Elaine Gasch Says She Warned Girl To Avoid Pit Bull

[Special2bme]

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HOMESTEAD, Pa. -- The owner of a pit bull in Homestead defended her dog Sunday after it attacked a 7-year-old neighbor.

Jenna Dunn has 40 stitches on her face after she pet Princess the dog last week. The dog's owner, Kelly Gasch, said she feels awful about what happened inside her home but added that she warned the little girl to stay away from the dog on the morning of the attack.

Gasch said it had become a routine for Jenna to come over to her house before school, WTAE Channel 4's Tara Edwards reported. But Thursday morning was a little different after Princess had just given birth to puppies.

"Jenna asked me to see the puppies multiple times. I told her no, she cannot see the puppies, she cannot go in my room, don't go upstairs, do not even play on my steps," Gasch said.

Gasch told WTAE Channel 4 Action News that while she was stuffing school supplies in her son's backpack, Jenna -- who has played with Princess often -- went into the bedroom with Gasch's son. According to her son, Jenna knelt down to play with one of the puppies, at which Princess became protective.

"Once I heard the dog and her scream, I ran up the steps and I grabbed her. I pushed the dog's face away and ran outside and ran across the street to her grandmother's home," Gasch said.

In addition to her stitches, Jenna may need plastic surgery.

"I feel terrible about everything that happened," Gasch said. "I was terribly upset."

Jenna's stepfather, Patrick Flynn, said last week he believes Princess should be put down.

"There's a lack of supervision somewhere along the line where the kids should have been supervised and also the dog. So, yeah, that would be a good assumption that that dog needs to be put down," Flynn said.

"We have had some past issues at this same address, dog-related, and our dog officer is on it and we will follow through with it," Homestead Police Chief Jeffrey DeSimone said last week.

A few years ago, Gasch had a pit bull mix that somehow got loose, and a neighbor, fearing for his safety, shot the dog. Gasch said that dog never bit anyone.

If police decide to euthanize Princess, Gasch and her mother, Elaine Gasch, said they have come to terms with that but believe she was just a mother looking out for her babies.

"The female might have reacted out of, you know, motherly instinct to protect the litter, but the bottom line is it happened," DeSimone said.

"My daughter's not a monster. We don't raise monsters," Elaine Gasch said.

Princess remained at the house Sunday pending a hearing to be scheduled, at which it could be determined that Princess could remain at the house under a list of stipulations rather than be euthanized.

I don't feel they should put the dog down because the dog was protecting her puppy. The mother apparently told the girl not to go upstairs into her room and she disobeyed her. I really feel terrible for this young girl especially that she will have to go through plastic surgery. This will be something she will probably have to go through many times and deal with for the rest of her life. But I do not feel the dog should be put down because of this. I pray for this young girl that she will be given the strength to get through any and all the surgeries she may have to go through and to heal. That's only if this woman is telling the complete truth. You never know if what they are saying is the truth.

[ohmarvellousme!]

I cant get to my thanks button, so THANK YOU.

I agree that if the owner is telling the whole truth, then it is wrong to put the dog down. She was protecting her babies, which is what mothers of any species should do. (a lesson most of the 'mothers' we read about on DD seem to have missed).

My heart goes out to the little girl though. Seven year old girls are drawn to puppies and kittens etc. She no doubt thought that as she has played with the pit on previous occasions, that it would be fine this time too.

I hope she has minimal scarring (preferably none, of course). But I dont think the dog deserves to be put down, going on the evidence in the article.

[ImNotLisa]

I don't see how they can put the dog down, since it didnt' run across the yard, or into the girls home, or chase her down... .etc... The girl was told NOT to go inside, repeatedly, and the dog did exactly what I'm sure the owner feared she would do... which is why she said NOT to go in there.

How can they euthanise a dog that didn't leave it's own home?

It's a shame this happened, but if the girl had done what she was told, nobody would be here discussing this right now.

[MichaelJCheaney]

That dog should not be put down.

If it is the only lesson the girl will learn will be....I can disobey adults all I want too, and there will be zero consequences for my actions.....

Screw that.

Perhaps Mom and Dad should have spent a little more time explaining to the girl that when an adult tells you not to do something you obey them because they know what they are talking about!

[Aslan]

"My daughter's not a monster. We don't raise monsters," Elaine Gasch said.

Apparently you don't raise dogs, either. Correctly, that is.
Way to be a great example, mom.

edit

That dog should not be put down.

