A ten year old Wichita girl is in critical condition after a dog bites her face. It happened in Toronto, Kansas. The dog, a boxer, was put down but didn't have any prior incidents.
According to the Woodson County Sheriff, the girl asked permission to pet the boxer. The Sheriff says it was just a bad accident.
Eyewitness News talked with a dog trainer who says even the tamest of dogs can be unpredictable.
Beth Ericson works with dogs every day and says people often forget that dogs are not people.
She says the potential for an unprovoked attack is in every dog no matter the breed even if it hasn't had any previous history of aggressive behavior
"It doesn't happen very often but the capability is there if a dog is stressed and pushed enough it will defend itself or act aggressively and the only way it knows how to do that is with its mouth,” Ericson said.
Ericson recommends taking the dog to obedience classes as well as socializing the dog in many different places with many different types of people.
