Toddler bitten by friend's dog

7:10pm Friday 31st August 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Ben Wilkinson, Crime Reporter. Call me on (01865) 425427

Angela Turner with Liana Buy this photo » Angela Turner with Liana

A MUM has called for dangerous dog laws to be changed after her baby daughter was attacked by a Yorkshire terrier.

Fifteen month old Liana Lindsey was attacked by her mum’s friend’s dog in Headington last month. She suffered bites and cuts to her face.

But police have told her mum Angela Turner there is nothing they can do as the incident happened in a private place.

The mum-of-five, from Yarnton, said: “Any dog that bites, regardless of where, should be put down.”

The attack happened in the garden at about 6.20pm when her daughter was sitting on the ground.

The two-year-old dog has now been given away.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, an owner can only be prosecuted if they allow a dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place or in a private place where it is not allowed to be.

Miss Turner, 29, said: “It’s annoying that nothing has been done because it didn’t happen in a public place.

“It was traumatising. As a parent I wouldn’t want anyone to go through that. If she had provoked him then fair enough, but she didn’t go near it. We are lucky it was not a bigger dog.”

Miss Turner and her partner Carl Lindsey, 23, are now looking to rehome their two American bulldogs.

Miss Turner said: “We don’t want to run the risk of this happening again.

“If it was one of them that had gone for her there would be nothing left.

“Nothing is worth more to you than the baby.”

A chihuahua was killed by a Staffordshire terrier-type dog in Witney town centre on August 20.

And in February mum Belinda Wyeth calls for laws to go further after police were powerless to act when her five-year-old daughter was scarred in an attack by a border collie in a Bicester home.

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Last September, Didcot grandmother Lorraine Harling called for laws to change after her Yorkshire Terrier was killed by a neighbour’s dog in a private garden.

Comments(19)

Zaxharias Ziegla says...
7:34pm Fri 31 Aug 12

Just what are American Bulldogs?

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MadMan-JaYmZ says...
8:38pm Fri 31 Aug 12

Zaxharias Ziegla wrote:
Just what are American Bulldogs?
Google it

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PDL says...
9:03pm Fri 31 Aug 12

Clueless woman, should she really be trusted with a child?

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Bon Rurgundy says...
9:14pm Fri 31 Aug 12

Is this for real? Someone with two American Bulldogs is having a go about a Yorkshire Terrier? Maybe the dog licence should be brought back. Might put a stop to chavs and their status dogs...

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Dilligaf2010 says...
9:33pm Fri 31 Aug 12

A Yorkie is a rat on wheels, not a dangerous dog, they're more bark than bite

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Buffetcrasher says...
10:04pm Fri 31 Aug 12

I don't think that the dangerous dogs act is working because ANY dog can become dangerous if it hasn't been trained. Clearly this Yorky was with someone who couldn't control it. No one I know would allow ANY dog to get close to a baby who is at eye level. It's unfair of commentators here to blame the mother of the child, surely it's all down to the dog owner? It's refreshing to see the ignorance regarding dogs displayed on the national press websites is perpetuated here; we're main-stream!

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davyboy says...
10:17pm Fri 31 Aug 12

Buffetcrasher wrote:
I don't think that the dangerous dogs act is working because ANY dog can become dangerous if it hasn't been trained. Clearly this Yorky was with someone who couldn't control it. No one I know would allow ANY dog to get close to a baby who is at eye level. It's unfair of commentators here to blame the mother of the child, surely it's all down to the dog owner? It's refreshing to see the ignorance regarding dogs displayed on the national press websites is perpetuated here; we're main-stream!
thats more like it, a proper analysis of the situation. some people teach their dogs to be violent on purpose, but any dog, or other animal, will attack if it feels threatened. we don't know, but maybe this child was petting it and it got fed up. cats are similar, and will scratch and hiss if p*****d off

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SamSpinx says...
10:55pm Fri 31 Aug 12

Sounds like a brilliant friend. She publicly announces that she is annoyed that her friends dog was not killed and that they were not prosecuted in the criminal courts. With friends like that who needs enemies?

They were dog owners, of large powerful dogs and they didn't consider potential risks, at all apparently. They were also unable to spot a poorly trained dog and keep their child safe from it. Probably best they are getting rid of the dogs, I'll re-home them, anyone got details?

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The Black Cab Driver says...
3:03am Sat 1 Sep 12

The mum-of-five, from Yarnton, said: “Any dog that bites, regardless of where, should be put down.”

My Lab has just nipped me because I put the laptop on instead of giving him some loving and his food first,should I have him put down. We do not know the full story, but any dog owner can guess the situation if a toddler is left with any dog, the toddler will think he/she is playing when they pull/prod/squeeze the dog, but the dog thinks otherwise, and will protect itself, as in this case. The mother left her child alone to play with the dog, and only one person is to blame. I would hate for somebody to put my dog in the same situation, it is not the owners fault 99% of the time, but others who see no risk in letting a dog get taunted.

