I just witnessed something pretty awful.

I just witnessed something pretty awful. You may or may not want to read this.

I was at a playground at a peaceful park full of young children. A woman walked up with a little boy, and she had a sweet older dog on a leash with her. At one point they were surrounded by little kids. One of the young girls (about three years old) scared the dog and he suddenly bit her once right on the face. The woman immediately took control of the dog and began calling for help. The girl’s parents were playing volleyball away from the playground, so it took them some time to realize what was going on. Once they did they were furious. I could tell by how upset they were getting that the police needed to be there, so I called 911 and explained to them they needed to get there soon.

I’m sure the little girl will be fine, but I’m worried this may scar her mentally or physically. I’m worried about the fate of the dog, who I could clearly tell was not a bad animal. I’m also worried about the young woman that brought him because she did nothing wrong, but it’s possible that they might try to press charges on her. I feel bad for the owner of the dog, who wasn’t even there. And I feel bad for the little boy that was with her because he was clearly shaken by the whole event that he had nothing to with.

I wish there was a way to make this better for everyone, but I don’t know how I could. That family is going to want an impossible kind of justice, and that woman may face an unnecessary punishment. Accidents like this set our society back because they take away our ability to do anything but feel. And right now I can promise you that no one involved feels good.