. Collie-shepherd mix. nt

[grossproffit]

48. Thankfully, it wasn't a Pit bull. Owners like this (of the dog, not the child) anger the hell out of

me. Sad for the young girl and the restaurant.

[elehhhhna]

57. Collies and Shepard s aren't easily managed dogs, either.

[CentralMass]

71. German shepards can be hard to predict. I've known a few gentle giants but

have known a few real agressive ones. I'm not that familiar with collies.

[Docreed2003]

79. When I was about three, we went to a party at the home of my parent's friends

They had a German Shephard and I vividly remember playing with the dog and loving on the dog. At some point in the party, I walked back to the group of adults, and the Shephard grabbed my by the nape of the neck and pulled me away from the crowd. She didn't hurt me or break my skin, I think it was her instinct to "protect me".

[CentralMass]

81. I'll bet you are probably right. We had friens who owned a large femake German Shepard..

They lived some distance away so we visted infrequently. We had a small dog, a cockerpoo, that we would bring and rhe two got along really well despite tre size disparity. They had a large fenced in yard. We left our dogs favorite toy there when we left by mistake. It was a rubber duck. Our next visit was a year or two later and as we entered their back yard the second their shepard saw our dog she ran across the yard to her spot and came back with our dogs toy and brought it to him..

[ProudLib72]

9. The other day, my wife and I were walking our dogs

This little kid, maybe seven, came up and asked if he could pet my dog. I told him yes. He reached out to pet her, but she backed away scared. The little boy knew instantly that she was scared and said so. He didn't try petting her anymore.

I mention this because, in hindsight, that boy was very dog smart. Maybe his parents trained him well, or maybe he learned it by being exposed to a lot of dogs. Whatever the case, I was impressed. I am also glad. I know my dogs, but I can't be 100% sure of the way they will react to new people. I would never just trust my dogs to be left alone with a stranger, especially a child.

Edit: Before someone reads this as blaming the victim, my point is twofold. First, small children usually do not know how to "read" dogs. This is not their fault, nor is it the fault of the parents. It's just a fact. Add to that the fact that a small child looks different from an adult to a dog. The dog might be confused or scared. The second point is that, in knowing this about children and dogs, it was exceedingly stupid for the owner to just walk away.

[Major Nikon]

43. Regardless of how smart they are, some dogs just don't like kids

I think it's just a bad idea for a child to pet a strange dog because you just don't know how they are going to react. We take one of our dogs out in public all the time and I get numerous requests from parents to let their kids pet her because from all appearances she is a very lovable dog. I allow it because I know she has never shown any aggression towards children, but I still wonder how smart it is for the parents to encourage it. I once had another dog that looked every bit as lovable, but was sometimes aggressive towards children. As such we rarely took him out to places where there were other people.

[ProudLib72]

50. The other thing about my dog is that she bounces

She jumps up and tries to lick people's faces. She has broken my wife's glasses. She also darted in front of my bike while I was riding at a decent clip. She knocked my front wheel 90 degrees, I went down, and I broke my back. She's a delightful dog, but she is powerful. I can see her jumping on a little kid and knocking him or her down. That would not be good.

My other dog is part cattle dog part border collie. He nips at heels. People's, other dogs, cattle, it doesn't matter if it has heels. Plus he is a nervous mess and gets excited quickly. So if a kid were to approach him and get him excited, who knows what he would do.

If someone wants to pet my dogs, I warn them about the cattle dog/border collie. I hold the other one tightly so she can't jump up. Sure, they are nice dogs, but they have emotions and thoughts that make them somewhat unpredictable.

[Major Nikon]

53. I've had border collies for decades

My kids were raised around them, but they aren't the best dogs around children. Even if they aren't aggressive, those with strong herding instincts can try to herd children, often with bad results.

My current border collie herds my toddler nephew, but doesn't nip at his heels or frighten him. It's kind of handy because we can use her to retrieve him if he strays too far.