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MaxGold20 says...
4:36am Sat 1 Sep 12

Zaxharias Ziegla wrote:
Just what are American Bulldogs?
Pitbulls!

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Smaugie says...
6:51am Sat 1 Sep 12

MaxGold20 wrote:
Zaxharias Ziegla wrote:
Just what are American Bulldogs?
Pitbulls!
No they are not Pitbulls. They are a Bulldog. They were originally registered as American Pit Bulldog but were renamed to avoid confusion with American Pit Bull Terriers.

There seems to be a lot of assumptions being made here about both owner(s) and dogs that merely display the ignorance of the respondents. ANY dog can bite given the wrong circumstances. And most dogs are not properly trained by their owners. How many people allow their dogs to share their beds for instance?

I have a 10 year old Jack Russell/Border Terrier cross. He is very good with my grandchildren, including my 1 year old granddaughter. But I would never leave him alone and unsupervised with them.

Most commonly problems arise because people treat their dogs like other people. They are not people, they are dogs! They are pack animals! We need to understand how dogs socialise and behave in a pack. That way most problems can be avoided.

But they are still dogs. And, given provocation, even the best behaved dog can bite.

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Andrew:Oxford says...
7:14am Sat 1 Sep 12

Dogs smell...

Dogs have a strong sense of smell...

A 15 month old who lives with 2 dogs and is about dog sized is on the ground in the home territory of another dog...

Some events aren't that surprising really.

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save a staffy says...
10:07am Sat 1 Sep 12

How ridiculous....just seen an article about a teenager that shook a baby and given him brain damage.....should he be put to sleep!!!!Its the humans that do all the harm not the dogs.Its how we humans bring them up and the training they are given that makes them how they are...no puppy is born vicious its what we humans do to them.Just like the staffy the most amazing dog you will find brilliant family dog and great with kids BUT the ones we read about that do harm are ones that are brought up by the low lifes in the council estates and are trained in dog fighting rings and are taught to be vicious.Its so easy to just get rid of a dog,just like a second hand bed....animals should be part of the family,trained and for life.....im really sick of these irresponsible dog owners that should never be allowed to own them in the first place so yes something needs to be done and its not about putting dangerous dogs down its about preventing these poor innocent dogs ending up in the hands of those disgusting people in the first place.

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wend says...
8:01pm Sat 1 Sep 12

save a staffy has got it spot on. I couldn't agree more. Some dog owners have absolutely no idea how to train dogs and really should not own any kind of dog let alone the supposed aggressive breeds

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still awake says...
2:25pm Mon 3 Sep 12

This story is ridiculous i can't believe it even made it to print. The dog was in its own house or territory and i seriously doubt it was a completely unprovoked attack. More likely the mum did not see or even notice the provocation. I'm sure it is very distressing to see your child attacked in such a way but please take responsibility for your own kids it is your responsibility to keep them safe if visiting friends with animals. Animals like humans if they feel threatened they will react. We have such a litigious society today that it has become natural for people to blame everyone else for their own mistakes and accidents, these things happen. She says any dog that bites should be put down regardless it bites, i wonder if she would have felt the same if one of her dogs bit someone who had broken into her house? I know its not the same situation but her comment was "ANY dog"

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Pozzi says...
12:47pm Tue 4 Sep 12

this woman is so stupid it baffles me. Leave your child alone with any kind of animal, If she left it her child in the garden and a crow pecked it's heyes would she want all crows culled. My dog knocked a kid (about 2 yrs old i think) over by accident once, my dog was on a lead but the parent was nowhere to be seen, the parent had a go at me. Moral of the story WATCH YOUR KIDS. Dogs are animals and most of the time behave on instinct, why should it be put down because of it's nature. If I see this woman I will probably deck her one. Seriously stupid, thick, ignorant, careless woman. Her child should be taken off her and she clearly can't take care of properly.

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Richie24 says...
1:18pm Tue 4 Sep 12

Ridiculous article, how it made the press I'll never know. Why is it the parents always blame someone else.

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angela83 says...
5:39pm Sun 9 Sep 12

if u read the story...my daughter was not left alone with the dog!!!!!! we was there about 10 mins i had just put my daughter down. she had not gone near or touched the dog!!!!! and i said that had she had provoked the dog i would have understood more. it may have only been a small dog but she had 7 stitches in her face that happened in a blink of an eye , i would not want to imagine what would have happened if she was left alone with the dog. as for your comment about being a bad parent leaving her on her own !!! read the story she was not left on her own!!!! i would love to give you my details then you can come and say to my face what u just wrote on here!!! and CHAV??? you dont know me so what gives you the right to call me a chav. i love my dogs there not for status!! my dogs are as soft as they come but i dont want to risk this happening again. you never know when a dog is going to bite!!!!

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Nic1984 says...
2:13pm Tue 11 Sep 12

Very sorry for what happened with your daughter. But as you say - you never know when a dog is going to bite so probably an idea to keep babies/toddlers out of harm's way and on your lap when dogs are about.

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