‘Our gentle dog had never bitten anyone - then it got our child'

A New Zealand mum blames a lack of adult supervision - and not the family dog - when her three-year-old son was bitten on the face.

Ever since their son, Ethan, was a baby, Brad and Nicki had guided him on how to approach other people’s dogs as they didn’t have one of their own.

“We had always taught Ethan about being gentle and going slow with all dogs,” Nicki, 39, tells Kidspot.

“But he had never come into contact with a dog while they were eating before.”

That day did come when they least expected it, and it taught the parents - and child - a painful, unforgettable lesson.

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A terrible encounter

When Brad and Nicki relocated back to the New Zealand region of Nelson from Australia with their two boys, Ethan and Miles, then aged three and five months, they temporarily stayed with Brad’s parents on their farming property.

For Ethan, one of the joys of living there was playing with the family’s working dogs - one of whom was Sid, a 10-year-old beardie cross.

“My dad used to own Sid before he was given to Brad’s dad, and he was the most gentle, loving dog that loved attention and pats,” Nicki says. 

“He had never, ever bitten anyone before.”

On New Year’s Eve that year, Nicki had taken the kids to the beach while Brad was at work, and they returned home to settle in for what they hoped would be a low-key end to the year.

“My inlaws were home, and we were all getting ready for dinner,” Nicki recalls.

“Unbeknown to me, Brad’s dad had gone off and fed Sid while I was getting Miles cleaned up. Ethan would often go out on the farm with Pop and was excited to help him with jobs, so I assumed Ethan was with him at the time.”

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Brad and Nicki have always taught their son how to approach dogs. Image: Supplied

Nicki was inside dressing Miles when she heard a dog’s loud bark, and then a sharp cry from Ethan outside.

“I knew it wasn’t the type of cry where he was hungry or had fallen over,” she remembers.

When she rushed out to her toddler, she saw something she never would have predicted.

“There was a lot of blood on his face, and it was all so close to his eye, which was terrifying.”

Ethan was rushed to hospital to treat the significant bite wounds above and below his eye.

“He was traumatised and quite wound up so he wouldn’t let a doctor or anyone near him at all, so we couldn’t get him stitched up or give him a tetanus shot,” Nicki says.

“It was horrible.”

Ethan’s wounds were covered, and the following day - which was also Nicki’s birthday - he was returned to hospital for eight stitches.

Once the shock of the incident had settled, the family discovered that Ethan had walked up to Sid outside and given him a pat while he was gnawing on a bone just given to him. 

“He just lashed out in defence of his food and bit him,” Nicki says. 

“It was total natural dog behaviour.”

Nicki places no blame on Sid, given the circumstances.

“It was a complete accident,” she says.

“Normally, Pop would have fed Sid in his cage and locked him away for the night so it wasn’t something in his normal routine. It was a lack of communication. Pop thought Ethan was with us and I thought Ethan was with him.”

Nicki was inside dressing Miles when she heard a dog’s loud bark, and then a sharp cry from Ethan outside. Image: Supplied

Fearful of dogs

Not surprisingly, the incident left Ethan instantly hyper-cautious of the farm’s dogs.

“He was definitely fearful of dogs in general for a little while, but he understood the situation that we don’t approach dogs while they are eating,” Nicki says. 

“We let him know it wasn’t his fault and it was the adults’ fault for not being more aware of what was going on. We just made sure we were supervising him at all times when he was around dogs.”

Ethan’s grandfather was also very affected by the trauma.

“Pop was horrified it happened, and kept Sid clear of Ethan afterwards, but we made it clear to him that it wasn’t Sid’s fault and it was one of those complete accidents in life,” the mum-of-two says.

Given the situation, it was not even a consideration to put down the family’ much-loved, otherwise gentle dog as he was not at fault. But sadly, just three weeks later, Sid passed away in his sleep and remained a cherished working dog forever.

Now living in their own home in Nelson, Nicki and her family regularly visit the farm - and it’s still one of her great joys to see her eight and six-year-old boys playing with the property’s pups.

“They know what to do and when to leave them to do their thing.”

Ethan now adores animals more than ever and proudly shows off his ‘Harry Potter scar’.

“He loves dogs now and is desperate to get one,” Nicki smiles.

“But we’re not sure about that as we already have a cat and that’s quite enough to handle for now.”

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A common emergency

According to research from RSPCA Queensland, each year, 1,200 Queensland children present to a hospital emergency department due to a dog bite, and 81 percent of those occur in the child’s home. The organisation is launching its ‘Prevent-a-Bite’ program to teach kids the top tips needed when approaching dogs.

“The difficult reality is that any dog is capable of biting,” Kirsty Nalvarte, head of animal services, RSPCA QLD, tells Kidspot.

“And as dogs age, they can also struggle with chronic pain and become more prone to health issues which may result in them being less tolerant. Teaching children to avoid touching dogs when they're eating or sleeping is one of the top tips we communicate in the campaign.

"This is because dogs can commonly feel anxious about having food or other possessions taken away. For very young children and babies, active supervision is key. When parents can’t provide their full attention, children and dogs should be separated and never left alone.”

Originally published as ‘Our gentle dog had never bitten anyone - then it got our child'