Dog Attack Limerick

Gringo180

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/hero-neighbour-rescues-toddler-as-pet-dog-goes-beserk-3072116.html

A YOUNG man has been hailed a hero after he rescued his two-year-old neighbour from a vicious dog attack.

The family of Reece O'Leary was today keeping a bedside vigil as he battled to recover from the attack by his own pet.

The dog, a husky, ripped off the boy's clothes and threw the toddler into the air several times in a terrifying attack in the family's back garden.

Reece's mother Mags, father Ernst, and sister Rhiann (5) were at his bedside at Cork University Hospital.

Neighbour Jonathan Curtin (21) has been hailed as a hero by residents in Carew Park, Limerick, after he beat the dog off the boy using a shovel.

Mr Curtin said: "He was throwing the child up into the air; the child was like a rag doll to the dog. The woman was holding on to the child and the dog was holding on to the child as well.

"The woman was trying to pull the child and the dog was pulling the child in the opposite way. I went in with the shovel and stopped it. I hit the dog . . . he backed off for a few seconds, he went for him again, but I hit him."

Mr Curtin said the dog tried to attack the boy another three times.

"I went in not really thinking about the danger. I was just trying to get the child safe."

Gardai also praised Mr Curtin's quick reaction.

"If he hadn't jumped in when he did, the child could have died," said one garda.

Mr Curtin's parents Eileen and Michael said they were very proud of their son.

Mrs Curtin described the incident, saying: "They were covered in muck. The child had no clothes on him, he tore all the clothes completely off of him."

Mrs Curtin added: "I heard (Mags) screaming and the child (screaming). God help us, she was after screaming so much she was gone hoarse, she wasn't able -- the fight was gone out of her. When she got the child he (the dog) ran around to her to get the child again."

Injuries

Reece was transferred from hospital in Limerick to Cork at 8.30am yesterday and was being treated for injuries to his head, back, arms, knees and upper thigh.

Gardai contacted Clare ISPCA dog warden Frank Coote.

Mr Coote said: "My information was that a dog had gone wild and had attacked a child.

"The dog had calmed by the time I arrived. I put a lead and a muzzle on him and took him to the pound in Ennis."

The dog warden transported the animal back to the Limerick dog pound yesterday where it is due to be destroyed.

- David Raleigh




Horrible story, just be careful if you have big dogs not to leave them around young children

Sykk

Gringo180 wrote: »

The dog warden transported the animal back to the Limerick dog pound yesterday where it is due to be destroyed.

- David Raleigh

Nice wording. Top class journalism.

PS: It's not the dog, it's the scumbag owner etc.

Gringo180

Sykk wrote: »

Nice wording. Top class journalism.

PS: It's not the dog, it's the scumbag owner etc.

Do you know the owner personally?

davet82

Dog Attack Limerick

Title of this thread is flawed, i was expecting a giant mutant poodle going on the rampage in downtown Limerick, pity

Professey Chin

Sykk wrote: »

Nice wording. Top class journalism.

PS: It's not the dog, it's the scumbag owner etc.

In this case its the parent. Letting a 2 near old near a big dog(probably unmuzzled & unsupervised) is stupid. The child will do the usual stuff of smacking, pulling, poking and the dog will retaliate.

stupidusername

Gringo180 wrote: »

Horrible story, just be careful if you have big dogs not to leave them around young children

so much wrong with this

Gringo180

stupidusername wrote: »

so much wrong with this

Please explain??

SEPT 23 1989

Mr Curtin should be given a medal or a bag of cans at least for this act of bravery

Indubitable

Is it not common sense to not leave a child with any dog regardless of size?

ziggy23

Horrible story, just be careful if you have big dogs not to leave them around young children[/QUOTE]

NO dog should be left on it's own with a child but in my experience it's smaller dogs that snap more. Hope the child gets better but I would not be surprised if he was tormenting the dog.

Red Crow

Gringo180 wrote: »

Sykk wrote: »

Nice wording. Top class journalism.

PS: It's not the dog, it's the scumbag owner etc.

Do you know the owner personally?

Leaving an animal and a child unsupervised in the back garden is stupid at best.

Sykk

Gringo180 wrote: »

Do you know the owner personally?

Obviously not. But Husky's aren't vicious animals. Many of my friends and family have them and they've never snorted as much as a bark at anyone.

