Dog bites kid. What to do with dog.

Speedwell

lawred2 wrote: »

If a neighbour's three year old was bitten in the face drawing blood by one of these dogs - would you be suggesting rehoming?

I certainly wouldn't be calling for blood without a proper consideration of the facts, like many here are doing.

SterlingArcher

Hooked wrote: »

It's appearing hostile because many pet owners, like myself, understand that dogs need supervision and special attention around kids. And that a post of this nature - completely focusing on destroying the dogs - and not the scenario that allowed the dog to bite, is infuriating.

It's emotive. The dogs need protecting. As much as the child does. And in a situation where only one short-sighted side of an argument is being considered, people are going to get emotional trying to draw attention to the real issue here. The attitude of (some) parents towards kids, pets and supervision.

I could have been the OP - were it not for the great advice I've received since becoming a dog owner 5 years ago. Today, I understand dogs better - and I use threads like this to TRY and educate people that it's about far more than a dog needing to be destroyed.

Proactive parenting and pet ownership.
Not knee-jerk reactive solutions.

I really hope the OP sees past the 'blame' replies such as my own, and takes a more balanced view on things away from this thread. And I hope the child heals with no scars. Physical or emotional... And doesn't spend a life in fear of dogs.

No it appears hostile because the op had made a decision and came here asking for help. They required INFORMATION for REHOUSING the dogs. instead of giving the information he /she needed.

You're pushing your agenda or trying to influence the decision the op has already come to. instead of the advice they asked for.

TerrorFirmer

This thread is immensely disturbing, as is the language used. Anyone who uses language 'like If OP and his wife can't be sure which dog bit the child then both dogs should be destroyed' shows a terrifying lack of regard for living creatures and nigh-on sociopathic advocation for their death in the total, absolute absence of facts.

It was a 3 year old. If the dog genuinely wanted to attack that child, it would be greviously injured. It's highly likely there was some sort of invasion of personal space, or provocation - we'll never know but to instantly advise that both dogs be 'destroyed' is quite sick. I have two 14 year old dogs who are as gentle as dogs generally come, but one did nip a child on one occasion after being provoked aggressively (but uintentionally, granted). It can and does happen and is not indicative of a dangerous dog.

If anything, it's a lesson to be learned that you don't leave your toddler alone with your dogs - a simple truth that both parties involved are probably embarrassed to admit. Frankly I'm terrified at the prospect that some people in this thread could own animals of any kind.

fox0512

Ashbx wrote: »

So funny, the Animal and Pet issues forum tends to have the same bunch of people offering advice on it. But when it comes to biting a child, every tom dick and harry are dog experts with pitchforks at the ready!

Awful situation OP, sorry you had to go through it. But OP, please do not get the dog (especially both!) put down....putting down both is plain cruel. As another poster said, could you not just ask your child which one bit him? Might help the elimination process a bit.

Unfortunately, we don't know what happened in this instance. You said you have the dogs 8 years, and your child for 3 years and nothing has happened up until this point. Which leads me to believe, like many other posters have said, the child did something to provoke this bite. While I agree with people saying that children need to be taught how to act around dogs, that's not so easy for a three year old to comprehend. Unless you are willing to keep the children and dogs separate at all times (which is nearly impossible), these dogs need to be rehomed....simple as that. Please do not immediately resort to euthanizing!

I get ya and im all for the happy ending but rehoming to the wrong home can lead to another bite...

I keep rotties and under no circumstances will i rehome one if he/she had snapping issues...I just couldnt live with myself knowing that the dog bit some child out of my own stupidity and the new owner..

OldNotWIse

_Brian wrote: »

What's not black and white about a dog biting a kid in the face ??

The fact that there are two dogs, one of which didn't bite a child in the face?

OldNotWIse

Chuchote wrote: »

Without beating up on the OP, who has asked an honest question:

I'd agree with the posters who suggest trying to find a good adults-only home for these dogs. The unfortunate side effect of this is that kids, who probably see the dogs as part of the family, may get the message that bad behaviour will make you disappear from the family. But it's either that or take a very different approach to the time the children spend with the dogs, and a very different approach to dog-owning generally.

