White House Dog Barney Bites Reuters Reporter

The Washington Post's Al Kamen reports:

Reuters television White House correspondent Jon Decker reports that President Bush's dog Barney, going on a walk this morning on the North Lawn, let his reaction to the news show.

He "bit my right index finger this morning -- as I reached down to pet him," Decker said. The bite broke skin and the wound was bleeding enough to prompt White House physician Dr. Richard Tubb to treat Decker with antibiotics. He will also be getting a tetanus shot.

Read more or watch video from NBC Chicago below:

Comments

[provgrays]

Bush put the little fur ball up to it, of course.

[Collielady]

Barney is a product of the rabid right.

[Lion24]

Look, Barney's not that thrilled about being dumped in Crawford, Texas -- where all he has to do is look at dried-up old sage brush.

He prefers the action in DC. Much more interesting.

[mooses4obama]

Mr President, we have discovered weapons of furry destruction

[lbcyclist]

He's just to be leaving all his Secret Service buddies.

[RODERICK098]

Hate the Bushes. Love their dog

[jamie461]

He should not have just reached out to try to pet Barney that way. Barney felt threatened and he responded as any dog would when a stranger approached him incorrectly. He should have offered his limp hand for Barney to sniff first. People do not realize that dogs can feel threatened when a hand just comes at them like that!

[ohiomark]

That's one smart dog. He knows who the enemy is.

[Internaut]

(I had to tell the other i d iot this, too, so don't feel bad)
No, dogs react when they are mistreated by their masters.

[ohiomark]

Dogs also protect their owners when they are threatened.

[bamarty05]

Ok seriously... you could tell by looking at that animal that he was not in the mood to be bothered. I think sometimes people forget that dogs are DOGS! they are animals and no matter how sweet and kind they might be on a daily basis, sometimes they are just not having it!
Plus the reporters approc to the dog was completely in correct.
RULES FOR APPROCHING A DOG. (my 6 year old neighbor can recite these)
1.) ask permission
2.) kneel down and hold out a closed hand to the dog so he can smell you
3.) do not reach over their heads and tower over them. It can be seen as an act of dominance and depending on the animals temperment it could result in agression

It isnt that hard. I work with dogs all day as a pet nurse and as long as you follow these basic rules you should remain safe

[txgal44]

I wouldn't touch Bush's dog with a 10 ft pole. That dog looks mean.

[kotipup]

I completely agree. Humans need to respect animals. I have three rescued dogs. While canvassing for Obama, I met dozens of dogs, almost all of them were friendly and I always let them approach me. At one house, a dog who was barking suddenly went from a wagging tail to a tail tucked between its legs as I approached the home, and I backed off. We can't expect dogs to accept all people at all times without showing their own moods or insecurities. We don't expect that of ourselves, and we're supposed to be the "higher" species.

[eleveneleven]

As a dog owner, I know the importance of training a dog not to bite. This is the fault of the humans who should have trained him properly. Any dog that snaps at people should not be allowed to be around people. It's simple. I would be sued if my dog bite someone.

[mymatrix]

Absolutely. Putting the onus on strangers to be aware of the dogs age or any other factor is nuts. And people have less obligation to know all about dogs than does the owner to know their own dog. Lost of people don't have dogs and don't know dogs. It is the owners job to know their dog and a biter can't be around strangers. Period.

[fearwig]

Barney's old--you don't move that quickly on an old dog. By the time they see your hand, it's going to startle them.

Either way. Good dog.

[txgal44]

Barney's mean. Poorly trained. Shouldn't be allowed to be around people. Like his Daddy.

[dogsavvy]

The person handling the dog is a fool. The person sticking his hand in the dog's space is a fool. The dog was looking away and her tail was down indicating that she wanted to be left alone. If he had put his hand to be sniffed, he still would have been bit. If you don't know the dog, you LET THE DOG COME TO YOU. If the dog doesn't, that means it doesn't want to meet you. Not all dogs are Snoopy, but they all come equipped with teeth. Further, dogs do not particularly like to be patted on the head, especially by strangers. They can't see your hand approaching and that is considered aggressive behavior by the dog. As said above, if the dog approaches you for a sniff, you should touch the dog on its side that is closest to you. If the reporter wanted to meet Barney, he should have crouched down and waited to see if Barney approached him, not bent over the dog and reached over her head. This was a bite that was preventable.

[ForObamaInDallas]

The reporter got what he deserved. You could tell that Barney was just not UP for The Public. Not only that, the reporter didn't approach the dog correctly.

[chaos4700]

Yeah. All the obvious (though still funny!) jokes aside about instinctual Republican hostility for the media, you have to be careful how you approach a dog. Especially a terrier -- they are known for being aggressive and protective of themselves, their territory and their owners.

The reporter should have knelt and carefully extended a hand at the dogs eye level, and let Barney come to him. Moving in that fast over the dog's head is a good way to spook him.

[HypocrisyRunAmok]

Exactly. Plus, I think the white papers in the reporter's hand might have startled Barney even more. Barney shouldn't be in the dog house for this.

[InofTouch]

I bite too if I was getting stupid silly questions

[paixa3]

Just another normal bush.....

I think Barney enjoyed having the servants much too much.