Double Standard?

Question:
 Sorry, I know I've been posting a lot of articles, mostly positive ;) but this one bothers me to no end. Was the whole situation not just an accident waiting to happen? A house full of young girls and an attack trained dog? 30 stitches later and the dog still lives? I don't care what the breed is, if it's bit a child, it needs to be euth'd. No excuses......
http://www.middletownjournal.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/23/mj022307ammo.html
BUTLER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
K-9 dog bites deputy's daughter
Click-2-Listen
By Lauren Pack
Staff Writer
Friday, February 23, 2007
Butler County sheriff's dog Ammo uses his instincts daily to fight crime, but Saturday he made a mistake that injured his human partner's young daughter.
Seven-year-old Sarah Tolley was bitten by the dog — preparing to leave for work with Deputy Don Tolley — in the upper thigh at her Ross Twp. home during a birthday party. The bite was closed with more than 30 stitches.
But according to Tolley, the only time his daughter cried was when he talked about getting rid of Ammo and leaving the K-9 unit.
"I said I was done," Tolley said. "But my family has bonded with Ammo. (Sarah) says it's not the dog's fault. I know what happened — he went into building search mode. That's what working dogs do ..."
Sarah and her friends were in their pajamas about 8:50 p.m. preparing to watch movies as part of a birthday sleepover. Tolley let Ammo out of his kennel to roam the yard before they started the shift.
Tolley and Ammo were on their way to the cruiser when one of the girls opened the sliding glass doors.
"She called for Ammo. He likes to be inside and he turned around and ran into the house," Tolley said.
Through the window he could see the dog, a dutch shepherd mix, wagging his tail as the girls gathered around. But when one girl squealed, others began doing the same and then they took off running, Tolley said.
As Tolley hurried toward the house, Ammo went into work mode. Sarah was the last in line when the dog found what he thought was the "suspect" and bit down.
"He released as soon as I called the command," Tolley said. "I know it was just automatic for him, a chain reaction when the girls started yelling and running ..."
Ammo, who has been his partner for two years, just a couple months ago found a lost child who would have died in the cold weather if the dog's sensitive nose had not located her.
Tolley said, "he is an excellent patrol dog. These dogs are incredible animals. He made a mistake. It was a chain reaction of events that led up to it. I am just so thankful no one else was hurt."
Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer said Tolley has taken some vacation days to consider the partnership. Tolley said Thursday he believes after talking with his wife and daughter, that he will keep Ammo as his partner.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2841 or lpack@coxohio.com.

Answer:
HELLO! Teach your children how to act properly around dogs. UGH.
In no way, shape, matter or form should a dog EVER be left alone with a child. NEVER.

Answer:
HELLO! Teach your children how to act properly around dogs. UGH.
In no way, shape, matter or form should a dog EVER be left alone with a child. NEVER.
I agree that the dog shouldn't have been allowed to run back into the house alone with the children (esp being that he is a police dog), but i don't agree with it being the childrens fault......children get excited, they squeal and jump around.........that is how children play!
Sorry Nicole, i hate to disagree with you honey....but i don't see how them behaving like children caused the dog to bite.
Also i agree that the dog should be PTS.......if this was just a "dog down the road" then it would have been.

Answer:
Thanks for posting. A sad case and an interesting dilemma.
The way this was described by the handler the dog was doing exactly what it was trained to do.
If he is right, then it would be improper to euth the dog. It is equally improper to allow a dog trained in this way to interact with young children.
Even if you can train your child to interact correctly with such a dog, you cannot expect to train every child who visits to do so.
I would very much like to see a post on this from someone with experience training or owning attack dogs.

Answer:
I didn't say that it was the child's fault. :confused:
But, I DID say that children should be taught how to act around dogs.
When we used to go to the dog park, there was a man who would bring his lab and his children. The youngest was in a stroller, about 18 months or so and the oldest about four. He would let them run around and when a dog would approach, they would run off screaming and the dogs would chase- a real life squeaky toy! Huzzah!
If there is a sleepover, the dog should be nowhere around those children. That dog can also no longer be trusted, my child would never go back for another sleep over, that's for sure.
IMO, a working police dog (or any dog for that matter) should not be around a group of children unsupervised. That is just ignorant and irresponsible.
The dog bit an innocent individual. There is no question as to what should happen.

Answer:
I didn't say that it was the child's fault. :confused:
Sorry hon....i am in a pissy mood and read it the way i chose to :(

Answer:
Sorry hon....i am in a pissy mood and read it the way i chose to :(
Oh Caren, don't worry about it. :p I just wanted to clarify that I didn't say it was the child's fault. :)

Answer:
Thanks for posting. A sad case and an interesting dilemma.
The way this was described by the handler the dog was doing exactly what it was trained to do.
If he is right, then it would be improper to euth the dog. It is equally improper to allow a dog trained in this way to interact with young children.
Even if you can train your child to interact correctly with such a dog, you cannot expect to train every child who visits to do so.
I agree. If the dog was trained to do that how can you blame the dog?
It is also not the childs fault, childs normally squel at one point or another and a sleep over is pretty existing and cause for that kind of thing.
It once again boils down to the owners fault. You need to watch any dog around children, but especially ones trained to be guard dogs or police dogs.

Answer:
Dogs like the one here can be around children. They bring them to schools all the time.
Should it have been without it's handler and in a situation like this ?
No!!
Whiskey is trained to be aggressive and is naturally aggressive. I have had him around my grand children and the family with not one incident in fact quite the opposite he is crazy about them and is aggressive to those who approach the children.
Do I leave him with my 4 year old grandson or 9 year old grand daughter unattended ? NO. Is he with the 18 ,17,15 year old unattended YES.
It is just common sense however if Whiskey were to attack one of my grands unprovoked and hurt them I would have him PTS. I am just that way and you all know how much I love Whiskey but a dog attacking children is just not acceptable under any means.!!
Now the fact that these dogs are trained to attack a person who is fleeing why on earth would this officer leave him with a group of children ??
Not all dogs are social just as not all people are. That is fine. Whiskey is by far not a socializer and that is fine with me. I do not want him to be in fact just the opposite. How ever if you are going to have a dog that you do not want to be social then he must be trained to be in a social setting and not attack for the sake of attacking. I can take Whiskey to a store or in public and he is not chomping at the bit to attack quite the opposite he is just fine unless someone enters what he perceives to be his safe zone. Then he sits by my side and smiles with a low growl accompaniment now one who does not get it at that point is ignorant. Now if a parent lets their child proceed to pet the dog who is in this mode who is at fault ?? It would be me and the parent. I have to be on my toes to stop the attack and the parent should not be ignorant. But again if my dog can not be around anyone or be in situations of people at my home without attacking then he would be PTS. This dog should have been chained up or kenneled while the children were there. Plain and simple. This is clearly stupidity on the owners part. Should this dog be PTS ? Not if he can be placed with a more responsible owner and continue to do police work. If he were to stay with this irresponsible idiot ( who BTW is on the street protecting you) then the AC needs to step in. These are trained killers and need responsible handlers. They are able under the right handler to be around children and be petted and accept it however the handler will not just allow an open approach nor will he allow dog to be hugged just petted .

Answer:
That offc. was not just negligent but flat out stupid to let his service dog out during a slumber party OMG. I for one think the use of dogs in police work is brilliant. They help in ways that people can't, I don't think that they should be
expected to " clock out" and just become a pet. Some human offc. can't do that. The dept. should perhaps think about removing Offc. Tolley from cannine duties because he willfully endangered the lives of not only his children but others as well.