Why is it that every time I read the paper....

I find something (usually more than one) that ticks me off? There was an article today that made me want to stab someone in the eye with a fork. People do not a) take responsibility for their own actions b) respect animals and c) think before they speak.

The article that ticked me off today is in the Herald in City & Region, page 1, titled "Designer forced to muzzle 'vicious' dog". The gist is a man had his dog tied up outside a restaurant, several people petted the dog then "without warning" (why is it always "without warning"? Are people too stupid to see the warning signs that a dog gives when it's frightened, frustrated or ticked off?) it bit a little girl. The judge, who obviously doesn't know his backside from a hole in the ground said "The cute dog that bites without warning is an allurement, a trap, for the unsuspecting and the young...." The owner of the dog now has to keep him muzzled and on a short leash when in public and was also fined.

The person at fault for the little girl being bitten is.........the girl's mother/father whatever. It's a shame she was bitten. She should have been shown the proper way to approach a dog. If she had approached properly and he had "turned" she would not have been bitten. The parents have to take responsibility for not teaching their child correctly. Having said that, I do believe the owner of the dog should pay for any medical treatment that the girl received for the bite.

I would bet money that she bounded up to the dog (a puppy at the time) and thrust her hand at his face. He felt threatened and bit. Once. A bite is not the sign of a vicious dog, if he were vicious there wouldn't be much of the girl left. It's time people learned to live appropriately with animals. And no, I don't see anything wrong with tying a dog up outside a business. Dogs aren't the problem, people are. Thank god they didn't decide to kill the dog for defending himself.