Bethany Hamilton Blasts Dog Owners After Son Is Bitten

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 10:17 AM ET

While sharks would plausibly the species du jour, when it comes to Bethany Hamilton’s lifelong crusade for human and wildlife safety, recently, she’s taken aim at another creature: dogs.

Apparently, one of Hamilton’s children was bitten by a pooch, leaving a nasty cut in the process. Not good for anyone, especially a little tyke. That can be a traumatizing event, leading to fears lasting years down the road. And Hamilton has taken the unfortunate opportunity to speak out against reckless dog owners, as she often does, giving her thoughts on the situation.

Here’s some bits from Beth’s rant, as well as a snap of the nibble:

“A couple of weeks ago, my son got bit by a dog. Not provoked. And super random. The dog was even on a leash. I’m feeling very disappointed in dogs and dog owners. I feel like the amount of unruly dogs nowadays is higher than ever.

“I used to have poor behaving dogs. And I was blind to it. If you have mean dogs, PLEASE leave them home. Also, if your dog is getting really old and grumpy, leave them home.

“Wish it was me instead. But glad it wasn’t worse. Also glad it wasn’t my toddler.”

Beth also posted some responses to her situation – some pro, some con:

“You’re insane. It’s how they’re trained not the damn animal itself. I liked you, now unfollow.”

“As a dog trainer, most people should not own dogs.”

“Shut the f*ck up.”

Continuing in her IG Stories, Beth explained how it played out:

“We were on a little date, we got a kombucha. Then we were going into this shop to go look at the clothing…well, I wanted to look at the clothing. And then we came out, and we were in chill mode, super slow, Wesley wasn’t feeling amazing. And this dog was laying underneath a table, he was leashed, and then he lunged up and bit Wesley as we were walking by. It was off my radar. To be clear, I like dogs. I’m more of a dog person than a cat person.”

And yes, Bethany reported the dog after the incident, “for the future safety of our community and the keiki.”

What’s your stance? Pro dog, or lock ‘em up?

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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