If you do find a home for the dogs, OP, maybe visit with the kids every now and again so they know their dogs are well and happy, even if they're not at home with them.

That's making the assumption that OP would have some kind of visitation rights over the dogs. You either rehome them or you don't. You cant rehome a dog and expect to still be allowed visit. I certainly wouldn't take on a dog on the understanding that the person who led to it being surrendered wanted some kind of visiting arrangement just to make a point to their kids.

MissFlitworth

My dog bit me a while ago. I was playing with him in a stupid way (with a rope ball with my hand too close to where his jaw was & he was hyper and couldn't see my hand). Was quite hard too, he's a big dude and he can chew through a ham bone. Utterly my own fault. He wasn't aggressive, didn't snap at me, still I got bitten (and he was HORRIFIED with himself after). Getting my dog put to sleep won't stop me being thick and hurting myself in future. We have a kid coming in January and, placid and all as our dog is, they won't be left alone together, especially once the kid gets to grabbing age, because if I can mess up & get bitten, my kid can.

Unless you really think your dog is aggressive, based on all the many years you've owned them, don't get them put to sleep. Obviously no one can say that they were or weren't aggressive with your child but it really sounds like one of those 'shouldn't have been left unsupervised' situations which you, unfortunately, only learn the importance of after something has happened. Hopefully a rescue can help you rehome the dogs if that's how it has to work for you.

Glass fused light

Chuchote wrote: »

Good advice, though a rather bullying tone; I've done as you suggested.

Firstly sincere apologies if you found my tone to be bullying it was never intended to be.

I have also made my change.

Slightly off topic
I have a issue with the idea that any dog should be trusted to a high degree it's not being fair to dog or owner.
I see most dogs as having a reasoning age of a 2/3 year old child, who won't mean to do harm but who can do serious damage by accident. Just like toddlers, paws with claws and mouths with teeth are how they explore new things. I have often got a accidental scrape from an paw and it hurts. For the dog which has a 'hard, mouth their natural reaction is to bite down harder than one that has been trained not to. Each dog has its own personality but most people will see the different, soft, gentle way most dogs treat crawling babies, compared to adults. In this way most dogs will not use their teeth with a baby but can paw them.

Accepting the limitation of animal, and pointing this out at every opportunity, particularly to owners who say "my ..... would never" only helps to educate us that everybody and dogs have a 'snapping' point and in my opinion would limit the number injuries including bites.

Again apologies for my tone I a dont want to be confrontational as I agreed with the very pratical advice in the rest of your post.

Car99

OP unfortune situation, if it were me I couldn't risk that another kid might end up in the same situation with the offending dog in the future so there is only one option in my opinion . Really crap outcome but what can you do its happened now so preventive action has to be taken. Very unfortunate for the innocent dog though. Tough one.

Ashbx

fox0512 wrote: »

I get ya and im all for the happy ending but rehoming to the wrong home can lead to another bite...

I keep rotties and under no circumstances will i rehome one if he/she had snapping issues...I just couldnt live with myself knowing that the dog bit some child out of my own stupidity and the new owner..

Totally agree but I also couldn't live with myself knowing I put down one (or possibly two as people are suggesting) innocent dogs. I would of course inform the rescue centre of every little issue the dogs have.

Its a sad situation to be in unfortunately! I would be torn what to do myself but its not a question......your children come first!

DBB

The hostile and hysterical tone of some posts here is duly noted.
To those posters who happened by this thread and haven't read the charter or forum stickies, please be advised that whilst debate is welcome, being disrespectful towards other posters, and flaming to provoke argument, most certainly isn't.
Threads about dog bites always end up being closed, frequently with posters getting some sort of action against them.
It would be great if this thread could be the exception.
Thanks
DBB

poldebruin

My child was nipped at by a relatives dog - I was watching the entire time, completely unprovoked, and very lucky to have just missed my daughter face (snapped the soother out of her mouth aggressively) Quiet dog, apparently never did it before or since - but would I ever put her in that situation again? Nope, I would never forgive myself, and will just not visit the house until the dog is no longer there, and that is what the OP is facing, could they forgive themselves if they keep the dog and a repeat occurs?

