Very sudden incident with family dog

How Soon Is Now

Im still trying to get my head around this i cant believe what happened i am just glad i wasnt in the house at the time.

My Golden Retriever dog whos nearly 2 years old bit my 11 year old brother last night. Wasnt small bite either brothers lucky its not more serious. He is in hospital since last night and needs surgery and skin crafts done on his left arm and shoulders.

The dog has never had a violent streak in him he is a family pet and is looked after and always treated well. Ill admit he had a bit of a thing for my little brother since we got him he did tend to be always at him nipping at his legs arms so on but last few months he had pretty much grown out of it.

According to my ma what happened was my brother was going out to the dog in the small room at back the house he sleeps in to give him the end of an ice cream cone.

He dropped it on the floor by mistake and went to pick it up and the dog jumped on him pinned him to the floor only for my older brother heard him screaming help god only knows what could of happend. The dog had to be pulled off my brother.

Im waiting for the dspca offices to open so i can call them as i guess only option is now for him to be put down.

Im heart broken over this dog was like a friend to me and i really dont understand what made him do this or why he would just snap all of a sudden.

Very confused at this stage wish there was a way i could fix all of this as my brother will be scared and traumatised for rest of his life when it comes to dogs and im losing a pet i taught was my friend.

Just goes to show u really can never tell whats going on in an animals head.

rsole1

angerfist2009 wrote: »

Im still trying to get my head around this i cant believe what happened i am just glad i wasnt in the house at the time.

My Golden Retriever dog whos nearly 2 years old bit my 11 year old brother last night. Wasnt small bite either brothers lucky its not more serious. He is in hospital since last night and needs surgery and skin crafts done on his left arm and shoulders.

The dog has never had a violent streak in him he is a family pet and is looked after and always treated well. Ill admit he had a bit of a thing for my little brother since we got him he did tend to be always at him nipping at his legs arms so on but last few months he had pretty much grown out of it.

According to my ma what happened was my brother was going out to the dog in the small room at back the house he sleeps in to give him the end of an ice cream cone.

He dropped it on the floor by mistake and went to pick it up and the dog jumped on him pinned him to the floor only for my older brother heard him screaming help god only knows what could of happend. The dog had to be pulled off my brother.

Im waiting for the dspca offices to open so i can call them as i guess only option is now for him to be put down.

Im heart broken over this dog was like a friend to me and i really dont understand what made him do this or why he would just snap all of a sudden.

Very confused at this stage wish there was a way i could fix all of this as my brother will be scared and traumatised for rest of his life when it comes to dogs and im losing a pet i taught was my friend.

Just goes to show u really can never tell whats going on in an animals head.

Sorry to hear your story. The dog is jealous of your brother and that's how dogs react. He will have to be put to sleep or re-homed where there are no children as he will do it again.

How Soon Is Now

Makes no sense dog is just asleep out back garden now like nothing happened.

Trying to get in touch with this crowd now phones still off saying in an emergency ring your local cops im not doing that.

kylith

I'd assume that the dog has never been trained to relinquish food, so when your brother went to pick up the dropped cone he was taking that the dog considered his, and he was reacting to a perceived threat to his food source (resource guarding).

This kind of problem can be improved with training, but I can completely understand your decision to have him put to sleep.

How Soon Is Now

kylith wrote: »

I'd assume that the dog has never been trained to relinquish food, so when your brother went to pick up the dropped cone he was taking that the dog considered his, and he was reacting to a perceived threat to his food source (resource guarding).

This kind of problem can be improved with training, but I can completely understand your decision to have him put to sleep.

Its not really my choice to do it my mothers my brother said he wont come home till dog is gone and everyone and anyone in the hospital and so on is telling her he should be put down.

Its crazy because i have dropped food a million times in front of him and he never jumps for it i was only saying it to someone the other day its mad hes one of the few dogs ive ever seen who never really goes mad over stuff like that.

