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Japanese girl mauled by dogs in NZ was bitten 100 times

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39 Comments
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May God bless her, help her to recover, and comfort her and her parents as she deals with this lifelong situation.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

They are "investigating" whether to charge the owners? Hello?? Criminal negligence? It's a no brainer.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Any way people can contribute in Japan?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Poor girl. I feel just awful for her and her family. I have a niece the same age and if anything happened to her, I don't know what I'd do. I'm sending good thoughts her way.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

New Zealand seems to be such a dangerouse place, dogs earth quakes whats next?

Drunken Australians.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I will add her in my daily prayers. Was she alone? If not then all adults should be questioned and the dog owners severely punished! This poor girl must have suffered tremendously and any adult around her at that time must be punished!!!

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Poor girl, I hope she makes a full recovery, just absolutely heartbreaking. Prayers go out to her and her family.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

I've not cried for so long upon reading the news about strangers alike, but this made me breakdown....I hope that the good Lord give them strength and courage and hope for as mentioned above on their long journey ahead.

0 ( +7 / -7 )

if there are owners of that dog (as opposed to being a stray) the owners should totally be responsible for medical bills of this poor child.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

The dogs aren't evil by nature but they are definitely dogs and not people. If you don't follow buy dog rules you will really suffer. This is the reason why I am super weary of petting strangers dogs. I love dogs but this is the kind of thing that happens if you aren't aware of what they are communicating or who they are being exposed to.

This is triple misery, a severely traumatized and disfigured girl who will suffer her whole life through surgery then by being bullied at school then a family who are to blame for her suffering and the final one is the legal ramifications of owning such a high responsibility breed without watching them. Like the Japanese family want to sue their friends...

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Absurd such thing keep happening in a civilized country... Hope she recovers.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I hope and pray that this precious little girl gets healed and that any pain or fears associated with this tragedy can be taken away and her parents receives the love, faith and guidance that they need to conquer these trials.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Police said they are investigating whether to lay criminal charges against the dog owners or anyone else.

Oh for God's sake! The dogs paid the ultimate price and this owner might not even be charged? Allowed to get more dogs in the future? This is the issue, not the dogs.

Poor kid. I hope she recovers and gets over the trama one day.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Has anyone seen this in the news in Japan? I haven't.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

It is time that the owners of these dangerous breeds of dogs stop getting "slaps on the wrist" and get severely punished. If you want to own them, then you must become totally responsible for them and for what they do. An 8th grader in my area was mauled and killed by a Bullmastiff recently, and he was a very good student with a promising life ahead of him. People have to learn there are consequences to owning powerful and aggressive dogs.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I also wish to donate!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Never let children go near dogs. I'm always terrified when I see kids playing with these beasts, as this is how it can end. I feel so sorry for this girl - mutilated for the rest of her life because of some careless dog owner. I'm definitely for more restrictions for them.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Wish her fast recovery physically and emotionally.

Somebody must be take the blame... the dog owner, the community or NZ regulation for owning dogs. This is a very high price for Lesson Learned.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This happens everyday all over the world. Dogs are ticking time bombs. Some breeds go off more that others but all of them can do severe damage. And usually, as with this case, the target is young kids.

Because soft-headed dog owners make believe their dogs will never cause harm they let them run off leach in parks, do not kennel them properly and in the worse cases do not muzzle the dog. This leads to deaths by dog attacks daily. Fortunately this little girl survived after being mauled. But she will require years of surgery to recover. Hopefully the girl does not come down with any of the hundreds of infectious diseases that dogs carry in their saliva.

Of course the owners are directly responsible and should go to jail for allowing a four legged weapon, four of them, to roam freely. It is exactly like leaving a loaded gun out in the open in a home.

As for the comment about the dogs paying the ultimate price, that is patently ridiculous. Do four dogs being put down make up for what this girl has gone through. People, a dog is just a dog. They did not consult with a lawyer before the committed their "crime". It is pretty sad to confuse human characteristics with a dog, particularly dogs that just mauled a little girl.

People are just so weird about dogs and pets in general. Unfortunately many kids are mauled as a result.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Last night the talked about one dog that bit 4 primary school kids in Japan.

