When a human harms someone to protect themselves, we call it self-defense; but when a dog does it, we seem to call for its head. This is what might happen in the case of Buma, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. According to local German news, he was staying with a couple, Daniela and Mike in Berlin, when they were visited by their mutual friend Steve. Now, having guests over the holidays can generally be a period of camaraderie and happiness, but it wasn’t the case this time around.
Don’t Be A Glutton And Share Your Food With A Dog
Things took a particularly dangerous turn between the dog and Steve, when Buma begged for some of Steve’s pizza. Any rational, kind, generous human being have playfully shrugged it off, or maybe even given the dog a piece. But what Steve did was push Buma away, because he wasn’t willing to share.
When Steve tried to pull the dog away from him, Buma reflexively bit him in the face. If it was a human being, we would have called it self-defense, and the other person may be charged and convicted. But here, all Steve did was try to kick a dog. Let us rephrase it- a fully grown man tried to kick a dog because he wanted a piece of food. And while this may seem quite a caricature of people who shouldn’t be allowed near animals, what took place next was particularly dark.
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Use Your Brain, Not Your Feet- Or You Will End Up Like Steve
The 7-year-old dog took a big bite of Steve’s big toe and swallowed it whole. And while Steve was immediately taken for surgery, there was no toe to sow it back on. According to a spokesperson for the hospital, and as Bild, the German newspaper reports, “The toe could not be found. The bone was amputated and sewn shut.”
Most people would agree, you shouldn’t kick a dog, especially over something as benign as pizza. But here, Buma might end up paying for this with his life. The dog was taken by police to an animal shelter where a vet will decide its fate.
The Dog Would Be Better Off In a New Home
Interestingly, Daniela put all the blame on her friend Steve for approaching a dog this way- as it stands, Buma was not with his owners, something that would definitely stress him out. Daniela states,
“I think it’s Steve’s own fault. Buma is an animal that needs to be cuddled. The policemen who came then played with him. He’s not aggressive.”
There are only two ways out for Buma here. Either the vets believe that he can get dangerous around humans and euthanize him, or he might be taken away from his owners. A recent petition on Change.org has been created in the hopes that the dog finds a better home. The owners could be charged too- for leaving a bull terrier with their friends instead of taking responsibility themselves.
Whatever be the verdict, the moral is clear- don’t kick a dog that can bite your foot if aggravated enough.
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