By MAMAMIA TEAM
Last week 2-year-old Deeon Higgins was attacked and killed by the family dog; a bull mastiff cross.
Deeon’s grandmother spent 15 desperate minutes trying to pry the curly haired toddler from the dog’s jaws.
She eventually collapsed, exhausted and unable to overcome the 57 kilogram dog’s strength. Deeon died later that day in hospital, from severe injuries to his face and head.
This story is a tragedy and no one should ever have to die that way; let alone a two-year-old boy. A little boy who just went into the backyard to get an ice-block. A child who had no chance up against such a huge and vicious animal.
And now the community is angry. We’ve heard too many stories like this one. We’re sick and tired of people defending their right to have a vicious and potentially deadly animal, housed in the back yard with only a low fence to separate it from the community.
Surely when an innocent child has been mauled to death, “But I love my dog,” doesn’t really cut it anymore.
In her Daily Telegraph column today, Miranda Devine is calling for Australia to embrace a dog buyback scheme, “similar to John Howard’s gun buyback.” Back in 1996 following the tragedy of the Port Arthur massacre, then Prime Minister John Howard implemented a scheme where the Government bought back thousands of legally and privately owned guns from the Australian public.
Top Comments
Useless article. Any dog is capable of killing. It is, after all, just an animal. People that own the dogs are ALWAYS at fault in these cases. Where was the adult?
NO CHILD SHOULD BE LEFT UNSUPERVISED WITH ANY DOG and you should be educating with this simple fact, rather than gossiping about nothing.
Kids have no self control when it comes to animals and they do awful things when you aren't watching. If you aren't watching, you can't prevent it. If you aren't watching, IT IS YOUR FAULT.
I have some maltese x dogs that don't bite, but given that I don't pull their ears and poke their eyes, I would NEVER trust them alone with the neighbour's two year old who DOES attempt to do that, and more, to them if I'm not there to prevent it. The jaws that can crush chicken bones with one bite, could irreparably damage a child's face in a absolute millisecond of distraction. It is exhausting to supervise these interactions but it is better than the risk of injury. NEVER LEAVE A CHILD ALONE WITH ANY DOG.
What we need is paid registration every year to own a dog, just like a car. This will stop irresponsible breeders and owners.
I completely agree. Thank you for proving to me that there is at least another intelligent dog owner in this forum
Another dog attack
http://www.watoday.com.au/w...