[mefussa]

Any dog can be dangerous if teased or mishandled - or if the owner does not look after it. Some smaller breeds can be very aggressive especially if they detect the person is fearing them. If a dog (big or small) storms you and you have nowhere to go, just sit down on the ground and look down - don't look at it, look down - eye contact or screaming is a challenge in dog body langauge. Doing this will confuse the dog as it is asign of submission. Never try to run away from a charging animal - it's seen as challenge/prey. Any animal is still an animal. You can train them but underneath they are still animal and instincs, even well trained dogs. It's better to learn the basics of animal behaviour - it may save your life. The authorities can deal with problem animals or you can sue the owner for your expenses/damage.

[debcat76135]

The dog biting your child was wrong but what you did was criminal! The dog did not know what it did was wrong YOU DID! There are laws in this country and had you taking the time to pick up the phone and call the police or animal control they would have taken care of the problem in a humane way. Did you bother taking your child to the hospital to be treated for the bites? They would have reported the dog bite as well.

[tee_it_up77]

no dogs are dangerous, it is how they have been brought up by their owners. I have owned a Rotwieller and it never bit anyone anytime. I now have An Old English Bulldog which is a mix of an English Bulldog and a Bull Mastiff and is very nice to all people.

[Barking mad]

While you were drowning the dog, what was happening to your boys bleeding leg.

[erinn83bis]

The number of attacks and the severity of them. 8 stiches is bad, but children have been killed by fighting pit bulls, etc. The problem, of course, in those cases, is the treatment of the dog. A pit bull attacks because he has been programmed to, by the people who raised him. However, children frequently inadvertantly act in a way that signifies agression to a dog. Golden Retrievers bite far more people every year than pit bulls. No dog breed should be labelled as "vicious" or "killers" because it is not the breed but the owners and breeders of those individual dogs that are responsible.

[doglover.1993]

You had absolutly NO RIGHT to end the poor dogs life! Why do you even bother posting this on a dog forum? We all LOVE dogs not HATE them! I sure do HATE (yes I said HATE) you now though! Were you outside when this happened? If so then you should have gotten the dog off your boy before he had to get 8 stitches! If not how do you know he was not messing with the dog?

[icondobies]

Punish the deed, NOT the BREED!!!! That being said, you had no right to drown the dog. The law should decide to euthanize an animal. In most cases a dog a can be rehabilitated. "Who decides what breed is dangerous?" That is your basic question, right? Well, if everyone did what you did there would be no way to know statisticly what dogs are more prone to biting than others. I own 3 dobermans, the breed is sometimes classified as a "dangerous dog". These are the sweetest, most trustworthy dogs I have ever owned. They love everyone and of all the breeds I have ever owned they are the only ones I have no reservations about. With children, with strangers....Period! Educate yourself!

[TombaughsPits]

You shouldnt of drowned the dog. I've got Pit bulls, and I let them out in my back yard under a close eye, and they arent out there without me. If a strange dog comes into my yard, I will protect my kid and my dogs. If it shows any kind of aggression I'll shoot it period. Because I dont know what that dog will do. The owner of that dog should of been more responsible and "he" "she" could have a law suit on there hands. Ownership equals responsiblitly regaurdless of what breed you have.

[TombaughsPits]

I would like to reword what I previously posted...You were wrong for drowning the dog, because if you were able to pick the dog up why didnt you take the dog back to the owners house and tell them that their dog had bitten your child?? The ONLY way I would shoot a stray dog would be if my dogs were NOT kenneled and my son was playing in the backyard. Now if my dogs were kenneled and my son wasnt out there, then I would just run the dog off and call animal control. But if that dog showed any kind of aggression while my dogs werent kenneled and my son was out there, I would protect them no matter what. But you should feel terrible for drowning the dog, like I said if you could pick the dog up, you should of taken it back to its owner. While you were drowing the dog, who was taken care of your childs leg

[jackiebluesmom]

I am sure you were very upset by the injury to your boy. But the bottom line is that you should never have taken the law into your own hands and drowned the dog. I just hope to GOD that your child did not witness this. I own 2 pit bulls and I KNOW they would never bite another person, even if they did get loose. The dog should have been held until you could reach the owner and notify the authorities. I am sure that this incident caused extremely traumatic issues for you and your child, and for this I am sorry. But if I were the owner of that dog I would come after you and made sure that some type of charge was filed. Your son will be okay, who knows what provoked the dog to bite? Now no one will ever know. I hope that you take this opportunity to teach your child to not be afraid of dogs after this, because this is very likely. Shame on you for your actions.