[Impeach Trump]

60. Thanks for reminding me of a Collie I once had who delighted in "herding" kids.

Worked at a shop that had a petting area in the back where I would sometimes keep my dog as I worked and one day I heard a bunch o kids giggling with glee and excited yips from my collie. When I got to the petting area she was zipping back and forth using her long snout and wet nose to keep roughly half a dozen kids in a corner of the room.

[TeamPooka]

10. My dog is better behaved in the restaurants we eat at than most children there.

And she is great with kids, adults, and other dogs.
8.5 years ago we rescued her from a public shelter in Los Angeles.
A black Whippet/Labrador mix with the sweetest disposition and beautiful lines.
Only thing she doesn't like are fireworks and thunderstorms.
She's 10 now, welcome in many businesses along her sidewalks.
She thinks she's the Mayor of our seaport town.
She is a rare gem of a dog.

[SHRED]

13. I think most dogs are not a problem

Only takes one as what happened here.

I still don't understand why people can't leave their dogs at home or in the car when they go out to eat or shop.

[samnsara]

32. NO!! DONT SAY CAR!! plzzzzzzz

[SHRED]

42. Really?

I was giving people the benefit of the doubt that they would be smart enough to not do this on a hot day.

[elehhhhna]

58. She'd a wise mature ladydog. Of course she behaves.

[Bayard]

11. Sounds like a fear bite

A lot of little kids don't understand they can't just walk up and start hugging a strange dog like they would a teddy bear. Even normally friendly dogs can get freaked out by that. I recently had my 120 pound Great Pyrenees at the vet's office. Two little girls in the waiting room asked if they could pet him. I said sure. Petting him quickly progressed to hugging him, and then laying on him. As usual, my guy continued to look stoically noble, but my other Great Pyr would have freaked out.

[LisaL]

52. Per the story, owner of the dog encouraged the kid to pet the dog.

[CentralMass]

72. I wonder if it was related to a food trigger.Dogs can get territorial around food.

[nini]

12. I was eating outside at a restaraunt once

The table next to us had a sweet German Shepard. The dog stood up and shook like thaey do when they're wet. hair went everywhere including our plates and glasses. I completely lost my appetite.

Thats when i changed my mind about dogs being around food establshments. Service dogs are trained and not a problem. That was nothing compared to the issues of biting.

[SHRED]

14. Ugh

That sounds disgusting.

[NBachers]

15. Sorry- dogs do not belong in restaurants or grocery stores, no matter how special their owners are.

[BannonsLiver]

41. The Brits don't have much of a problem with it.

Why do Americans have so many odd hangups?

[elehhhhna]

59. I know, we really need to get over our hang up about children getting bit in the face

[BannonsLiver]

65. It's so interesting the difference in cultures.

Lots and lots of melodrama over this one. I sure hope someone will keep Britains children safe from all the menacing hounds skulking about the pubs.

[DrDan]

16. absolutely agree - it's really pretty sad to see folks who have to take their dogs to

Last edited Fri Sep 15, 2017, 10:26 AM - Edit history (2)

the grocery stores, on airplanes, to restaurants, to hardware stores. Service dogs that perform a task relative to a physical impairment are certainly different.

I guess the dogs are bringing them the attention they seek.

[scarytomcat]

23. the line has been blurred with respect to service dogs

people can now claim the animal is a service dog if it provides emotional support. No special training just have to say it gives me comfort. This is crazy.

[DrDan]

24. you got that right . . .

[SHRED]

28. I thought there was a registration process?

[CottonBear]

31. In my city, the emotionally ill owner doesn't have to have any ID for the dog in public places.

It's mostly a scam so that college students can keep their pets in no pets allowed apartments and condos in the college town where I live.

[Expecting Rain]

45. Nope. There are a bunch of scam on-line websites that will "register" dogs and then send out...

official looking paperwork (and even vests) for a fee, but these registrations have no legitimacy.

At this point, if a person claims a dog is a "service dog," businesses have to play along.

[Warren DeMontague]

17. poor little girl.

[Codeine]

18. Nobody wants your smelly-ass, hair-shedding,

butt-slurping animal around their food. Leave your dog at home, you attention-starved narcissists.

