On Thanksgiving night, shortly after dinner, my 2 year old niece received what is medically referred to as a "devastating bite-wound" to the face.
She was bitten by a dog that my brother-in-law's family has had for 6 years, they have grandchildren the dog has spent countless hours with, and the German-Shepard mix is even on billboards for a pet store in San Diego where they live.
This is not a bad dog, the child has been around animals and knows how to behave better than most kids, and there was no food involved at all.
The dog simply wanted to be left alone, and when he snapped he unintentionally bit the little girl.Luckily for her and my family her Father is in the military special forces, trained for these situations, and they were near one of the best hospitals in this country.
The injury required 5 1/2 hours of emergency surgery.
Seraphine's tear duct was totally destroyed, it will have to be replaced when she is a teenager because of her size.
Her nose was broken, she will have a scar from inside corner of her eye going across the bridge of her nose, and one on the opposite cheek.
Her jaw was broken in 2 places, and one of the teeth made a "through and through" laceration, going through her muscle and bone and into her sinus cavity.
This dog did NOT attack her, this was ONE BITE! Please, remember how fragile our children are.
Don't be forced to deal with the pain of having, as the doctors say a "disfigured" child.
We are lucky, she would be dead if he had bitten 2 inches lower.
The holidays are just as stressful for our pets as they are for us.
Don't risk the safety of others, or your pet because I have heard "my dog would never do that" SO many times, but someone's dog did, and it COULD be YOURS. Remember, your dog will be put down for an accident just like it was a vicious junk yard beast.