Dog bite: concerning behavior?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not a dog expert. But I am a mom to a 10yo boy who still has a scar on his cheek from a dog bite that he got when he was 2.

The dog who bit my child was friendly, well-known to us (belonged to extended family, we'd known the dog for years), no history of aggression to people. But he was not well socialized to other dogs and had a tendency to react to stranger dogs, barking and lunging. He'd never actually attacked another dog; his owners were good at keeping him away from any opportunities.

The dog was also starting to lose his eyesight. And so when he was standing on the sidewalk, on a leash at his owner's side while we chatted, and heard a dog barking across the street, he reacted quickly and violently by lashing out at the first living thing near him. Which happened to be my toddler, who of course was the perfect height to be face-to-face with the him. It took 12 stitches at the ER to sew his cheek back up.

We are incredibly lucky that it wasn't worse, that he didn't hit an eye or anything unrepairable. I'm very thankful that he only bit once, and then turned tail and tried to run - it was not a prolonged attack. I'm thankful that DC was young enough that he doesn't really remember it. He knows the story because he's asked us about the scar, but he (mercifully) has no memory of the blood-soaked, screaming car ride to the ER or being held down for the doctor to give a local anesthesia so they could stitch him up.

You know this dog has the potential to do the same, or worse. Please do not ever let this dog be around children. Don't put yourself or another parent through what DH and I went through 8 years ago. I don't know if the answer is medication, euthanasia, or rehoming - like I said, I'm not a dog expert - but I know you have to keep him away from children.

I’m so sorry this happened to you, that sounds terrifying. I’m also doubly sorry because I know how many insane dog people are quick to blame a child for “provoking” an attack. I hope that didn’t happen in your case. I agree OP should put this dog down.

Thank you for the sympathies, and also thanks to OP for the earlier response. In our case, no, the dog owners were horrified at what had happened - truly shocked at what their dog had done, but in no way blamed the child. They were actually wracked with guilt and seriously considered putting the dog down; after long conversations with us and with their vet, they decided to let the dog live out its natural life, but in a VERY restricted environment. That dog didn't come within 50 feet of anyone other than the dog-parents ever, for the rest of its life. If we went to their house, the dog was crated in a closed room half an hour before we arrived.

My point here is that even the least frightening dogs can be unpredictable, and when a dog is known to have aggressive tendencies, bad things can happen FAST. There was truly only a split second from the dog sitting calmly at its owner's side to hearing the other dog and then lunging. No warning whatsoever. Now that OP knows her dog has these tendencies, you literally have to assume that anything could set it off at any second, no matter how long it has been since the last incident.

Good luck, OP. I know this is not what you had in mind when you adopted the dog.

[Anonymous]

Get rid of that dog before he gets rid of you

[Anonymous]

In dog world encounters, one dog gets to be the sniffer and one the sniffed dog. Then they change. The first dog to be sniffed is the more submissive dog and it submits to being sniffed by the more dominant dog. This ritual quickly establishes place and order between two dogs and when they can't accomplish it, a fight or negative interaction (barking, snarling etc.) breaks out.

You snuck up on your dog and attempted to sniff him fairly aggressively near his face, a vulnerable part of his body (the anus and genitals are the socially accepted sniffing areas). Apparently he does not view you as higher than him and he bit you for this transgression. At the very least, this communication is interesting information, certainly. You need to work with your dog not just on aggression per se, but on social order in your home.

If I were to sniff my dog (another beagle), she would roll over and show her belly. I have done this many times to determine if she has rolled in something and smells bad. A beagle mix that won't allow you to smell her is going to be hard to work with. It's not so much an aggression issue as an issue of "I'm in charge here."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In dog world encounters, one dog gets to be the sniffer and one the sniffed dog. Then they change. The first dog to be sniffed is the more submissive dog and it submits to being sniffed by the more dominant dog. This ritual quickly establishes place and order between two dogs and when they can't accomplish it, a fight or negative interaction (barking, snarling etc.) breaks out.