They're not hostile animals. Though the same treatment can make them so.

davet82

Indubitable wrote: »

Is it not common sense to not leave a child with any dog regardless of size?

only if its stuffed

suicide_circus

Fair play to the chap, he does look like the sort of guy who would like hitting things with a shovel.

Genghiz Cohen

Gringo180 wrote: »

Please explain??

Terriers can do a lot of damage also.
A child unsupervised near a dog is a bad idea regardless of the dog in question.

2ndcoming

Cue a load of animal rights nuts wondering why they don't put down all the people involved for distressing the poor dog so much he had to attack a two-year-old.

Cuddlesworth

Heard the mother on the radio. She kept talking about the daag. I was expecting her to mention that she does good deals on tarmac driveways as well.

I'm going to go with the owner being to blame. After a smack with a shovel he went back after the kid? That's attack dog territory there, not family pet. If he was pissed off he would have just gone after the fellow hitting him.

ziggy23

2ndcoming wrote: »

Cue a load of animal rights nuts wondering why they don't put down all the people involved for distressing the poor dog so much he had to attack a two-year-old.

:rolleyes::rolleyes: Well it's not a normal occurance for a dog to attack a toddler is it?

kylith

Rocky_Dennis wrote: »

Gringo180 wrote: »

Please explain??

Why the need to have a big dog that could potentially kill your young kids?
Do your kids mean that much to you that you would have a big dog that would put their lives in danger

A terrier can kill a 2 year old pretty easily, I'd say. Even a Chihuahua will severly fuk up a child that small.

Never leave a child near a dog, any dog, without a responsible adult.

Gringo180

Jaysus relax I'm getting jumped on here, my post was badly worded. I dont own a big dog or would I ever want to. Huskys are bred for pulling sleds and are a working dog, I honestly dont no why some people have these dogs or dogs like Japanese Ekitta's, Pitbulls Etc.

stupidusername

Gringo180 wrote: »

Horrible story, just be careful if you have big dogs not to leave them around young children

Gringo180 wrote: »

Please explain??

it's nothing to do with size. as many posters will tell you small dogs can be dangerous too, they just generally don't have the strength to do as much damage as bigger dogs.

i'm not a parent, and i don't think i've much maternal instincts, but i wouldn't leave a dog unmuzzled around an unsupervised 2 year old!

ziggy23

Gringo180 wrote: »

Jaysus relax I'm getting jumped on here, my post was badly worded. I dont own a big dog or would I ever want to. Huskys are bred for pulling sleds and are a working dog, I honestly dont no why some people have these dogs or dogs like Japanese Ekitta's, Pitbulls Etc.

What has pulling a sled got to do with mauling a toddler?

Gringo180

stupidusername wrote: »

it's nothing to do with size. as many posters will tell you small dogs can be dangerous too, they just generally don't have the strength to do as much damage as bigger dogs.

i'm not a parent, and i don't think i've much maternal instincts, but i wouldn't leave a dog unmuzzled around an unsupervised 2 year old!

I agree totally as I said I worded my post badly.

The King of Moo

Gringo180 wrote: »

Jaysus relax I'm getting jumped on here, my post was badly worded. I dont own a big dog or would I ever want to. Huskys are bred for pulling sleds and are a working dog, I honestly dont no why some people have these dogs or dogs like Japanese Ekitta's, Pitbulls Etc.

The type of dog isn't really important: what's more important is how the dog is treated and trained. A well-trained and treated pitbull would be a big soft pushover, most of the time.

But if you treat any dog badly, from Jack Russell (very bity) to rottweiler, they're probably going to become angry mofos.
And as has already been pointed out, when it comes to small children, the size or breed of the dog doesn't matter.
Any dog could kill a two-year old.

Robbo

In before "I let my pitbull breastfeed my infant".

Gringo180

ziggy23 wrote: »

What has pulling a sled got to do with mauling a toddler?

It has nothing to do with it i'm just merely making the point what these dogs are bred for, there not bred to be pets thats my point.

stupidusername

Gringo180 wrote: »

I agree totally as I said I worded my post badly.

yes and i posted that just as you said you worded it badly.

cocoshovel

Huskies are horrible dogs, and I say this as an animal lover. They have a terrible attitude and I think people only buy them because "they look cool".

stupidusername

Gringo180 wrote: »

It has nothing to do with it i'm just merely making the point what these dogs are bred for, there not bred to be pets thats my point.

good point, but they're also not bred for protection.

kylith

Gringo180 wrote: »

Jaysus relax I'm getting jumped on here, my post was badly worded. I dont own a big dog or would I ever want to. Huskys are bred for pulling sleds and are a working dog, I honestly dont no why some people have these dogs or dogs like Japanese Ekitta's, Pitbulls Etc.