Its cause of it being my brother he has always kinda took advantage of him being smaller and so on. We were going to get the dog trainer with my brother but we decided must of just been his age because he grew out of it the two of them have been much much better together the last few months. There was no signs at all of anything like this ever happening the dog never showed any signs of being violent.

headmaster

Sorry to hear what happened. I had a Lassie collie and much the same thing happened, it was jealousy but I didn't kill the dog. A friend knew what had happened and had an aunt in another town who loved the Lassie breed and wanted my dog. We decided that it might be best to go this route and i'm happy to say that 2 years on, there's been no problems at all with the new owner and the dog. Also like to mention that the owner lives on her own, so no children or other people. The dog was 3 years when given to the new owner, hope that's of some help.

How Soon Is Now

headmaster wrote: »

Sorry to hear what happened. I had a Lassie collie and much the same thing happened, it was jealousy but I didn't kill the dog. A friend knew what had happened and had an aunt in another town who loved the Lassie breed and wanted my dog. We decided that it might be best to go this route and i'm happy to say that 2 years on, there's been no problems at all with the new owner and the dog. Also like to mention that the owner lives on her own, so no children or other people. The dog was 3 years when given to the new owner, hope that's of some help.

Like i said i dont want the dog put down because maybe its something that can be fixed with another owner or a trainer its just very serious as its not a chance you can take with a strong animal that could snap with another child or maybe even adult.

I am going to ring local garda station ask them for advice.

kylith

angerfist2009 wrote: »

Its not really my choice to do it my mothers my brother said he wont come home till dog is gone and everyone and anyone in the hospital and so on is telling her he should be put down.

Its crazy because i have dropped food a million times in front of him and he never jumps for it i was only saying it to someone the other day its mad hes one of the few dogs ive ever seen who never really goes mad over stuff like that.

Its cause of it being my brother he has always kinda took advantage of him being smaller and so on. We were going to get the dog trainer with my brother but we decided must of just been his age because he grew out of it the two of them have been much much better together the last few months. There was no signs at all of anything like this ever happening the dog never showed any signs of being violent.

Dogs know who they can push it with and who they can't. I know it's not the same thing, but one of my dogs refused to do anything for my ex, she had no respect for him, wouldn't come when he called, wouldn't go for a walk with him, nothing. Unfortunately if there were no witnesses to what happened you'll never know for sure what happened; it could be that your brother unintentionally did something that wound the dog up, it could be that the dog knew your brother was nervous of him.

It would have been good if you'd gotten the trainer in with your brother and the dog so that the dog would learn to listen to him and respect him, but there's no point in dwelling on it now. Hopefully you'll be able to find a rescue to take him and find a suitable home for him.

ziggy23

Very sorry to hear that you must be heartbroken:( Could you give him to a rescue place to re-home with an older family maybe? I can totally understand your family wanting him put to sleep but it seems such a waste of a young dog's life.

How Soon Is Now

ziggy23 wrote: »

Very sorry to hear that you must be heartbroken:( Could you give him to a rescue place to re-home with an older family maybe? I can totally understand your family wanting him put to sleep but it seems such a waste of a young dog's life.

I just got off the phone to the local police station he gave me 3 phone numbers the dspca are all closed so all i can do is call down to one of them.

He gave me number dog warden as well which i am going to ring now.
The cop himself told me the dog should be put down as its what should be done in this situation if he has done serious harm to a child.

Cherry Blossom

Can I suggest that you put a post in the re-homing thread in this forum stating that the dog requires an owner with extensive experience of behaviour problems. I'm also going to PM you some contact details (if I can find them) for someone who may be able to help you.

headmaster

angerfist2009 wrote: »

I just got off the phone to the local police station he gave me 3 phone numbers the dspca are all closed so all i can do is call down to one of them.

He gave me number dog warden as well which i am going to ring now.
The cop himself told me the dog should be put down as its what should be done in this situation if he has done serious harm to a child.

If you give the dog to the warden there's a more than 90% chance it will be killed. This will not be the wardens fault. Please give it to the animal shelter and tell them exactly what happened, they might find a new owner and will have dealt with the situation before.

How Soon Is Now

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Can I suggest that you put a post in the re-homing thread in this forum stating that the dog requires an owner with extensive experience of behaviour problems. I'm also going to PM you some contact details (if I can find them) for someone who may be able to help you.

Whatever happens needs to be done in next few hours. I have no choice at this stage but id rather he was taken by someone else who could look after him.

Cherry Blossom

I've sent you a PM, I would advise ringing the number as soon as you can.