You snuck up on your dog and attempted to sniff him fairly aggressively near his face, a vulnerable part of his body (the anus and genitals are the socially accepted sniffing areas). Apparently he does not view you as higher than him and he bit you for this transgression. At the very least, this communication is interesting information, certainly. You need to work with your dog not just on aggression per se, but on social order in your home.

If I were to sniff my dog (another beagle), she would roll over and show her belly. I have done this many times to determine if she has rolled in something and smells bad. A beagle mix that won't allow you to smell her is going to be hard to work with. It's not so much an aggression issue as an issue of "I'm in charge here."

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who are talking euthanasia are crazy. You knew the dog had aggression issues, if only towards other dogs, but he still has some aggression issues. If you knew you wanted kids, you should not have adopted that dog. It doesn’t mean the dog is bad by nature, but he’s probably not a good fit with a family. If you really want kids, consider finding him a home with adults only. If you want to keep him, contact the vet and a trainer.

Yeah, this is OP, we adopted the dog knowing she had dog aggression, so I’m not going to put her down for this. I’m just frustrated because we thought she’d calm down with age and this has sort of reset the clock. We will probably wait until she passes to start a family now. I guess the point of my post was more to ask whether people thought the attack was in-line with the dog aggressive behavior or new people-aggressive behavior (given that I was arguably “acting like a dog” when she attacked, but she knew it was me). Anyway, no worries, she’s not going to be euthanized.

You are going to wait to start a family so this dog can live out it’s life? Wow wow wow. I can’t imagine putting plans for children on hold...for a dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not a dog expert. But I am a mom to a 10yo boy who still has a scar on his cheek from a dog bite that he got when he was 2.

The dog who bit my child was friendly, well-known to us (belonged to extended family, we'd known the dog for years), no history of aggression to people. But he was not well socialized to other dogs and had a tendency to react to stranger dogs, barking and lunging. He'd never actually attacked another dog; his owners were good at keeping him away from any opportunities.

The dog was also starting to lose his eyesight. And so when he was standing on the sidewalk, on a leash at his owner's side while we chatted, and heard a dog barking across the street, he reacted quickly and violently by lashing out at the first living thing near him. Which happened to be my toddler, who of course was the perfect height to be face-to-face with the him. It took 12 stitches at the ER to sew his cheek back up.

We are incredibly lucky that it wasn't worse, that he didn't hit an eye or anything unrepairable. I'm very thankful that he only bit once, and then turned tail and tried to run - it was not a prolonged attack. I'm thankful that DC was young enough that he doesn't really remember it. He knows the story because he's asked us about the scar, but he (mercifully) has no memory of the blood-soaked, screaming car ride to the ER or being held down for the doctor to give a local anesthesia so they could stitch him up.

You know this dog has the potential to do the same, or worse. Please do not ever let this dog be around children. Don't put yourself or another parent through what DH and I went through 8 years ago. I don't know if the answer is medication, euthanasia, or rehoming - like I said, I'm not a dog expert - but I know you have to keep him away from children.

I’m so sorry this happened to you, that sounds terrifying. I’m also doubly sorry because I know how many insane dog people are quick to blame a child for “provoking” an attack. I hope that didn’t happen in your case. I agree OP should put this dog down.

Most of the time, the child does provoke the dog. Not on purpose—the child wasn’t taught how to behave around dogs, because the parents don’t know themselves. I know of a couple who put their dog down after it but their child...who hugged the dog while it was sleeping. The startled dog bit the child. The parents said—and I quote—“but all she did was hug him!”.

And I’m not a crazy dog person; in fact, I have never even owned a dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not a dog expert. But I am a mom to a 10yo boy who still has a scar on his cheek from a dog bite that he got when he was 2.

The dog who bit my child was friendly, well-known to us (belonged to extended family, we'd known the dog for years), no history of aggression to people. But he was not well socialized to other dogs and had a tendency to react to stranger dogs, barking and lunging. He'd never actually attacked another dog; his owners were good at keeping him away from any opportunities.

The dog was also starting to lose his eyesight. And so when he was standing on the sidewalk, on a leash at his owner's side while we chatted, and heard a dog barking across the street, he reacted quickly and violently by lashing out at the first living thing near him. Which happened to be my toddler, who of course was the perfect height to be face-to-face with the him. It took 12 stitches at the ER to sew his cheek back up.