Well, for responsible owners it's usually because the dog suits their lifestyle, how much time they can dedicate to training, how much they exercise, how much room they have; stuff like that. With idiots they get them because they look tough.

Of all the dogs in my area the ones I'm wary of are the roaming terriers, not the AM Bulls, Pitbulls and Akitas.

ziggy23

Gringo180 wrote: »

It has nothing to do with it i'm just merely making the point what these dogs are bred for, there not bred to be pets thats my point.

Thats a ridiculous statement to make. You obviously have no clue about dogs. Most dogs were bred originally for a job eg terriers for killing rats, hounds for hunting and retrievers for well retrieving. Sure feck it we might as well not own dogs as pets at all.

Genghiz Cohen

cocoshovel wrote: »

Huskies are horrible dogs, and I say this as an animal lover. They have a terrible attitude and I think people only buy them because "they look cool".

I know someone who fits this bill....

Gringo180

kylith wrote: »

Well, for responsible owners it's usually because the dog suits their lifestyle, how much time they can dedicate to training, how much they exercise, how much room they have; stuff like that. With idiots they get them because they look tough.

Of all the dogs in my area the ones I'm wary of are the roaming terriers, not the AM Bulls, Pitbulls and Akitas.

Really? So you would be more worried about a mungrel than a Japanese Akita thats bred for hunting lions? Or a Pitbull with a lock jaw???

ziggy23

Gringo180 wrote: »

Really? So you would be more worried about a mungrel than a Japanese Akita thats bred for hunting lions? Or a Pitbull with a lock jaw???

Sorry I can't stop laughing:pac: :pac:

The King of Moo

Gringo180 wrote: »

Really? So you would be more worried about a mungrel than a Japanese Akita thats bred for hunting lions? Or a Pitbull with a lock jaw???

Anyone who knows anything about dogs would be more worried about a Jack Russell owned by a pr*ck than a pitbull or akita owned by a responsible owner.

And any responsible parent would be reasonably cautious with their two-year old around any dog.

ScumLord

Sykk wrote: »

Obviously not. But Husky's aren't vicious animals. Many of my friends and family have them and they've never snorted as much as a bark at anyone.

I think breeds like huskys in particular that are from a long line of serious working dogs don't make good pets in a urban setting. These are dogs that run almost non stop when they're in their natural environment. Taking them out of that environment and into a suburban setting is going to have problematic side effects. If you want to have one of these dogs as a pet you should be prepared to put in the work that dogs like this are breed to do. It's like taking a lion as a pet. It may work out fine most of the time but the risk is always there that the lion will snap and hurt you.

Dravokivich

em... nothing in that report in the OP referenced the child being left alone.

Also as harsh as this may sound, the mother should of hit the dog (as the fella did) instead of pulling the child away from the dog.

ziggy23

Any dog no matter what breed or size, that is trained to attack other animals or mistreated has the potential to attack. It is total ignorance from the likes of the op giving pitbulls etc the reputation as being 'vicious'. That being said I would not leave any dog alone with a small child. That's just common sense.

Gringo180

ScumLord wrote: »

I think breeds like huskys in particular that are from a long line of serious working dogs don't make good pets in a urban setting. These are dogs that run almost non stop when they're in their natural environment. Taking them out of that environment and into a suburban setting is going to have problematic side effects. If you want to have one of these dogs as a pet you should be prepared to put in the work that dogs like this are breed to do. It's like taking a lion as a pet. It may work out fine most of the time but the risk is always there that the lion will snap and hurt you.

I was just going to make this point well said

The King of Moo

2ndcoming wrote: »

Cue a load of animal rights nuts wondering why they don't put down all the people involved for distressing the poor dog so much he had to attack a two-year-old.

I can't imagine anyone would call for the people to be killed. But it's only natural to question why this attack happened. Very few well-treated pet dogs will attack a child unprovoked.

Here are some areas in which people can be blamed:

Either the child was left unsupervised, or was supervised and the person looking after them didn't intervene when the child irritated the dog (I'm assuming the child irritated the dog: as I said, very few dogs will attack a child without provocation, and annoying dogs is what two-year olds tend to do).