I respectfully disagree with this (to a point, hear me out)

This dog is a product of her environment. She attacked a human being and mauled her face. God knows what could have happened here. Don't get me wrong, I think the dog owners who don't care for their pets properly should be the ones given the shot at the vet, it seems society disagrees.
That woman should never be allowed to own a pet again, I don't even care if it's a goldfish..no. Not allowed.

[CountJackula]

This dog is a product of her environment. She attacked a human being and mauled her face. God knows what could have happened here. Don't get me wrong, I think the dog owners who don't care for their pets properly should be the ones given the shot at the vet, it seems society disagrees.
That woman should never be allowed to own a pet again, I don't even care if it's a goldfish..no. Not allowed.

Yes, the dog is a product of her environment, HOWEVER, a dog is still an animal. Animal instinct is to protect their young.. Wouldn't you do the same??

[sanityslipping]

Apparently you don't raise dogs, either. Correctly, that is.
Way to be a great example, mom.

edit



I respectfully disagree with this (to a point, hear me out)

This dog is a product of her environment. She attacked a human being and mauled her face. God knows what could have happened here. Don't get me wrong, I think the dog owners who don't care for their pets properly should be the ones given the shot at the vet, it seems society disagrees.
That woman should never be allowed to own a pet again, I don't even care if it's a goldfish..no. Not allowed.

I respectfully disagree with you. When my beagle had puppies, they were several days old before we were able to get near them. Katie was as timid and sweet, cuddly affectionate, whatever term you want to use to describe an oh so lovable dog, that never even growled at anyone, until she had pups. The only person Katie let near the pups in the first couple days, was my mom, who actually helped Katie through Labor (one of em got stuck). She never bit anybody, but she would postition herself between ppl and the pups, and issue a low growl if anyone tried to reach for them, or got to close. We never pushed the issue, because we didn't want to be bitten. When Katie was ready, we were allowed to play w the pups to our hearts content.

If you had a newborn baby, would you feel comfortable having a seven year old come over and just pick it up, not knowing if the child had any experience with something so delicate and fragile?

The dog was protecting her litter. A dog can't say "put it down" or "please step away" the owner of the dog warned the girl, and the girl didn't listen. Sad she got bit, but if she had been listening to the adult in the house, it wouldn't have happened. It's a valuable life lesson for the girl that she learned the hard way. I've got a feeling, if the owner was so adamant that the girl not go upstairs, then she probably had a feeling that the dog was protective over the pups. That dog should not be put down.

[sherrz]

With all due respect Aslan, the owner was not negligent of her dogs. The dog had just had puppies and the owner TOLD the little girl not to go upstairs numerous times, and she did it anyway. Maybe the little girls parents need to tell her more about listening to adults when they tell you not to do something???

[ineedanap]

I also do not believe the dog should be put down. But at the same time, I am not going to blame the victim, who is a 7 yo child. Children need supervision. Some need more supervision than others. And an animal that has just had a litter of pups should not have been accessible. Period. I blame the adult here.

[Harley_Tech]

The woman knew the dog's nature was a concern, or she would not have warned the child, or taken the animal out of their immediate reach.

Legally or logically, an adult can not expect a 7 year-old child to follow direction, or to understand that the animal's behavior has changed for reasons she can not understand. . The only thing this child has ever known about the animal up until now, is that she has pet and played with it before and everything was OK.

The woman put the dog and puppies in another room, so she was aware that there could be issues with the animal and the kids.

My question is why was the door not locked, the dog in a kennel?

The dog followed instinct, the woman did NOT follow common sense or take reasonable precautions to protect a child in her care, or the puppies for that matter. IMO She placed two kids at risk by not making sure the kids were excluded for the animal she knew might be aggressive due to her motherly instinct.

The woman should pay all medical bills related to the attack including any future counseling the girl might need. The animal needs to be placed with someone that is more capable of giving it a suitable home and is smart enough to not let kids get near it when it is in a potentially aggressive state.

The woman has shown she is not capable of managing a large breed dog. She should be barred form ownership in the future, IMO.
Maybe she should try :sheep:

R

[Insomniac]

Sadly this young girl learned a lesson the hard way, hopefully she will pay attention to warnings in future. However, just because she was bit does not mean that the dog should be put down. She bit her protecting her litter.