We are incredibly lucky that it wasn't worse, that he didn't hit an eye or anything unrepairable. I'm very thankful that he only bit once, and then turned tail and tried to run - it was not a prolonged attack. I'm thankful that DC was young enough that he doesn't really remember it. He knows the story because he's asked us about the scar, but he (mercifully) has no memory of the blood-soaked, screaming car ride to the ER or being held down for the doctor to give a local anesthesia so they could stitch him up.

You know this dog has the potential to do the same, or worse. Please do not ever let this dog be around children. Don't put yourself or another parent through what DH and I went through 8 years ago. I don't know if the answer is medication, euthanasia, or rehoming - like I said, I'm not a dog expert - but I know you have to keep him away from children.

I’m so sorry this happened to you, that sounds terrifying. I’m also doubly sorry because I know how many insane dog people are quick to blame a child for “provoking” an attack. I hope that didn’t happen in your case. I agree OP should put this dog down.

Most of the time, the child does provoke the dog. Not on purpose—the child wasn’t taught how to behave around dogs, because the parents don’t know themselves. I know of a couple who put their dog down after it but their child...who hugged the dog while it was sleeping. The startled dog bit the child. The parents said—and I quote—“but all she did was hug him!”.

And I’m not a crazy dog person; in fact, I have never even owned a dog.

Agreed. A very young child is certainly not "to blame" for provoking a dog, but they often do provoke dogs. In the sad case of the toddler being bitten by a nearly blind, leashed dog, the dog's owner is clearly to blame for being unable to control the dog and for allowing the dog to be face to face with a toddler. Parents should also try to have their children stand back from a dog, especially a leashed dog, because these dogs feel vulnerable, trapped, and protective of their owners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not a dog expert. But I am a mom to a 10yo boy who still has a scar on his cheek from a dog bite that he got when he was 2.

The dog who bit my child was friendly, well-known to us (belonged to extended family, we'd known the dog for years), no history of aggression to people. But he was not well socialized to other dogs and had a tendency to react to stranger dogs, barking and lunging. He'd never actually attacked another dog; his owners were good at keeping him away from any opportunities.

The dog was also starting to lose his eyesight. And so when he was standing on the sidewalk, on a leash at his owner's side while we chatted, and heard a dog barking across the street, he reacted quickly and violently by lashing out at the first living thing near him. Which happened to be my toddler, who of course was the perfect height to be face-to-face with the him. It took 12 stitches at the ER to sew his cheek back up.

We are incredibly lucky that it wasn't worse, that he didn't hit an eye or anything unrepairable. I'm very thankful that he only bit once, and then turned tail and tried to run - it was not a prolonged attack. I'm thankful that DC was young enough that he doesn't really remember it. He knows the story because he's asked us about the scar, but he (mercifully) has no memory of the blood-soaked, screaming car ride to the ER or being held down for the doctor to give a local anesthesia so they could stitch him up.

You know this dog has the potential to do the same, or worse. Please do not ever let this dog be around children. Don't put yourself or another parent through what DH and I went through 8 years ago. I don't know if the answer is medication, euthanasia, or rehoming - like I said, I'm not a dog expert - but I know you have to keep him away from children.

I’m so sorry this happened to you, that sounds terrifying. I’m also doubly sorry because I know how many insane dog people are quick to blame a child for “provoking” an attack. I hope that didn’t happen in your case. I agree OP should put this dog down.

Most of the time, the child does provoke the dog. Not on purpose—the child wasn’t taught how to behave around dogs, because the parents don’t know themselves. I know of a couple who put their dog down after it but their child...who hugged the dog while it was sleeping. The startled dog bit the child. The parents said—and I quote—“but all she did was hug him!”.

And I’m not a crazy dog person; in fact, I have never even owned a dog.

Agreed. A very young child is certainly not "to blame" for provoking a dog, but they often do provoke dogs. In the sad case of the toddler being bitten by a nearly blind, leashed dog, the dog's owner is clearly to blame for being unable to control the dog and for allowing the dog to be face to face with a toddler. Parents should also try to have their children stand back from a dog, especially a leashed dog, because these dogs feel vulnerable, trapped, and protective of their owners.