Whoever owns the dog should have trained it better so it would be less aggressive, if it's the case that it didn't suffer extreme provocation.

That's why I think it's entirely reasonable not to simply blame the dog.

Gringo180

ziggy23 wrote: »

Any dog no matter what breed or size, that is trained to attack other animals or mistreated has the potential to attack. It is total ignorance from the likes of the op giving pitbulls etc the reputation as being 'vicious'. That being said I would not leave any dog alone with a small child. That's just common sense.

I wouldn't leave any dog around any child, but have you ever heard of say a labrador or a terrier fatally attacking a child? Why does it always seem to be Pitbulls or Staffs? This is why I dont like these dogs they just have a vicious streak no matter what way there brought up. Just my opinion.

Chuck Stone

It's society's fault.

killwill

Sykk wrote: »

Obviously not. But Husky's aren't vicious animals. Many of my friends and family have them and they've never snorted as much as a bark at anyone. They're not hostile animals. Though the same treatment can make them so.

Not sure about snorting but Huskys can't bark!!!

The King of Moo

Gringo180 wrote: »

I wouldn't leave any dog around any child, but have you ever heard of say a labrador or a terrier fatally attacking a child? Why does it always seem to be Pitbulls or Staffs? This is why I dont like these dogs they just have a vicious streak no matter what way there brought up. Just my opinion.

Two reasons:

1. Assholes who mistreat dogs to make them vicious tend to buy these breeds, as they look "macho" in an attempt to compensate for their own insecurities about their masculinity.

2. Newspapers disproportionately report attacks by these breeds as they're more sensational and sell more copies. In many reports, dogs of completely different breeds are described as pitbulls or "pitbull types" by clueless witnesses.

Unfortunately, this gives these dogs worse reputations, which leads to more assholes buying them and mistreating them in a vicious cycle of stupidity.

ScumLord

Gringo180 wrote: »

I wouldn't leave any dog around any child, but have you ever heard of say a labrador or a terrier fatally attacking a child?

Google both those dogs there's plenty of attacks, especially terriers they were breed to control rodents on farms it's why they're so highly strung, fearless and vicious when they do attack.

ziggy23

Gringo180 wrote: »

I wouldn't leave any dog around any child, but have you ever heard of say a labrador or a terrier fatally attacking a child? Why does it always seem to be Pitbulls or Staffs? This is why I dont like these dogs they just have a vicious streak no matter what way there brought up. Just my opinion.

Very rare to hear of a Labrador biting someone but I've also never heard of a husky attacking someone either. The thing is a lot of scumbags buy these Bull type dogs because of this stupid reputation they have and actually want them to be vicious so train them to be so. A lot of stories of dogs attacking people the owners arent responsible people. And any bites I've gotten from grooming dogs have been from terriers.

Generally trying to say everything the King Of Moo is saying but he says it much better!

Itsdacraic

kylith wrote: »

Well, for responsible owners it's usually because the dog suits their lifestyle, how much time they can dedicate to training, how much they exercise, how much room they have; stuff like that. With idiots they get them because they look tough.

Of all the dogs in my area the ones I'm wary of are the roaming terriers, not the AM Bulls, Pitbulls and Akitas.

My terrier will bite your face off

pawrick

As someone who grew up always having dogs as pets I'd have to agree that you shouldn't leave a child unsupervised with any dog, accidents can and do happen.

It's just common sense but that seems to be lacking in a lot of people.

Hopefully the child will be ok and the family too.

The King of Moo

How come whenever a kid does something bad, lots of people will rightly be quick to point out that the parents are probably largely to blame, yet whenever a dog does something bad, lots of people are unwilling to blame the owner?

They're similar situations to me: dogs and kids are heavily influenced by how their owners/parents raise them, and can be equally dangerous/annoying if not raised properly.

It seems a bit odd to ignore the huge influence a dog's owner has on the way they turn out.

Andy!!

Kid looks demonic, not surprised the dog went for him.

But its good to see the owner stepped up and saved the day. Didnt expect to read that when I saw the thread title.

armitage_skanks

I think there needs to be much stricter laws both in terms of who can own a dog, and what type of dogs can be privately owned.

Licencing needs to be much stricter, with an actual competence test. And large/aggressive breeds need to be banned altogether. There's simply no need for them. If you own a dog for recreational purposes (company, walks etc) then a small dog will do just as well as a large/powerful one.