Ddad

I'm really sorry to hear about your problems.

I'm not an expert but if the dog had a history of nipping at your brother this is assertive behaviour that a senior member of the dog pack does to inferior members of the dog pack. The chances are your dog has always had the view that he's higher up the pecking order than your brother and that his assertion of this was latent.

The superior dog will have dibs on food over the inferior pack member. Your poor brother (inferior pack member) offers food, then tries to reclaim it. The dog asserts himself, viciously by all accounts and here we are. Your brother crossed a line in the eyes of the dog. I wouldn't have that dog around children and I'd be reticent about keeping it alive unless it could go to a home with an experienced owner with no one the dog could see as weaker around.

I'd love to be able to give you a solution but if it were me in that situation I would only have one choice.

Waterfordlass

I am so sorry to hear about your brother,and hope he makes a full and fast recovery.
As other posters have suggested, please consider rehoming the dog instead of having him put to sleep.
My little dog is the most gentle soul you could wish to meet, but when it comes to us going near her food when she is eating, she will on occasion growl.
This is a very sad situation and I hope the outcome is a good one for all concerned.
Best wishes to you all.

Cherry Blossom

Sorry, I forgot to include the link, I've sent it now!

strandroad

Contact an animal shelter and explain that the dog can be rehomed to where there are no children and adults are experienced with dogs. I wouldn't be afraid to take him if I didn't have my fellas already.

wush06

angerfist2009 wrote: »

I am going to ring local garda station ask them for advice.

Sorry for your troubles op. I don't think the guards will have much to offer. You probably already know the answer yourself the dog must go.
Ring the dspca first thing tomorrow as there service is limited at the weekend. Keep the dog out in his room for the night away from people.
Hope the brother is not to badly hurt. It's always sad to hear stories like this just hope the dog can get another good home. Best of luck.

ziggy23

angerfist2009 wrote: »

I just got off the phone to the local police station he gave me 3 phone numbers the dspca are all closed so all i can do is call down to one of them.

He gave me number dog warden as well which i am going to ring now.
The cop himself told me the dog should be put down as its what should be done in this situation if he has done serious harm to a child.

The cops have to say that really. Where are you based? There is dog's trust and dogs aid on the northside who I'm sure would take him off you. Anyway good luck it's a very hard decision to make and I hope this doesn't put your brother off all dogs

How Soon Is Now

I have rang at least 5 or 6 places now and cant get threw to anyone only person i could find who answered phone was a number from the ucd vet clinic. They told me to ring vet clinic for dspca but there not taking calls either.

I mean at this stage what do i do???

I need to get this sorted in next few hours. I am living in Rathcoole by the way.

Cherry Blossom

Are you leaving voice messages for people to call you back urgently? If you can't get anything sorted today you could try leaving the dog in local kennels overnight.

How Soon Is Now

Ok just got off phone to me ma me brother wont be home for a few days so i can bring the dog to the vet in the morning and sort it proper.

Brother has 3 or 4 bad marks and bites on him from the dog. His forearm his shoulders and the palm of his hand which the doctors are saying is the most dangarous because of the tendons and so on.

Ill deal with it in the morning and do my best to sort the situation out whats best for the dog. I no what happened is very serious and at end of the day its an animal my brother comes first and he better be ok but i still dont want dog to be put down if there is a chance something can be done with him.

He is not a all out violent animal but there is deffo a problem there with younger kids if this is how he reacts and you cant take those risks no matter how nice of a dog it is.

strandroad

You may want to search for a Golden Retriever specific rescue, I've seen a link posted here a while ago but can't find it at the moment.

Cherry Blossom

A vet won't be able to help you with finding the dog a home (and shouldn't in this case, I don't think). Send an e-mail to the place I PM'd you with your phone number and you should be able to get someone to answer the phone in the morning if they don't contact you first.

deisedave

My sister had some problem with a smaller dog before, she tried to go to the pound and animal shelters. They said they will not rehome a dog that has bitten before, dog had to be put to sleep in the end. Really sucks but you cant put people at risk, I know some animal lovers here will disagree but I love animals and it just has to be done sometimes.
I hope your brother is ok and I feel sorry for the poor dog.

