I thought this story was shocking enough when I read that a pet piranha actually bit off the tip of a toddler's finger recently. I mean we always hear about the dangers of dogs and small children, but I never really stopped to consider the fish tank. Of course, most people don't put piranhas in the fish tank ... but that's another story.
This incident happened last week in Chicago, and an 18-month-old girl was the victim. According to the Chicago Tribune, when the family first saw the bleeding remains of their daughter's finger, they feared it was their dog, a 65-pound pit bull, that was responsible. But after an ambulance whisked her to the hospital, doctors told them it was no dog bite.
The father -- who was still at home -- quickly realized what must have happened after the family called with the news, and then he did something really shocking.
He plunged his hand into that fish tank, grabbed one of the two piranhas, and gutted the thing. A spokesperson for the sheriff's department told the paper:
He had no fear; these were truly fatherly instincts. He grabbed a knife and cut it open and found her fingertip right there.
He took the fingertip to the hospital where they tried to reattach it. It's unclear whether it worked or not, but that's a pretty intense dad demonstration of love regardless.
I would hope I could do the same, but I'm not sure. Of course, I'd never keep piranhas in my house either, which sounds like a pretty bad idea from the get go with small children around. I'm thinking maybe a nice new goldfish should perhaps be their next pet.
Do you think you'd be able to do what this dad did? Do you think it's irresponsible to have piranhas as pets if you have small children?
Image via The_gut/Flickr
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Comments 83
I don't think it's whether its responsible to have these pets. The REAL question is where were the parents during the incident? Clearly no one was supervising the 18 mo old, and both parents in the home :(
I am a mother of 4 and I have had a pit-bull since my youngest was 8 months and you can't tear my pitt away from the kids. If you look up the history of Pitts then you would see that they were bred to be guard dogs over children. They are called nanny dogs in their history. If you raise a poodle beating it it will be aggressive as well.. The fish is something I would question, but how many of us parents can say that there is not ONE single element of danger for our babies and kids to accidentally stumble upon in our homes? If we are all REALLY honest with ourselves..knives in drawers, doors left unlocked, bookshelves to be climbed upon, fireplaces..etc ? .. Kids will always test their parameters and new experiences regardless of how much you watch them.
More accidents happen to children when in the care of their father. The animals aren't to blame.
He stayed home 'cause he already knew what happened.
why have a pet like that and low enough for a child to reach it. I HOPE THEY DIDNT BEAT THE DOG BC THEY THOUGHT THE DOG DID IT...
My dad had 10 Piranah in a tank when I was a kid. I still have all of my fingers and toes. I guess it's because my parents made sure I wasn't ever left alone with the tank.
And I now have a Pit Bull, he's 5, pretty lazy and loves to snuggle. But I would NEVER leave my children alone with my dog. Not because I don't trust my dog. I trust my dog to act like a dog. I don't trust my kids to not poke him in the eye or pull on his face or ears. Because kids do that shit all of the time, and when the dog acts like a dog, people want to get pissed at the dog.