|
Dog Attacks: Part I
Children are getting bitten, dogs are being put down, and families are fighting over the emotional situations. Reporter: Erin LoganEmail Address: erin.logan@wndu.com |
|
Children are getting bitten, dogs are being put down, and families are fighting over the emotional situations.
When we introduced you to baby Bridgette who was bitten by her grandmother's dog Shiba, more than 100 people emailed us.
They wanted to know if this could this situation have been prevented and if euthanizing Shiba was the best decision?
Since then, we've talked to other families in similar situations and asked the experts for advice.
So far this year alone, about 330 dog bites have been reported by the Humane Society in Elkhart County and about 230 reported by St. Joe County. This is clearly starting to become a regular occurrence in Michiana--an occurrence they say should rarely be happening.
Now, we introduce you to four year -old Kade Lambert who's spent the last year in and out of the hospital after a dog, mauled off half his face.
He’s playing outdoors in the summer with his sister and his dog--life is good for Kade.
This was not the case one year ago. Surgery and suffering were part of his daily routine.
He says, “I petted it and it bit me.”
He's talking about a confrontation with a Border Collie dog he met at a friend's barbeque with his dad. When his mom, Miranda, showed up at the hospital, she was in for a rude awakening.
She says, “They showed me that one side of his face was bitten—the cheek, nose, and lip. I didn't see it. It must have been hanging down, but it was totally gone.”
He's had some major surgery done and still at times has trouble breathing.
Miranda Lambert says, “The dog had never been introduced to children so I think maybe that had something to do with it and Kade, well, he's a rowdy boy.”
Kids and dogs not meshing well or meeting without proper introduction is the topic of conversation at the St. Joe County Humane Society. Dr. Carol Ecker was upset to hear that the owners decided to euthanize the dog that bit Kade. She says that dog, many of the dogs at the humane society, and kids like Kade are constantly victims.
She says bottom line--lack of responsibility.
Dr. Ecker says, “First of all, the people who had the party should have put the dog away. When you have a public setting like that you can’t let those dogs loose.”
She says kids are provoking dogs and dogs are provoking kids. Both need their own personal space. Kids don't like unusual approach or being bothered while they eat and neither do dogs
Ecker says, “That dog is going to respond the only way it knows how and that is to bite.”
Lambert says her son's experience should be a wake-up call to all adults with kids, pets, and those like her who have both.
She says, “Watch your dogs with your kids. They don't mix by themselves. It's been very hard to see your baby with a big scar across his face. It's hard.”
Lambert says Kade is very comfortable around his own dogs, but sometimes jumps a little when he hears other dogs barking.
So, is a child like Kade too young to have a dog at home? How do you know what dog is appropriate for your home?
Wednesday night--different ideas from different humane society directors.
Plus, a family who says they're ready to take on this responsibility.
- Young girls walk in on four people having sex in restaurant bathroom
- Mike Hoffman's Winter Weather Prediction for 2009-2010
- Sen. Lugar’s wife charged with hit and run, DWI
- Topeka police officer arrested on drug charges
- St. Joe Med Center emergency room to close in December
- Driver who ran over two young girls gets days in jail for sentence
- Officials calling overnight house fire in South Bend suspicious
- UPDATE: Fire at Edwardsburg restaurant ruled as arson
- Rochester Police find over 700 marijuana plants in home
- RV supplier diversifies, finds success
- Sen. Lugar’s wife charged with hit and run, DWI
53 Comments - Driver who ran over two young girls gets days in jail for sentence
52 Comments - Weis doesn't think a decision on his future has been made
30 Comments - S.B. Airport to expand despite fewer fliers
29 Comments - Breast cancer report sparking controversy in Michiana
22 Comments - South Bend officers facing suspension get hearings
21 Comments










