Doggone,

Recause rat rould rake rense!

Great bit of creative writing there, Eric. If I may offer a humble suggestion for when you revise:

“Isabelle was 8 feet away on her own property cowering behind her mother.”

How could a dog, on “a leash” and “8 feet away,” lunge forward in such a way as to bite, with some force, a child “cowering BEHIND her mother”? Might I suggest you change the details to “5 (or fewer) feet away” and “cowering before her mother”? While it still won’t be true, at least it will be believable!

You are wrong..they DO NOT sedate a small child in an emergency sistuation..this I know from personal experance..to sedate a child a special enestist has to be called..because of a childs size and body weight sedatives can KILL them..even to admister a intrevenios pain killer..they have to call a special pedric nurse who intibates small children their veins are small and thin and can be punctured//it is standard practice to treat small children while un sidated!!!!!by your comment I know that you have never taken a small child to and emergency room for service!!!!!

@Irene – Thank you for your informed opinion.
@mezzomomma – I was there at the hospital for this procedure. It was the application of the novocaine or other med they used to numb her nose that was the most painful part. I heard this poor little girl’s screams. Repeatedly, over and over. I heard her voice ask right in the middle of it “Is it done yet?” I sat there crying like a baby waiting for it to be over, but it continued. I saw the parents and felt their pain. I’m sad that it sounds like a lie and that a person telling a story with tears in their eyes could appear to be a professional grade actor.

RR, I believe you are delusional b/c you were bitten or attacked…perhaps did you ever think that that dog was rabid? Usually when there ia an attack from an unfamiliar animal the animal is rabid or sick…that being said…I have mix feeling..prehaps the dog was either provoked or protective……Has the dog ever bitten other children in the neighborhood? Seem like the next door neighbors were the only one…Tends to make me wonder what really happened

@LoveMyDog – There’s lots one can speculate about when they cannot personally witness an incident, but in this case you can refer to the following version of the article to confirm from a photo that this particular child’s injury is not a “scratch bite” – http://www.northjersey.com/topstories/rivervale/042211_After_biting_girls_nose_therapy_dog_is_in_court.html

Where in the Constitution does it say people are protected from animals? You are waaaaaay off base here. There is NO civil rights violation.

I’m sure they’ve all read it just find. For instance, the article says this:

“Molly’s parents said it was an accidental collision between the LEASHED dog and the child.”

How the heck could the victim’s parents be so negligent and/or stupid as to allow their kids to play with a leashed dog, especially one that supposedly had “nipped” the son just last year? Speaking as a parent, there’s absolutely NO excuse for this. If anything, they are the ones that deserve to be “put down.”

@Eddie – The children were taught to stand still like a tree with their hands at their sides. When she was being taking to the hospital, the child cried “But mommy, I stood like a tree just like I was supposed to.” In addition, as a child I was afraid of dogs. There were a few types I had met that were cognizant of this and were gentle with me and their owners. But the one type of dog that always reacted to my fear and came after me were German Shepherds.

@Bob – Name calling here is inappropriate. Have you never seen a person holding a dog on a leash get pulled from where they were standing? And I want to reiterate that the scars are from the teeth on the lower jaw of the dog grabbing under the chin and the teeth on the upper jaw dragging down from the forehead to the tip of the nose. Finally, the mother is not looking to make a quick buck; this is only a hearing to decide if the dog is vicious and the mother just doesn’t want the dog living next door.

@Bob – They live directly next door and the dog was running into their yard and treating it as her own. It would appear that the dog felt protective of his territory.

@birthmom – “Dogs do not arbitrarily attack anyone unless provoked repeatedly and when they feel the person they are ‘hired’ to protect is in danger.” Do you have a source for this statement? It is simply untrue. I have never in my life ever consciously provoked a dog yet been attacked multiple times. Sensible dog owners recognize safety concerns around an animal, as does the Humane Society if you read up on dog/human safety. Newborn babies have been mauled by dogs. What would you believe these babies were doing to provoke the dogs – breathing air?

oops…a type….”The Joker”

Hey Joey, how’s Big Petey, Little Petey and Re-Petey?

@Emm – Yes. The dog would run onto their yard and they would stand stock still. The dog was being territorial and reacting to their fear.

