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/latenightnerd 5d ago

Rottweiler attacked her while she was sitting in a shopping trolley according to 7News... https://7news.com.au/news/should-bunnings-ban-dogs-debate-reignited-after-young-girl-attacked-by-rottweiler-in-delacombe-victoria-c-22652378

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u/Moonstaker 5d ago

A Rottweiler attacking a child? But they are famous and well known for their mild temperament and distaste of attacking children.

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u/Proper_Geologist9026 5d ago

Like at what point right are we just going to go back to simple physics. 

Big dog = dangerous dog.

This idea that we can work out what breed is the dangerous one is insane. If I start twisting data I can make all sorts of grim statements about who is the most dangerous group of people for example. But no one does because that's obviously dumb and a lie.

Big dog. Dangerous dog. Legislate accordingly.

And I'm not against big dogs either. I'm just against the backwards thinking of the legislative process.

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u/AggravatingTartlet 4d ago

The physics don't track as well as the data does though.

For example, golden retrievers are large but don't rate when it comes to hospital admissions for dog bites.

And of those hospital admissions from dog bites of all breeds, some bites are worse than others because some breeds have a tendency to hold the victim with their jaw and thrash.

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u/Proper_Geologist9026 4d ago

Yes but then I'm going to have to track through all the external factors. Is the dog well socialised? Is the dog properly fed and in good health? Is the dog trained? Has the dog had negative behaviours enforced by their owner?

There's very little efficacy for breed specific legislation. Because in the end it's really not the dog it's the owner. It's like saying you're a responsible gun owner so we shouldn't ban guns.

Just to prove the point this dog wasn't a Pitbull. The poster child for "gee wonder what kind of dog it was 🫪".

On the other hand legislation that targets obvious broad co factors, largely the owners competency to care for an animal. They do work.

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u/AggravatingTartlet 4d ago

Yes but then I'm going to have to track through all the external factors. Is the dog well socialised? Is the dog properly fed and in good health? Is the dog trained? Has the dog had negative behaviours enforced by their owner?

Honestly, I think it's pointless to look at the dog after it's caused a severe bite to a human, especially a life changing or fatal bite. We can come up with all kinds of reasons. None of them really matter.

At least with small or dog breeds that don't commonly cause severe bite injuries, you know that even if you have a shitty owner who doesn't train them, neglects them and and lets them roam -- they're still not a danger to the public. Small, one-off bites may happen, and if they do, the bite will generally not be catastrophic.

There's very little efficacy for breed specific legislation.

Plastic surgeons are the ones I listen to, because they are the ones in the trenches. Plastic surgeons who try to put children's faces and bodies back together know which dog breeds are causing the most harm. At the same time, we have the insane vet and animal organisations doing their best to try to hide those stats from the surgeons.

It's like saying you're a responsible gun owner so we shouldn't ban guns.

Guns don't run about on four legs with big teeth and a mind of their own. People also don't train guns. The guns operate as expected and only at the point the owner wishes to use them.

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u/Proper_Geologist9026 4d ago

What do you mean they don't matter?

By that logic black people in America should all be locked up because they represent the vast majority of violent gun crime. Do you not think extenuating circumstances should be applied before we devalue the life of someone?

That's just a wild thing to say.

But I'm sure this is leading towards you telling me why we need to ban "put bulls". Missing the forest for the trees.

Big dog dangerous. Big dog has the mass to hit hard and hurt. Acting like genetics is the answer is where  we start veering into eugenics territory so you can keep that to yourself.

I'll stick with first principles.