Kulbergs' social media post on dog attack on children sparks public anger
After a severe dog attack on kindergarten children in Carnikava, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs' explanatory post on social media drew criticism rather than reassurance. The public is demanding concrete action rather than a recap of events.
Following a serious incident on September 5, in which two unsupervised dogs attacked several children from the “Riekstiņš” kindergarten in Carnikava, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs published a post on the social media platform X describing what happened. However, the post drew criticism and frustration from many users rather than reassurance.
What happened
A group of 19 kindergarten children, accompanied by a teacher and a teaching assistant, had gone on a pre-approved walk outside the institution's premises, following an approved route. During the walk, two unsupervised dogs approached the group from the end of Lašu Street. Six children were injured in the incident, two of whom were hospitalized, along with one of the accompanying teachers. Four administrative violation proceedings have been initiated in connection with the incident, and the Food and Veterinary Service has been informed and will assess the dogs within its competence. Following police procedural actions, the dogs were returned to their owner.
Public reaction
Many commenters viewed Kulbergs' post as a mere repetition of already-known information that failed to address the main question — what concrete action would follow. Several users expressed outrage that, instead of immediately isolating or euthanizing the dogs, only administrative proceedings had been initiated. Other comments pointed out that the prime minister's statement did not differ from information already distributed earlier by a news agency. The fact that the dogs were returned to their owner after the incident raised particular concern, with people wanting to know how a repeat of such an incident would be prevented and what responsibility the owner would face.
The municipality continues to cooperate with police, the Food and Veterinary Service, and other responsible authorities to clarify the circumstances of the incident and determine further safety measures.
