NEWSBethany Hamilton Calls Out Dog Owners After Son's Terrifying Bite Incident
Surfer Bethany Hamilton revealed her 6-year-old son Wesley was bitten by a leashed dog during an outing.
Aug. 10 2025, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
Surfer Bethany Hamilton is opening up about a harrowing experience involving her son and a dog attack.
"A couple of weeks ago, my son got bit by a dog. Not provoked. And super random," Hamilton, 35, shared on her Instagram Story on Monday, August 4. "The dog was on a leash even. I'm feeling very disappointed in dogs and dog owners. I feel like the amount of unruly dogs nowadays is higher than ever."
The pro surfer called for dog owners to take responsibility for their pets in public spaces.
The athlete, who also shares kids Tobias Dirks, 9, Micah Dirks, 3 and Alayah Dirks, 2, with husband Adam Dirks, posted photos of her 6-year-old son Wesley's injuries on his arm. She urged pet owners to reconsider how often their dogs should be out in public.
"If you have mean dogs, PLEASE leave them home," she insisted. "Also, if your dog is getting really old and grumpy, leave them home. I wish it was me instead but glad it wasn't worse. Also glad it wasn't my toddler…"
Bethany Hamilton and her son Wesley were together when the incident happened.
Bethany reported the dog "for the future safety of the local community," emphasizing the importance of awareness when it comes to pets and public safety.
She recounted the incident, stating, "[Wesley and I] we were on a little date. We got a kombucha and then we were going into this shop to go look at the clothing. 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 just lunged up and bit Wesley as we were walking by."
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Bethany Hamilton urged pet owners to be responsible for their pets' behavior.
In the aftermath of her post, Bethany noted that many of her followers quickly placed blame on the dog owner.
As a dog lover herself, Bethany believes pet owners need to take responsibility for their pets' behavior. She shared some preventive tips for ensuring safety for everyone involved.
Bethany Hamilton has four kids with Adam Dirks.
"If you do have a dog in public, for sure having it on a leash, maybe even putting a muzzle on it if you really want it in public," she advised. "I think the normalization of so many dogs in public and everywhere being dog friendly is dangerous and the big thing that I got in the messages too was the amount of people who have nice dogs who have their dogs getting attacked by dogs that are not nice. It's a big issue."