[Harley_Tech]

Sadly this young girl learned a lesson the hard way, hopefully she will pay attention to warnings in future. However, just because she was bit does not mean that the dog should be put down. She bit her protecting her litter.

I am amazed at people's willingness to assign a higher level of thinking to a 7 year-old child in this thread. About the only thing this child learned in Dog bad, Dog bites. I would wager her fear of dogs will be life long.

Sad fact is, that someone will say to this child that she should have listened and make her feel as if it were somehow her fault she got attacked. The woman that owns the dog already has. That is wrong!

In a child's simple world, all she knew is that she had played with this dog before and everything was OK. I'm sure she is very confused and does not understand why this once friendly dog, turned on her. One day she will be old enough to understand it, but not now at 7 years-old.

R

[Peeperann]

I'm gonna get bashed for this, but oh well. I have seen too many time that pit bulls attack for no reason. Way more than any other breed. I would never own one and I think the entire breed should be put down. They are nothing but a menace.

Sorry for the good dogs out there, and I know, everyone says it's the way you raise them. But that's not always true. The people who lived across the street from when I was growing up had had their dog for 8 years, he was the most spoiled lovable thing ever, then one day for no reason at all (I was sitting there on the front porch of their house while this happened) He lunged at my friends 5 year old cousin. She had been there many times before, she was just playing baribes in a corner of the porch.

That dog mauled her so horrifically that I still have nightmares about it. They put the dog down but that little girls face was gone, just gone. I have never gotten over it.

There was no provocation, nothing, the dog just lunged.

[sanityslipping]

I am amazed at people's willingness to assign a higher level of thinking to a 7 year-old child in this thread. About the only thing this child learned in Dog bad, Dog bites. I would wager her fear of dogs will be life long.


R

Do you think the child may have also learned that maybe, perhaps, when a grown up says not to do something, then maybe there's a reason for it, and she should listen?

yeah, she may not have learned that you don't get between a bitch and her pups.

Maybe the woman could have explained that the dog was going to be mean and protective, and might hurt her, but she had told the kid not to mess with the dog, and had the dog in a part of the house that the kids weren't supposed to be in, it's not like the dog was laying in the living room floor.

[ImNotLisa]

The dog followed instinct, the woman did NOT follow common sense or take reasonable precautions to protect a child in her care, or the puppies for that matter. IMO She placed two kids at risk by not making sure the kids were excluded for the animal she knew might be aggressive due to her motherly instinct.
R

From the way "I" read the story, the woman put the dog away, in her bedroom, with the door closed, upstairs.
How is that NOT taking reasonable precautions to protect the child? She also made it clear to NOT go into the room.

Of course a 7 yr old is going to be curious. And of course, it wasn't the 7 yr old girls fault this happened. She went into a room, in a house she did not live in, upstairs, after she was told not to.

For the record.. I don't care for pit bulls either... but I think in this case, it just so happens to be a "pit bull" mama who was protecting her babies.

[CountJackula]

Sry for the groan peep hit the wrong button.

[silvahalo68]

I was a child of 2 dog attacks, neither one was provoked. Today I still, I love most dogs, although I do think a few I'd never own or have around children due to the nature and history of their attacks.

I think that child should have never been allowed in the house at all. She's a child of 7 yrs., she is still very impulsive and as much as she was told not to go near the dog her curiosity won her over. She deserves no blame at all...too much expectation to put on a child of such a young age. Just keep her away from the potential threat. The adults in this situation should have protected her, not give her an unreasonable command that she likely couldn't meet. To blame her is just hurtful and potentially will scar her more than the physical attack she experienced.

I don't believe the dog should be put down. That would be cruel. And as much as I don't care for the pit bull bread, this wasn't her fault, she was protecting her new baby pups....I can respect that. Besides it was in her home, in her territory.

Recover and heal little one, completely.

[RaVen Blackehart]

If the story is true that the woman TOLD THE GIRL TO STAY AWAY FROM THE DOG, I don't see how it's the dog's fault. 7 years old is old enough to know what NO means. No way the dog should be put down. The girl's parent(s) need to teach this child to mind. Sometimes minding and doing what you're told can save your life, or at least a world of hurt.

[Harley_Tech]

Do you think the child may have also learned that maybe, perhaps, when a grown up says not to do something, then maybe there's a reason for it, and she should listen?

yeah, she may not have learned that you don't get between a bitch and her pups.

