News update from a broken hearted dog lover

IrishHomer

Just wishing to update folks hhere on my situation.

My sons wound to his upper face is healing fairly well but he is scarred for life, his scar resembles a shape of a horse shoe as yo can see the entire formation fo the dogs upper mouth above my sons eye/forehead.

Some of you may recall you that are regulars here i had the awfull experince on losing my beloved 3yr old GSD two months ago after he attacked my son for the 2nd time and caused severe permanent wounds to his face all due to the dog being over possive of me etc etc.

Anyway two months later and i have just minded a pals two dogs for a week while he is away on holiday.

This has brought back a lot of memories for me taking the dogs out to the same fields to hunt rabbits and do what dogs do.

Since my dog has not been in my home the two pet cats we have have grown very close to me. I also am now very close and fond of them too. Even thouugh i have thoroughly enjoyed minding the two dogs for the past week i think i will carry on staying dog free for the foceable future

I envy all the happy dog lovers out there on this forum you dont know how lucky you all are and hope nothing bad ever happens like what happened me.

I don't want to start digging up the past here all over again i dont want to debate/discuss the story all over again just wishing to let you all have an update.

Dodd

Hi.

Can I ask how your son acted around your friends dogs or was he kept away from them.
I just want to know if the dog attack has put him off all dog.

Don't feel you need to reply if you don't want to.

Thanks.

KingIsabella

Got a bad bite from a big dog once, pulled me off my motorbike when he did it. I hope your son isn't weary of all dogs now because of it, though understandable.

Horrible situation for anyone to have to go through.

IrishHomer

Dodd wrote: »

Hi.

Can I ask how your son acted around your friends dogs or was he kept away from them.
I just want to know if the dog attack has put him off all dog.

Don't feel you need to reply if you don't want to.

Thanks.

I have the dogs for two more days and for the past 7 days my son never went near the dogs.

He is scared of dogs now and has also had nightmares.

Qwerty Dub

Sorry to hear about your situation, having to lose your dog and the injuries to your son, but may I ask a question?

If your son is traumatized by the incident with your dog, is now scared of dogs and having nightmares, why would you offer to look after your friends 2 dogs and bring them into the family home?

aujopimur

I think it's very unreasonable and selfish for you to bring dogs into your house considering what has happened to your child.

Dodd

Qwerty Dub wrote: »

Sorry to hear about your situation, having to lose your dog and the injuries to your son, but may I ask a question?

If your son is traumatized by the incident with your dog, is now scared of dogs and having nightmares, why would you offer to look after your friends 2 dogs and bring them into the family home?

aujopimur wrote: »

I think it's very unreasonable and selfish for you to bring dogs into your house considering what has happened to your child.

So how do you recommend he gets his son over it.
By never letting him near dogs again.?

Your posts are not going to help and are more like trolling.

BillyMitchel

aujopimur wrote: »

I think it's very unreasonable and selfish for you to bring dogs into your house considering what has happened to your child.

Harsh but true. OP your poor kid is probably at his wits end with two dogs around.

Chuck Stone

So you brought two of the monsters your child sees in his nightmares back into what is supposed to be his 'safe place'?

WTF is wrong with you?

Dodd

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Harsh but true. OP your poor kid is probably at his wits end with two dogs around.

So do you think the OP should never allow a dog in the house again or maybe work from 10 minutes up.

I see people putting the OP down but not saying how to deal with this.

The OP loves dogs and looked his friends dogs for a week,you don't know if they were any where near the child.

Dodd

Chuck Stone wrote: »

So you brought two of the monsters your child sees in his nightmares back into what is supposed to be his 'safe place'?

WTF is wrong with you?

The dog that attacked was a GSD.Do you know what kind of dogs the OP brought in to the home.?

Chuck Stone

Dodd wrote: »

The dog that attacked was a GSD.Do you know what kind of dogs the OP brought in to the home.?

Does it matter? The child probably only sees teeth and danger.

Outkast_IRE

Chuck Stone wrote: »

So you brought two of the monsters your child sees in his nightmares back into what is supposed to be his 'safe place'?

WTF is wrong with you?

Bad comment, seriously man these are different dogs any child would understand that, and on a more serious note i think it would be important to get the child over his fear of dogs sooner rather than later.
A fear of dogs in irish society is almost a disability , dogs are everywhere here.

If the child associates all dogs with teeth and danger all the more reason to get him used to a dog being present, he doesnt have to interact with them but he surely needs to understand all dogs arent out to get him.

Witcher

Dodd wrote: »

So do you think the OP should never allow a dog in the house again or maybe work from 10 minutes up.

I see people putting the OP down but not saying how to deal with this.

The OP loves dogs and looked his friends dogs for a week,you don't know if they were any where near the child.

