The fatal dog attack on five-year-old girl Aliyah in Ikorodu will horrify many parents and dog lovers throughout Nigeria.
Even though the culprit dog, Rover, was reportedly killed, the sadness that stems from the whole attack would be unbearable for Aliyah’s parents and loved ones.
It is not the first time dogs have killed infants in Nigeria. In October 2014, four-year-old Omonigho Abraham was mauled by two dogs for over an hour in Igando, Lagos while about seven policemen reportedly looked on. Omonigho survived but had to go through series surgeries, including a reconstructive surgery in India.
On August 8, 2016, five-year-old Jomiloju Odukomaya was returning from a shop, where he had gone to buy a packet of biscuits when a dog pounced on him and bit him in the left hand. He contracted rabies from the dog bite and eventually died on September 18 2016 at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba.
There are many cases that go unreported. Some dog lovers may be wont to blame the dog breed but no amount of explanation would surpass the truth that children and dogs should never be left alone together unattended to.
Here are three strong reasons to support the fact.
1. No matter how trained a dog is, it retains its wild instinct. Sometimes, it takes only a mistaken poke in the dog’s eyes, nose or mouth to incur its wrath. Children may find the fluffy tail of a big dog interesting and pull it while the dog doesn’t find such funny at all.
2. Dogs are easily excited. Any new or unusual things would excite the dog. Simple things like riding a bicycle, running and even wearing or playing with bright coloured materials may excite the dog. the excitement may be misinterpreted as aggression. The following reactions are sure to be unpleasant.
3. Dogs have super sensitive senses. Dogs have sense of smell and hearing that are more than 10,000 times better than those of humans. So, certain odours or sounds emanating from children may excite them to the point that they instinctively want to investigate. If a matured person who can control the dog’s curiosity is not around, the result of the investigation may be another tragic story.