Personally I take the view that no dog can be totally trusted, they are not compatible with young children, and to my mind if there's even a 1% chance, (no matter if a child prods, invades the dog's personal space, yells or any of the other 100's of totally natural things for a toddler to do) it is not a chance worth taking.

It's also worth looking at this from the childs point of view, for them, the dog's mouth is at head height, and adjusting for scale, quite a large animal. Putting myself in the kids shoes, I would not feel comfortable sharing a house with an animal that had bitten my face.

If it were me, I'd see if the child can identify which dog bit. Look to have it rehoused with a family with no, or older kids. The second dog could be an outside dog, get a nice kennel etc. until the kid is a bit older. With just the one dog you will be able to better supervise the child's interactions.

Jen44

SterlingArcher wrote: »

you have a dog you know is jealous of your child. Don't trust the dog around the child. And are giving saftey advice to others... Interesting.

Excuse me, i think you'll find that I said I NEVER leave the dog alone with the child. I dont need, nor was i looking for, any safety tips in relation to my situation which i think i manage quite well thanks. Also the OP has asked for advice which I gave.

Nekarsulm

I think the OP should speak to the local dog warden, see if he has a list of people waiting for Lab's etc.
I know our Warden has such a list.
Better for the dog to be in such a home than destroyed. If he has no such suitable candidate, then they should be euthanized.
No way would a dog which bit my child be still in contact with them. If you don't know which dog bit the child, that's tough.

Asking on this forum is self defeating, as a fair proportion of regular posters place animal comforts and conditions higher than those of humans.

fox0512

Ashbx wrote: »

Totally agree but I also couldn't live with myself knowing I put down one (or possibly two as people are suggesting) innocent dogs. I would of course inform the rescue centre of every little issue the dogs have.

Its a sad situation to be in unfortunately! I would be torn what to do myself but its not a question......your children come first!

Agreed...Im in dogs now 30 years and through experience I know the rehoming process can be problematic...many dogs end up in pounds because of situations like this but owners arrive there with the old story we are moving or new landlord wont allow us to keep the dog etc... many of these dogs when you go to visit a pound which I have many times will look very well tempered, quite and so...but in some cases its just the new surrounds of pound kennels, noise, and their scared and often the true colors of the dog shine through after some months in new home.

In my case and my breed of dog I could rehome but how will I know 100% everyday that owner will be responsible with his new dog...Its not a road im prepared to go down myself and IMO the responsible thing to do is put dog to sleep.. its a hard decision for anyone to make and its not always the poor dogs fault...If I was to keep one of my rotts contained because of a bite how can I be sure that his gate will be closed when needed or he wreaks the fence and bites again..

Moving on any dog with issues is I feel a bit of a cop out...if dog needs sleep then do it and dont risk anyone else's child from a mauling... Just my opinion folks...dont shoot:)

Hope it all works out for OP

poldebruin

poldebruin wrote: »

My child was nipped at by a relatives dog - I was watching the entire time, completely unprovoked, and very lucky to have just missed my daughter face (snapped the soother out of her mouth aggressively)

I would not see this in any way as an attack on the child. Its far more likely an attempt to grab the soother. It can smell the plastic and see the colours and associates this with toys that it has been given in the past to play with.

Yes, you need to be careful with this dog and children because it seems it can act impulsively BUT what you describe is not a sign of aggression or that the dog is 'dangerous' in the classical sense.

seamus

fox0512 wrote: »

Moving on any dog with issues is I feel a bit of a cop out...

Yeah, we agree on that.

The only problem is that a single warning bite in 8 years of ownership, does not qualify as a "dog with issues".

There is no dog on earth that will not snap at a 3-year-old who has sufficiently provoked the dog.

If someone cannot understand that fact, they should never be in charge of any animal.

OldNotWIse

fox0512 wrote: »

Agreed...Im in dogs now 30 years and through experience I know the rehoming process can be problematic...many dogs end up in pounds because of situations like this but owners arrive there with the old story we are moving or new landlord wont allow us to keep the dog etc... many of these dogs when you go to visit a pound which I have many times will look very well tempered, quite and so...but in some cases its just the new surrounds of pound kennels, noise, and their scared and often the true colors of the dog shine through after some months in new home.

