Dale Buchanan Featured on Huntsville News

All new at 10 tonight. A 9-year-old is recovering after a vicious dog attack in Hansville. Left her with severe injuries on her face. Delilah McKay was sitting outside on her apartment steps when a dog that was being walked by another child all of a sudden attacked her.

The family shared photos that show her injuries, and we want to warn you, some of those photos may be graphic. Delilah's mother tells us a nearby teenager managed to get the dog away from her daughter. Delilah has stitches on her face, mouth, and nose, along with injuries to her lips. Coleman County Animal Services director, Randy Baner, says, the blue healer that attacked her has been put down and the situation is under investigation. It Is so scary when that happens with dogs, especially with children.

A stark reminder that any encounter with a dog can quickly become dangerous. Our Kayla Smith is on this part of the story for us tonight, speaking with a local dog trainer. So, Kayla, this person gave some advice that may be useful to those looking to take precautions around dogs.

That's right. Of course, every situation with a dog is going to be different. Dale Buchanan works with many reactive dogs, and he explains the type of behavior to keep an eye out for.

“The dog is barking and they have tense body. If they show their whale eyes, they look from the sides, their mouth is tense, their tail is tucked down and under, and they're very uncomfortable. Never go up to a dog like that.”

Dale Buchanan. The owner of Top Gun Dog Training is describing the behaviors of an overstimulated, stressed out dog, and they could indicate that a dog is about to get aggressive.

“You need to be aware around all dogs. It doesn't matter about the breed, it doesn't matter about the age. It doesn't matter about the size of the dog. Any dog can bite. Any dog can be aggressive. Any dog can react to any trigger. We don't know the dog.”

He recommends keeping your distance whenever possible, but don't move away too quickly because fast movement could encourage the dog to chase you. Buchanan tells me most of the dogs he works with have leash reactivity, and it's a behavior a dog owner should keep an eye out for.

“You don't want the dog pulling on your leash and barking and growling and lunging at any stimuli, whether that's a child, an adult, another dog, or another animal. Those need to be worked on and not corrected, but they need to be redirected to something more calming, such as the dog sitting and waiting and watching you, the owner.”

This type of behavior redirection is something you can work on with a professional trainer. Some dogs have strong reactions to children, but in many cases, dog owners can start training to help prevent this behavior. When their pet is eight or 10 weeks old.

“They have to learn a new behavior, which is they see the child, they sit and they stay calm, and they check in with the owner to see if they can interact with that child or not.”

Delilah McKay's family has a GoFundMe that's helping to pay for her medical costs after the dog attack. If you'd like to help out, we have more information for you on whnt.com.