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Post by darkangel090260 on Jun 16, 2017 9:55:14 GMT
storyBoy, 8, attacked by three dogs after jumping fence into neighbor’s yard to retrieve ball. First title should read Boy, 8 , attacked by three dogs after trespassing into neighbor's fenced in back yard to retrieve ball. This child is at a age that should know better to enter someone else's property without permission. The story make it sound like the kids was just out playing and got attacked. His parents need to be educated on dogs and need to pass that on to their child. The dog where doing there job in protecting their home. The child had no business enter the backyard without the homeowner. The mother is crying dog attack and bites. By the photos there were no bite Even if the child had bites it would be on the parents for not teaching there child to respect others property and not to trespass. If any charges should be pressed it should be on the parents and child for trespassing on to the dog owner fenced in property
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scrapaddie
Drama Llama
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Post by scrapaddie on Jun 16, 2017 10:23:25 GMT
I can't see that the dog owners would have any liability in this case. I lived in a house with a six foot stockade and kids did this. One talk with the parents and it ended
i think the woman's anger is just prep for a lawsuit. How about tougher laws for trespass?
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 20:11:39 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2017 10:29:00 GMT
8 is still very young to always make good decisions, at that age we don't possess critical thinking skills and the desire to get his ball back was driving his actions. Try to have a little empathy for how terrifying it must have been for him instead of crying trespass and pressing charges on an 8 year old with poor judgement.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jun 16, 2017 11:26:27 GMT
8 is still very young to always make good decisions, at that age we don't possess critical thinking skills and the desire to get his ball back was driving his actions. Try to have a little empathy for how terrifying it must have been for him instead of crying trespass and pressing charges on an 8 year old with poor judgement. I agree. He learned a hard life lesson that will stick with him for the rest of his life. |
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jun 16, 2017 11:31:09 GMT
The issue is perhaps more parental supervision than the expectation that an eight-year-old will have good decision-making skills. How can you live next to dogs like that and not recognize the potential danger? The parents failed the child in not monitoring the situation more closely.
Nonetheless, I have nothing but compassion for the child at this point. What he is not taught at that age, he cannot be expected to discern for himself.
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Post by darkangel090260 on Jun 16, 2017 11:32:28 GMT
i have children running from 18-4 and even morgan at 4 know not to enter anyone property without permission. They are only allowed to go up to two home in our area without the permission of the owner is Mr. Moon and Mrs.Carmen that is only incase something happens and they need to get a adult's help. If they just feel like visiting then they have to call and get permission first. Sorry but if your child can not follow the rules then the need to be supervised outside the home.
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Post by Really Red on Jun 16, 2017 11:39:54 GMT
I'm not saying the dogs are to blame, but holy hell! He's 8 years old!! His ball went into a neighbor's yard and he went to retrieve it. Trespassing! FFS! This is just a sad situation, but blaming an 8 yo playing outside is not the right thing to do.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 20:11:39 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2017 11:40:02 GMT
i have children running from 18-4 and even morgan at 4 know not to enter anyone property without permission. They are only allowed to go up to two home in our area without the permission of the owner is Mr. Moon and Mrs.Carmen that is only incase something happens and they need to get a adult's help. If they just feel like visiting then they have to call and get permission first. Sorry but if your child can not follow the rules then the need to be supervised outside the home. Things can happen so quickly that no amount of supervision can stop them. I really hope none of your children ever make a poor decision. Save |
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Post by ScrapsontheRocks on Jun 16, 2017 11:40:44 GMT
The issue is perhaps more parental supervision than the expectation that an eight-year-old will have good decision-making skills. How can you live next to dogs like that and not recognize the potential danger? The parents failed the child in not monitoring the situation more closely. Nonetheless, I have nothing but compassion for the child at this point. What he is not taught at that age, he cannot be expected to discern for himself. I agree; that poor kid has problem parents. FTR under Roman law, which is the foundation of many systems still in use today, the age of criminal consent was only 2 years older. Until that age one would blame the parent in 100% of cases and after 10 the child's actual capacity would be taken into account. IIRC, in this news story, the mother would not be suing but being sued for the trespass of her son. Disclosure: it has been a rotten week around here with a 13 year old being very confrontational to several people around my immediate neighbourhood, including DH and I and I am very p-d off with his Mom. |
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jun 16, 2017 11:46:12 GMT
One of my boys tried to secretly walk to the candy store downtown (long story which is basically irrelevant here) and was caught leaving the neighborhood by a friend who recognized that he should not be out there alone. I was frantically looking for him when she pulled up in her car with him. After hugging him fiercely, the first thing I blurted out was, "You aren't even allowed to cross the street alone!" To which he proudly replied, "I walked in people's yards the whole way."