In my case and my breed of dog I could rehome but how will I know 100% everyday that owner will be responsible with his new dog...Its not a road im prepared to go down myself and IMO the responsible thing to do is put dog to sleep.. its a hard decision for anyone to make and its not always the poor dogs fault...If I was to keep one of my rotts contained because of a bite how can I be sure that his gate will be closed when needed or he wreaks the fence and bites again..

Moving on any dog with issues is I feel a bit of a cop out...if dog needs sleep then do it and dont risk anyone else's child from a mauling... Just my opinion folks...dont shoot:)

Hope it all works out for OP

I would have thought euthanasia was the cop out.

poldebruin

Deleted User wrote: »

I would not see this in any way as an attack on the child. Its far more likely an attempt to grab the soother. It can smell the plastic and see the colours and associates this with toys that it has been given in the past to play with.

Yes, you need to be careful with this dog and children because it seems it can act impulsively BUT what you describe is not a sign of aggression or that the dog is 'dangerous' in the classical sense.

...it's a possibility, although I could see the expression on the dog's face and it was aggressive - nor would it have been any comfort to a child scarred by the dog.

That said, it also highlights the point that, whether the act is intentional or not, aggressive or playful, a dog with a mouth full of teeth can harm small children.

OldNotWIse

poldebruin wrote: »

...it's a possibility, although I could see the expression on the dog's face and it was aggressive - nor would it have been any comfort to a child scarred by the dog.

That said, it also highlights the point that, whether the act is intentional or not, aggressive or playful, a dog with a mouth full of teeth can harm small children.

hmmmm

ShaShaBear

Rehome the dogs.
Fact is, if you have dogs and have a baby (in your case, like mine, the dogs were there first and they had their entire LIVES disrupted by the baby) you DO need to be able to guarantee you can supervise your baby 24/7. In fairness, given a baby can easily (and silently) choke to death on a stray Coco Pop you missed when hoovering, you should really be supervising 24/7 - pets or not.

I never, ever, EVER leave my toddler alone with my dog. We have baby gates stationed all over the house so that, whatever room she is in, Opie can be kept out of unless I am there to supervise. If I need to go upstairs (where our bathroom is), I will always take my toddler with me, just in case. It's the responsibility and household dynamic I agreed to when deciding to house a baby and an indoor dog.

Side note, my girl is only 2 and has seriously hurt me on more than one occasion. She has bitten me, slapped me, pulled my hair, thrown things at me and tripped me up once. I could imagine that she would cause serious pain to a dog, and even more so a geriatric dog who could be suffering from any amount of age-related ailments. It would be utterly stupid of me to assume that any dog should refrain from losing its temper indefinitely just because you say so. We all have a limit to what we will tolerate.

By way of those who say immediate euthanasia is the only approach - there are plenty of people out in the pub on a Saturday night who LIVE for provoking people into an argument. When that person finally snaps and throws a box, should we automatically put them into prison for life, or maybe impose a death penalty? I mean, this person snapped. Broke the other's nose. What's to say that the next time he doesn't cave the poor sod's head in and leave him a dribbling mess in a hospital bed for the rest of his life. Or worse, leave him dead? We can't relocate him. Maybe he'll snap and beat someone else to a pulp!
See how ridiculous it sounds?

njs030

A previous poster made a very good analogy that expecting an 8 year old dog to put up with a 3 year old is like asking a 60 year old human to pat a young child on the head while being repeatedly kicked on the shins and ignoring warnings to stop.

I have an 8 year old lab/rottie, up till now she has been bombproof-completely calm and relaxed but the last few months she's become cranky....just last night she was dozing, I pushed her head slightly to make room on the couch and she growled a warning. Never happened before. I knew to leave her alone but would a 3 year old who was used to a happy playful dog?

