Girl Mauled at DLR Petting Zoo by dog?

[Disney Dreams]

Hi,

I have never heard of this story before, but we were in Disneyland on September 29, 2006 and did see what may[/SIZE] be this dog in the Big Thunder Ranch area.

So, what we are looking at is a picture of A dog. We have absolutely no idea if this is the same dog or not. Just felt the need to point this out.

omg that dog's ears are scaring me even though it's been 2 years since the pic was taken.

Bumbershoot, why do the dog's ears scare you? Truly asking so I can understand.

... my dad's abused golden retrievers (and yes, he's the one that has abused them but not necessarily in a way I could call the authorities about)...

I am very sorry to say this but, if your father was abusing dogs in ANY WAY, yes, he should be reported. Dogs are living beings and deserve to be treated with with kindness and NEVER deserve to be abused in any way at all.

 

[mystic_path]

Surprisingly, I'm siding with the family on this one. That little girl was 2 years old. I don't blame her mother for letting her child pet the dog. After all this IS Disneyland, I could understand her not seeing any danger in it.

I think Disney was extremely stupid for bringing this dog in.

My thoughts exactly. I dunno why Disney would have been so stupid to bring this dog in. I seriously thought they were smarter then that. I mean you dont go down to a shelter and pick the first dog you see. You would want to spend some time with it and find out the history before you adopt. Especially if its gonna be around kids. They should have looked into breeders and did a bit of back ground research on temperment before purchasing. If I brought my kids to Disneyland I would figure the whole park including animals are family friendly. I have to side with the family on this one. I would press charges as well. But its a little strange that its taken 2 years to do so.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

idk this whole storie but the family was dumb to not brang it up for two years? hello if i were there my son got bit i wouldnt wait two years belive me disney i may love. But id be calling fox news and others.

tho i dont know about why disney would let the dog in

and maybe the family was abusing the dog or playing rough..idk

 

[Disney Dreams]

...You would want to spend some time with it and find out the history before you adopt. Especially if its gonna be around kids. They should have looked into breeders and did a bit of back ground research on temperment before purchasing....

Maybe they did. We don't know the details.

I have an amazing little doxie that we adopted from a rescue shelter. He is incredible and has never bit anyone in the years we have had him. He was "scheduled" prior to being rescued because he "nipped a kid." Our guess after being lucky enough to have this amazing little dog in our lives for 6 years? The kid probably was teasing, provoking him and he reacted.

We have absolutely no idea what happened between the dog and the child. I think it is dangerous to assume the dog's temperament is to blame without knowing any details.

 

[perlster]

The idea that the family "waited two years" is baseless. This is not TV. Plaintiffs do not immediately go to court and sue. The plaintiffs' lawyer(s) has undoubtedly investigated the matter, taken depositions, and been in settlement negotiations with Disney. The complaint lists many details, such as the facility from which the dog was adopted, the name of the dog handler at the time of the incident, etc. which were discovered during this period.

It appears that the plaintiffs and their legal representatives have decided that they cannot get a satisfactory settlement from Disney. They have therefore decided to sue.

 

[bumbershoot]

Thanks for that link. A lot of people needed to see that - although most are on another Disney board. These people were denying that any aspect of the complaint could be valid, including that there was never any dog at the ranch. They are so Disney-obsessed that they can't fathom anything negative about Disney being trure.

If this dog was only there a brief time (which seems to be what the article said, that it was JUST gotten and put out, and then obviously it was gone very soon afterwards) it makes sense that people wouldn't think it happened. I mean seriously, dog? A dog on a box, as the article states? It just does not seem to be the sort of thing they would do. And a dog in a parade? People who have been to Disneyland tons of times but have never seen it? Fairly obvious that it was a very brief interlude.

You have got to be kidding!

Under California law, the party responsible for the dog is automatically 100% liable for any damages caused by an attack. This is not limited to physical injuries.

