Our dog bit a child. Do we have any options?

wildwillow

We rehomed a dog to an adult only household when he caught my sons t shirt in his teeth and caused a tear. I wasn’t going to wait for a bite.

Dog was a gift from a well meaning but clueless family member and was unsuitable for children.

He lived a long and happy life in his new child free home.

geographica

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121019364#Comment_121019364

Important not to forget a child was bitten here. That’s the important thing. The dog should be put down in this case.

thegetawaycar

Some comments here are mind boggling, the dog growls and has "nipped" a few times. Sorry but this is aggressive progression and not a one off.

If he drew blood needing paper stitches then I'd be putting it down ASAP or at the very least rehoming to someone with no kids (still have the issue when going for a walk, in the park etc...)

The dog is still a pup, at 1.5 years old, and has known anxiety issues. The OP has already consulted a dog behaviourist and they are working on it.

Even pups without anxiety issues nip. And growling is a dog giving a clear advance warning that something is upsetting them, and it should never be ignored.

In this case, a child - in the OPs own words - "charged" at the dog which triggered the bite.

Now, it may be the case that ultimately this dog would be better off being rehomed to an adult only home. But they don't deserve to be killed.

Marlay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121020451#Comment_121020451

Without knowing what was happening at the time and more importantly what was happening in the build up to it there's no way to say what the reason for it was. Growling is a warning. If the warning signs are being ignored then the dog will react. Was there lots of stressful situations in the build up? Was the dog already tense. Were there lots of people around and the dog didn't have enough space? Management in the first instance and a good behaviourist are required before decisions can be made.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121019203#Comment_121019203

You are completely missing the point. For every few minor dog bites, there is one serious one. A dog with a history of aggression and especially one with a history of nipping or biting is a much greater risk than a dog lacking such history. That retriever could have easily rearranged your face, but you fell on the right side of the statistics, where others wouldn't have been as fortunate.

It is the clown ignoring aggressive dog behaviour that ultimately causes serious and fatal dog attacks. There are people on here who would advocate rehoming the dog, even if it mauled the childs face. Dogs are pack and hierarchical minded. If they think their place is above the 3 year old child and the dog has shown aggression to people before, it's moronic at best, criminally negligent at worst to allow any vulnerable person or child be near it.

The OP might take the fluffy advice to be patient, wait and see nonsense, but the OP knows the dog needs to go. Rehomed in a suitable environment, or pts if that cannot be achieved.

Beersmith

I as a child got bitten by our dog of roughly the same age as yours. Few stiches which taught me not to stick my face into a dogs when it is nervous. Dog never bite anyone ever again and had it for over 10 years and whilst nervous was a great natured pet.

Crazy to put it down imo from the story you told, it didnt charge at the kid and try to kill em, just a protective nervous bite.

I can't see anywhere where it says the age of the child involved?

But while we're on the subject, I think its worth saying that parents should also be teaching their children not to "charge" at dogs, as soon as they're old enough to understand.

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121015267#Comment_121015267

To be honest, and I have 3 collie crosses, I think you are fighting a losing battle. The dog is growling regularly enough and has bitten a child. Put yourself in the position of this incident going worse, and the child being permanently scarred, leading g to your family being split over it. I am a dog lover, I have 4 of them, but be adult about this and do the right thing. It sounds to me as well , from your opening post, like you are adjusting your lifestyle to accommodate this dogs poor behaviour.

I also struggle to see how anyone can diagnose a dogs anxiety to puppyhood rejection.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121014401#Comment_121014401

Best advice on the thread.

junglelove

Some time ago we had a similar incident in our house, where my 2 year old daughter got a nip on the forehead from our (slightly older) Collie X rescue. We understood that the dog reacted to her getting very close to his face, very quickly - which to him would be intimidating and he reacted accordingly. Ultimately, the blame lay with my partner and I on that occasion as we should have been monitoring them both more closely. We learned a valuable lesson and worked hard on training them both, imposing physical and disciplinary boundaries where appropriate. Fast forward about a year and the 2 are inseparable, she insist on feeding him, bringing him along on the drive to creche. (The dogs are in the boot with a barrier!) but basically we put the work in, never leaving them alone, reading the room and both of their moods...it takes a while to get used to, but we get back so much more than we put in. Tough decision you're faced with, hope you're able to find a way forward without having the dog put down..best of luck!

Modulok

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121019101#Comment_121019101

This is ridiculous. YOUR DOG BIT A CHILD ON THE FACE.

How dare you take the risk of it happening again to either your or anyone else's child, with all the potential for permanent scarring or worse that goes with it? If your dog bit my child on the face and you didn't get rid of the dog I would take matters into my own hands and relieve you of the burden forthwith. You also stated the dog has nipped people in the past -- utterly unacceptable. I'm sorry but you are not a responsible owner with your muddled priorities.

DownByTheGarden

Imagine a few inches away from the face in the childs neck what could have happened.

My wife left our daughter in a room with a friends dog while they were drinking tea in the kitchen. when she was 2 years old and when i walked into the house and went into that room the dog was licking the childs face. We all thought it was so cute at the time. About a year later that dog took a huge lump out of the calf of one of their neighbors children. Never ever leave children alone with a dog.

Terrier2023

If you ever watched a child and dog interact on a CCTV camera children can be little brats and ignore the grumble of a dog warning them to go away. You have to learn to understand dogs body language a child cant and they too have to be taught. Try to re home to an adult only home lots of single folks & couples with no kids and lonely, destruction of a young healthy dog is a sin to be honest. Kids today need a few more wallops and less indullgence as a child, we bred dogs and bites were normal and i got slapped when the dog bit me for teasing the dogs now as an adult i respect the body language of dogs and the small signs they show when unsure or frightened. Worth learning these sign for the future or else you will be killing dogs left right & centre.

DBB

Terrier2023

No more than you're allowed advocate "walloping" or slapping animals in this forum, neither can you for humans.

Please do not use this forum to dispense this sort of advice.

Thanks,

DBB