Op I think you would be doing your dogs (who have loved you for 8 years) a great dishonor to dump them in a rescue for one mistake. There Is almost no chance they will be rehomed at that age.
Also think about the lesson you're teaching your child- that animals are disposable.
Perhaps set up gates and supervise all access, teach her to respect a sleepy dog and that growls or grumpy faces mean go away and at 8 years old all they want is gentle stroking not being pulled at or poked.

poldebruin

OldNotWIse wrote: »

hmmmm

What's the problem?

jenn1984

If you don't feel safe with the dogs around your child then I would recommend giving them to your local shelter, who should be able to re home them or give them to a rescue

OldNotWIse

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Rehome the dogs.
Fact is, if you have dogs and have a baby (in your case, like mine, the dogs were there first and they had their entire LIVES disrupted by the baby) you DO need to be able to guarantee you can supervise your baby 24/7. In fairness, given a baby can easily (and silently) choke to death on a stray Coco Pop you missed when hoovering, you should really be supervising 24/7 - pets or not.

I never, ever, EVER leave my toddler alone with my dog. We have baby gates stationed all over the house so that, whatever room she is in, Opie can be kept out of unless I am there to supervise. If I need to go upstairs (where our bathroom is), I will always take my toddler with me, just in case. It's the responsibility and household dynamic I agreed to when deciding to house a baby and an indoor dog.

Side note, my girl is only 2 and has seriously hurt me on more than one occasion. She has bitten me, slapped me, pulled my hair, thrown things at me and tripped me up once. I could imagine that she would cause serious pain to a dog, and even more so a geriatric dog who could be suffering from any amount of age-related ailments. It would be utterly stupid of me to assume that any dog should refrain from losing its temper indefinitely just because you say so. We all have a limit to what we will tolerate.

By way of those who say immediate euthanasia is the only approach - there are plenty of people out in the pub on a Saturday night who LIVE for provoking people into an argument. When that person finally snaps and throws a box, should we automatically put them into prison for life, or maybe impose a death penalty? I mean, this person snapped. Broke the other's nose. What's to say that the next time he doesn't cave the poor sod's head in and leave him a dribbling mess in a hospital bed for the rest of his life. Or worse, leave him dead? We can't relocate him. Maybe he'll snap and beat someone else to a pulp!
See how ridiculous it sounds?

So much sense in this post. Our last dog was an absolute saint, a happy go lucky mutt who was chilled as heck and just peace-lovin' and friendly to the bone. I remember her lying on the floor as my 12 month old godson played with her. the worst she would do might be lick him to death or inadvertently paw him too roughly in her enthusiasm. However, she was NEVER left alone with a kid, because I just wouldn't do that. And I wouldn't have expected her to pay with her life if I left her unsupervised and she wasn't the perfect dog anymore. There are plenty of dogs re-homed to homes with no children. My own dog has nipped me inadvertently once or twice during tug games but that is more my fault than hers!

OldNotWIse

poldebruin wrote: »

What's the problem?

Did I say there was a problem?

Speedwell

If I had to put a kitten down every time the little fool bit or scratched, there would be no feral cat problem in all of county Sligo. You teach cats to be proper household citizens.

I could say something about dog owners who think their pets should be perfectly behaved, but don't consider that goal important enough to make the necessary effort to train or supervise either the dog or the people in the home. Naturally I can't make a computer "behave perfectly", much less a dog (or a computer user!). Maybe the issue is partly one of unreasonable expectations.

fox0512

seamus wrote: »

Yeah, we agree on that.

The only problem is that a single warning bite in 8 years of ownership, does not qualify as a "dog with issues".

There is no dog on earth that will not snap at a 3-year-old who has sufficiently provoked the dog.

If someone cannot understand that fact, they should never be in charge of any animal.

100% agree ....not trying start an argument...but what happens next?...and i suppose your point "There is no dog on earth that will not snap at a 3-year-old who has sufficiently provoked the dog." leads to never leave kids unsupervised with dogs...easier said than done at times...

borderlinemeath

poldebruin wrote: »

...it's a possibility, although I could see the expression on the dog's face and it was aggressive - nor would it have been any comfort to a child scarred by the dog.

That said, it also highlights the point that, whether the act is intentional or not, aggressive or playful, a dog with a mouth full of teeth can harm small children.

