Parents for Dog Bite Awareness

This case stabbed my heart. I usually focus more on a scientific tone when processing these cases. They are all so horrific and senseless that you don’t want to dwell on them personally.

But this one? My amazing sister just welcomed her baby boy into the world so the case hits close to home this time. (Side note: my amazing sister initially was swayed to accept a BMD into her home but she rightly rehomed it before birth. Seeing this contrast was everything slamming together.)

Sweet, precious, 6 week old Ezra was sleeping in his crib when the parents’ 8 year old husky mauled him. He was rushed to East Tennessee Children’s hospital in critical condition, intubated with brain swelling. Unfortunately, he died from the injuries sustained during the attack.

I truly believe your parents loved you with that special depth of love that not all people can feel. I think they overlooked the predator in their midst. It’s why I find the time after work and school every day to be on here. If just one parent changes their mind, it is worth it. Your parents made the wrong choice and they will pay for it for the rest of their lives. You paid for their choice with your life. I do not need to speak one word against them as it is fruitless.

Here is what I do need to say:

Parents, you carry the lives of your children in your hands. They are helpless. Voiceless. They don’t have a choice. They can’t even scream while their throats are torn out during most of these attacks. They are fully dependent on you to protect them.

You are reading this on a device that will give you every bit of data within two seconds. It is YOUR duty to force yourself past the cutesy, charming claims about animals and to look at the data in all its clarity. It is YOUR responsibility to organize your life choices to the benefit and safety of your child. Only YOU can ignore the social media trends and only YOU can choose to look deeper and with critical thinking.

Huskies. They are practically 1:50 when compared to pits. (Anyone have the exact math? Feel free to post it.) Compared to hundreds of pitbull fatalities, huskies hover far below. Yet.

Yet they have a distinct, identifiable area of heightened risk: newborns.

Their high prey and working drive seems to combine to make them consistently dangerous around newborns. The majority of fatal husky maulings involve infants.

Think ahead. Plan for your future family if you don’t have kids yet. Do the math. How old will the dog you choose NOW be when you start a family? What we are seeing in the fatal cases is a clear pattern of young adults choosing dog breeds based on their current, childless lifestyle. And then when the dogs are older, these owners begin to build their human family. Right around that period of 6-8yrs when dogs seem to destabilize, adults are bringing tiny babies into their homes.

When you are choosing a pet, think carefully about the entire lifespan of the dog and how that will or will not appropriately match your lifespan.

For young adults who hope to raise a family later, this means carefully researching the genetic capabilities and behavioral trends of the breed in the context of babies, toddlers, and elementary children.

For those who feel that dogs are more important than children, or say that the dogs were in the home first, this still applies to you, too. When a dog fatally mauls a child, the dog’s life ends as well. So if you truly love dogs and truly want to bring a pet companion into your home, make sure you aren’t setting them up to die.

Make the right choice now. Choose to avoid the unspeakable agony later.

Respectfully,
-JL DBA Editor©️

Gofundme:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-ezra

“Baby Ezra passed away today with his family by his side and is in the arms of Jesus. Although Mark and Chloe are beyond devastated, they have found comfort in knowing that other children will receive the gift of life with his organ donation.” -organizer Lesley Richard

News article:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/05/31/dog-mauls-baby-tennessee/73921454007/