SingItOut

So sorry to here about your dog

ASH animal rescue operate a strict no kill policy, You could try there?

strandroad

deisedave wrote: »

My sister had some problem with a smaller dog before, she tried to go to the pound and animal shelters. They said they will not rehome a dog that has bitten before, dog had to be put to sleep in the end. Really sucks but you cant put people at risk, I know some animal lovers here will disagree but I love animals and it just has to be done sometimes.
I hope your brother is ok and I feel sorry for the poor dog.

I am not sure, a couple of years ago my friend got a dog from a rescue when it was made clear to them that the dog has bitten a child before and was only rehomed on a strict no children policy. The child, however, was apparently taunting him so perhaps it is different; you however had known issues before so it's not entirely out of the blue either. The couple were also recommended to see a dog trainer (with contact details and a discount via the rescue) but in the end the dog turned out fine and has never had any issues again.

tk123

mhge wrote: »

I am not sure, a couple of years ago my friend got a dog from a rescue when it was made clear to them that the dog has bitten a child before and was only rehomed on a strict no children policy. The child, however, was apparently taunting him so perhaps it is different; you however had known issues before so it's not entirely out of the blue either. The couple were also recommended to see a dog trainer (with contact details and a discount via the rescue) but in the end the dog turned out fine and has never had any issues again.

I know of a dog that bit a child in the family (the kids were wild let alone the dog!) and it was sent back to the rescue - he was up on the rescue's site a week later for rehoming.

Senor Willy

Ddad wrote: »

I'm really sorry to hear about your problems.

I'm not an expert but if the dog had a history of nipping at your brother this is assertive behaviour that a senior member of the dog pack does to inferior members of the dog pack. The chances are your dog has always had the view that he's higher up the pecking order than your brother and that his assertion of this was latent.

The superior dog will have dibs on food over the inferior pack member. Your poor brother (inferior pack member) offers food, then tries to reclaim it. The dog asserts himself, viciously by all accounts and here we are. Your brother crossed a line in the eyes of the dog. I wouldn't have that dog around children and I'd be reticent about keeping it alive unless it could go to a home with an experienced owner with no one the dog could see as weaker around.

I'd love to be able to give you a solution but if it were me in that situation I would only have one choice.

I agree 100%. It would be highly in appropriate to have this dog rehomed.
Could you live with yourself it attacked a young child and baby. I am a dog lover myself and I always make sure that the dogs I keep know their
place in the pack. Little things like eating meals before them, having the
kids give them orders, correcting any nipping, growling at the kids with
a firm slap. I have two pups are the moment and every few days the kids
feed them and run their hands through the food as they are eating.
A little bit of supervised rough play by the kids goes a long way.
They are super with the kids.
Early this year we had to get rid of a bitch we had because she never took
to the new baby and snapped at him one day when he walked over to her.
It was not worth taking the chance..

westies4ever

hi - sent you a pm - hope its of some use.

tiger_cub

angerfist the dog does not need to be put to sleep. speaking from experience there are numerous shelters which will take him, and he can be rehomed specifically to household that will suit his needs i.e a family where the children have grown up and left home.

you should avoid calling the dog warden at all costs, he will be taken away and be destroyed after 5 days

at an animal shelter he will be well taken care of, and I have seen many animals at the center where I volunteer come on in leaps and bounds. almost like rehabilitation!

also there may be more to the situation that your brother is telling. I dont know his age or the circumstances. it is common for animals to take a set against children. this usually results from children handling them inappropriately and causing them pain. something as little as your brother picking up the dog in a way which hurt him when he was a puppy could have sparked this incident.

for dogs, especially retrivers and labs, to attack for no reason is highly uncommon. this dog has one strike against him, and it may not have been as malicious and unprovoked as first seems.

call a shelter, he seems like a good chap who bring a family great happiness under different circumstances.

let us know what you decide

best wishes to your brother

Whispered

In the case of a surrender, a pound can PTS immediately and is very likely to in a case of aggression.

OP, if you have to get your dog PTS then visit your vet, rather than the dog warden. A pound is a very stressful place for a dog at times so at least it would be a more relaxed ending for your dog in the vet.

As others have said, some rescues will take dogs with a bite history. However it's very very important that you are 100% honest (as I'm sure you would be). Personally I'd be inclined to work on it, but I know it's not your decision and of course I can totally understand why your mother has made the decision that she has.