The point being - even well loved, well supervised, and well taught children, can make very child-like poor decisions.
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Post by Tammiem2pnc1 on Jun 16, 2017 12:47:43 GMT
I don't blame the boy in this case, but I also don't blame the dogs either. They were in their home, in their fenced in backyard. An "intruder" came, they attacked. I have an 8 year old son and I have taught him as much as I can about dog safety, personal property and trespassing. I would like to think he would follow these rules when out playing, but he is just a kid. Especially if he knew the dogs, he might not even think twice about it. I don't know. We don't have fenced in yards where we live and all dogs must be leashed, so this is a scenario we really won't face. I think this is just really an accident, where you can't really blame anyone.
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marimoose
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,282
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Post by marimoose on Jun 16, 2017 13:16:44 GMT
I think a big issue is why did this even make the news because naturally we think big, bad vicious dogs. The boy made a poor decision and an awful thing happened. There should be no lawsuits but a very expensive life lesson that could have ended up even worse for the kid. I wonder how the family with the dogs are reacting? I would feel awful but I would also know it wasn't my liability that my dogs could potentially have to pay for.
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Post by melanell on Jun 16, 2017 15:57:53 GMT
8 is still very young to always make good decisions, at that age we don't possess critical thinking skills and the desire to get his ball back was driving his actions. Try to have a little empathy for how terrifying it must have been for him instead of crying trespass and pressing charges on an 8 year old with poor judgement. I totally agree with this, but if the family opts to go forth and try to sue the dog owners I would absolutely disagree with that. My first grader does things that are so incredibly dumb sometimes that it boggles my mind. Things I would never think to tell him NOT to do because they would never even occur to me. And this kid is only one year older. And even if his parents have warned him and taught him to stay off the property of others, it doesn't mean he'll remember right then when all he is focused on is the ball. I can remember a neighbor mom completely freaking out at her kid once when I was a little girl. We were playing ball in the yard and the ball went into the street and the neighbor kid ran right into the street after it. And suddenly we heard a car honking and this kid's mother screaming his name at the top of her voice. (Because she WAS outside supervising, but kids are fricking fast when they want to be and he was closer to the road than she was.) Now come on, "look both ways before you cross" is a like a mantra for most parents, and this kid's parents were the same, but he still did it. And his mom just kept yelling "It's the ROAD! It's the ROAD! What were you thinking???" But all he was thinking is that we lived on a hill and his ball was rolling away. That was it. Luckily the driver had slowed down due to there being so many kids out, and was never really in danger of hitting the kid. The driver just honked to make a point to the kid that he had just ran out in front of a car. Save |
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Post by refugeepea on Jun 16, 2017 16:06:53 GMT
The boy was in the wrong and it's a hard lesson he will learn. He messed up and didn't listen to his parents.
"The dogs are currently in quarantine and will be deemed dangerous. The owners are required to build a six-sided kennel to keep them in whenever the dogs are outside. They also must wear a muzzle unless they are in the kennel or house. If they go for a walk, they must be attended by an adult who is physically capable of handling them."
That does not seem right. Now do the dog owners sue the boys parents for trespassing, costs of the kennel, and muzzles? They were doing what dogs do, protecting their territory. I am no fan of pit bulls, but now they are being punished for this kids mistake. I thought I read a previous article they do have 1 dog too many. If true, they need to get rid of one or move.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 20:11:39 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2017 16:09:26 GMT
but if the family opts to go forth and try to sue the dog owners I would absolutely disagree with that. I don't agree with suing anyone either. I'm just surprised that a grown woman would not have empathy for a child in this situation. |
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Post by refugeepea on Jun 16, 2017 16:10:56 GMT
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happymomma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,083
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Post by happymomma on Jun 16, 2017 16:15:18 GMT
If someone came over my fence while my dog was outside they'd be bitten, and it wouldn't be my fault or my dog's.
But to suggest that an 8 year old be sued for trespass? That's just as ridiculous as the dog owner getting sued.
Why do so many people feel the need to sue someone over anything they can dream up nowadays?
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Post by scrapmaven on Jun 16, 2017 16:25:50 GMT
The dogs are being punished for being dogs who were guarding their backyard from an intruder. Punishing the dogs or owner is very unfair. So, is suing a child. That boy made an impetuous 8 year old choice to get his ball and trespassed into their yard. At 8 years old I can't blame him, because he was doing what a kid does. He went to retrieve his ball. It's sad that he was hurt. 8 year olds don't always think about the consequences of their choices. Both families were hurt.