A child was just scared for life by a dog which attacked him for the second time, there never should have been a first time nevermind a second. The OP's kid is afraid of dogs and has nightmares...on what planet is it ok for a dog to be in the same house as them only months after it happened? Stop being an apologist for the OP, they shouldnt have a dog in the house so soon full stop. Getting a child, especially one that has been attacked and scarred..over a fear of dogs should be a gradual thing..a parent shouldn't just arrive into the house with the dog ffs.

The OP loves dogs...well he has a son which was scarred by his last dog and is terrified of them...if he can never have a dog in the house again tough sh1t...being a father is more important.

BillyMitchel

Dodd wrote: »

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Harsh but true. OP your poor kid is probably at his wits end with two dogs around.

So do you think the OP should never allow a dog in the house again or maybe work from 10 minutes up.

I see people putting the OP down but not saying how to deal with this.

The OP loves dogs and looked his friends dogs for a week,you don't know if they were any where near the child.

I wouldn't say never again. What I would of done is take the kid to a relative or friends house that has a dog and let him interact with the dog for a few minutes and gradually build it up over time.

Letting two dogs into the house so soon is just a bit much IMO. There's really only one person who should be considered at this time and that's the kid. The mothers love for dogs shouldn't even come into consideration at this point.

Sorry OP don't mean to attack or put you down. Good to hear that your kid is on the mend.

Chuck Stone

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Bad comment, seriously man these are different dogs any child would understand that.

You can't say this. It sounds as if the child is being put in an awful predicament.

and on a more serious note i think it would be important to get the child over his fear of dogs sooner rather than later.

What are you? An accomplished PTSD psychologist?

Give the kid a chance FFS; he has recently been attacked and physically and psychologically scarred by a dog.

Outkast_IRE

Chuck Stone wrote: »

You can't say this. It sounds as if the child is being put in an awful predicament.



What are you? An accomplished PTSD psychologist?

Give the kid a chance FFS; he has recently been attacked and physically and psychologically scarred by a dog.

Im not going to say id do the same as the OP but he minded 2 dogs for his friend in all likelyhood they were out the back garden most of the time.


The point is this kid in an irish society is going to have to deal with dogs every day anyway, every estate every street in this country has dogs being walked or left loose. Better for it to be done in a home enviornment than him encountering a strange dog on the street etc.

Witcher

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

The point is this kid in an irish society is going to have to deal with dogs every day anyway, every estate every street in this country has dogs being walked or left loose. Better for it to be done in a home enviornment than him encountering a strange dog on the street etc.

It should be done with respect to the fears of the child, this wasn't an exercise in exposing the child to dogs, this was done because the OP's friend needed a dog sitter and the OP loves dogs so much he took them into the same space as a child with a fear of dogs caused by a prior attack. Was the child asked how he felt about it? I would imagine not and that's fundamentally wrong, if anything this might have made the child's fears more deep seated.

Chuck Stone

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

in all likelyhood they were out the back garden most of the time.

Out in the child's back garden. I think deciding to have dogs around a child who has recently been attacked by a dog is a very poor decision.

The point is this kid in an irish society is going to have to deal with dogs

In his own good time. Give the kid a chance.

Raminahobbin

Blay wrote: »

It should be done with respect to the fears of the child, this wasn't an exercise in exposing the child to dogs, this was done because the OP's friend needed a dog sitter and the OP loves dogs so much he took them into the same space as a child with a fear of dogs caused by a prior attack. Was the child asked how he felt about it? I would imagine not and that's fundamentally wrong, if anything this might have made the child's fears more deep seated.

Exactly...something like this needs controlled reintroduction to dogs, bit by bit, building up to spending significant time with them- it sounds like this kid has just been thrown in at the deep end.

OP, you said your son didn't go near them- was he upset at them being there or did he just not go out of his way to interact with them but was able to be in the same room?

Dodd

Blay wrote: »

A child was just scared for life by a dog which attacked him for the second time, there never should have been a first time nevermind a second. The OP's kid is afraid of dogs and has nightmares...on what planet is it ok for a dog to be in the same house as them only months after it happened? Stop being an apologist for the OP, they shouldnt have a dog in the house so soon full stop. Getting a child, especially one that has been attacked and scarred..over a fear of dogs should be a gradual thing..a parent shouldn't just arrive into the house with the dog ffs.

The OP loves dogs...well he has a son which was scarred by his last dog and is terrified of them...if he can never have a dog in the house again tough sh1t...being a father is more important.

Apologist for the OP my ass.

When I read the original thread I could have kicked the lad in the B@llox if I was near but He needs help/info and not people saying wtf.
I just think he could do with all the help he can get from this forum and not just getting blasted.

Melion

Sorry now but if a dog attacked my daughter(who loves dogs and has one of her own) i would have her nowhere near a dog for a year at the very least. A few months is ridiculous, especially considering the child is having nightmares. It doesnt matter if the OP brought a pom or another GSD into his house, he is supposed to look after his son and failed him miserably.

The fact it was allowed to happen a SECOND time is mind boggling. I love my staffie but if she attacked my daughter then im afraid it would be lights out, no second chances.

