It was a quiet afternoon in a small neighborhood. The sun was warm, and children were playing in front of their houses, their laughter echoing through the street. Among them was six-year-old Lina, a cheerful little girl with a bright smile and two pigtails swinging as she skipped through the grass barefoot.
Lina loved animals. She often tried to pet cats in the alley and wave at dogs passing by with their owners. That day, a neighbor’s dog, usually tied in the yard, had somehow gotten loose. He was a large dog — not usually aggressive, but easily startled.
Lina saw the dog and, excited, ran over to say hello, just as she always did. She reached out with her little hand, hoping to pet his head. But something was different this time. Maybe the dog felt threatened, maybe confused. Without warning, the dog lunged forward and bit her arm, teeth sinking into her soft skin.
Lina screamed.
The world seemed to freeze for a second before neighbors ran over, shouting and pulling the dog away. Lina fell back, crying in fear and pain, her small arm bleeding badly. Her mother came running, her face full of panic, and scooped Lina into her arms. The sight of her daughter injured and crying was too much to bear.
An ambulance was called. The bite had torn into Lina’s arm deeply, and she needed stitches. At the hospital, she was brave, though her face was pale and her body trembling. The doctors worked quickly to clean and treat the wound. Lina kept asking, “Why did the dog do that? I just wanted to pet him.”
Back home, the neighborhood was silent. The dog was taken in by animal control for evaluation. Everyone felt a mix of sadness, fear, and guilt. Lina would recover, but the emotional scar — the fear in her eyes — would take longer to heal.
It was a painful reminder: even the kindest animals can act unpredictably. And for one little girl, a moment of innocence turned into a moment of lasting pain.
