I feel very sorry for the little girl, and for her mother and family, who must be in a great deal of pain right now.

However, I can't help but point out that even in the limited article - there were some STUPID, OBVIOUS mistakes....

The roomate said that the 7 yr old girl used to RIDE the other dog.
no DOG should be 'ridden' by anyone, even the weight of a child is too much for a dog.

They had only had these ADULT dogs for 3 weeks - whether the DOGS were 'good with kids' has nothing to do with the fact that the CHILD had not been raised with them. Children, no matter how much they 'love' dogs, will often do things that to the dogs, appear to be agressive or hurtful. Dogs tend to see children as other dogs in their 'pack' and most often as 'lower' in the pack hierarchy. If a puppy gets out of line, a nip and shake teaches it manners - in a fragile human child, it can mean severe injury or death.

I love my dogs, I treat them like children, pamper them, care for them and spoil them. I also have a child who was raised with the dogs all his life and BOTH child and dogs were taught TOGETHER to respect each other. I have goldens, too - which are a particularly gentle and friendly, non-agressive breed. However, I would NEVER leave Jon alone with the dogs when he was young, Even when Jon was older - say 10 or 12, and I could leave him alone with our dogs, who had been with him since babyhood, I would never allow his friends to be left unsupervised with my dogs. At best, kids are always unpredictable and at worst they can be cruel.

Even though our Tristan was the BEST dog in the world, and excellent with kids, he was still a rescue that came to us as an adult dog and there is always that 'unknown' factor. Kids that aren't used to dogs often get hurt, or mis-interpret dog behavior, and that's just asking for trouble on both sides. I did, and do, take my dogs with me almost everywhere - including camping with our boy scout troop - but I always am WITH them, and in control of them. I love my dogs so much, that I would never want to risk Tristans ( or now, Fizzy's) life with us by putting them in a situation that could trigger unknowns.

the bottom line is that PEOPLE have to take responsibility for their pets, and remember that as much as we love and 'humanize' them, they are still ANIMALS, with animal instincts. And since we chose to 'domesticate' them, we have to work on THEIR level, and not have 'human' expectations of them.

i feel very sorry for this child and her family - but if they had used some sense, they might ALL be playing in the backyard right now! WITH their dogs, too!

laura