[doodsaq]

19. Plus, there are people allergic to dogs. Does that cross their minds?

The dog owners who think it's just fine to bring their animals into an enclosed public space without consideration for people who suffer from dander allergies are the equivalent of Republicans who can't put themselves in other people's shoes. Assholes.

[JustAnotherGen]

26. Ut oh

I once went there with 'cats on planes'. Be careful - human allergies are always always always 'outranked' by Cats in some quarters.

[JustAnotherGen]

27. I love my Uncle Ruckus

1 year old Maltese. Love him. He owns my ass.

But I go to restaurants to get away from his 'mesmerizing' eyes. There's no need to bring your dog to a restaurant.

[samnsara]

29. if a dog bites its the owners fault not the dogs...jmtcw..

[Skidmore]

33. Thank you.

When I was about 5, I was attacked by a dog. Over six decades later, I am still fearful around them whether owners are present or not. I understand that people love their pet, but some do not seem to be mindful of the fact that not all others share their comfort level.I get tired of hearing about how animals bred to guard are all sweethearts. Not all of them are.

[hamsterjill]

36. The owner should never have walked away.

My bet is that the kid did something to the dog. Even so, the kid doesn't deserve to be attacked.

But I am in animal rescue and I don't know HOW many times I've seen people bring unruly children to adoption events. The kids go through running and screaming and poking and prodding and picking up animals WITHOUT permission. The same unruly children have never been taught how to properly pick up a dog or cat, and they certainly haven't been taught about respect. Until they meet me because I won't tolerate any kid teasing or mistreating an animal.

I'm not saying that this was the case in this instance as the article is clear that the children had permission to pet the dog, etc. But even having given permission, it's up to the dog owner to make sure the situation does not get out of hand.

I have no issue with dogs anywhere, but I can understand how some people would not want to have them in places where food is served. I don't think that dogs plus food necessarily will lead to disaster in the majority of cases, however. The issue is always going to be about someone being in control of the situation. Dog personalities are as many and varied as human personalities. Some are good in crowded areas; some are not. Some are good with children; some are not. Some are good with children some of the time, but not all of the time.

[lillypaddle]

47. My dog

is an elderly rescue, and is a nice dog in general, but doesn't seem to like kids and their sudden moves and screeches. I hate it when kids run up to her when we're outside and start trying to pet the "doggie" - often before I can explain that, no, she isn't particularly friendly. I never know what she will do if a kid gets in her face.

Same thing, really, with other dogs. Don't automatically assume my dog wants to visit with your dog.

[elehhhhna]

61. So your dog is basically me?

Snort

[lillypaddle]

75. Who's a good dog?

[ileus]

49. My vet come to our house for a house call with her 2yo boy.

While she was in her trunk getting her bag out for our GSD her kid showed up out of nowhere. I hadn't seen her take him out of his car seat and put him down in the driveway until our Shepherd was nose to nose with the first infant he'd ever encountered.

Now I have zero proof that our boy was going to attack the child, but I know his prey drive kicks in on anything eye level and below so I wasn't gonna take any chances. I scooped up the kid in a hot minute, without a word and carried him off. LOL....I later apologized to her for grabbing up her kid and explained I didn't know how Jax was gonna react. Better safe than a dead 2yo...dog owners have to start being honest with themselves instead of "what was that child/man/woman" doing to cause the attack" I know I sure am.

A dog thrown into a strange situation is sometimes unreliable. Just because your dog hasn't attacked anything before, doesn't mean it won't chow down on the neighbor, neighbors child, neighbors cat, dog, Deer, Bear, Turkey, Cow, Goat, or anything else.

Some dogs are hard to socialize...

[WhiteTara]

51. My elk hound/Akita mix went with me everywhere

everyone loved him and he loved almost everyone he met. He did chase a man away from our house one day, but that was his only aggressive move. We lived together for almost 20 years and I still miss him although he has been gone for almost that long.

[elehhhhna]

62. Jake Two Times was as our elkhound

Stubborn. Smart. Would wink and twirl on command and herded our toddlers away from the stairs.

Fine fine dog.

