Pet owners have the responsibility of ensuring that their pets behave themselves in public and not go around biting people.
Unfortunately for a family in Singapore, what was supposed to be a happy family outing turned into a stressful and unpleasant affair after one of them got bitten by a dog.
Dog bites 4yo boy at Christmas event in S’pore
Taking to Facebook to share the encounter, the woman named Cynthia Tan wrote that she and her family went to the Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay on Tuesday (Dec 12).
As her 4-year-old son walked towards the ‘snow’ which was released during the Blizzard Time show, he “suddenly knelt on the floor crying hysterically”.
After calming her son down, Cynthia discovered that her son had bitten by a dog, leaving visible bite marks on his thigh.
She also claimed that her son didn’t provoke the dog and had simply walked past it.
‘I’m not liable!’
Cynthia’s husband then went to confront the dog owner, who admitted to the dog attack but claimed she wasn’t liable for the boy’s injuries as it had taken place in public.
The dog owner also allegedly refused to exchange contact numbers with Cynthia’s husband and managed to flee the scene despite the couple calling the police and their efforts to stop her from leaving.
Aside from the bite marks, the dog attack also left a giant hole in the pants of Cynthia’s son.
Towards the end of the post, Cynthia called for the public’s help in tracking down the dog owner and to share the Facebook post around.
Recovering but still traumitised
Speaking to AsiaOne about the incident, Cynthia said her son, who has autism, is now recovering at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. However, it has also left him deeply scarred and afraid of walking on his own.
He now insists on being carried and is afraid that if he gets down to walk, a dog will come out of nowhere to attack him again.
“I also intend to seek compensation from the dog owner for my son’s medical treatment, which costs around S$140 (RM491),” she said.
Netizens slam dog owner
The overall reponse from netizens towards the incident was one of outrage, where many were angered by the dog owner’s claim that she wasn’t liable for the boy’s injuries.
One netizen joked about biting the dog owner to give her a taste (or in this case, a bite) of her own medicine.
To all pet owners, please keep an eye on your pets and muzzle them if they’re prone to biting people!
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