Maybe the woman could have explained that the dog was going to be mean and protective, and might hurt her, but she had told the kid not to mess with the dog, and had the dog in a part of the house that the kids weren't supposed to be in, it's not like the dog was laying in the living room floor.


7 years-old! A child that age has an attention span of about 7 seconds.
To place that level of burden on the child is just not a practice in reality.
You can explain all you want and the child will not grasp the seriousness of what you are telling them. The majority of kids that age have no concept of what death is, or that it can happen to them.

From the way "I" read the story, the woman put the dog away, in her bedroom, with the door closed, upstairs.
How is that NOT taking reasonable precautions to protect the child? She also made it clear to NOT go into the room.

Of course a 7 yr old is going to be curious. And of course, it wasn't the 7 yr old girls fault this happened. She went into a room, in a house she did not live in, upstairs, after she was told not to.

For the record.. I don't care for pit bulls either... but I think in this case, it just so happens to be a "pit bull" mama who was protecting her babies.

If that door was locked, I would agree with you. How much effort does it take to lock that damn door?

Gasch said it had become a routine for Jenna to come over to her house before school, WTAE Channel 4's Tara Edwards reported. But Thursday morning was a little different after Princess had just given birth to puppies.7 year-old! if the door is locked, or the dog is in a proper kennel, the child can't get to the animal. This story does not happen. The woman is an adult, and he first responsibility is the protection of ANY child in her home, period! the child is 7 years-old.

I'll say it again, assigning an adult level of reasoning and thought to a 7 year-old is just not something you do.

R

[Sarabei]

Well, my view is this, the dog should not be put down. The girl disobeyed. At 7, when I was at someone's house I was not allowed to prowl around in rooms the adults were not in. The girl was told "NO" just as I was when around dogs or cats with babies. I hate the girl got bitten, but I was bought up to listen to my elders. I think at 7 a child knows that NO means NO. I don't really feel the woman was negligent. The dog does not have opposable thumbs and would not be able to open the door. Had she been left alone this would never have happened.

[Harley_Tech]

Way more than any other breed. I would never own one and I think the entire breed should be put down. They are nothing but a menace.

This is not factually accurate. Fact is small breeds attack more often than large breeds and Pit Bulls do not attack at any greater rate than any other breed. By not educating yourself to the true facts of the matter, you may actually place yourself and others at risk through ignorance.

R

From: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8190576

RESULTS. Children aged 12 years and younger were the victims in 51% of cases. Compared with controls, biting dogs were more likely to be German Shepherd (adjusted odds ratio (ORa) = 16.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.8 to 71.4) or Chow Chow (ORa = 4.0, 95% CI 1.2 to 13.7) predominant breeds, male (ORa = 6.2, 95% CI 2.5 to 15.1), unneutered (ORa = 2.6, 95% CI 1.1 to 6.3), residing in a house with > or = 1 children (ORa = 3.5, 95% CI 1.6 to 7.5), and chained while in the yard (ORa = 2.8, 95% CI 1.0 to 8.1). CONCLUSIONS. Pediatricians should advise parents that failure to neuter a dog and selection of male dogs and certain breeds such as German Shepherd and Chow Chow may increase the risk of their dog biting a nonhousehold member, who often may be a child. The potential preventability of this frequent public health problem deserves further attention.


http://www.avma.org/public_health/dogbite/dogbite.pdf

Which dogs bite?
An often-asked question is what breed or breeds of
dogs are most “dangerous”? This inquiry can be
prompted by a serious attack by a specific dog, or it
may be the result of media-driven portrayals of a specific
breed as “dangerous.”12,13 Although this is a common
concern, singling out 1 or 2 breeds for control can
result in a false sense of accomplishment.14 Doing so
ignores the true scope of the problem and will not
result in a responsible approach to protecting a community’s
citizens.

Dog bite statistics are not really statistics, and they
do not give an accurate picture of dogs that bite.7
Invariably the numbers will show that dogs from popular
large breeds are a problem. This should be expected,
because big dogs can physically do more damage if
they do bite, and any popular breed has more individuals
that could bite. Dogs from small breeds also bite
and are capable of causing severe injury. There are several
reasons why it is not possible to calculate a bite
rate for a breed or to compare rates between breeds.
First, the breed of the biting dog may not be accurately
recorded, and mixed-breed dogs are commonly
described as if they were purebreds. Second, the actual
number of bites that occur in a community is not
known, especially if they did not result in serious
injury. Third, the number of dogs of a particular breed
or combination of breeds in a community is not
known, because it is rare for all dogs in a community
to be licensed, and existing licensing data is then
incomplete.7 Breed data likely vary between communities,
states, or regions, and can even vary between
neighborhoods within a community.