I hope your brother recovers fully. Please let us know how he is!

portgirl123

just wondering would a rescue take a dog like this. what with rescues full and turning dogs away i would of thought that they would rather a dog that will be homed easily. would most rescues have the resources, money and time to work with a dog like this?

TooManyDogs

portgirl123 wrote: »

just wondering would a rescue take a dog like this. what with rescues full and turning dogs away i would of thought that they would rather a dog that will be homed easily. would most rescues have the resources, money and time to work with a dog like this?

Realistically there are few rescues who would have enough spaces to take in a dog who bit to the degree that skin grafts are needed. They'd have to be 100% honest with prospective new owners and there are very few new owners who are prepared to take on a dog with that history. There are simply too many dogs needing homes with no or few behavioural problems out there.

A rescue can do a certain amount of behaviour work but it's only when a dog gets into a proper home environment that the real behaviour work starts, and success is going to depend on the invested interest of the new owner. New owners generally haven't bonded enough with the dog to put in the effort needed. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule but generally these are the kinds of dogs that spends months or years in a no-kill rescue which is not an ideal life for a dog and is taking up a valuable space for another dog.

CL32

I'm normally a bit of a lurker on Boards but had to log in to say how sorry I am for what happened to your brother. The thing that really got me was the fact he was going out to share his ice cream with your dog before he was attacked. I've always felt that the best start in life a kid can have is a pet of some sort (especially a dog) so they can develop a strong bond and by default, a sense of empathy, which it sounds like your bro has.

I can't offer any advice but take my good wishes for your bro. Hope he makes a speedy recovery. Maybe when he gets older you could get him a little pup of his own and make a big deal of him feeding and generally taking care of it? It might restore a bit of faith in the poor guy and stop an understandable lifelong fear of dogs.

How Soon Is Now

Thanks everyone for the advice and well wishs

Im just home from the hospital brother should be home Wednesday at the earlyest should be no problems once the wounds heal. They just cant be closed cause of risk of infection at the moment hes just sleepy and so on from what the drip they have him on is other then that just pain he has two bad bites on his right arm and on palm his hand.

As far as dog goes i was not here last night when it happened so i dont know what fully happened but my family have told me what they saw and so on.

He has always been a bit picky with my little brother but its strange one minute he would be pulling out of him next he would be sitting beside him like his best friend. This is really confusing for all of us and makes no sense as to why he would just attack him the way he did out of the blue.

Fact the matter is the dog didnt just snap at him to get a bit of food he attacked him jumped on him and would not let him out of the room.

My other brother had to pull the dog off of my little brother hes lucky that he heard him screaming for help or this could of been much worse.

Its really hard because i love the dog hes my friend and i really have a thing for animals more so for dogs i tend to get more upset seeing something happen to a dog then i would a human so this is really bothering me because i dont know how to feel towards the animal.

One part of me knows he ****ed up and should not of done what he did but other part of me knows end day hes an animal and to a certain degree they only act on what they know and are taught to do.

There had to of been a deeper reason for what happened but i do know its not my brothers fault he has never mistreated the dog at all since the start.

Ya he has shouted at him pushed him away times but that was because the dog would be nipping at his feet or jumping on him.

This was just totally out of the blue and was a major shock.

He really calmed down alot over the last few months compared to when he was a pup and we were all happy with how he was behaving so for this to happen is very much out of the blue.

I dont want the dog to be put down for no reason so if i can get him rehomed or something similar i will but i guess i wont know till 2morrw.

All i know is he will have to be taken somewhere in the next day or two as there is no way my mother will have him in the house with my brother again and i understand that. He will be the last dog to come into this house as long as shes here.

So i have a few places to call in the morning ill see what i can do what options i have. If anyone knows of any shelters or rescue places that would take dog in this situation do let me know. Other then that i only have so many choices and time and money is not on my side.

Thanks again everyone.

Mr Moxie

So very sorry to hear about your incident.
I hope your brother makes a full recovery and doesn't develop a fear of dogs.

I am no expert but I do think it was most likely natural pack mentality that caused this and that your pet deserves another chance in a different environment.
Please do try to offer him that chance, I have a feeling you will feel better about it too.

