But if your dog has already bit once and you know their life's in jeopardy if it happens again, than you need to take precautions to make sure it never happens again.

"'Mrs. Pyon assured the woman that the dog was a friendly puppy, according to the report, and that it was only penned in because they didn't want the dog to jump on people visiting,' says Lt. Carroll. Police say the boy snuck into the area where Max was gated."

While the owners should have been a little more forthright, apparently they did at least pen the dog up when the child came into the house. I think the child deserves some of the blame in this situation since he made the effort to seek out the dog without permission. It's kind of like the crazy people at the zoo who climb into the polar bear enclosure. Polar bears are always depicted as cuddly and fun, but the zoo makes an effort to keep people out, so the blame usually lies on the victim.