*edit*
Sex differences do emerge from data on various
types of aggression. Intact (unneutered) male dogs represented
80% of dogs presented to veterinary behaviorists
for dominance aggression, the most commonly
diagnosed type of aggression.1 Intact males are also
involved in 70 to 76% of reported dog bite incidents.7,15
The sex distribution of dogs inflicting unreported bites
is not known. Unspayed females that are not part of a
carefully planned breeding program may attract freeroaming
males, which increases bite risk to people
through increased exposure to unfamiliar dogs. Dams
are protective of their puppies and may bite those who
try to handle the young.

[Harley_Tech]

If the story is true that the woman TOLD THE GIRL TO STAY AWAY FROM THE DOG, I don't see how it's the dog's fault. 7 years old is old enough to know what NO means. No way the dog should be put down. The girl's parent(s) need to tach this child to mind. Sometimes minding and doing what you're told can save your life, or at least a world of hurt.

7 years-old

Sometimes simply locking the door to remove the hazard of a child not listening could save a child's life.

R

[sanityslipping]

My 18 month old listens when I tell her no. It takes her at least ten minutes to try something again after I tell her No, and yeah it'd be a lot easier on me to not have to listen to the screams of protest when I tell her No, but I'm still gonna do it. I'm pretty sure a seven year old child should be able to listen better than a baby.

I listened to a degree when my parents told me no. I'm not saying she should have said "petting doggie=death" but "petting doggie=big owwie" should suffice.

At seven years old, I knew to behave myself, and listen to my parents. If they told me no, i may not have understood the reasoning behind it at that age, but I knew if I didn't then mommy and daddy would be mad at me, and I would probably get a spanking. At what age do you think we should expect children to behave?

[Nell]

I think valid points were made on both sides. Dog should have been crated if she was aggressive and just had pups. Or the door locked. Harley is so right, I have had three 7 year olds so far and they do not listen or remember that well. Puppies are an attraction to any 7 year old.

Why couldn't the dog owner take a moment, go upstairs and get a pup, then bring it to show the kids? That is what I have done in the past. Mommy dogs usually let their owners, who they see as pack leader, handle their babies. This solution would have worked well.

[Insomniac]

I am amazed at people's willingness to assign a higher level of thinking to a 7 year-old child in this thread. About the only thing this child learned in Dog bad, Dog bites. I would wager her fear of dogs will be life long.

Sad fact is, that someone will say to this child that she should have listened and make her feel as if it were somehow her fault she got attacked. The woman that owns the dog already has. That is wrong!

In a child's simple world, all she knew is that she had played with this dog before and everything was OK. I'm sure she is very confused and does not understand why this once friendly dog, turned on her. One day she will be old enough to understand it, but not now at 7 years-old.

R

I did not state that the little girl has, or should have an adult level of understanding. And rereading my comment, I did not imply that she did. What I did say was that she learned a hard lesson. And from that hard lesson, in future she will be more likely to heed warnings.
I agree that she will probably have a life long fear of dogs, which is sad, as they are wonderful companions.

[Harley_Tech]

[quote=sanityslipping;185941At what age do you think we should expect children to behave?[/quote]

From experience, I expect a child to listen when I have verified that they do. Until then I take measures to ensure that is they don't, it does not cause them harm. I lock the door or put this dog in a kennel in this situation, and the child does not get hurt.

R

[silvahalo68]

If the story is true that the woman TOLD THE GIRL TO STAY AWAY FROM THE DOG, I don't see how it's the dog's fault. 7 years old is old enough to know what NO means. No way the dog should be put down. The girl's parent(s) need to teach this child to mind. Sometimes minding and doing what you're told can save your life, or at least a world of hurt.

Nope, respectfully disagree. A 7 year old as I said, is still too impulsive. Yes, she understands what you mean by giving her instructions and a warning, but does not fully comprehend the consequences at hand, so her nature to be curious besides the warning would win her over. I agree completely with Harley, we are talking about a 7 year old, putting the adult level of reasoning and burden is not only not fair but impossible to expect at this age.