Most dogs if they aren't sufficiently socialised with children can be quite afraid of them.

My child was nipped at by a relatives dog - I was watching the entire time, completely unprovoked,

There was provocation, the mere presence of a child can be hugely unsettling if they aren't used to them. Given that it wasn't your dog, you most likely missed subtle warning signs of nervousness such as ear position and lip licking and when all the subtle signs didn't work then the dog used it's last, and most effective weapon, it's mouth. ie the dog made sure the child left it's vicinity.

The vast majority of adults can't read a dogs body language and the behaviour that it's trying to communicate. And it's fairly impossible for children to understand any signals either.

OP, as the owner of 3 dogs and a 1yr old I feel your dilemma, although I would go to every effort possible to keep the dogs and child separate. Given that you don't know which dog was provoked into nipping, it's exceptionally unfair to consider putting both of them to sleep. Whichever dog did nip, they exhibited bite inhibition to a degree. If the dog wanted to attack then they would do so, and the sustained damage caused would be far, far worse than just a puncture wound. At 8 years old, one or both may be becoming stiff or sore, so even trying to move quickly out of the way of a toddler may have hurt the dog and it could have lashed out. I would be getting a full vet check, maybe even getting bloods done to make sure everything is working as it should. If a dog is harbouring an illness it makes them act completely out of character.

poldebruin

ShaShaBear wrote: »

By way of those who say immediate euthanasia is the only approach - there are plenty of people out in the pub on a Saturday night who LIVE for provoking people into an argument. When that person finally snaps and throws a box, should we automatically put them into prison for life, or maybe impose a death penalty? I mean, this person snapped. Broke the other's nose. What's to say that the next time he doesn't cave the poor sod's head in and leave him a dribbling mess in a hospital bed for the rest of his life. Or worse, leave him dead? We can't relocate him. Maybe he'll snap and beat someone else to a pulp!
See how ridiculous it sounds?

...these "analogies" aren't analogous at all. The "provoking" we are talking about might be as simple as walking behind the dog, sitting down too close to it (apparently sucking a soother!) that is if any provocation is needed at all - remember the child may have done nothing at all.

People that throw punches (with or without some perceived provocation) do frequently end up in jail - plenty have been killed with a single drunken punch. Not ridiculous at all.

I agree with the rest of your post though. Stairgates all around the house would work just as well as putting the dog oustside.

fox0512

By way of those who say immediate euthanasia is the only approach - there are plenty of people out in the pub on a Saturday night who LIVE for provoking people into an argument. When that person finally snaps and throws a box, should we automatically put them into prison for life, or maybe impose a death penalty? I mean, this person snapped. Broke the other's nose. What's to say that the next time he doesn't cave the poor sod's head in and leave him a dribbling mess in a hospital bed for the rest of his life. Or worse, leave him dead? We can't relocate him. Maybe he'll snap and beat someone else to a pulp!
See how ridiculous it sounds?

Maybe so....but the law is the law in terms of injury...its a good point you make but what if this dog had bit a child visiting this family and had was left with face scares.... if grown men want to bite each other after a few bottles on a Sat night then so be it..the diff here is people have the brain to process a mistake (debatable) a dog not so much so we have to assume whether its fair or not that they will re-offend....just sayin ... One of big rott male gave a look to a visiting child here last year (anyone with a male rott will know this look) ....this male now is in a happy envoirment/good home but he will never be in a situation where "That look" can materialize into anything more.

poldebruin

OldNotWIse wrote: »

Did I say there was a problem?

...so just being snide then.

Mr.H

A couple of points.

Firstly a bite is not necessarily a sign of aggression. If the bite was a defensive reaction this is a sign that the dog was protecting itself and not a show that the dog is aggressive. Nothing in this scenario sounds like the dog is challenging for dominance.

A dog behaviour expert can help teach you how to deal with this situation and determine if either dog is a danger to your family.

Next. Small children can't be left alone with any animal. Not because they might be aggressive but because they will definitely be defensive. My dogs are the sweetest most friendly digs you'll meet but if you hurt them by accident while playing they will snap or at least let you know. It's extinct even we share.