All the best with whatever you do.

Shazanne

I agree with Mr. Moxie above. I have been following this thread all day and its been bothering me a lot. I've tried putting myself in everyones position - you, your mother, your brother and, of course, your dog.
I fully understand your mother and brother's fear of having the dog in the house. I would perhaps be the same.
Your dog, by now, is probably oblivious to what he did as its over and they live in the moment.
My heart breaks for you. I know how you must be feeling as I would be torn apart if this was me. You are feeling pressure from all sides at the moment - some telling you to have your dog PTS and other telling you to try and re-home him through a shelter.
I suggest to you that you follow your heart on this and listen to your gut instinct. You know your dog and you will know what's best to do. You are not an irresponsible owner or you wouldn't be on her looking for advice. You will do the right thing. X

unclebill98

There are a few shelters that will take the dog.

One to mention is AHAR in limerick. I recently left down a very aggressive choc lab. Grand one min and then satans hound the next. Owners got scared and it kept going for them, not they they told me that till after I got it home, they said it's badly nipped the female owner. It's doing great now. You will have to get the dog down to them but it's an option.

boomerang

AFAIK, AHAR are in Kerry. Deffo not in Limerick anyways.

OP it sounds like a case of food guarding to me; goldens can be pretty possessive of their toys or food. It can be worked on, but it takes a very savvy person with the time to dedicate to him. I'm sorry but with bites that severe the dog showed no bite inhibition and from a rescue perspective, I wouldn't take on the responsibility of rehoming him. Maybe you have a friend or relative who would take him on and work with a proper, qualified behaviourist such as Tara Choules at Dog Training Ireland or Maureen Byrne. (Dogs Behaving Badly.)

How Soon Is Now

Im in Dublin and i really dont think im going to be able to get him driven down the country. Theres no one who could really help me there as my family are all tied up in other things at the moment.

So im kinda stuck to the Dublin area if thats even possible or close by cause i live in Co Dublin.

Its really been getting to me since i got home today and have been around the dog. Ive never seen him act way he is now its like he knows something is wrong just by the way he is looking me in the eyes and its killing me.

I rarely show my emotions but must of spent a good 10 15 mins in the bathroom crying. I decided to bring him out for a walk tonight seeing as i will probley never get another chance.

Again he senses something is up ive never seen him walk so calm in front of me on the lead and look like hes enjoying himself so much.

Just glad it was late and dark because i couldn hold back the tears most of the time i was out.

Really got me when we were walking by the vet clinic on the way home and he stopped and wouldnt let me walk by the front door. I know he probley just smelled something but was so strange seeing as there is a chance i might have to be there with him 2morrw yet.....

Im dreading 2morrw so much i dont know how i am going to say goodbye to him weather its handing him over to some other place or waiting for him to be put to sleep. Just wish this was a fecking dream.

Just thinking to myself how unfair it is how everyone will mostly just remember him now as the dog who attacked my brother when deep down it was as much our fault then it was his yet no body will see it that way in my family anyway.

marty1985

OP I am so sorry to read of this awful experience for you and your brother and your dog. I really feel for you and hope this can come to some sort of resolution. I feel really sad thinking of how much pain you're going through.

James.

.

How Soon Is Now

James. wrote: »

have a read through this thread about biting :

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056425018

and this post in particular :

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=75076035&postcount=47

" family dog was put to sleep for biting my brother's bottom lip and it wasn't until about two weeks after that he admitted to holding a cookie between his teeth and making the dog tug for it. Naturally he got what was coming to him, and a poor dog suffered as a result. "

Ok... but why did u direct me to these?? Theres a difference between what u posted up there and what happened in my situation.

I wish it was as simple as the above believe me.

The dog was in the room he sleeps in which is also next to downstairs bathroom washing machine etc.....

My brother went out into the room to give him the end of an ice cream cone he didnt want the rest of. He dropped it on the floor by mistake and didnt want the dog to eat it right away so he went to pick it up off the floor. Now i can imagine he got to close to the dog face to face without thinking and at the same time the dog must of went to try and grab the icecream while it was on the floor.

My brother is 11 and mature for his age but yes hes also still a child and does stupid things without thinking he shouldnt of got into that position with the dog but at the same time the dog had to be phsyically removed from him by my 22 year old brother. An ice cream falling on the floor does not warrent what happened.

