Warning from the case of a pet dog biting a child's face

The incident happened in Long Thanh District (Dong Nai), raising a safety warning for people raising fierce dogs.

Baby PHN with a dog bite wound - Photo: TD

The victim was PHN (4 years old), admitted to Children's Hospital 2, Ho Chi Minh City on March 29 with a bloody face and many wounds on the face, head and back of the neck. According to Dr. Le Phuoc Tan, Deputy Head of the Orthopedic Trauma Department of Children's Hospital 2, the most serious was a 10 cm long wound extending from the bridge of the nose to the right ear, and another wound that tore 7 cm long on the child's left cheek. The family told the doctor that the child was bitten by a German Shepherd dog. The dog was about 1.3 m tall and weighed more than 30 kg, and was usually tied in the yard to guard the house. On the morning of March 29, when N. walked by, the dog pounced and bit him repeatedly.

Most of the victims were children.

“Fortunately, N.’s condition does not affect his life, but it will greatly affect his appearance later on, because often, even with cosmetic surgery, dog bite wounds are still very difficult to complete and look good. Therefore, families who raise dogs need to manage them carefully and not let them roam freely, which is very dangerous for family members and others,” said Dr. Le Phuoc Tan, adding that at Children’s Hospital 2, every year, 5-10 children are hospitalized after being bitten by dogs; the number of children who are mildly bitten by dogs and come for examination and treatment without being hospitalized is higher.

Previously, there were many cases of German Shepherd dogs biting people to death, and rabies caused by dogs is very common. According to statistics, in 2013 alone, 300,000 people nationwide were attacked by rabid dogs, of which 99 died. According to records from the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, rabies is mainly caused by domestic dogs (accounting for more than 96%), and by cats accounting for 3.6%. Most of the cases and deaths are in children under 15 years old, because children often come into contact with and play with dogs and cats. Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Anh Tuan, Deputy Head of the Clinical Testing Department at the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, said that there were many cases of children being attacked by domestic dogs, causing their faces to be torn, their scalps to peel off, and their skulls to be exposed.

US bans, rampant farming in Vietnam

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, the need to raise guard dogs and the hobby of raising “unique” dogs of many people has caused the movement of raising fierce dogs to grow. Just type the keyword “buy and sell dogs…” on the web and a series of websites introducing fierce dogs will appear, along with introductory pictures and specific prices. The fierce dog breeds currently present in Vietnam include pitbull, rottweiler, bulldog, berger... Mr. Nguyen Van Lang, a famous dog breeder in Ho Chi Minh City, said: “The trend of dog breeders switching to fierce dogs is on the rise, the purpose is to have both a strange pet and a pet to protect the owner when in danger. Pitbulls and their descendants, bullies, can be called fierce dogs, two bullies can be compared to tigers, because they are very strong, have thick skin, and have special jaw structures, so once they bite, they will not let go. Some states in the US have banned the breeding of pitbulls because of their ferocity. Bullies have been bred to be gentle, but their nature is difficult to completely disappear.”

According to some long-time dog owners, the Rottweiler is a breed of dog with a strong protective instinct, always ready to protect its owner in the most fierce way. However, this breed must be raised professionally and persistently, otherwise they will become very dangerously aggressive. Rottweiler and Berger - another fierce dog breed originating from Germany - are now quite popular.

According to Circular 48/2009 and Decision 2810/2012 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, people raising dogs must commit to "5 no's": not raising dogs and cats that have not been declared to local authorities; not raising dogs and cats that have not been vaccinated against rabies; not raising free-range dogs and cats; not letting dogs and cats bite people; not raising dogs and cats that pollute the environment. In fact, very few households voluntarily register with local authorities when raising dogs and cats. Many ward and commune officials believe that registering to raise dogs and cats mainly depends on people's awareness, so penalties are rarely applied, so violations still occur frequently. Mr. Phan Xuan Thao, Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Veterinary Department, also acknowledged that the situation of ferocious dogs being imported in large numbers and being bought and sold openly and easily online "is a difficulty for the authorities". “In principle, when buying, selling, or transporting animals from one place to another, a declaration must be made, but the veterinary force alone cannot manage it because it is related to the commercial sector, and coordination with the Department of Industry and Trade and a number of other units is required,” said Mr. Thao.

According to Thanh Nien