A British newspaper claims that the barking sound effects from Nintendogs were responsible for bull mastiff mauling a 9-year-old girl playing the game.
Megan Walker told The Daily Mail that on Sept. 19 the dog had dragged her from the couch at a friend’s house and bit her face, tearing off a part of her lip (since reattached). The animal has been put down.
Said Megan: ‘When I woke up I turned on the Nintendo. It barked and Saracen [the mastiff]dragged me off the couch by my foot. I was scared.’
A second dog attacked Saracen, to protect Megan. The dog in question was not a banned or regulated breed and its owner signed it over for destruction.
“People should be told not to play it when there are dogs in the room,” said Megan’s grandmother. “I blame the game for what happened to Megan. If they hadn’t been playing it I don’t think the dog would have gone for her.’
The dog’s owner, however, speculates that Megan may have kicked Saracen, provoking the attack.
[The Daily Mail, image by The Daily Mail]
Gibbo Gibbleton
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 2:06 PMMmmmmmm British journalism, so fail.
Link down now?
Blackwater
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 2:07 PMI was gonna post something silly about real dogs being jealous, but really, that comment made by the grandmother is bullshit and is a fantastic example of scape-goating using video-games.
Not only do they not think hey, maybe the kid provoked it or hey, bull mastiffs are an aggressive breed of dog, they instead jump headfirst into the videogames are evil arguement.
Nintendo may be unintentionally skirting this whol dilemma with games being evil, but people underustimate human stupidity, no matter how benign and non-threatening something is there is always some idiot who doesn’t fully understand it (and as such fears it) who will rage against it.
Anyway, who cares gingers don’t have souls, the dog was just preventing the ranga from kidnapping other children in the night.
Blackwater
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 2:08 PMNot only is it a great example its, the most insane one i’ve seen.
Braaains
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 2:12 PMWon’t somebody please think of the children etc etc.
They should have put the girl’s imbecile of a grandmother to sleep while they were at it.
luis
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 2:13 PMThe girl probably provoked the dog in all honesty. At least she is alive…
Kraiden
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 2:13 PMIf a dog hears barking from the TV or in a videogame, it usually either goes for a sniff or wonders where the sound came from. It doesn’t pull you down off a chair and attack your face. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it usually takes a little bit more than a digitized bark to make a dog freak out and attack someone that viciously.
Dire Wolf
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 2:27 PMYep. I’ve got a dog who will look at the TV and sometimes barks at it when a dog is on the TV and barking. That’s the most I can see a dog doing, no way would somthing like that cause a dog to attack someone unless the dog was already violent (and if it was why was it left alone with young children) or the girl did somthing to it.
The Cracks
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 2:50 PMForget Nintendogs for the moment, who was the idiot that thought a bull mastiff and a young girl would be completely fine together?!?
And as said above, the digitised bark likely had nothing to do with it.
Tom
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 3:10 PMYep, that was my first thought too, and the most pressing issue. These dogs are known for their aggressive behavior, and there have been many instances involving children. I found that part ridiculous.
MrBS
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 2:18 PMI’m disgusted. This is an opportunity to get Nintendogs banned and you lot are going to let it go right on by. Shame!
Ross Moir
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 2:44 PMHow long has nintendogs been around now and this is the first complaint?
I doubt the game was the main issue, at most it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
dzc12
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 3:14 PMIs it bad that in the pic, I thought she had a smackos in her mouth…
Jonathan Betten
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 9:08 PMlol. me too.
Blackwater
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 3:35 PMJust wait til Nintendogs + cats gets released, kitty attacks everywhere!
Denaz
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 4:13 PMI always love these stories, i wonder what has been left out? Like why a bull mastiff was in the room alone with the kids.
toolboy
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 6:58 PMMegan may have kicked Saracen, provoking the attack.”
I’m sure she wouldn’t have kicked the dog if she wasn’t playing video games!
DKnight1000
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 11:54 PMKids sitting somewhere playing games especially on a handheld sometimes kick their feet constantly, if the dog walked into that it may have re-acted.
Joe Kucan
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 10:24 PM“A second dog attacked Saracen, to protect Megan. The dog in question was not a banned or regulated breed and its owner signed it over for destruction.”
Am i reading this wrong or did they kill the dog that tried to protect her too?
josh
Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 10:18 AMyeah did they kill the dog that protected her?
SargeAG
Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 3:14 AMI just love the last sentence that totall negates the entire story “oh well I guess it could’ve been the fact that the little girl kicked the dog”
Steve0410
Friday, October 1, 2010 at 3:35 PMI laughed too. But as soon as I read “A British Newspaper”, I knew I’d have to take it with a grain of salt.
Whatever journalistic integrity these tabloids once has, is now devoid. They’re expecting me to believe that
A) The girl was playing Nintendogs in 2010
B) The dog was so attuned to poorly-digitised puppy yelping it attacked
Skip
Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 10:26 AMA Bull Mastiff can get pretty pushy with other dogs but reacting to puppy noises on a videoame sounds a little ludicrous.
My bet is that A) The dog was already agressive and decided to attack the girl
or B) The girl accidently kicked the dog as it walked past her or something.
Either way, blaming a game for this is stupid. All the dog noises on that game are from puppy’s, are non-threatening barks, etc. I fail to see how that would trigger a dog attack