Don't make a rash decision as the dogs and kids can learn to co exist if you are willing to try. If you need any advice on tricks to use send me a message but it's easily available online.

Would you get rid of your child if they bit their sibling? You just have to be the adult and pack leader and lead

fox0512

Mr.H wrote: »

A couple of points.

Firstly a bite is not necessarily a sign of aggression. If the bite was a defensive reaction this is a sign that the dog was protecting itself and not a show that the dog is aggressive. Nothing in this scenario sounds like the dog is challenging for dominance.

A dog behaviour expert can help teach you how to deal with this situation and determine if either dog is a danger to your family.

Next. Small children can't be left alone with any animal. Not because they might be aggressive but because they will definitely be defensive. My dogs are the sweetest most friendly digs you'll meet but if you hurt them by accident while playing they will snap or at least let you know. It's extinct even we share.

Don't make a rash decision as the dogs and kids can learn to co exist if you are willing to try. If you need any advice on tricks to use send me a message but it's easily available online.

Would you get rid of your child if they bit their sibling? You just have to be the adult and pack leader and lead

"Would you get rid of your child if they bit their sibling?"

Yes im just looking for any excuse at this stage :pac:

Derry Road

The dog should be put down immediately.

fox0512

To each their on approach in these matters, but Im not playing 50/50 with my kids H&S

Its easy to pass sentence and I dont know the full history... My dogs are taught well the right and wrongs from an early age... and if I notice behavior problems along the way which leads to a bite... a bite not a nip) then it clear for me what needs to happen.

AryaStark

Aryanna Wet Wiretap wrote: »

Putting them in an adult only house doesn't mean they won't be around kids at some point.
The only safe solution is to put them down.

I dont understand how anyone can suggest this when it is not possible to find out which dog bit the child.
Even if they knew, I don't think that the first option should be to put the dog down. It is very unfortunate that a young child was left unsupervised with the dogs, and I hope that he is ok. It would be helpful to know if it was a bad bite that required a lot of stitches or was it more of a mouthing/warnign that resulted in ripping the skin because it was a delicate child. (I am not saying that it is the childs fault but sometimes kids can be so rough with dogs)

ganmo

AryaStark wrote: »

I dont understand how anyone can suggest this when it is not possible to find out which dog bit the child.
Even if they knew, I don't think that the first option should be to put the dog down. It is very unfortunate that a young child was left unsupervised with the dogs, and I hope that he is ok. It would be helpful to know if it was a bad bite that required a lot of stitches or was it more of a mouthing/warnign that resulted in ripping the skin because it was a delicate child. (I am not saying that it is the childs fault but sometimes kids can be so rough with dogs)

emm...i think it's easy enough to find out

TALK to the BLEEDING KID!

Knine

ganmo wrote: »

emm...i think it's easy enough to find out

TALK to the BLEEDING KID!

Seriously. The 'Bleeding' kid is 3 years old! How much conversation do you think you will get out of a 3 year old!

Speedwell

Knine wrote: »

Seriously. The 'Bleeding' kid is 3 years old! How much conversation do you think you will get out of a 3 year old!

If the kid can point and say "Fluffy bit me" then that's presumably enough.

Knine

Speedwell wrote: »

If the kid can point and say "Fluffy bit me" then that's presumably enough.

Or they could point to the wrong dog particularly if the 2 dogs - Lab Crosses look very alike.

AryaStark

Derry Road wrote: »

The dog should be put down immediately.

Which one? Are you suggesting that both dogs should be put down because one nipped a child?

AryaStark

ganmo wrote: »

emm...i think it's easy enough to find out

TALK to the BLEEDING KID!

I would imaging that if that was possible they would do it! Some 3 year olds are very articulate and some are not. Also my friend has two golden retrievers and I have known them for 5 years and can't tell them apart. Who knows how alike the ops dogs are. He came on here saying that they don't know which one done it so I am going with that info.

Ghetofarmulous

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Rehome the dogs.
Fact is, if you have dogs and have a baby (in your case, like mine, the dogs were there first and they had their entire LIVES disrupted by the baby) you DO need to be able to guarantee you can supervise your baby 24/7. In fairness, given a baby can easily (and silently) choke to death on a stray Coco Pop you missed when hoovering, you should really be supervising 24/7 - pets or not.