Wrong side of the bed today? From many many posts, Disney has been very kind about helping people who are injured, even if it wasn't Disney's fault. From arranging for transport, to giving special phone numbers so the people can check in, etc. It actually isn't THAT hard for me to believe that they do actually CARE about people, and it's quite possible that they *wanted* to take care of the situation, law aside.

Bumbershoot, why do the dog's ears scare you? Truly asking so I can understand.

Dog looks angry and scared. Dog looks about to bite with his ears held back like that.

When I say that the way my dad treats Shiloh and their other dog wasn't reportable, I meant it. I don't think that "he yells at the dogs" is going to get much of a response. And they are big dogs, men tend to be physical when playing with big dogs, and I don't think "dad is physical in a way that COULD be playing if my dad were actually playing with them" is anything that would be responded to either. If taken in a different context, it would be fine. In the context that he does it, it's NOT playing or fun, he's angry. Dad pretends like he had something to do with the training of our first malamute (not known for obedience, but that dog was terrific in obedience) but he's forgotten that it was my mom who trained him with the help of the breeder (who showed the dog), and he REFUSES to take these two golden retrievers to obedience classes, or even just good dogmanship classes. Insists that his way is the way to train them, when he's entirely wrong. So I try to cross the porch and the dogs jump and mouth my arm and get in my way, and instead of having been trained to stay on all 4 paws, dad comes out and shrieks at them. He's ruined the goldens' natural urge to be obedient, sigh.

And for clarification, the dogs didn't scare ME, they scared my son b/c they are so big and unruly and he thought the one bit me from what he saw and the way his granddad reacted to it (everyone ignored ME telling them that our last dog got me used to that sort of thing, and trying to tell my dad that he needed to take them to classes).

And I was joking about suing my dad. In case that wasn't clear.

 

[Cloei_13]

So, what we are looking at is a picture of A dog. We have absolutely no idea if this is the same dog or not. Just felt the need to point this out.

Yes, thanks. I do not know if my photos of a dog in Disneyland is the same dog that was involved in the attacks. I just posted the pics because I remember there was a dog and it was near that time frame of the incident and it was around the petting zoo area. Also, in the pic is my daughter and a couple other kids (that we don't know), so definately not the same family that was involved in the attack.

Also, we never saw the dog on a box, like the articles stated, he was just being walked around on a leash. Mind you, we were only in that area of the park once during out trip.

We did find it weird that there was a dog being walked around, but figured that Disney knew what they were doing and the personality of the dog.

Why the family waited 2 years to report this, I have no idea. At least Disney seems to have removed the dog from the park, as far as I can tell.

 

[perlster]

Bumbershoot: California law is in effect in this case. You made a statement from ignorance and you were corrected. Disney is legally obligated to fully compensate the family for all actual damages. Deal with it.

(Oh, and I guess "kindness" was what led Disney to clean up the scene before investigators had a chance to even glance at the place where a visitor was killed by a cleat flying off a boat.)

Whether or not Disney was negligent will be decided in court. If so, Disney will also be hit with punitive damages. This is the most likely reason that settlement negotiations failed.

The behavior of the child and the parents, including anything that might be termed provocation, is irrelevant because of the doctrine of absolute liability in dog bite cases.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Dog looks angry and scared. Dog looks about to bite with his ears held back like that.

Awww, I am so very sorry that you have that view of a dog from a simple photo. As I type this my dog's ears are in the exact same position as the dog in the photo and he is half-asleep, relaxed, and as happy as can be.

I look at that photo and see a happy, relaxed dog, smiling while being petted.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

my son dosent like dogs big dogs. he has been attacked before and now cant stand his aunts dog or his grandpas dog (witch i dont like) i love dogs and plan to get a puppy for him when we have room I love wolves but i know ill never own one.

