Animal House

Thank goodness - sanity reigns.

This is NOT a time for celebration......a 4 year old boy has been attacked, and quite possibly will suffer the effects for a lifetime. Did Duke partake in the attack or not?? Witnesses said he DID. The brilliant judge ruled that Duke would not go to a home w/children....just great, until, of course, Duke encounters a child after digging out of his yard, or wriggling off of a leash. The humans are idiots. Does the judge have any children? Perhaps Duke could move to HER block. Or next door to Denise Flaim, who also thinks this is a good thing. God help the next victim.

God help you Richard for thinking like this. There is no proof that the dog did the attacking just as there is no proof that he didn't - but apparently the family agreed to this settlement and that is what counts - the dog will be trained and hopefully be adopted to responsible ADULTS that will take the proper care of Duke and give him the chance to live a full and happy life.

Kathy,
I'm with you. The dog is a year old English Bull, not one of the older dogs who for sure attacked the boy. No matter how its looked at, if there is real proof Duke attacked the boy, he would have been put down along with the other dogs. He deserves a chance.
MaryL-California

Hello, yes its me again but Richard has a point . Despite my love for my dogs an unsocialized dog, even an older pup can be troubledespite the breed reputation This particular case I'm sure will work out to Dukes advantage butt allways keep in mind that when the decision is between a dog and any kids safety, the dog will lose and theres really no point in challenging it. I was the owner of a rescued geyhound that was perfect- EXCEPT that his behavior around little kids was unpredictable and how can you ignore that. Zak lived to 12+ yrs of age despite potential problems.

HB

Richard, I understand your concern.

>>>lawyers for the Town of Hempstead, the Henriques family and a Stony Brook dog rescue group today discussed an out-of-court settlement that would save Duke's life.

It appears that the family is not set on Duke being executed at this point. Maybe the bite marks were determined not to have come from the bulldog. If the family wants to let the dog live, I think they're the ones whose opinion counts more than mine or yours.

However, I have posted it before on this blog and got no answer, but I will do so again:

This child has suffered terrible emotional trauma in addition to the physical trauma. He will grow up to hate dogs, have a fear/phobia about dogs, or both. He is only 4 years old.

Would anybody with a therapy dog please offer to make visits to this boy so he will know all dogs are not the enemy?

Regards,
Tara from LI

Richard, there are bad owners that make bad dogs. Thank goodness Duke hopefully will be saved. His bite marks would have looked different than a rottie's would. I was attacked 3 times by dogs when I was 5 years old. One by a medium sized dog and the other by a Dalmation mix. You can't generalize on the breed. The dogs had been from bad owners originally. The medium sized dog bit me on the arms and legs. The bigger dog bit me on the stomach. It didn't make me terrified just wary of dogs. It was a neighbor's whippet that helped me regain confidence around dogs. Kids are resilient. It's humans kids have to be wary of not animals. Just look at the predators.

Praise God. I was praying for him.
Dorothy

This situation represents my worst fear as a dog owner. I have 3 dogs. The older border collie is getting "grumpy " with age, and the young pups were picked up as strays. They are the loves of mine and my boyfriend's life, the two young dogs literally saved his life when he was depressed and suicidal. However, due to HIS social anxiety problems, they are NOT well socialized, and I fear that they would hurt someone other than family. So I have taken as best precautions I can - I live way out in the country, my yard is triple fenced, and the dogs are not left outside or unattended. Their primary kennel is floored with cement to prevent digging, and there are two additional perimeter fences to keep people away from the kennel.

The kids around here have asked me "Do they bite?" My answer is always "I will never let them close enough to anyone else to find out."

I've read the story of the attack - I don't see any evidence that Duke was involved in this terrible incident; so therefore, I am very happy that Duke has a second change at life!

Things are NOT always black and white. Everyone is always ready to blame the animal and immediately kill it. I am glad somehow, someone was looking out for Duke.

We cannot assume anything in the Rottweiler's attack on the child.......we unfortunately, truly DO NOT KNOW ALL FACTS. It could be something triggered, it could be bad owners, it could be that they were bad (the Rotti's), one/two bad apple (s) doesn't mean Duke should also pay the price.

So kudo's to Duke's owner for realizing that Duke could live a happy life with the correct family that would protect him and also protect the possibility of any children (if indeed he participated in the attack) coming to harm. A responsible owner will/can always ensure the safety of their animal companion and society.

I have a 17 year old terrier mix breed, he was abused as a puppy and I rescued him, he has ALWAYS had issues with people, children, other animals in 17 years he has NOT once bitten anyone. I have always had him under control and monitored any situation when children were around. If you love your animal companion and know them inside and out YOU CAN PREVENT "accidents" from happening.

Duke just needs a good family that will acknowledge the possibility of his agression and be dutiful and taking care of him and ensuring the public is safe. If the courts and his family are willing to give him a SECOND CHANCE...who are we to say it is wrong. I would want (if I needed too) my animal companion to have a chance at a good life if I could/did not provide him the protection he needed and a situation like this arose.

Bless Duke and his new life, new training and new family!

TJill - I read your comments about Duke and the child. I hope you believe in your heart that Duke should be saved, because he should.

The child is young and very resilient and with a little help he will overcome and will not be traumatized by his incident. Trust me, I do know.
With a little love and understanding, he will learn that not all dogs are doing to harm him.

Thank you for listening to my unsolicited opinion.

I wish we all reacted to bad people the way we are willing to react to animals. It's so easy to blame an animal, not a person. So easy to condemn an animal immediately without knowing the facts, circumstances, etc. just drawing our own opinions, fueling the negativity.

Duke could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time! What a concept, so he should be put to death even though no "evidence" confirms that he participated. Once again, I say Bless Duke, his new life, new training and new family! AND bless his previous owners for coming to their senses and giving Duke the second chance he truly deserves. It was there responsibility to ensure his safety. He should not have been able to get out of the gate, he could have been hit by a car, stolen, poisoned, etc.
Due to lack of supervision on his owners part he UNFORTUNATELY got caught up in a street fight that could have ended his life. They are sparing him thank God.

The child is very young. How many memories at the age of 4 do any of us have? Yes, even traumatic ones. He will be okay, the more he is around loving animals, (and learns to respect all animals at all times) he will learn that there are good and there are bad (just like people).

Hi Patty!

I am glad that Duke has been saved! Although I did not discuss Duke himself on this thread, I discussed my support for him on the thread entitled "Duke to Get Dangerous Dog Hearing."

I am concerned about the boy though and if I myself had a therapy dog I would be offering support. I hope someone else does. If not a certified therapy dog, I hope his parents will allow him to be around friendly animals.

In terms of things that happen at 4 years old being consciously remembered or not, did you know that a human being's personality is fully formed at age 5?

Regards,
Tara

Why are you treating this dog like it is a human. It is a dog who was, by witness accounts, involved in attacking a defenseless little boy. While what involvement has not been determined, it should not matter. Ever hear of better safe than sorry? Why not save a dog already in a shelter who may have to get the gas rather than one who deserves it.

WHATEVER frank - tis a shame you can't see what I'm doing at you