God you people are so sick. Always the child’s fault, never the dogs.

I try really hard to keep my young child away from strange dogs when we go on walks and dog owners are always letting their dog run up on him. Can you spread the word to your fellow dog crazies to keep their dogs away since young children are so often “asking for it”?

[Anonymous]

We had a cocker spaniel poodle mix, which was always excitable, and then my younger sister was born and by the time she was 1 she was pulling the dogs hair and in general making him even more jumpy.

One time, I was playing with him (maybe too roughly? I was 8 but maybe was playing keep away or something?) and he bit me in the face.

I still remember looking at my face in the mirror and seeing the blood smearing down. Thankfully scar was small. We sent the dog to a kid free household, and about 5 years later we got the dog back, and I was thrilled (still love dogs). Go figure. But he didn’t stay long as the temporary owners had treated him poorly and he had a broken back. Probably they tried to beat the aggression out of him. In hindsight, euthanasia was probably the right course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who are talking euthanasia are crazy. You knew the dog had aggression issues, if only towards other dogs, but he still has some aggression issues. If you knew you wanted kids, you should not have adopted that dog. It doesn’t mean the dog is bad by nature, but he’s probably not a good fit with a family. If you really want kids, consider finding him a home with adults only. If you want to keep him, contact the vet and a trainer.

Yeah, this is OP, we adopted the dog knowing she had dog aggression, so I’m not going to put her down for this. I’m just frustrated because we thought she’d calm down with age and this has sort of reset the clock. We will probably wait until she passes to start a family now. I guess the point of my post was more to ask whether people thought the attack was in-line with the dog aggressive behavior or new people-aggressive behavior (given that I was arguably “acting like a dog” when she attacked, but she knew it was me). Anyway, no worries, she’s not going to be euthanized.

You are going to wait to start a family so this dog can live out it’s life? Wow wow wow. I can’t imagine putting plans for children on hold...for a dog.

OP here, I’m ambivalent at best about motherhood and a huge animal lover, so this isn’t a big sacrifice at all for me. Different strokes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am not a dog expert. But I am a mom to a 10yo boy who still has a scar on his cheek from a dog bite that he got when he was 2.

The dog who bit my child was friendly, well-known to us (belonged to extended family, we'd known the dog for years), no history of aggression to people. But he was not well socialized to other dogs and had a tendency to react to stranger dogs, barking and lunging. He'd never actually attacked another dog; his owners were good at keeping him away from any opportunities.

The dog was also starting to lose his eyesight. And so when he was standing on the sidewalk, on a leash at his owner's side while we chatted, and heard a dog barking across the street, he reacted quickly and violently by lashing out at the first living thing near him. Which happened to be my toddler, who of course was the perfect height to be face-to-face with the him. It took 12 stitches at the ER to sew his cheek back up.

We are incredibly lucky that it wasn't worse, that he didn't hit an eye or anything unrepairable. I'm very thankful that he only bit once, and then turned tail and tried to run - it was not a prolonged attack. I'm thankful that DC was young enough that he doesn't really remember it. He knows the story because he's asked us about the scar, but he (mercifully) has no memory of the blood-soaked, screaming car ride to the ER or being held down for the doctor to give a local anesthesia so they could stitch him up.

You know this dog has the potential to do the same, or worse. Please do not ever let this dog be around children. Don't put yourself or another parent through what DH and I went through 8 years ago. I don't know if the answer is medication, euthanasia, or rehoming - like I said, I'm not a dog expert - but I know you have to keep him away from children.

I’m so sorry this happened to you, that sounds terrifying. I’m also doubly sorry because I know how many insane dog people are quick to blame a child for “provoking” an attack. I hope that didn’t happen in your case. I agree OP should put this dog down.

Most of the time, the child does provoke the dog. Not on purpose—the child wasn’t taught how to behave around dogs, because the parents don’t know themselves. I know of a couple who put their dog down after it but their child...who hugged the dog while it was sleeping. The startled dog bit the child. The parents said—and I quote—“but all she did was hug him!”.