I know for a fact if it had of been me who dropped ice cream the dog wouldnt of moved an inch he just took advantage of my brother because hes the youngest in the family and this is where the problem came from the fact the dog wasnt fully trained to deal with my brother the way he should of been. Like i said before this is me and my familys fault we over looked the situation as it looked like he grew out of the messing he was up to while he was younger.

It shouldnt of happened but it did and now where all paying the price for it. Just dont claim me brother egged the dog on because i no for fact living with both of them every day of my life how things work.

It was a normally harmless dog reacting in the only way he knew fit to a child doing the same these things happen unfortunatly. Trust me i really really wish it didnt and if i had any idea this could happen i would of done anything to prevent it. I didnt see any of this coming believe me.

Birdnuts

Sorry to hear about this - the majority of dogs are territorial when it comes to food. My parents had a Westie that would go nuts if anyone got between him and a butchers bone. I'd be fairly certain that if anyone tried to takes if away from him he'd give them a nip, thankfully though that never happened since we allways took care to avoid such circumstances. Its all about getting to know your dogs moods and behaviour in certain situations. This incident sounds to me like just sheer bad luck on the part of your brother and a combination of circumstances that caused a freak event, as by your description this dog behaved completly out of character. Personally I wouldn't be so quick to get rid of this dog but I understand you are compromised by the emotions of the rest of your family which you have to take into account - especcially if you have to live in the same house.

On the wider subject I keep most of my dogs away from visiting children since I know what makes them tick and its very hard to get across to kids about how to behave appropriatly towards dogs in general - especcially when food/feeding comes into the equation which I think is often a factor in such cases. In any case i hope things work out for you.

ppink

Whan I am reading this I think a whole range of things. It is such a terrible situation to be in.
I would always try to help the dog but I have one thing in the back of my head...when I was a kid I was attacked badly by a dog, at the time it was deemed my fault (even though it was not) and the dog was spared and relocated. He went on to attack an adult and was the pts. Now the dog definately had no "rehabilitation" so that was a major factor I am sure, and something I would say was definately needed..as in your case.

I hope it all works out for you, it is a worst nightmare for a pet owner.

unclebill98

angerfist2009 wrote: »

Im in Dublin and i really dont think im going to be able to get him driven down the country. Theres no one who could really help me there as my family are all tied up in other things at the moment.

So im kinda stuck to the Dublin area if thats even possible or close by cause i live in Co Dublin.

.

The choc lab came from navan, to Cavan, athlone and then onto them.

If you contact them they galvanise the troops and you may only have to go as far as mulling or something, maybe not even that far. It's all volunteers, so through them something for diesel etc.

cjf

So sorry to hear about yOur brother the family must be so shcoked and upset by this. If it was me I would do the kindest thing and bring the dog myself to the local vet to be humanely put to sleep- as mentioned here most rescues will not or could not home a dog who has bitten a child this severely the risk is always there that it could happen again and rather than stress my dog or have him bounced into a shelter I would prefer to do the right thing by him and see it through. It's very sad but you will know he lived a good life with you and you loved him to the end. The fact is he could get a rescue space and get rehomed and end up mistreated or just left in a yard on his own if he showed this behaviour again or brought to a pound where he would live his last few days in a noisy kennels stressed and without anyone there who cares one bit about him. As I said above that is my thinking on what I would prefer to do if it was one of my own dogs. Please keep us posted on the outcome.

Shazanne

OP - you are in my thoughts and prayers today. My heart is breaking for you and I hope all goes well. X

JustAThought

I'm terribly sorry for the awful situation that you find yourself in.
I see that people have PM'd you phone numbers to call and see if you can have your dog rescued. Whatever happens make sure you are totally honest with them about your pet and it's past.
I see that you have no access to transport. If you get somewhere to rescue your dog I have a car with crate ; if you are desperate and it means the difference between having your dog put down or not, I am happy to volunteer to drive you and your pet to a pet rescue place, once they have agreed to take him in. You could post a message or PM me & I could OK it with your mom or meet her to discuss.

I'm very sorry for this terrible situation. best of wishes for a good recovery to your poor brother.