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Post by bratkar on Jun 16, 2017 16:32:20 GMT
Maybe I'm getting old and starting to sound like Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, but stay off my damn lawn!
As a kid, I was raised to never set foot anyone's yard without permission, never mind climbing a fence it to get in their yard. We LOST countless balls to neighbors yards that took days and weeks to get returned to us. LESSON learned each summer.
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Post by mrssmith on Jun 16, 2017 16:33:22 GMT
I'm not saying the dogs are to blame, but holy hell! He's 8 years old!! His ball went into a neighbor's yard and he went to retrieve it. Trespassing! FFS! This is just a sad situation, but blaming an 8 yo playing outside is not the right thing to do. Agree. While I do instill in my children that they should not approach or pet dogs without talking to the owner, I would not be upset with them for going into the neighbor's yard to get a ball... Then again, my DS is petrified of dogs, so he would never do it. We have wonderful neighbors who also have children. The kids run all around our little street. People look out for them. No one complains if a kid or two goes into their yard because we all have kids. I get that some would not appreciate that though, but the kids only want to go in yards where other kids live! Save |
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Post by epeanymous on Jun 16, 2017 16:35:56 GMT
Look, I can hold two ideas in my head at the same time -- that if you go in someone else's backyard, you might get bit by a dog, which isn't the dog owner's fault, and that eight-year-olds sometimes make bad decisions, even if they are decent kids with good parents. The fact that this happened really doesn't reflect on anyone or generate any broader lessons for society.
Things happen.
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Post by not2peased on Jun 16, 2017 17:00:50 GMT
One of my boys tried to secretly walk to the candy store downtown (long story which is basically irrelevant here) and was caught leaving the neighborhood by a friend who recognized that he should not be out there alone. I was frantically looking for him when she pulled up in her car with him. After hugging him fiercely, the first thing I blurted out was, "You aren't even allowed to cross the street alone!" To which he proudly replied, "I walked in people's yards the whole way." The point being - even well loved, well supervised, and well taught children, can make very child-like poor decisions. exactly |
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Post by katlady on Jun 16, 2017 17:14:52 GMT
I feel sorry for the little boy. It was a traumatic experience and I hope he fully recovers! I don't think it is fair though to punish the dogs. They now have to be confined whenever they are in their own fenced in backyard. And it sounds like the mom of the little boy is pushing to have the dogs removed forever. I know she is scared for her little boy, but the dogs were not roaming free when they attacked her son. I am not even a fan of pit bulls, but I am on the dog's side in this case. |
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Post by freecharlie on Jun 16, 2017 17:45:50 GMT
The boy was in the wrong, not the dogs.
However, the boy should not be charged with anything.
I jumped my fair share of fences to retrieve balls when I was a kid. It was what we did.
Once I came face to face with a Rottweiler. Thank God it was the nicest dog and just rolled on her back to get petted.
But had that dog bit me, it would have been my own fault.
I'd sue the parents of the boy to pay for the things I had to have for the dogs and for whatever else I could.
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MizIndependent
Drama Llama
Quit your bullpoop.
Posts: 5,927
Jun 25, 2014 19:43:16 GMT
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Post by MizIndependent on Jun 16, 2017 18:02:56 GMT
From the article:
Ya think? Something like the sudden appearance of an intruder?
Geez.
I kinda hope the dog owner takes the neighbor to court. Their kid's trespassing has put his dogs in danger.
Where was she when her kid jumped the fence? I have no sympathy (for the mother).
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Post by peano on Jun 16, 2017 18:23:00 GMT
i have children running from 18-4 and even morgan at 4 know not to enter anyone property without permission. They are only allowed to go up to two home in our area without the permission of the owner is Mr. Moon and Mrs.Carmen that is only incase something happens and they need to get a adult's help. If they just feel like visiting then they have to call and get permission first. Sorry but if your child can not follow the rules then the need to be supervised outside the home. I don't have anything else to add about this dog incident but I would encourage you not to be overconfident about your childrens' judgment. Parents can lecture until they're blue in the face about not running in the street, not going into someone else's yard or going off with a stranger to help find a lost puppy. Children can still be impetuous and impulsive, even if they are developmentally able to gauge the consequences of their actions. You may be overestimating your kids, especially the four year old. |
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Post by melanell on Jun 16, 2017 18:31:31 GMT
Why do so many people feel the need to sue someone over anything they can dream up nowadays? I agree. I don't understand why every situation needs to have a guilty party or someone to fault. Despite the fact that the dog-owners have 3 dogs instead of just 2, which by the way is the first time I have ever heard of such a law, they did have them contained in a fenced yard. The dogs did not escape, which indicates that the fence is doing its job of keeping the dogs in their own yard. But just like with tie-outs, or electric fences, even tall fencing can be breached by someone who is determined to enter the yard. And once a person drops into the yard unexpectedly, it's up to chance how the dogs will respond. Some might just be curious, but others are going to feel threatened. Gosh, my parents have a geriatric beagle who would probably try to bite in a situation like that and she's far, far, far from a threat to anyone normally. Yet I also don't blame an 8 year old for making a poor choice. I feel for the child and for the dog owners. It was a sad event, but I don't see it as one that requires finding fault with anyone. SaveSave |
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Post by brina on Jun 16, 2017 18:37:31 GMT
the mother wants the dogs and the owner punished while accepting no responsibility for the child's behavior. I feel bad for the kid, but the mother is wrong.