[thebooblady]

My 18 month old listens when I tell her no. It takes her at least ten minutes to try something again after I tell her No, and yeah it'd be a lot easier on me to not have to listen to the screams of protest when I tell her No, but I'm still gonna do it. I'm pretty sure a seven year old child should be able to listen better than a baby.

I listened to a degree when my parents told me no. I'm not saying she should have said "petting doggie=death" but "petting doggie=big owwie" should suffice.

At seven years old, I knew to behave myself, and listen to my parents. If they told me no, i may not have understood the reasoning behind it at that age, but I knew if I didn't then mommy and daddy would be mad at me, and I would probably get a spanking. At what age do you think we should expect children to behave?

I thought a lot about how I would feel as the parent of this child and I think I can say that I would be upset with my child for not listening. I have a 6 year old and an 8 year old. First of all, they should know better than to go into someone else's home and act like they can do what they want and go where they want. Second, if an adult tells them not to do something, they are more than old enough to obey.

Where would this end if the homeowner was deemed responsible for the child's injuries? She took reasonable precautions by having the dog in a bedroom with the door closed in addition to telling the child to stay out. I side with the dog owner.

[DogMom]

Is it the dogs fault? NO. Any female dog will protect her puppies. Especially from those "not in her pack". This dog should not be PTS. She was acting on instinct.

Is it the childs fault? Maybe..but we are talking a young child here and they do not listen real well, are apt to succumb to curiosity, and "what I can sneak by with". So taking all that into account, the answer is No.

Is it the owners fault? Yes. It is. You have the responsibility to protect anyone from your dog even in your own yard and in your own home. That dog should of been crated with her puppies (in addition to behind closed doors, upstairs, lock and key, etc., etc.).

I'm sure the owner did what she thought was best but unfortunately, it was not enough. I am not a real experienced dog owner but I own a power breed, and I know absolute vigilance is needed between him and others even in my own yard and in my own house. No matter how trained he is or relaxed/happy he looks.

This was an unfortunate accident. And the only good that has come from this is that all dog owners, even me, always remember this.

[porcelain]

Had this been an unprovoked attack I would say for everyone's safety the dog should be euthanized.
But,This little girl was warned and she still proceeded to go into the protective mama dog's territory.
So no one is to blame certainly not the dog.
I don't even blame the owners in this instance.
The dog didn't run down the steps to get to the girl or anything of that nature,the girl went into the room after she was asked not to and messed with one of the puppies.
It is only instinct to attack to protect her babies.
My mom's chow was the most gentle dog I had ever known but when her puppies were born we all stayed clear of her area"den" for a week other than checking on them becuase she made it abundantly clear she wanted no one near those babies.We didn't take it personally or think she was a bad dog.We admired her loyalty to her babies and that she was a good protective mother.

I was attacked as a child by a rotweiller unprovoked and it tore my most of my scalp off.
That is an instance where euthanazia is necessary the owners frequently had children in their home and had kids of their own, I did nothing and got attacked severely.

If they do wind up putting this dog down I will be pissed.
The little girl went into the dogs home and didn't listen ,that's not the dog's fault.

[sanityslipping]

I guess this kinda goes to what you expect from your kids.

My parents expected me to behave, as a few of you guys expect the same of yours. If I didn't, there were repercussions, either from my parents, or the real world. Even at seven I knew that. I knew if I acted up at the sitters, the sitter would put me in time out, and later, dad would whoop me. I knew if I got in trouble at school, dad would whoop me, so I behaved myself.

Others appear to expect children that age to run around like wild hooligans, doing whatever they want, with no consequences from their actions.

Could the woman have locked the bedroom door? I don't know, go look at it and get back to me. Would the woman had been able to get in and out of her own room? Did the kids know how to open it as well? Would locking the door would have prevented this, depends. If the lock was like the lock I had on my bedroom door, that was easily flipped with a penny, my brother figured that out at six. Did the woman even have a lock on her bedroom door? A lock may not have prevented it anymore than telling the girl no. Kids can also figure out how to open a crate. It may not have made one damn bit of difference, and now sadly, it's too late to know if extra measures would have protected the girl. There's a chance they would have, and a chance they might not have done a damn bit of good.

[Harley_Tech]

At seven years old, I knew to behave myself, and listen to my parents. If they told me no, i may not have understood the reasoning behind it at that age, but I knew if I didn't then mommy and daddy would be mad at me, and I would probably get a spanking. At what age do you think we should expect children to behave?


OK, I'll follow your logic here.

