Fatal Weimeraner attack on young boy (Cape Coral, FL)

Two year old boy dead from dog attack in Cape Coral, FL

http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2009/12/two-year-old-boy-dead-from-dog-attack-in-cape-coral-fl.html

A two year old boy, Liam Perk, died yesterday after being attacked by one of the family's two pet Weimaraners. The eight year old male, which by all reports was well cared for and an indoor dog, bit the young boy in the neck -- the boy died less than an hour later.

The AP Wire story, which unfortunately is what most newspapers ran, says the dog attacked the boy "without any apparent provocation". But that's really not how dogs work -- they almost never "just snap" and or bite for no reason.

The Cape Coral Daily Breeze at least provides a more rational explanation:

"Something apparently, obviously, startled the dog when the child walked by and the dog immediately snapped at the child and bit him in the neck area," said police spokesperson Connie Barron.

The Fort Myers News Press also has a valid look:

"Animals will react in a fight or flight response depending on the circumstances," said Adam Leath, Chief of Lee County Animal Services.

"Kids play with dogs and pull tails and ears and dogs don't like it," said Dr. Robert South, epidemiologist with the Lee County Health Department. "It really comes down to the ability of the owners to have a well-trained dog and to teach children to be appropriately cautious around animals."

If more information becomes available on this story I will certainly post it....although the family has understandably requested privacy during their time of mourning.

My heart goes out to the family of Liam Perk -- and I hope others may be able to eventually learn from their tragedy.