If we weren't near Houston we'd have another. Too hot here. Fabulous breed. Beautiful dog.




Now we have a Carolina Dog and the above mentioned el chapo - a gangsters poodle Aussie mix. So, to recap: an American Dingo and a spare dog with AU dingo DNA. Pray for us.

[WhiteTara]

63. Sounds like a lively household!

[elehhhhna]

64. Our white Siamese cat sat three steps down to the basement and taunted him

...for YEARS!

He wouldn't put a foot down the stairs after he and I flew down in a panic while a tornado was coming...when he was 4 months old.

[luvMIdog]

69. My daughter was bitten in the face as a child

Many years ago we were friends with what we thought were nice people who had kids the same ages as our kids. We were all invited over to their house one Saturday. They had a German shepherd in the back yard. The lady kept trying to send my kids out into the back yard where the dog was. I told her I did not feel safe sending my kids out in the yard with that big dog. She said " Oh don't be silly he's harmless the neighborhood kids are all over here playing with him all the time!" Then she sent my kids out into the yard. My beautiful daughter had not been out there more than 5 minutes before she came running in. The dog had just walked up to her without barking or growling and bit her in the face. The next door lady saw it happen and came over to see if my daughter was okay. I can't tell you how shocking it was to hear my 'friend' say to her neighbor lady " Well, we told them not to let their kids out into our yard because the dog was out there." She had immediately begun to lie and cover her ass. My beautiful daughter had a permanent scar upon her lovely face that would remain because it was deep. Thank goodness he didn't get an eye. When a pet does do something many pet owners like the above mentioned have no honor, conscience, or sense of accountability.
Yes everything is all hunky dory much of the time between people and pets. There are however pets with mental issues just like there are people with mental issues. Feral dogs also pack up and get pack mentality which can be dangerous. I would not as a business owner allow pets into my place because of the responsibility that carries if something does happen.
I also went to school with a girl who had a dog bite her and he drug his tooth from her forehead to her chin. She had a deep zig zag scar going down and across the entire length of her face. Getting dog bit in the face is not a small matter to the person that was bitten. One must simply ask themselves how much cash do they think would be a fair recompense for their own scarred face? And just know much of the time the bitten person gets zilch, nada, nothing for their bite and medical bills.
I adore my dog. I love her to death. Do I expect everyone else to want to dine with my pooch? No. People have allergies, people have animal phobias. etc etc

[SHRED]

70. Wow

I know of many similar stories.
Sorry that happened.

[JustAnotherGen]

76. I had an ex boyfriend

That was mauled by a black lab when he was 4. 12 plastic surgeries as a kid. He couldn't have sat in a restaurant with a dog.

And I was bit on the butt by one of my grandma's cocker spaniels. I have zero "fear" of Rotts, German Shepherds (had one as a kid), or Pitts.

I'm terrified by cocker spaniels.

[CentralMass]

73. Food aggression ?

https://www.cesarsway.com/dog-behavior/food-aggressive/food-aggression-and-what-to-do-about-it
"Food aggression is a form of resource guarding in which a dog becomes very defensive when eating, using threats to force others away. It can be directed towards other animals, humans, or both. The behavior can also extend to treats.
There are three degrees of food aggression:
Mild: the dog growls and may show its teeth.
Moderate: the dog snaps or lunges when approached.
Severe: the dog bites.
While it’s easy to assume that all cases of food aggression are a show of dominance, this isn’t necessarily the case. In a dog pack, the alpha dogs always eat first after a successful hunt, and then the other dogs get what’s left according to their pack position.
For an alpha dog, showing food aggression is a form of dominance, but for dogs with a lower pack position, it can be a sign of anxiety or fearfulness. Remember, in the wild, dogs never know where or when their next meal will be, so it’s very instinctual for them to gobble up whatever food there is whenever they have it — and to protect it from anything that approaches."

[Not Ruth]

77. My nephew just got bitten by a dog for the 3rd time in his short life

All 20+ stitches in different parts of the face. All different, well trained, loving dogs. Some people just seem to get bit. At this point, it has got to be all his fault.