I have two 7-year-olds in the house. I leave my loaded .45 on my bed upstairs with the door closed and tell the kids, "Do not go upstairs and into my room." There is something in there that will hurt you and could kill you."

Two hours later kid is dead. Do I go to jail? Remember, I warned the kids not to do that.

Or how about this. I'm boiling water on the stove and tell the kids not to touch it, it will hurt them.

Later in the children's burn unit I say to a reporter, "I told them not to mess with the pot on the stove." "They are 7 yeas-old and should know better and listen to me."
How quick is HotMom writing that story up?

If your intent is to let your kids learn every lesson the hard way, we'll see you on the FP.

R

[sanityslipping]

Not every lesson needs to be learned the hard way, however, if you teach your kids to listen to you, and obey you, you will have less lessons taught the hard way. In fact, I don't recall saying this lesson needed to be learned the hard way. I said she did learn the hard way. What she learned is that she needs to start listening to adults when they tell her something. There's a reason behind it.

In my house, it was, you don't listen, you got your ass beat. That went for if I was visiting someone, or at school, if I didn't listen, when I got home, mom and dad took care of it. I was a very well behaved child until I was 15 or so.


I'm not saying that hitting your kids is ok, but some form of discipline needs to be instilled, starting at a young age. If you let them spend seven years not listening to you or other responsible adults, then no, you can't expect them too.

[porcelain]

My 18 month old listens when I tell her no. It takes her at least ten minutes to try something again after I tell her No, and yeah it'd be a lot easier on me to not have to listen to the screams of protest when I tell her No, but I'm still gonna do it. I'm pretty sure a seven year old child should be able to listen better than a baby.

I listened to a degree when my parents told me no. I'm not saying she should have said "petting doggie=death" but "petting doggie=big owwie" should suffice.

At seven years old, I knew to behave myself, and listen to my parents. If they told me no, i may not have understood the reasoning behind it at that age, but I knew if I didn't then mommy and daddy would be mad at me, and I would probably get a spanking. At what age do you think we should expect children to behave?
i agree with you and boo about this.

At the age of seven a child should be able to follow directions.
Of course there are those who rebel even though they know better.
This is one of those cases.
The woman who is an adult told her "no" that should have been enough.
If my step kids went into someone else's home and did the same thing this girl did and got attacked I would not be mad at the homeowner or the dog I'd be mad at the kids.
I would say "why didn't you listen to her? she told you no for a reason".

[PoongyPrincess]

Am I the only one who doesn't think her injuries look all that bad, especially compared to some other dog attacks?

Considering everything we know, I don't think the dog should be put to sleep.

[Harley_Tech]

Am I the only one who doesn't think her injuries look all that bad, especially compared to some other dog attacks?

Considering everything we know, I don't think the dog should be put to sleep.

I'm sure every time she looks in the mirror her first thought will be. "That's not that bad, I should have listened".

Agree, as stated, the dog should not be put down.

R

[silvahalo68]

Am I the only one who doesn't think her injuries look all that bad, especially compared to some other dog attacks?

Considering everything we know, I don't think the dog should be put to sleep.

In addition to her stitches, Jenna may need plastic surgery.

Sounds pretty bad too me. And as a victim of 2 dog attacks, yeah, I am only so lucky I didn't get bitten on the face.

[Special2bme]

Well, my view is this, the dog should not be put down. The girl disobeyed. At 7, when I was at someone's house I was not allowed to prowl around in rooms the adults were not in. The girl was told "NO" just as I was when around dogs or cats with babies. I hate the girl got bitten, but I was bought up to listen to my elders. I think at 7 a child knows that NO means NO. I don't really feel the woman was negligent. The dog does not have opposable thumbs and would not be able to open the door. Had she been left alone this would never have happened.

I have to agree with you here I was taught not to disobey my elders and yes a 7 year old should know better not to disobey when someone tells her to do something. Plus, on top of that I would be punished for wandering around someone's house and not being in the specific place they told me to be in.

However, I do agree with some of the points Harley has pointed out especially with why she couldn't have locked the door since this child does seem to come over regularly. Apparently she actually followed her son upstairs to the bedroom so why did he go up to the bedroom? Mom, should have specifically pointed out to her son that he wasn't allowed to go up there as well while she was there visiting.

But I still do not think this dog should be put down. The dog was only protecting her pups. So whether you want to blame it on the woman or not to me it's not the dogs fault and I don't want to see this dog put down.