Cyrus the Face-Biting Shih-Tsu is Spared Death

Cyrus attacked a kid. He bit the child on the arm and the face, requiring 10 stitches to fix.

All the commenters think this is a laugh riot. It's so funny when dogs who weigh less than twenty pounds attack children. We might as well make it a reality television show - Teacups Attack Tots. It would be a sensation, I'm sure.

The dog's owner thinks the kid is lying. He thinks Cyrus just knocked the kid off his motorized Jeep and THAT'S when the kid's face plowed into some wayward dog teeth lying dangerously on the ground. After all, the only two witnesses were the kid and Cyrus (who was running loose at the time). Dogs never lie, and while Cyrus has much to say (he's quite the furious fear-barker), no one can translate.

I'm not unhappy Cyrus is being spared death. I happen to believe if someone is willing to take on the responsibility and liability to manage an aggressive dog (even if just infrequently), then the dog should be given a reasonable chance at placement. Cyrus can apparently function without biting everyone in sight, so I wish him and his rescuers the best. Just keep him away from 5-yr-old kids on motorized mini-Jeeps.

But what irks me to no end, what points out the inconsistent attitudes when it comes to dog attacks is the response people have. From the dog's owner to the dog rescue agency to the comments, it's all a big game, a joke. The only people who appear horrified are the kid with stitches and his mom. Everyone else seems to believe that a "dog so ugly he's cute" cannot possibly be dangerous. It's as if people have a mental block - if the dog is small, he cannot be a menace. It's impossible. This dog's no Pit Bull or Rottweiler, he doesn't have magical locking jaws or the strength of an elephant.

Thus we should not take him seriously. We should mock his victim and claim he is lying. We should put forth every unreasonable effort into saving his life. We should sally forth and defend this dog's honor.

I don't think there is anything funny about a dog biting a child, no matter his size. My suggestion to you, public and media, is to at least be consistent. If a biting 20-lb dog is funny, so should be a biting 100-lb dog. If 10-stitches is a laugh riot, so should be 100-stitches. If a bug-eyed dog launching an attack on to a child is the stuff of comedies, so should each and every dog attack.

Please don't be selective in your mockery of a dog-attack victim's suffering. Be fair. Find them all funny.

Cyrus, good luck in life. Don't run loose and don't bite kids. That will win you many fans, including me.