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Post by melanell on Jun 16, 2017 18:42:20 GMT
Where was she when her kid jumped the fence? I have no sympathy (for the mother). I would have sympathy for her if she was acting differently right now. I get that she's upset and that she was scared, but she's placing blame where it doesn't belong--at least in my opinion, based on what information we've been given. Her kid climbing the fence without her knowing? I don't necessarily fault her for that. I'd need to know more. I've cooked dinner while watching my kids out the kitchen window. Can I literally see them every single second? Of course not---I'm also cooking dinner. I've let them play while I switch laundry over from the washer to dryer---again, with a window that faces the back yard, but again, I am obviously not watching them every single second. I am hoping that they will not make sudden decisions that will put them into danger in those moments or minutes, but there are no guarantees in life. I knew a kid who used to climb onto his roof any chance he could get. It was amazing how fast he could be on that roof. His poor mother. She really did try, but he was one of those kids who was just always cooking up a new dangerous idea. He's an adult now---and he spends his time doing adventure type sports. Some people grown up, but they don't change much.  Anyway, I'd certainly hold off on any judgement in regards to this mom and be much more sympathetic if she wasn't being so incredibly forceful in her blame of the dogs and their owner. (Again, if it turns out later that there IS a history with these dogs or that they had given the child free reign of their yard, that would be different.) Save |
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MizIndependent
Drama Llama
Quit your bullpoop.
Posts: 5,927
Jun 25, 2014 19:43:16 GMT
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Post by MizIndependent on Jun 16, 2017 18:54:03 GMT
Where was she when her kid jumped the fence? I have no sympathy (for the mother). I would have sympathy for her if she was acting differently right now. I get that she's upset and that she was scared, but she's placing blame where it doesn't belong--at least in my opinion, based on what information we've been given. Her kid climbing the fence without her knowing? I don't necessarily fault her for that. I'd need to know more. I've cooked dinner while watching my kids out the kitchen window. Can I literally see them every single second? Of course not---I'm also cooking dinner. I've let them play while I switch laundry over from the washer to dryer---again, with a window that faces the back yard, but again, I am obviously not watching them every single second. I am hoping that they will not make sudden decisions that will put them into danger in those moments or minutes, but there are no guarantees in life. I knew a kid who used to climb onto his roof any chance he could get. It was amazing how fast he could be on that roof. His poor mother. She really did try, but he was one of those kids who was just always cooking up a new dangerous idea. He's an adult now---and he spends his time doing adventure type sports. Some people grown up, but they don't change much. Anyway, I'd certainly hold off on any judgement in regards to this mom and be much more sympathetic if she wasn't being so incredibly forceful in her blame of the dogs and their owner. (Again, if it turns out later that there IS a history with these dogs or that they had given the child free reign of their yard, that would be different.) I agree with you. My biggest issue with this mother is how she's blaming. The problem is, the dog owner kept his dogs contained. They weren't an issue until an intruder dropped into their fully fenced, private yard. I do blame the mother for this reason: she is the one who failed to keep her son contained. If she and the child's father has had to give "multiple warnings" to him that likely means this has been an ongoing issue. Why wasn't she out there watching him more closely? Clearly he needed better supervision to prevent him from doing something he was warned about many times. She's deflecting. Her anger is actually at herself because she feared this would happen, that's why she and her DH warned their son so many times to keep it from happening, but it happened anyway. Now that I'm reasoning through the article I can say that I do feel some sympathy for her. It's difficult to accept blame under the best of circumstances...this mother has just watched her son be attacked by 3 dogs on her watch. The guilt must be immense and very difficult to admit to, hence the deflecting. |
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