And I’m not a crazy dog person; in fact, I have never even owned a dog.

Agreed. A very young child is certainly not "to blame" for provoking a dog, but they often do provoke dogs. In the sad case of the toddler being bitten by a nearly blind, leashed dog, the dog's owner is clearly to blame for being unable to control the dog and for allowing the dog to be face to face with a toddler. Parents should also try to have their children stand back from a dog, especially a leashed dog, because these dogs feel vulnerable, trapped, and protective of their owners.

God you people are so sick. Always the child’s fault, never the dogs.

I try really hard to keep my young child away from strange dogs when we go on walks and dog owners are always letting their dog run up on him. Can you spread the word to your fellow dog crazies to keep their dogs away since young children are so often “asking for it”?

Now you are just being silly. What you describe is a completely different situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who are talking euthanasia are crazy. You knew the dog had aggression issues, if only towards other dogs, but he still has some aggression issues. If you knew you wanted kids, you should not have adopted that dog. It doesn’t mean the dog is bad by nature, but he’s probably not a good fit with a family. If you really want kids, consider finding him a home with adults only. If you want to keep him, contact the vet and a trainer.

Yeah, this is OP, we adopted the dog knowing she had dog aggression, so I’m not going to put her down for this. I’m just frustrated because we thought she’d calm down with age and this has sort of reset the clock. We will probably wait until she passes to start a family now. I guess the point of my post was more to ask whether people thought the attack was in-line with the dog aggressive behavior or new people-aggressive behavior (given that I was arguably “acting like a dog” when she attacked, but she knew it was me). Anyway, no worries, she’s not going to be euthanized.

You are going to wait to start a family so this dog can live out it’s life? Wow wow wow. I can’t imagine putting plans for children on hold...for a dog.

OP here, I’m ambivalent at best about motherhood and a huge animal lover, so this isn’t a big sacrifice at all for me. Different strokes.

OP, I do think it is possible to have a child and this dog. While I'm sure the biting incident was very upsetting, you indicated the dog had never shown aggression toward people before. Work with a trainer first. You would probably just need to keep dog and child separate when you couldn't watch them carefully, until the child is old enough to know how to act around the dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who are talking euthanasia are crazy. You knew the dog had aggression issues, if only towards other dogs, but he still has some aggression issues. If you knew you wanted kids, you should not have adopted that dog. It doesn’t mean the dog is bad by nature, but he’s probably not a good fit with a family. If you really want kids, consider finding him a home with adults only. If you want to keep him, contact the vet and a trainer.

Yeah, this is OP, we adopted the dog knowing she had dog aggression, so I’m not going to put her down for this. I’m just frustrated because we thought she’d calm down with age and this has sort of reset the clock. We will probably wait until she passes to start a family now. I guess the point of my post was more to ask whether people thought the attack was in-line with the dog aggressive behavior or new people-aggressive behavior (given that I was arguably “acting like a dog” when she attacked, but she knew it was me). Anyway, no worries, she’s not going to be euthanized.

You are going to wait to start a family so this dog can live out it’s life? Wow wow wow. I can’t imagine putting plans for children on hold...for a dog.

OP here, I’m ambivalent at best about motherhood and a huge animal lover, so this isn’t a big sacrifice at all for me. Different strokes.

OP, I do think it is possible to have a child and this dog. While I'm sure the biting incident was very upsetting, you indicated the dog had never shown aggression toward people before. Work with a trainer first. You would probably just need to keep dog and child separate when you couldn't watch them carefully, until the child is old enough to know how to act around the dog.

lol, no.

[Anonymous]

A friend was horribly mauled and disfigured by a neighbor’s dog who attacked unprovoked. He had to have multiple surgeries and his face will never be the Same. Almost lost an eye. Please don’t let this happen again. You’ve had a warning. Put the dog down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A friend was horribly mauled and disfigured by a neighbor’s dog who attacked unprovoked. He had to have multiple surgeries and his face will never be the Same. Almost lost an eye. Please don’t let this happen again. You’ve had a warning. Put the dog down.

Again, this is a completely different situation.