Is "Crazy Rich Asians" Star Henry Golding Fostering an "Attack Pit Bull"?

Chaos broke out in a Los Angeles park on Wednesday when Henry Golding and Liv Lo Golding's foster pit bull, Stella, attacked a smaller dog.

The victimized dog, a five-pound terrier mix named Lulu, ended up with a gash on his neck that required a trip to an emergency pet hospital. Five hours and six staples later, Lulu was allowed to go home in a cone of shame.

Golding, star of Crazy Rich Asians and Last Christmas, has not made a public statement on the incident, but Lulu's owner, Noelle Balfour, posted to Instagram saying that her dog was "mauled by @henrygolding & livlogolding Foster Attack Pit Bull." She went on to claim that Henry Golding is a "heartless human being," but is she maybe letting the drama of the situation and her feelings for her dog get to her?

For a start, the concept of a "Foster Attack Pit Bull" is a bit ludicrous. While pit bulls do have a reputation for violence, the problem is with irresponsible and abusive owners who train their dogs to be violent. That's clearly not what's going on with Stella, whom the Goldings have been fostering for the last few weeks. Attacking people who want to rescue and rehabilitate dogs and suggesting that pit bulls are somehow uniquely vicious only adds to the problem of bad owners seeking them out.

In reality, Stella may have had an abusive owner who trained her for aggression in the past—which can take a long time to correct. Alternatively, some larger dogs' prey drive is triggered by small dogs, and they react as though the smaller animal is any other little furry creature that might make a good meal—and there may be no solution to breaking that instinct.

In either case it's important to keep a close handle on any dog that has aggressive tendencies. So when Balfour accuses Golding of keeping Stella on a 30 foot leash and says that he "released her," that's a big deal. What she doesn't mention is that—at least according to TMZ—Lulu wasn't on a leash at all, which is not only dangerous, but illegal in Los Angeles. It's also particularly reckless during our era of social distancing, when we don't know which pets might be at risk. Balfour further failed to mention that this "heartless human being" has reportedly offered to pay Lulu's medical bills.

With those added details, it seems a bit out of line for Balfour to quote Henry Golding's statement that Stella would "shred [Lulu] to pieces" as though it was a threat. It seems far more likely that Golding was distressed and was offering a warning for Balfour to restrain her dog before something bad happened. And really, all things considered, the result could have been much worse.

Still, it's understandable that Balfour is lashing out. Her beloved pet was badly injured, and likely traumatized. That's not an easy thing to forgive. From her timeline it's clear how much she loves her dog, and she even promotes the importance of rescuing pets rather than giving money to breeders.

Under normal circumstances she and the Goldings would probably find they have a lot in common. For now though, Balfour is upset and looking for someone (other than herself) to blame, and there's probably nothing Henry Golding could have done to fix that.