People questioned how could a family let a child slip into a zoo enclosure with a gorilla. Then the same was said for a child playing near signs that warn of alligators being present. Yet we do not have to view the national news to be exposed to these crises, we have them right here in Robeson County.

Somehow we get immune to the endless run of break-ins and murders, which is the gist of Tuesday’s The Robesonian. This week in a little over 48 hours three children ages 2, 3 and 4 were attacked in separate incidents by “family dogs” — whatever that term implies. The bites were so severe that they were airlifted to tertiary hospitals. So what went wrong?

Family members were in the area and the dogs were under control. Yet interaction between the dogs and children led to the injuring of the children and the demise of the dogs — as we used to say, you could see it coming.

Simply put, until responsible adults restrict the children’s movements and responsible owners ensure children do not interact with their dogs, we will continue to have these issues. It is far beyond banning a breed or breeds, it is a common sense approach: Keep children/people out of harm’s way.

So the Ohio and Florida mistakes were not the exception, they are our current norm.

Bill Smith

Lumberton