A little boy remains in hospital with facial injuries after he was attacked by his family’s dog. The incident took place in Vincent, Townsville on Thursday afternoon.
Reports suggest that the bull mastiff x cattle dog bit the little boy in the face after he hit the dog with a stick. The dog has since been taken away by Townsville City Council and will be euthanised.
The little boy is now recovering from the injuries in the Townsville hospital. He is in stable condition.
American staffy kills newbornÂ
The dog attack comes just three weeks after a pet dog mauled another little boy. Tragically, the little boy, who was only five weeks old, died from the injuries.
The dog, an American Staffordshire Bull Terrier (or Amstaf) attacked the baby while he slept in the middle of the night. The dog has since been euthanised.
Most dangerous dog breedsÂ
According to Yahoo, there are several restricted dog breeds that cannot be imported to Australia including American Pitbull terriers, Perro de Presa Canario, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa and the Fila Brasileiro.
News.com.au reports around 13,000 Aussies attend emergency departments annually for dog bite injuries. Children under five are most at risk.
They state the most dangerous breeds are:
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier
- Australian Cattle Dog
- German Shepherd
- Rottweiler
- Labrador Retriever
However, it’s important to keep in mind that these breeds are not necessary ‘dangerous’. In fact, some of these breeds are the most popular dog breeds in Australia, thus indicating more attacks, including the staffy and labrador.
While pit bulls are rare in Australia, they are considered the most likely to attack with 2.7 attacks per 100 pit bulls.
It’s also important to remember it all comes down to the treatment of the pet. Many pet experts state there are no bad breeds, just bad owners.
Keep your kids safe around dogs
Dog bites can have serious consequences. The RCH has produced a resource kit to help promote dog bite prevention. This is what they recommend:
- Never leave babies or children alone with a dog. Whether the dog is the world’s most placid pet is irrelevant. It’s still an animal and animals can be unpredictable. If constant supervision isn’t possible, the best idea is to separate dog and child into different areas of the house/yard to minimise risk.
- Teach kids to be gentle from a young age – it helps them to establish the right kind of contact with their puppy pal.
- Establish a no-go zone. Teach children from a young age to leave the family pet alone especially during sleeping and eating.
- Children should be taught to recognise the signs of an unhappy or aggressive pooch. Signs a dog needs his space include if he lifts his lips, growls, backs away, raises the hair on its back or stares at you.
- Teach children the right way to approach a dog. Whether the dog is well known to your child or not, always get permission from both you and the dog owner first.
The most important things to remember are supervision, prevention and respect for our canine pals.
