Another sad day - 2 year old mauled by rottweiler

[SaranBear]

I am not saying this isn't a tragedy. I am not saying this man isn't morally responsible. I am saying that he should not be prosecuted because someone else failed to properly care for this child. I DO think the babysitter should be prosecuted or at the very least NEVER be afforded the opportunity to fail another child. They should obviously never be allowed to watch children again.

As far as the neighbors being leery of the dog, well I know alot of neighbors who are leery of my dog, however it doesn't mean that he is going to kill small children. Based on the story I read it seems these witnesses to the dog being aggressive could easily be uninformed neighbors. I truly hope this man is not sued in a civil court because IMO our society is litigious enough.

I will say again. I think it is a horrible idea to tie dogs up outside and leave them out there. From the article I read he seems truly sorry for what happened, as he should be. I sincerely hope that someone can learn from this terrible accident.

[JemarsSerena]

For what it's worth, I think the owner is in part responsible. I do think that having a dog tied up unsupervised should be a crime in itself. Luckily they just passed a new ordinance here that mandates no more than 2 hours tethered then 3 hours off. Owning a large breed carries great responsibility. YOu cannot leave a tied dog in an open area. He was inviting trouble. As for the sitter, she should absolutly be charged with manslaughter. this is why I try not use anyone but my parents or PIL for sitting. I trust no one else with the safety of my kids. Serena is an inside dog not only for her safety but the safety of others. The idiot kid next door is always jumping my fence despite my warnings and discussions with his mom. For this reason alone I cannot leave my dog unsupervised. Lets just all learn from this and work to promote responsible ownership of such a great breed as ours.

[Dugganmom]

I think the ownwer is responsible for the dog leaving the dog unattened. I think the babysitter is a huge fault WHERE was she/he when the child was missing? This whole story is about irresponsible people.....

[winniecnm]

Originally Posted by SaranBear

I am not saying this isn't a tragedy. I am not saying this man isn't morally responsible. I am saying that he should not be prosecuted because someone else failed to properly care for this child. I DO think the babysitter should be prosecuted or at the very least NEVER be afforded the opportunity to fail another child. They should obviously never be allowed to watch children again.

As far as the neighbors being leery of the dog, well I know alot of neighbors who are leery of my dog, however it doesn't mean that he is going to kill small children. Based on the story I read it seems these witnesses to the dog being aggressive could easily be uninformed neighbors. I truly hope this man is not sued in a civil court because IMO our society is litigious enough.

I was not aiming the first part of my post at you.

However, I hope you do realize that it is quite possible for a civil suit to be brought up in situations far less extreme than this. Just FYI. Yes, this society has a lot of frivilous lawsuits, IMO this would not be a "spill coffee on yourself and sue" kind of suit. I would sue the pants off anyone who caused the death of my child through such horrible neglect.

These neighbors were not just leery of the dog, they reported the animal lunging and snapping "trying to break the leash", while tied out, this display in itself is enough to make ME nervous about an animal. I think they had good reason to fear this dog - especially if this behavior went unchecked (which it seems it did). If the owner had just kept this dog in an appropriate manner...This story is a primer on what NOT to do with your dog, and it seems that everyone here agrees about that.

[MissMary]

I would Not ever let a 2year old out of my sight!!!!! We have an 11 year old and she is not allowed to wander!!!!

[Trebs]

Originally Posted by SaranBear

No he should not. He is in no way legally responsible. He had every right to have his dog tied on his property. Now do I think dogs should be tied? NO, but this guy doesn't deserve to be prosecuted for this either. It's not his fault that a kid wandered into his yard.

I agree that the owner is responsible regardless as to what has been reported. Perhaps this article from todays news in the UK will highlight the attraction that kids have with these wonderful dogs - although your views and opinions are accepted!
The Sun Online - News: Tot on mend after dog attack

[Taki]

I feel sorry for the parents they left their child with someone they thought was responsible that turned out not to be. Was the sitter registered or was he/she just a cheap alternative like some parents take.

Also feel sorry for the owner losing a beautiful creature. Ok so he had the dog tied up outside which he shouldnt have done knowing that a dog can become territorial but maybe it was the best he could offer the dog. I'll admit I used to HAVE to tie Astra up outside for excercise whilst my leg was broken as I couldnt walk her and my yard didnt have a fence she became very detatched for a while but once she got back into walking she was fine (it was walking astra I broke my leg) I would never tie her out again especially if I'm not there with herand especially not if my children go out too.

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