Thaindian News

May 31 (THAINDIAN NEWS) A five year old girl in Northampton has suffered facial injuries from the family pet, an American Bulldog. She was taken to the hospital along with her stepfather after he sustained injuries to his arms while trying to wrestle the dog away from the girl. Police statements confirmed that neither of them had sustained any life threatening injuries.

Five year old Tanisha Hall was attacked by the dog around 7 pm on Sunday in the Hanemill Court home. The police detained the dog, and it was “humanely” put to sleep by authorities on Monday. Neighbors expressed their disbelief that the bouncy and happy five year old had experienced this horrible event. The pretty blonde girl is a student at Bellinge Primary School. It is unclear what, if anything triggered the dog’s attack.

Although bulldog breeds can be very protective and loving family pets, they carry with them great responsibility. Since these animals can be unpredictable when they feel threatened or become angry in any way, it is of utmost importance that they are owned by someone with a firm hand. Here are some safety tips for those who own bulldogs.

• KNOW YOUR DOG!
• Never allow your dog to roam free. Always keep him on a leash when he is outside the home.
• Never take him to a dog park, or place where he will come into contact with other dogs or small children while off his leash.
• Obedience classes are a good idea, but if you choose to opt out, be sure that you are aware of how to properly train a bulldog to obey. You must be the dominant in your home, not the dog!
• Do socialize your bulldog while he is small. A dog which has been raised on a chain, or locked away from people will always be dangerous, no matter the breed.
• Know where your bulldog is at all times.
• Exercise is a must! Dogs who are trapped inside, penned up, or on a chain will have more pent up aggression from lack of exercise.
• Understand that bulldogs can be aggressive. This is how they were bred to be. Never leave them unsupervised with kids, other other dogs, and never allow them to run up to kids or other dogs. The opposite is also true, never allow kids or other dogs to run up to your bulldog. Bulldogs are often like ‘kids’ and it takes responsible ‘parents’ to raise them. When they are angered, they will fight just like siblings, however, when this occurs with a dog it is much more dangerous than with other children.

Most importantly remember that although bulldogs are known to be dangerous, any large breed dog can turn vicious if not properly trained and handled. In 2008, a 2 month old baby was killed by the family’s Labrador puppy. Many dog activists try and persuade citizens that these dogs are not dangerous, and that they can ‘grow up’ with your kids. While this is true for some cases, one must always be responsible around dogs and kids. Recently, a pit bull saved a woman from being kidnapped, when a man tried to drag her into her car. Her dog, who she luckily had with her attacked the man and he ran off. He was caught later by police. In another recent headline, a woman was dragged from her burning home by her 2 bulldogs. In some cases these can be very good family pets, and in others, they are too aggressive. This is why safety tip number one is KNOW YOUR DOG.