Dodd

Melion wrote: »

Sorry now but if a dog attacked my daughter(who loves dogs and has one of her own) i would have her nowhere near a dog for a year at the very least. A few months is ridiculous, especially considering the child is having nightmares. It doesnt matter if the OP brought a pom or another GSD into his house, he is supposed to look after his son and failed him miserably.

The fact it was allowed to happen a SECOND time is mind boggling. I love my staffie but if she attacked my daughter then im afraid it would be lights out, no second chances.

So if your daughter was assaulted/attacked by a women you would keep her away from all women for a year.?

SingItOut

OP, I knew from the minute you wrote this you were going to get sh!t for it. But I'm going to tell you my experience anyway. When I was 12 years old we owned an aggressive collie cross, there were no major problems with him (Rex) until one day he flipped. I was running back in through my back door when he sunk his teeth into my ankle, i kicked him off and that's when he lunged at my thigh and pulled me down. My mother had to beat him off me with the sweeping brush. Was I traumatised? of course. Rex remained with us for a further four months until there was a space for him at the pound which is where he was sent. I cried when he left, my parents didn't know what to do to help me so they tried buying me a Jack russel puppy, but I ended up falling in love with a 8 year old long haired stray terrier. She was with us until she turned 19 two years ago and became too ill to save . Had my parents not allowed me another dog ever after that then I think I would have an instilled fear of dogs.

My point is, I don't think it's a bad thing that you had your friends dogs staying over. It would be worse and unfair to put such fear against dogs/animals into your son. And if I remember correctly your son was teasing your shepherd? Obviously the child didn't deserve to be bitten. Try to keep your son around dogs as much as possible and as much as he is comfortable with because as Outkast_IRE said this is Ireland he is going to encounter dogs basically every day for the rest of his life.

Don't give up hope because one day you may have another dog in the family home. Dogs are a product of their upbringing and owners temperament, the same as kids.

Melion

SingItOut wrote: »

OP, I knew from the minute you wrote this you were going to get sh!t for it. But I'm going to tell you my experience anyway. When I was 12 years old we owned an aggressive collie cross, there were no major problems with him (Rex) until one day he flipped. I was running back in through my back door when he sunk his teeth into my ankle, i kicked him off and that's when he lunged at my thigh and pulled me down. My mother had to beat him off me with the sweeping brush. Was I traumatised? of course. Rex remained with us for a further four months until there was a space for him at the pound which is where he was sent. I cried when he left, my parents didn't know what to do to help me so they tried buying me a Jack russel puppy, but I ended up falling in love with a 8 year old long haired stray terrier. She was with us until she turned 19 two years ago and became too ill to save . Had my parents not allowed me another dog ever after that then I think I would have an instilled fear of dogs.

My point is, I don't think it's a bad thing that you had your friends dogs staying over. It would be worse and unfair to put such fear against dogs/animals into your son. And if I remember correctly your son was teasing your shepherd? Obviously the child didn't deserve to be bitten. Try to keep your son around dogs as much as possible and as much as he is comfortable with because as Outkast_IRE said this is Ireland he is going to encounter dogs basically every day for the rest of his life.

Don't give up hope because one day you may have another dog in the family home. Dogs are a product of their upbringing and owners temperament, the same as kids.

So tell the child about dogs, reassure him that they are not all going to attack him, it was a once(twice) off. Show him some cuddly videos on Youtube, let him watch Homeward Bound. But do not, under any circumstances bring 2 dogs into the one place on this planet that the child is meant to feel safe. Its ridiculous parenting.

Melion

Dodd wrote: »

So if your daughter was assaulted/attacked by a women you would keep her away from all women for a year.?

Bit different now dont you think?

Dodd

Melion wrote: »

Bit different now dont you think?

No.
Why would it be different.

Melion

Dodd wrote: »

No.
Why would it be different.

Might be a bit weird to go and tell her mother that she's not allowed see her anymore. It's different and you know it.

dahamsta

If I hadn't looked at the post history I would have called troll. The last thread on this topic in particular demonstrates an incredible level of selfishness: My child was attacked by a dog but poor me, I'm the one that suffering because I had to put it down. And now poor me again, rather than reintroduce dogs gradually as common sense would suggest, I brought a couple of them into my home and the child is terrified. Poor poor me.

Pathetic.

Dodd

Melion wrote: »

Might be a bit weird to go and tell her mother that she's not allowed see her anymore. It's different and you know it.

I do know it but the way you put it a kid could not go out side where I live because there are dogs all around.
So the child would need the be kept home for a year at least.

Melion

Dodd wrote: »

I do know it but the way you put it a kid could not go out side where I live because there are dogs all around.
So the child would need the be kept home for a year at least.

Did I say anything like that? I said I would not bring her around a dog, if she is on the street (at 13) and a dog approaches her then it's her decision whether to stay or walk away. But I certainly wouldn't bring a dog around her in her house for a long time, let alone 2.