I never, ever, EVER leave my toddler alone with my dog. We have baby gates stationed all over the house so that, whatever room she is in, Opie can be kept out of unless I am there to supervise. If I need to go upstairs (where our bathroom is), I will always take my toddler with me, just in case. It's the responsibility and household dynamic I agreed to when deciding to house a baby and an indoor dog.

Side note, my girl is only 2 and has seriously hurt me on more than one occasion. She has bitten me, slapped me, pulled my hair, thrown things at me and tripped me up once. I could imagine that she would cause serious pain to a dog, and even more so a geriatric dog who could be suffering from any amount of age-related ailments. It would be utterly stupid of me to assume that any dog should refrain from losing its temper indefinitely just because you say so. We all have a limit to what we will tolerate.
?

Sorry for your Dilemma

I think there is a lot of sense in this post.

Are either of your dogs aggressive in nature towards strangers, yourself or your wife?
I wouldn't trust a dog around children no matter how friendly they seem. They are a creature with a mind of their own so therefore will make decisions based on what they know.

I have had animals and for me it takes a few years to understand their emotions and signs. A small child will never be able to interpret a dogs thinking and body language.

If you want to be safe and have piece of mind then total separation is the answer using gates/ Dog run

Hope this helps

Rayne Wooney

No 3 year old is safe unsupervised with any dog, I don't care who the kid is or what kind of dog it is, it's common sense. This is a parenting problem not a dog problem.

The dog could have mauled the kid if it intended on hurting her oblivious to the wife, the fact it was a snap and it stopped there tells you everything there is to know, mainly that it must have been provoked into it.

eviltwin

OP I'm really sorry this happened and I hope you are all okay. I have to be honest, I probably wouldnt get rid of either dog if this was an isolated incident. The problem was a young child left alone with dogs. I've two dogs who pre date my youngest. I watched them all like a hawk but there have been times when he'd do something the dogs didn't like and get a growl for his trouble. I never considered that a dog problem, more a parenting one. I understand your fears and you may have no option but please don't put the dogs down when it was your wife who is responsible. They deserve better than that.

Derry Road

AryaStark wrote: »

Which one? Are you suggesting that both dogs should be put down because one nipped a child?

Yes. Absolutely.
What would you do? Wait until something more serious happens?

Ghetofarmulous

Rayne Wooney wrote: »

No 3 year old is safe unsupervised with any dog, I don't care who the kid is or what kind of dog it is, it's common sense. This is a parenting problem not a dog problem.

The dog could have mauled the kid if it intended on hurting her oblivious to the wife, the fact it was a snap and it stopped there tells you everything there is to know, mainly that it must have been provoked into it.

I have known alot of people who "know" their animals and think that the dog would never hurt the child. These people are excellent parents.

Supervising doesn't mean just being present in the house whilst the dog and child are in another room. This is the most common case I have come across. It is something that many people don't discuss when it comes to parenting. Just not in the mainstream thinking but its good to be aware of. Hopefully we can all take something from this accident to prevent further upset.

P

AryaStark

Derry Road wrote: »

Yes. Absolutely.
What would you do? Wait until something more serious happens?

I would like to think I would not let this happen in the first place. No help to the op.
What I am not going to do is argue with people who think it is ok to kill two dogs because of an unfortunate incident. I would call it an accident because if a dog wanted to attack a child we would hearing about it on the news already. It must have been a nip which is a warning and not a savage attack.
Anybody who thinks it is ok to destroy both should not have dogs as pets.

Derry Road

AryaStark wrote: »

I would like to think I would not let this happen in the first place. No help to the op.
What I am not going to do is argue with people who think it is ok to kill two dogs because of an unfortunate incident. I would call it an accident because if a dog wanted to attack a child we would hearing about it on the news already. It must have been a nip which is a warning and not a savage attack.
Anybody who thinks it is ok to destroy both should not have dogs as pets.

Anyone who thinks the dogs shouldn't be put down should not have children.