It is not crazy to suggest the dog be put down it is just not the norm in this country.

If the dog were in England for instance, because it bit a child's face and injured it, the dog would be put down by law.

Every country is different in terms of laws and what people will tolerate, of course.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't want the dog anymore or don't feel safe with it mixing with your son, rehome it but don't have it put down.

That being said, I don't understand peoples surprise when their dogs bite or growl. That's what dogs do when they're startled or upset. No animal wants to be played with the whole time. You think the dog wants to spend its whole life wagging its tail and licking you on the face?

Umm yes. Otherwise what’s the point?

You, the pet owner may want the dog to wag its tail and lick you all the time, but I'm sure the dog doesn't want to do it all the time.

One of the things I would consider is this. Your dog bit and your vet knows it. So, if your dog bites someone again, you have liability. Your home owner's insurance might not cover it given that there has already been a bite (I just bought a new house and I had to certify that neither of my dogs ever bit anyone in order to be insurable - they have not). If your dog bites someone again, your dog likely will be removed from your home and may be put down.

If it were me, I'd take my vet's advice and rehome the dog. We always have a bunch of kids besides our own at our house (not so much now with Covid), so I would not be able to keep the dog and kids separated.

If you want another dog, I'd be more careful about choosing the breed. We've also had cockers and, true to their reputation, they have been biters. Ever since kids, we've avoided the breed.

Was the dog in his "cave" spot, so to say? Does he sleep by the bed and hides his head under the bed? If so, dogs are very protective of their "cave." My sweet golden sleep in between the bed and the wall. I would not touch him in his "cave" spot.

I am sort of in-between here. I have owned three cockapoos and they have all been tolerant gentle dogs, who could be picked up when they were asleep, moved over, anything without a response. I think some of this is training and exposure and some of it is the dog's nature. I think this personality is the ideal for as home with children.

I currently have a small poodle who is a more anxious dog and we have been working with a trainer. She has never bitten at all, but she would give a low growl if you disturb her when sleeping. Sure, this is "natural," but in a house with kids you have to expect that kids will make occasional mistakes out of affection and enthusiasm--and ignorance. Ideally, you have a dog that is under-reactive.

I have worked with my kids *A LOT* on reading our poodle's body language and respecting it. The trainer has been VERY helpful. We haven't medicated but I would in a second if the training doesn't continue to show progress.

Last, I wish people would stop with anti-doodle business. You really think they are more inbred than purebreds?

Anonymous wrote:If you don't want the dog anymore or don't feel safe with it mixing with your son, rehome it but don't have it put down.

That being said, I don't understand peoples surprise when their dogs bite or growl. That's what dogs do when they're startled or upset. No animal wants to be played with the whole time. You think the dog wants to spend its whole life wagging its tail and licking you on the face?

Umm yes. Otherwise what’s the point?

Op have you never heard the hundreds of years old adage “let sleeping dogs lie”? You are absolutely to blame for letting your child violate this basic safety rule. It is instinctual on many levels for a sleeping dog to snap.

Your kid isn’t really to blame because you didn’t teach him, apparently. But the puppy should be rehomed as the vet said, because you even now don’t take responsibility. Won’t end well for you or the dog.

Anonymous wrote:It concerns me that your vet was so quick to recommend re-homing your puppy. I understand this could be a CYA move on her part because she doesn’t want to be held responsible if it happens again. I also wonder if she saw something else in the dog’s behavior that concerns her? It could even be one of those gut feelings based on her years of experience with dogs. I would try to get her to pin down her concern—is it the breed? Something she has noticed with the puppy ? or maybe even her observations of your family?

The dog bit a child. Whether it’s the dog’s demeanor or the child did something wrong, doesn’t matter. The right answer is to rehome the dog somewhere without kids. Why take the chance? Next time could be a lot worse.

It concerns me that your vet was so quick to recommend re-homing your puppy. I understand this could be a CYA move on her part because she doesn’t want to be held responsible if it happens again. I also wonder if she saw something else in the dog’s behavior that concerns her? It could even be one of those gut feelings based on her years of experience with dogs. I would try to get her to pin down her concern—is it the breed? Something she has noticed with the puppy ? or maybe even her observations of your family?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you should ask the vet if the dog should be put to sleep. Sorry. If you could’ve seen the scar a classmate I knew in elementary school when I was a kid...she had a large scar that went down both sides of her nose, so noticeable.

