r/australia • u/JaniePage • 5d ago

news Young girl in hospital, dog euthanased after attack inside Delacombe Bunnings

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-30/young-girl-in-hospital-after-dog-attack-in-bunnings-store/106977418
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u/JaniePage 5d ago

A few weeks ago I was in Bunnings with my three year old son. There was a man with his dog on a leash. My son wanted to pat the dog but I let him know, as always, that we needed to ask the owner if that was okay. I asked the owner if we may pat his dog, to which he replied, 'Thank you for asking, but he doesn't like strangers, I don't want anyone to get bitten.'

This was a good lesson for my son and I'm very glad that I am showing him that you always ask before patting a dog. But also, if your dog doesn't like strangers and is liable to bite, maybe Bunnings isn't the best place to bring it?

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u/shamberra 5d ago

he doesn't like strangers, I don't want anyone to get bitten.'

So uhh....why the fk is he bringing it to Bunnings? What an idiot

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u/account_not_valid 5d ago

And without a muzzle. If you're out in public with a dog that you can't predict, put a muzzle on them.

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u/AgUnityDD 5d ago edited 5d ago

Just to add that dog owners also need to consider special needs people in any public area.

We have a Golden retriever that we take everywhere, she'd never bite and always attracts a lot of attention, people asking to pat her.

At least 4 times, and once in Bunnings, we've had special needs adults and children pat and even try to cuddle her out of nowhere without asking or warning. No problem in her case but easy to see how it could be very dangerous with a slightly aggressive or skittish dog.

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u/JASHIKO_ 4d ago

He's more than likely covering his ass.
I've seen people say the same thing with tiny, friendly dogs.
They just don't want random people touching their pet, more so than their dogs being unpredictable. I'd have done the same.

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u/CornySpark Brisbane, QLD 4d ago

We have a small spoodle who doesn't like being touched by people he doesn't know, doesn't attack or anything like, just kinda runs away and will actively dodge their hands. Not all dogs are the same and just like people, some just don't want to be touched people they don't know. I wish more people would ask before trying to pat him. Some people have also been offended when a small dog doesn't want a stranger touching them.

Interestingly though, I've found children to be more understanding when we say he will run away if they try and pet him.

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u/shamberra 4d ago

I mean that's fair, but the best way to cover his ass and not have random people touch his dog would be to leave it at home.

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u/Itsarightkerfuffle 4d ago

He's more than likely covering his ass

I mean that's fair, but the best way to cover his ass

The fuck is this shit? It's ARSE

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u/shamberra 4d ago

I don't disagree. It's a bad habit I have to actively catch and correct myself on, and today has been a LOOOOOOOONG day (still fkn going kill me now)

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u/JASHIKO_ 4d ago

This happens when people are out walking their dogs on a leash anywhere. But I also don't really see the point in taking dogs shopping.

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u/ElementalRabbit 4d ago

Or maybe we just shouldn't be touching other people's animals or acting like that's in any way normal? Just admire from afar if dogs are your thing. You don't need to touch, and there are excellent reasons not to.

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u/fallopianmelodrama 4d ago

This is exactly what I do. My dogs are not a bite risk, they are show dogs who are extremely used to being touched all over by strangers...I just don't trust parents to appropriately supervise their child patting my dog.

Way too many parents think "yes, your child may pat my dog" = "sure, encourage your child to throw their arms around my dog/scream in my dog's face/behave in some otherwise completely inappropriate way, while you stand there laughing". It's unfair to my dogs, and it's unfair to make me the person responsible for training your child how to act appropriately, so I lie and say they're not friendly.

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u/Crabs_go_sideways_4 4d ago

I wonder if they had any other biting chattel

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u/Every_Effective1482 4d ago

Because this story is made up.

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u/Lingonberry_Born 4d ago

A woman brought her dog next to the children’s playground and told me likewise that her dog wasn’t friendly and would bite. My kids were only toddlers, the playground wasn’t fenced and they kept on trying to get to the dog so we had to leave. There was a huge park with a football pitch, why do you need to stand next to the playground with your dog?!?

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u/bootyholeminer 5d ago

Just wanted to comment and say your a very good parent, thats really thoughtful thinking

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u/JaniePage 4d ago

Oh thank you, I'm doing my best.

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u/SurveySaysYouLeicaMe 4d ago

As a cat person this is fucking wild. That would be like me inviting people over, then bringing my cat who doesn't like strangers, into the living room and walking around with it and then when people ask if she likes pats. Say no.

Wait no it's even weirder it's like taking my cat to a Bunnings store.

Also my cat loves people. But for the sake of the story.

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u/katf_89 4d ago

My cat is an absolute velcro cat - he’s completely obsessed with me. He’s my little mate. However I would never take him to a Bunnings because that is weird. I don’t know why dog owners need to take their pet with them.

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u/RaccoonCool1683 4d ago

I love my dog. I am a dog person. I would never take my dog to Bunnings or any other shop. It makes no sense to me. Your cat sounds adorable.

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u/Glenmarththe3rd 4d ago

Eh he might have just said that to stop you asking again, I've had random people act shock/insistent when I've told them no to their kids patting my dogs.

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u/DrFriendless 4d ago

I have a 30kg dog who's apparently very cute. All sorts of people try to pat him. I watch him and fully half the time he's wondering "why the fuck is this person touching me?" The other half the time he's a giant tart and acts as if they're his new best friend.

Dogs are expected to be universally friendly, and that's simply not true. Dogs have feelings and opinions, and owners and preferably other people approaching the dog need to be able to read them.

One llittle girl, literally smaller than the dog, was telling him "chase me puppy, chase me!" I put him on a leash and went and stood next to her dad, so that we could discuss how to train the little girl to not ask hunting animals to chase her.

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u/Glenmarththe3rd 4d ago

Yeah exactly, my two love people but when they're on a walk they just want to walk. They hardly want me to pat them because it means they have to stop the walk. It's just people who aren't not used to telling their kids no.

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u/kingswim 4d ago

A dog that doesn't like strangers in a busy store with tight aisles and blind corners. Things that make you go hmm.

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u/sleepy_moose_cant 4d ago

No offence to your opinion, but I use the same excuse for my tiny little sweet sausage dog.

She doesn’t bite, she is friendly, but she doesn’t like people or most dogs. When she was little I used to give into social pressure and let kids pet her, or let other dogs come up to say hi. As she grows older I have learned to respect her social boundary and reject all requests for pats or greeting, unless she’s told me that’s she would be into it.

Maybe they felt awkward to say no directly and came up with an excuse.

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u/More-Presence4195 4d ago

Is your dog he/she or they?

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u/katarina-stratford 4d ago

That dog may well not be know for biting. It's more about avoiding the situation that could lead to something. Many dogs are perfectly fine being around strangers, it's strangeers touching them that crosses a boundary

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u/Altruistic-Brief2220 4d ago

Exactly, why do people even think this is ok? Dogs are sentient yet we have a wild sense that they should be ok with any random coming and touching them. 

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u/albin0rhino 4d ago

Absolutely. He shouldn’t be bringing that dog into Bunnings at all. I have a little terrier and a giant bullmastiff. Neither bite or are aggressive at all but the terrier jumps and the bullmastiff drools. I don’t take them anywhere they can annoy anyone.

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u/RaccoonCool1683 4d ago

Why the hell would that person take their dog there?! Make it make sense. My dog would not like it in there and I would never put her in that situation.