I dont know why this dog was there, but its still fishy that we have never heard of it not for 2 years? what the heck no way would that happen not in my household

now i saw raindeer last year but your not even in there pens you just see them.

but alot of dogs are abused tossed out and took in by others. some bite men in uniforms. some bite huge men some bite children for no reason at all
just something in its past. dosent make it a bad dog
but it shouldnt have been around children

hay how about we ask albort? wouldnt he know something about a dog in the parks

 

[DesertBell]

Just the dog's ears being back aren't a signal that he's going to attack. I have a pit mix and an Akita/ gsd mix (No one messes with my yard lol) and I see ears back frequently, ALWAYS when they're relaxed and/or showing submission. When the akita mix is showing aggression (I've seen it once towards a person, when they tried to break into my house, and several times towards other dogs), his ears are UP and trained forward, and his hackles are up. I've never seen the pit mix show any aggression, so for her I can't say.

I have a third dog, but I can't factor her into my post because she's a shih tzu and her ears are permanantly set to "flop".

That said, I want to add that if the Disney company did actually bring a dog in for guest interaction, it was extremely irresponsible on their part. Even the best trained and socialized dogs can have unexpected and volatile reactions, and Disneyland must be a sensory nightmare for a dog, with their sensitive noses and ears. Dogs can do SO MUCH damage in such a short time- I can not imagine what they could have been thinking.

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

While some of the time a dog attack is provoked, not always. I don't like to be quick to blame the victims, when dogs very much can just lose it. They are animals, and in an enviornment such as DL, it really wouldn't surprise me if that's the case.

Sounds like Disney was being irresponsible for even having this dog there. That poor little girl.

 

[pixiewings71]

So, what we are looking at is a picture of A dog. We have absolutely no idea if this is the same dog or not. Just felt the need to point this out.

I am very sorry to say this but, if your father was abusing dogs in ANY WAY, yes, he should be reported. Dogs are living beings and deserve to be treated with with kindness and NEVER deserve to be abused in any way at all.

I ITA with this. We have NO idea if it's the same dog, it's just a picture of the dog. As for your Father's abuse of the dogs, anything that results in bad behavior from the dogs is considered abuse. HE is responsible for anything the dogs do, they may just be playing but others won't know that, he needs to control them or not have them. Our backyard neighbors recently got a Pit (let me say I have NOTHING against Pits, even though a side neighbors Pit killed my cat) and they keep him chained up all day while they are gone. We are reporting that today as it is considered abuse to leave your animal chained up while you are gone. We have 2 dogs, a Doxie and a Shep. mix we adopted. They are outside when we are gone, we have a HUGE dog run, runs down the whole side of our house and they have a covered area and access to the our garage. We can't crate them, since DBF got his promotion they would be crated for more than 6-8 hrs per day and I just won't do that.

You have got to be kidding!

Under California law, the party responsible for the dog is automatically 100% liable for any damages caused by an attack. This is not limited to physical injuries.

This is 100% true. When my cat was killed (while sitting under our tree on our property doing nothing to antagonize the neighbors dog who was outside with NO leash and NO training) my neighbors should have paid for the vet bills, creamation or burial and the clothing of my daughters that was ruined while the cat bled out on her, they didn't because we didn't ask for it, we wanted a different resolution. This dog was known to jump their fence and he would bark and growl at all of us, he chased me to my door one day and he was scary!! All we wanted was the dog gone and that's what we got. I could have sued for a LOT more and I know it but I didn't want to do that. I just wanted the dog away from my home, and that's what happened, they ultimately gave him to family in Oregon.

Dog looks angry and scared. Dog looks about to bite with his ears held back like that.


And for clarification, the dogs didn't scare ME, they scared my son b/c they are so big and unruly and he thought the one bit me from what he saw and the way his granddad reacted to it (everyone ignored ME telling them that our last dog got me used to that sort of thing, and trying to tell my dad that he needed to take them to classes).

And I was joking about suing my dad. In case that wasn't clear.

I'm sorry for your DS, it's sad that he feels that way about dogs. I knew you were joking about suing your Dad.

My "big" dog (he weighs about 45 lbs soaking wet lol) is a Shep mix, his ears always look like that. When he's angry or scared his ears are not in that position at all. The dog in that pic has the same Shep head that my dog has (my dog is black & tan, like a dobie) and that is not scared or angry or even close to "I'm going to bite". If I was at home I could post pics but I don't have access so I can't.

