Dog bite: concerning behavior?

[Anonymous]

We have a 6 year old beagle mix that we rescued 4 years ago. She was in the shelter because she has severe dog aggression and her original family had to give her back due to constant fights with their other dog. Anyway, we knew all of this and we don’t let our dog around any other dogs and she’s never exhibited aggression toward people. Last night, I smelled something perfume-y and after sniffing the air a bit I put my nose against her side near the shoulder blade and sniffed a few times. She let out a high pitched bark and bit me a few times on my face, drawing a bit of blood. This is how she behaves toward other dogs if they come too close during walks, and maybe me sniffing her was too much like an interaction with another dog and she attacked out of instinct. Anyway, I’m pretty shaken up and curious to know what others think and whether this behavior would concern you on a broader level (outside of the known dog aggression issues). My husband and I don’t have kids yet but are slightly concerned because who knows if a child crawling around like a dog would set our dog off?? Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Is this a joke? No way should that dog be around kids. Unless you want risk disfiguring a kid or killing a baby.

Sorry, I have been around dogs far too long and do not tolerate dog aggressive dogs. Biting me...dog would be put down unless it was some sort of freak circumstance (trapped/sick/etc).

[Anonymous]

Yikes, tough situation.

I'm a long time dog owner, involved with rescue/rehab, showed, etc. The fact she bit you on the face - multiple times and drew blood- concerns me a lot. I will say, that one of the cardinal rules of dog ownership is never get your face near the dog because they can interpret that as a threat - that being said, most normal dogs don't act on it the way your dog did. Usually they will hang their head and pull their ears back in a submissive gesture.

This is one of those times when euthanasia would be entirely appropriate, the other option would be to get an appointment with your vet to talk about medication. Biting is really a one strike you're out thing (unless truly provoked, but it doesn't sound like that is what happened). I am not an advocate for medicating as the easy way out, but in certain instances it is necessary. I have a totally messed up rescued Westie with awful anxiety issues (would bite at DH's legs) and Prozac has been a huge help getting that issue under control. Talk to your vet, see what they have to say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yikes, tough situation.

I'm a long time dog owner, involved with rescue/rehab, showed, etc. The fact she bit you on the face - multiple times and drew blood- concerns me a lot. I will say, that one of the cardinal rules of dog ownership is never get your face near the dog because they can interpret that as a threat - that being said, most normal dogs don't act on it the way your dog did. Usually they will hang their head and pull their ears back in a submissive gesture.

This is one of those times when euthanasia would be entirely appropriate, the other option would be to get an appointment with your vet to talk about medication. Biting is really a one strike you're out thing (unless truly provoked, but it doesn't sound like that is what happened). I am not an advocate for medicating as the easy way out, but in certain instances it is necessary. I have a totally messed up rescued Westie with awful anxiety issues (would bite at DH's legs) and Prozac has been a huge help getting that issue under control. Talk to your vet, see what they have to say.

Op here. Thank you so much for your response. I neglected to mention (because I actually forgot until you mentioned it) that our dog was on Prozac while in the shelter but the adoption folks said it was ok to wean her off because the meds were due to her proximity to other dogs, which is what we did years ago. I’ll speak to the vet as a first step in handling this issue. Thanks again for your perspective.

[Anonymous]

In a way I think you set your dog up to fail because I assume she didn’t know you were right there? Or did she know and bite you anyway. Anyway, huge dog lover here who has taught my kid how to behave around dogs, and I would NOT want your dog around children. I think the kindest thing you can do is put it to sleep.

[Anonymous]

Yes it's certainly concerning. I would never be able to trust her again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this a joke? No way should that dog be around kids. Unless you want risk disfiguring a kid or killing a baby.

Sorry, I have been around dogs far too long and do not tolerate dog aggressive dogs. Biting me...dog would be put down unless it was some sort of freak circumstance (trapped/sick/etc).

This is OP. I understand how you feel, but we adopted our dog fully understanding her dog aggression issues and we just figured she would mellow a bit by the time we had kids (~8 years old by the time we plan to have our first baby). With last night’s events, I’m now much more concerned than I’ve been since adopting her years ago, ugh. Thanks for your perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a way I think you set your dog up to fail because I assume she didn’t know you were right there? Or did she know and bite you anyway. Anyway, huge dog lover here who has taught my kid how to behave around dogs, and I would NOT want your dog around children. I think the kindest thing you can do is put it to sleep.

Unfortunately, she was 100% aware that it was me. She was watching me sniff the air around the room and had a bewildered look on her face the whole time. I probably should have taken that as a sign not to invade her space. Thanks for weighing in.

[Anonymous]

put the dog down

[Anonymous]

Dogs often behave more aggressively towards small children than adults. It’s one of the reasons it infuriates me when people let their dogs off leash.

[Anonymous]

Put the dog down. You now have what is considered a dangerous dog by Virginia laws. This means you will get your pants sued off should it bite anyone else. Also, it most certaintly spells trouble for children.

[Anonymous]

Don’t have children until.rhe.dog passes on. You are an adult and should have known better than to provoke a dog with known aggression.

[Anonymous]

That would break my heart but honestly I would put my beloved dog down in this situation. Google dog bite/face and decide.

[Anonymous]

You absolutely cannot have a baby or small child around this dog. All it takes is for your attention to slip for a moment for disaster to ensue. Even my mild mannered dog used to get irritated when my baby was starting to get mobile and accidentally came too close. Don’t risk it.

[Anonymous]

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.