Black Labrador Bites Newborn Baby To Death In Bangkok

[Estrada]

Very sad. Children must not be left alone with dogs until they are at least 5 or 6. New borns are especially vulnerable because the dog hasn't yet adjusted to the smell of the newcomer or had a chance to accept it as a member of the family. There is some specific training that should be done to make the dog understand that the new baby is important and must not be harmed. This involves putting some clothing impregnated with the baby's scent on the floor and hitting the floor and telling the dog "no" firmly when it approaches the clothing. Dogs are pack animals that perceive a certain hierarchy in the family and need to know exactly where they are in the pecking order that includes humans, other dogs and even cats sometimes. They will let some senior humans in the family do things to them like inspect their paws for ticks or bath them but might bite more junior human family members trying to do the same, if they perceive them as being lower down in the pack social order. A new baby is not yet part of the pecking order at all and may be perceived as vermin intruder and attacked in the defence of the household. Even once it is accepted it is right at the bottom of the totem pole because it is so small and crawls around on the floor like dogs, or even worse pulls their fur or ears, which can render it liable to be bitten to teach it its proper place, just as younger dogs lower down in the pack's pecking order will be bitten. This is why toddlers must also not be left alone with dogs. They can also be killed or scarred for life by bites designed only to show them whose boss which would be less damaging to other dogs. Clearly the lab had no idea why it was being beaten to death for simply doing its job.

Excellently put. I have the scars to prove it when I was bitten by a pet labrador when I was a toddler. People do not realise that a dog is an animal and still follows its animal instincts. At the time I was only 10 months old and the dog grabbed my face and bit my top lip almost clean off. It was my Grandparents dog and in common with many dog lovers had told my parents that he wouldn't hurt a fly. As far as the dog was concerned I was a smaller Pet competing for attention of his owners, and attacked me instantly. I am lucky to be alive, he was in for the kill even though my parents and grandparents were trying to pull him off. Had I been alone with the dog I would surely have been killed.

In later life, my family bred poodles and our very well behaved, well trained and gentle minature poodle who also wouldn't hurt a fly as we thought, attacked a neighbour's toddler.