Speaking as a mother to a small child who has been charged by a large dog, it doesn’t matter of you teach them to stay away. Especially if they come on your property. My child has been charged twice by the same dog and not once was it provoked. These animals charged across traffic to come after my little girl and I.
I feel for the little girl who is sick and may lose her dog, and I do not think that the animal should be put down. But it does need to be given to someone who can give it the room it needs to run and be a dog. I do not believe that the dog is a bad dog, it just needs someone who knows how to control it.

DUMB ANSWER !!!! My previous responses apply to you and ALL who sound like you. CESARE ROMERO would love to talk and teach all of ALL YOU HUMANS !!! Contact Cesare IMMEDIATELY !!!! Be sure to have YOUR MUZZLE ON when he arrives. Yes, YOUR training costs MONEY – so have your credit cards handy too. Yes, YOUR training is totally worth every cent – to PROTECT ALL ANIMALS from HUMAN VICIOUSNESS & STUPIDITY like yours. Folks LIKE YOU, are truly the PROBLEM. Come On, Invest in Yourself – You’re worth it for sure – Clearly You, NOT Ava or Dogs, have the greatest need for training !!! DARE YOURSELF to LEARN, GROW and PROMOTE understanding and loving relations between HUMANS and Animals Immediately.

@I.H. – I believe it’s a possibility that the dog would be put down according to her designation and the law. The parents of the bitten child don’t want the dog put down. But this dog is less than two years old and has been with her for over a year I believe. True service dogs are trained for at least two years, which includes normally provoking situations in which they will not bite. Reassignment of this dog and giving the ill child a REAL service dog is a sensible answer.

First off, it’s Cesear Milan, not Romero. Secondly, the dog is quite young and probably could be a great service dog, if trained, which she hasn’t been. She should be given back to her kid, but only on the conditions that a 6 foot fence be erected to protect the neighborhood and that Ava is given professional training to be a real service dog. Young, high-energy dogs like Ava need a lot of exercise and training. You’re right, a muzzle while being walked wouldn’t hurt either.

That’s ridiculous. If that indeed happen to your child, you have my sympathies. However, in most cases of animal attacks, it is the human at fault not the animal. The owners were to blame not the dog. I was raised around “rotts”, “dobies” and Shepherds, and never once did they attack anyone, let alone me or the other young children who would hang all over them, pull their ears, attempt to ride them, fall asleep on them,. etc. My family’s first Shepherd saved my brothers life when he was around 2 or 3. In short, to paint all of the breed with the same dismissive and (quite frankly) myopic brush is an unfortunate and foolhardy thing to do. Dogs like that have not been man’s best friend for hundreds of years for no reason.

I totally agree that the owners were at fault in our case. My son was in our neighborhood riding his bike when he was attacked. He did NOTHING to provoke it as witnessed confirmed. We have dogs at home and my son could not understand how any animal could do this horrible thing to him… he kept wanting to know why they wanted to kill him. The owner was a grown man who stood by helplessly and watched this happen. He waited to get help because he was worried about his own liability. He even refused to call us even though my son called out the number and begged him to. Luckily we came looking for him soon after, but he almost died on the way to the hospital from loss of blood. If I could put the owner down, I would, but since I can’t, I need the neighborhood to be safe everyone. Once a dog has a bad owner and has attacked and drawn blood from someone, the chances are great that there will be repetitions. My sense in this story is that because the dog and the child had a good relationship and assumed he would behave the same toward any child, the parents let their daughter control her dog on his leash, which she was not capable of doing. Just a guess, but imagine how bad she must feel about the attack if she witnessed it. They should start over with a new dog, kids are resilient and she will adapt.

I’ve had dogs my entire life. My father had a preference for German Shepherds and while they’re very intelligent and loyal, they are unpredictable and I would never have one around my kids even though they never harmed me. The only dog that did bite me was an obnoxious Scottish terrier and I suppose I did provoke it.
I know Isabelle and her brother personally and they would NEVER, EVER provoke a dog. In fact they would never go up to a dog. Ava is not a service dog and if she is, the certification should be revoked.