This is nuts. Don't put your face in the face of a sleeping dog. This is not "rage." No reputable vet would put this puppy to sleep. OP, if you even consider something like this, you do not deserve a dog, ever. Rehome if you choose, but the puppy was not to blame. You and your son were to blame.

Whoa. You need to calm down. This is OP. Did I ever mention putting the dog down? Don’t use someone else’s post to determine that I don’t deserve a dog. I would never consider that.

Also, he did not put his face in the dog’s face. He sat down beside the dog, pet him, and the dog jumped up and bit. You are really creating a story that did not happen.

Please explain how my son and I are to blame.

OP, you are going to get all kinds of crazy people reacting here who value dogs over children. That is not a normal reaction from the dog and you need to protect your kids. I'm sorry this happened to you, it must have been scary.

I’ve had numerous dogs and none of them ever bit me or anyone else. This isn’t normal behaviour despite what rabid dog lovers claim. It’s surprising how many people seem to think dogs are more important than people.

I'm not one of those people. Doesn't mean though that I think the animal is always to blame if someone gets bitten or the animal shows signs of aggression. Just a couple of days ago, someone put up a post about cat backpacks. When the cat reacts badly to be stuffed into a bag for a couple of hours and scratches someone in the face, should the cat be blamed?

Your family is not ready for a dog. Re-home the dog and wait a few more years until your kids are old enough to respect the animal and not sneak up and startle it when it is sleeping.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you should ask the vet if the dog should be put to sleep. Sorry. If you could’ve seen the scar a classmate I knew in elementary school when I was a kid...she had a large scar that went down both sides of her nose, so noticeable.

This is nuts. Don't put your face in the face of a sleeping dog. This is not "rage." No reputable vet would put this puppy to sleep. OP, if you even consider something like this, you do not deserve a dog, ever. Rehome if you choose, but the puppy was not to blame. You and your son were to blame.

Whoa. You need to calm down. This is OP. Did I ever mention putting the dog down? Don’t use someone else’s post to determine that I don’t deserve a dog. I would never consider that.

Also, he did not put his face in the dog’s face. He sat down beside the dog, pet him, and the dog jumped up and bit. You are really creating a story that did not happen.

Please explain how my son and I are to blame.

OP, you are going to get all kinds of crazy people reacting here who value dogs over children. That is not a normal reaction from the dog and you need to protect your kids. I'm sorry this happened to you, it must have been scary.

I’ve had numerous dogs and none of them ever bit me or anyone else. This isn’t normal behaviour despite what rabid dog lovers claim. It’s surprising how many people seem to think dogs are more important than people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you should ask the vet if the dog should be put to sleep. Sorry. If you could’ve seen the scar a classmate I knew in elementary school when I was a kid...she had a large scar that went down both sides of her nose, so noticeable.

This is nuts. Don't put your face in the face of a sleeping dog. This is not "rage." No reputable vet would put this puppy to sleep. OP, if you even consider something like this, you do not deserve a dog, ever. Rehome if you choose, but the puppy was not to blame. You and your son were to blame.

Whoa. You need to calm down. This is OP. Did I ever mention putting the dog down? Don’t use someone else’s post to determine that I don’t deserve a dog. I would never consider that.

Also, he did not put his face in the dog’s face. He sat down beside the dog, pet him, and the dog jumped up and bit. You are really creating a story that did not happen.

Please explain how my son and I are to blame.

OP, you are going to get all kinds of crazy people reacting here who value dogs over children. That is not a normal reaction from the dog and you need to protect your kids. I'm sorry this happened to you, it must have been scary.

Been in your shoes. I would re-home the dog. You don’t want this happening to a neighbors kid. You will never trust this dog again.

I am sorry for your son’s injury, but the puppy is not to blame. Parents must teach children that a dog that is sleeping should be left alone. A child that does not understand this should be supervised with the dog.