Local news wins every time.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I've never cared for pit bulls (or their owners) and this is just one more reason to dislike the breed. My heart goes out to this little girl, and I hope the owners of the dogs will sell everything they have to see to it that this little girl gets the best medical attention money can buy.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

if there are owners of that dog (as opposed to being a stray) the owners should totally be responsible for medical bills of this poor child.

This would be classed as an accident in New Zealand, which means the government foots all the medical bills.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Running away from radiation to get attacked by dogs. Terrible!

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I think that lack of coverage here is interesting. More so when you think that Tosa and Akita are often on "dangerous breed" lists abroad. Usually at least one tosa attack every year here that gets coverage - and usually the attacked is the idiot who is breeding, abusing and fighting the dogs.

Read a few interesting articles today about "dangerous breed owners" - most likely to be convicted of crimes, often struggling economically, likely to abuse and tease their dog... when compared to other breed owners. Which all leads me to comment on how it is the owners that are the problem, not the breed.

I find it rather sad that some posters seem to have a fear and hatred of dogs. More so when they are a large part of society and are, for the most part, lovely creatures.

0 ( +7 / -7 )

@tmarie"...it is the owners that are the problem, not the breed." I agree with you. My grandmother used to bemoan what man has done to this once majestic breed; did you know that pitbull terriers used to be used as nannies!! But man has destroyed this breed by turning it into a fighting machine for a sick bloodsport. I can't comment on the family in NZ that owned the dogs but the vast majority of people I know who own pitbulls or similar breeds own them either because the pit provides a macho persona or because they have good intentions and are trying to prove that the breed is not dangerous. Either way, it usually ends up with someone getting bit. It became so bad in Michigan that parts of the state now require owners to carry an insurance policy ranging from $US50,000 to $US100,000 if they wish to own the breed. This has cut down on the novice owner as only serious breeders are willing to buy the required insurance policy but there are still too many unqualified people who own these dogs and unfortunately it is usually children who pay the price such as this poor seven year old girl. If there is a fund to contribute to I hope that Japan Today will make the information available.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

did you know that pitbull terriers used to be used as nannies!! I did - which is why I blame the owners, not the breed. If trained properly, they are great with kids and other furry little creatures. Same as any other dog - though I do believe that larger dogs are better with kids because they have a higher allowance for pain and being smacked upside the head (how many kids pat dogs in my observation) due to their size.

Personally, I think any dog owner should have to take out insurance on their pet - same with having them registered and fixed if they are not deemed fit for breeding their dogs. I also believe that owners of dogs that bite should be charged - but so should parents of kids who are bitten if they are transpassing or not minding their kids when dogs are around.

What happened to this kid is tragic and could have easily been avoided.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

you're right, I only found a blog article in Japanese but no news. http://blog.livedoor.jp/aokichanyon444/archives/54758458.html sounds like the kind of news they would actually cover here. weird.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Frank --

Has anyone seen this in the news in Japan? I haven't.

yes, I have.

MSN Sankei news http://topics.jp.msn.com/world/general/article.aspx?articleid=3538372

Yahoo Japan News http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20140304-00000088-jij-asia

Livedoor News http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/8595319/

TBS http://news.tbs.co.jp/20140304/newseye/tbs_newseye2141461.html

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I am wondering what the owners are doing about all of this. I heard they were friends of the family but are they doing something about this like paying for hospital bills or what have you?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I happen to be partial to dogs. But there are certain breeds that pose a higher risk factor than others. The notion of why anyone would keep 4 of them as in this case is beyond me. Dog owners do need to be licensed, insured and made to understand that hey are a wholly responsible for he actions of their "pets". In fact ownership of certain breeds of dogs should be on a par with ownership of semi-automatic military style firearms. Guns cause cause harm when a human directs it at others. Obviously no one instructed these dogs to do what they did. Although this article does not get into it, just how the owners of these dogs can live with themselves after this horrible incident is beyond me. Leaving aside the monetary aspects of this poor girl's life with plastic surgery for years to come, I am not sure how anyone can ever make up for the level of sheer terror and likely trauma that she underwent being literally ripped apart alive by 4 vicious animals as big as herself. Any thoughts cleo?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I wish I hadn't read this article now. It has turned me sick to the stomach. That poor, little girl!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I feel so so sorry for this poor little girl and her family. And I blame the idiot owners more than the dogs. All dogs have the potential in them to be vicious, but everyone knows these days which breeds time and again come out in the news as having attacked children. Almost always the owners are complete dufus (dufii? Dont know the plural!). What idiot in his right mind would keep FOUR Staffies? And then allow a 7 year old to play with them? Yes, I know they are called the "nanny dogs" and I am sure one carefully trained dog with the right owner is wonderful. But clearly not the case here.

