It doesn’t get more tragic than the story of Maccabee and Andrew Stein.
Maccabee was a 7-year-old chocolate Doberman pinscher, the Stein family pet from puppyhood.
Andrew was the 8-month-old son of Brian and Paula Stein.
On Jan. 3, while Brian and Paula were at work and the baby was left at their Brooklyn home under the care of his grandmother, Maccabee mauled Andrew, causing severe head trauma. The baby boy died later that day.
The next day, Maccabee was euthanized. He had no history of biting or aggression.
A flat-out tragedy. It’s impossible not to feel compassion for the Steins, who have suffered such an enormous and painful loss. All we can do now, though, is learn from it.
There is ongoing debate as to whether Maccabee deserved to die. Some people feel it was necessary; others feel he should have been adopted to a home without children. I feel that to get caught up in that debate is to lose sight of what’s really important. All too often, “the animal has been destroyed” is accompanied by a sigh of relief. Problem solved.
Not so fast. Euthanizing the dog, fair or not, provides closure, but it rarely solves the problem. The problem is uneducated dog owners and untrained dogs. The problem is uneducated dog owners with small children. Parents have to understand, dog owners have to understand: You should never leave an infant alone with a dog.
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“Neighbors in the Steins’ Ocean Parkway building were stunned that the typically good-tempered dog had turned on the child,” reported the New York Daily News. Of course they were stunned. Maccabee had no history of aggression; he had seven years of a spotless record with the Steins; he had the reputation of being “sweet” and “calm” among neighbors in this apartment building, where many families with small children and dogs reside in close quarters.
How could this happen?
Easily.
Remember the case of the 4-pound Pomeranian that killed a 6-week-old girl in Los Angeles? Afterward, L.A. sheriff’s Deputy Cruz Solis commented, “Obviously it doesn’t take much to kill a 6-week-old baby, but it’s not something that happens with that breed.”
Apparently, it is something that happens with that breed. But the deputy got one thing right: It doesn’t take much for a dog to cause irreparable, even mortal, harm to an infant. It’s not about the breed of dog. It’s about the fragility of an infant; the defenseless of an infant; the utter lack of ability for either the dog or the infant to understand or communicate with the other. That’s why no matter the breed, no matter the temperament an infant should never be left alone with a dog.
Infants are, of course, the most vulnerable members of the human population, but all children up to a certain age should be supervised when handling dogs for the child’s sake, as well as the dog’s. If an adult isn’t around while a child is tending to a dog, how will the child learn to properly handle dogs?
And if parents don’t know how to properly handle dogs, how will they teach their children?
The other day I received a call from a man who wanted help with his dog:
“My wife and I are worried. He growls at our children when he’s on their laps or when they try to move him.”
I thought it odd that this couple allows a growling dog to sit in the laps of their children, and I asked him, “Is your wife going to be involved in the training, as well?”
“No, she’ll be working. She runs a day care out of our home.”
I’m sure you can understand my long shocked silence.
Then there was the call from the grandmother who asked me what to do about the fact that her dog kept going after her grandchild in the crib.
I asked her, “Is there something that makes the dog more important than family?”
“I love the dog.”
“More than your grandchild?”
Another long silence, this time from the caller. But in my heart of hearts, I knew that lurking somewhere in that silence was the answer she was too ashamed to say out loud.
Today more than ever, people have an emotional connection with their dog that severely clouds their judgment: He’s a good dog; he only growls. He’s a good dog; he only nips. He’s a good dog; he only bites strangers.
I’m starting to think society may be losing its last screw when it comes to their dogs!
One thing is certain: Uneducated dog owners and very small children are a potentially lethal combination.
Woof!
Tags: adult, family, ngo, parents