Awww, I am so very sorry that you have that view of a dog from a simple photo. As I type this my dog's ears are in the exact same position as the dog in the photo and he is half-asleep, relaxed, and as happy as can be.

I look at that photo and see a happy, relaxed dog, smiling while being petted.

Me too.

While some of the time a dog attack is provoked, not always. I don't like to be quick to blame the victims, when dogs very much can just lose it. They are animals, and in an enviornment such as DL, it really wouldn't surprise me if that's the case.

Sounds like Disney was being irresponsible for even having this dog there. That poor little girl.

I feel badly for the little girl as well. I hope she is able to get over a fear of dogs.

fwiw, we were there in April of 06, NO dogs at the petting zoo then and we were there many times last year and NO dogs then either.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Hmmm.. Maybe that is the same dog? Who knows? Obviously a dog did bite that little girl at DLR, but who knows if her brother was bothering the dog, or whatever caused it to attack... Since apparently Disney did bring in a dog from a shelter, that is kind of dumb of them.

Maybe the attorney put in the reports that he performed in parades DURING fireworks to stress that the dog was constantly stressed out. I don't know if it's like this with all dogs, but my dogs FREAK when there fireworks. I mean they bark like crazy. But, if I was Disney's attorney, I would def. point out the dog did not perform in parades or was even out during the fireworks. Does BTR close when it gets dark anyways?

This story is still strange to me. But we're only hearing one side (the family's) of the story...

 

[LisainCalifornia]

That poor little girl. How horrible this happened to her. Disneyland is responsible for all damages--physical and punitive. That part is common sense. Something like this can sadly happen anywhere, but there needs to be extra caution invested when choosing an animal that will be in a petting zoo.

My heart goes out to the family, because I can't even imagine the thoght of something like that happening to one of my kids.

The plaintiffs have a reasonable amount of time to file for any suit, and if they were dealing with a very ill child after the attack, they may just be getting to it. They are still well within their rightful filing time.

I think we can all agree this is a sad event--for the family as well as Disneyland.

 

[pixiewings71]

Yes, Big Thunder Ranch closed at dusk when we were there last. You know, my dogs don't freak at fireworks, my little one barks but they aren't scared. I know, they are not normal. lol

 

[iloveftwilderness]

Quick question--I thought all of that legal jargon on the back on your admission ticket protected Disney from being sued??? I think the owner of the dog should be responsible for the medical bills. From some of the stuff that I have read (not sure if it is true), Disney didn't own the dog--one of it's cast members adopted it and had it on a leash. I think Disney would be responsible if they knew the dog had a history of aggression and they still allowed it to be around kids. Animal accidents can happen at anytime. I would hate to see the horses that go down Main Street disappear because of what could happen. I hope that the little girl and her family are o.k. I am sure Disney will end up paying.

 

[mommaU4]

Since apparently Disney did bring in a dog from a shelter, that is kind of dumb of them.

I agree. And I also agree with one of the previous posters who said that there are some Disney fans who will never speak ill of Disney no matter what. They've got Disney on such a high pedestal that they simply cannot fathom them ever doing anything wrong.

I love Disney, been going to Disneyland all my life, but I would never consider them to be beyond reproach.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

I agree. And I also agree with one of the previous posters who said that there are some Disney fans who will never speak ill of Disney no matter what. They've got Disney on such a high pedestal that they simply cannot fathom them ever doing anything wrong.

I love Disney, been going to Disneyland all my life, but I would never consider them to be beyond reproach.

I agree. At first I was thinking no way! Just some people trying to get money out of Disney. But the more I've been reading into it and even though there are some holes (like the parade?), the puzzle pieces make sense. I would *THINK* Disney would be smart enough to not bring any dog in. You really never know with dogs. It doesn't seem safe at all. And I'm kind of disappointed in Disney because I was assuming that they would know better...

But I totally understand about putting Disney on a pedestal.. We all love Disney, especially Disneyland. But it was just a poor poor decision by some CMs that had an unfortunate ending for a poor little girl...