I am sick to death of irresponsible dog ownership. Back home a large-breed dog got out of the house and chased my son, only 6 at the time, as we were walking by. He freaked out and the owner thought it was funny! I could have knocked his smug block right off his ugly shoulders. We then a week later took another walk and a woman came round the corner with a staffie off the leash and I was nervous and just kept watching the dog carefully as he seemed to be circling my kids. That earned me a mouthful of abuse from the "lady" supposed to be in charge of it. This was just 2 weeks after it had been in the local news that a staffie had mauled a 2 year old - apparently that was a friend of the womans. So I said then you would understand why Im worried, no? She told me to eff off. Classy.

Irresponsible dog owners give responsible dog owners and dogs in general a bad name. I am a dog owner myself and 100% supportive of ANY measures to protect people - I will happily pay for licensing, insurance, compulsory training, annual checks and anything else the authorities deem necessary because the benefits to us of having our pooch are well worth it, and because I am also a parent.

We met a guy not so long ago in a home center with a pitbull. They walked past us and we smiled and said hello. When we left our aisle we found the guy with the dog at the end trying to get it to move - it was refusing to budge. He was gently coaxing her but she wasnt having any of it. The reason apparently was because she loves kids and when she saw mine she dug her heels in. We spent about 10 minutes with the dog while the owner explained exactly how he found her, trained her, and how good she is. The whole time the dog was nuzzling my 4 year old gently and putting her head against his belly. The adoration in her face was clear for everyone to see. She just loved kids. She was still a dog I dont know and no way would I have left the kids alone with her, but she was clearly a sweet loving dog with a highly responsible and aware owner. Which just shows that in the right hands any dog can be sweet, and in the wrong hands any dog can also be a weapon.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I heard they were friends of the family but are they doing something about this like paying for hospital bills or what have you?

As I said above, in NZ this kind of injury falls under the criteria of accidental injury, which means that hospital bills and often all rehabilitation afterwards are 100% covered by Accident Compensation, even for non-residents.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I can't help praying for her recovery.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I am not sure how anyone can ever make up for the level of sheer terror and likely trauma that she underwent

Obviously they can't. It's not something that can be made up for. Not only the terror she underwent during the attack, but the pain and suffering she's going to experience in the future as surgeons try to put her face back together. Whichever way you look at it the owners are responsible. If it were me I don't think I could trust myself to own a dog ever again. Then again I wouldn't allow a small child to play with four dogs - of any breed - without the strictest supervision. One dog, one adult.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

cleo:

" Then again I wouldn't allow a small child to play with four dogs - of any breed "

Can we stop this already? Four toy poodles are NOT the same as four snarling pitbulls, no matter how some people try to twist it.

A pitbull is NOT any more suitable as a family dog than a wolf or a hyena.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Can we stop this already? Four toy poodles are NOT the same as four snarling pitbulls, no matter how some people try to twist it.

Stop what? No one is trying to twist anything. Four playful toy poodles might not pose the same obvious problems as four snarling pitbulls, but they still shouldn't be given unsupervised access to a small child. And pointing that out doesn't mean I think a pitbull is the perfect family pet. I don't.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Cleo, you're a star for trying to teach common sense...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@WilliB "Four toy poodles are NOT the same as four snarling pitbulls"

No, of course they are not the same, but you can't say that 4 toy poodles do not pose a threat to a small child, they still have teeth and their bite is small but painful since the fangs are thinner and more penetrating... dogs can be friendlier or more aggressive according to their breed, but it all comes back to owners who spend time training them

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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