Actually it says

Gernhard said Ava nipped her son last year. She’s worried that the incidents will be repeated.

it doesn’t say face and maybe I made an ass of myself assuming as you do with the face that is was the heels but its what I think of when I hear the word nipped…

it also doesn’t say she taught them not to put their face near the dog either…

Eddie, the dog nipped at her son’s cheek and Isabelle didn’t put her face near the dog. Where did you get that information?

I agree with you in regards to there is more to the story than what is being told.
Humans (adult and children alike) are known to taunt or harass animals. I occasionally get it while out with my dogs and my dogs are yorkies (no they are not yappers.) Dogs get irritated just like humans and need to protect themselves just like humans.
This we know, the dog was leashed. Why was that kid anywhere near this dog? What was she doing on the property near the dog? Please keep in mind I am not excusing the dogs attack on the child, this is tragic for both sides. If this dog nipped the brother of the victim and the parents feared that this would happen again, then what rules do the parents have in place to make sure their children stayed away from the dog?
Did the parents of the victim see the “attack”? It sounds like they didn’t but Molly was there and did see it. So for the mother of the victim to declare it was a dog attacking a child but can only describe the detail of the emergency room visit, I think she did not witness the “attack.”
Without a doubt the dog needs a muzzle and training but with Cesar Milan not Cesar Romero.
Also, thank you Dee, you were spot on!

Except that Molly wasn’t there when Ava attacked Isbelle. Patricia Kimball, Molly’s mother, was holding the leash.

JAMES – my reply to Eric is also in response to your STUPIDITY. The children is THAT NEIGHTBORHOOD and all neighborhoods should be TRAINED how to interact with animals – cats, dogs, hampsters, etc – by RESPONSIBLE and KNOWLEDGEBALE PARENTS who are trained themselves in human & animal interactions. The only VICIOUS STUPID ANIMALS ARE HUMANS. Teach yourselves or get training for yourselves – Adults and then teach the children. BTW, The Dog Whisperer is TRAINING HUMANS how to interact and communicate with Dogs !!! PAY ATTENTION when watching this program AND tell all young and old in THAT / YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD to do the same LEARN the BEAUTY in ALL GOD’S CREATURES both HUMAN & ANIMALS. Guess What, James & Eric, Lizzy Bordon – God Made US (Humans & Animals) ALL !!!!
STOP WHINNING and GET ON BOARD !!!! DARE TO LEARN AND GROW for yourselves, your children and all animals. .

Dee go take you meds and then get the facts before making inane comments. The dog was completely unprovoked and in fact, if you’re so keen to defend the dog why aren’t you using the Kimballs ridiculous explanation which is that Ava “accidentally” bit Isabelle because the choker collar forced her jaws to close? Not even the Kimballs are saying that Isabelle provoked her, so why are you?

@Dee – Name calling, the use of capitals, etc. You are a scourge to this thread. All others here, no matter their opinion, are reasonable. You on the other hand are belligerent and ill-informed. I am sensible. I love animals and recognize that most problems with them are caused by the way they were raised or treated. So that being said, it is the dog’s trainer and/or owner’s who should be responsible, not a child playing on their own lawn that is being taken over by a dog as her own territory. I’m sure you’ll resort to calling me names to, or you could take your on advice and educate yourself by reading more of what the Humane Society has to say.

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/prevent_dog_bites.html – don’t see anything here about shifting responsibility to the victim

@ Dee
It sounds as if you know Liz and her children personally..how elce can you call her Lizzy Bordon and her children brats. and it also sounds like you know ava and her family as well..but the fact is Ava was allowed loose to rhome around the neighborhood..and spent a lot of time in her neighbors yard..and if she was supposted to wear a mussle where was it…home where she sould have been.The owners of a dog are responsible to fence in their yard..to keep their pet on their own property..And if the dog bites that is also their responsbility..I feel sorry for their daughter because she is sick and is in need of a trained animal..but they should get their daughter a ligit Service dog and not try to train one that is not the proper nature animal..What is right is right and there is no one who can change that Ava was on the neighbors property and bit the neighbors child..Did you see the pictures of that childs face..And again i am going to say they are luckey that Ava bit a child is such a calm and law abiding family..Let me tell you I am not Lizzy Borden but if a dog ripped open my granddaughter face I would learn how to use a Axe.