“Dog bite man”…
…isn’t ordinarily considered a story.
“Dog bites young woman” really isn’t, either.
Unless it’s one of the White House dogs, Sunny, who recently bit a young female visitor on the face:
We’re told the incident occurred Monday when the 18-year-old was visiting the White House. Sources connected to the girl tell us she went to pet and kiss Sunny, and the dog bit her on the face.
Sunny — a female Portuguese Water Dog — left a nasty gash under the girl’s eye. We’re told the Obamas’ family physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, checked her out and decided she needed stitches.
She’s gonna be okay, but we’re told she’ll likely have a small scar … which upset her. She posted various pics of the injury and her visit to Dr. Jackson on social media.
It’s a sign of the times that, when I read this story, I wondered whether it was fake news.
If a previously gentle dog of a breed not known for aggression does something unaccountable and apparently unprovoked like this, I think it’s a warning sign that something may be wrong with the dog. Or perhaps Sunny’s previously sunny disposition was just discombobulated by the results of the election.
Kissing a strange dog isn’t very bright no matter the breed. Even petting a strange dog should be done in a specific manner- encouraging the dog to make the approach rather than approaching the dog. There are few parts of your body more vulnerable to a dog bite than your eyes, and facial wounds are more likely to cause permanent nerve damage.
I’m with Yancey. Don’t try to kiss other people’s dogs. Don’t even pet them without first asking if it’s okay. A dog that suddenly and unexpectedly has a stranger’s mouth coming at it may interpret that as an attack.
In my experience, dogs absolutely do pick up on their human pack’s tension, turmoil, emotional stress, and the like. People at all times should note and pay attention to animals’ physical and behavioral cues – no matter how “gentle” they may typically be – especially when it comes to putting one’s face in the vicinity of big sharp teeth.
That being said, it’s also quite easy for a large dog to injure someone’s face quite unintentionally through a sudden movement (of the person or the dog), especially with respect to soft tissue of a human face vis-a-vis canine teeth or toenails. One gash on the face requiring stitches sounds (and in the linked story, looks) like a toenail to me, tbh.
(butterflies instead of stitches probably would leave her with no scar, so I hope she got a second opinion)
I’m not sure if the Obama’s are dog people (it could be but unlikely) as I didn’t hear of them with dogs before he became president. I think they got the dogs as a PR item to show they were real people. The Clintons did the same, while the Bushes were long time and natural dog owners. This makes a difference in the dogs feeling of belonging to the pack/family. I’m sure they are well treated with staff to take them for walks etc. But dogs pick up how calm their owners are with vistors etc and follow suite.
Now the Incoming First family are definitely not dog people (a disqualifying mark in my book) and I don’t expect them to get one.
The dog is certainly picking up on the current atmosphere in the WH. The tension must be palpable enough to cut with a knife. All the privilege and deference they’ve enjoyed turns out to have an end date, ultimately to be as ephemeral as the wind.
All that’s left is repetitive preaching to the choir.
If we knew more about the young woman it would help us to make guesses about her behavior and that of the dog. Trying to kiss a strange dog indicates she had little or no knowledge of how to interact with Sunny. I also do not understand why the WH dogs are allowed to roam around in public areas.
BTW, I doubt the obamas and their political staff hang around with the dogs. Otherwise we would have been inundated with dozens of photos of the first family giving the dogs loving attention and receiving it in return. And heart warming stories about the dogs pining away while bho was on one of his foreign adventures.
Sunny is distressed over the move. Picking up on the family’s feelings. . .