Dog bit my kid.

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

You're right. DS was the same way..he was really freaked out by dogs, esp big dogs at first. We are fortunate that our library has an arrangement with not one but THREE different therapy dogs (all from different agencies) that come in on Saturdays for family story time. Through them, DS has become more comfortable with medium-largish dogs. One of the therapy dogs is a large Saluki that's nearly as tall as he is and he LOVES that dog to death.

So maybe, OP, check out and see if there is a library near by that has therapy dogs come in or see if you can visit a therapy dog to help your DD overcome her fear of dogs. A therapy dog will be gentle and quiet and she can work her way up to getting comfortable around dogs again.

She could also go to the local PetSmart or other training facility. The inetructors usually bring their own dogs along and they are usually very well behaved.

Also...part of the class(it was when we went anyway) at PatSmart, was a lesson on the correct way to appproach a dog.

OP-I know you said she knows the correct way, but maybe putting into action would help.

It's a bad situation for all involved. I hope you all can get past this.

 

[dngnb8]

Completely, 100% disagree. If a dog is going to be around families it should be trained to leave a 'bad' situation, not lash out. Plenty of dogs put up with being manhandled by children. This dog has bitten at least 4 times in all age groups. It needs to be put down, end of story.

Since they werent original owners, there may be history here that creates the dogs reaction. My husky was abused prior to my obtaining him. He doesnt react well to a raised hand (drops to floor, cowers and whimpers). I cried one morning as I stretched and he did this. I just cant imagine who would have beaten this loving boy.

We know this, and never raise our hand to him. Not all dogs turn around. Breed is a part of this as well.

That being said, as more information has come to light, I have suggested they take it to a no kill shelter.

@OP, if they do, your IL's should share all the issues. If the No Kill feels the dog isnt a viable pet, it will be taken to the Humane Society. We have a no kill shelter here that will attempt to socialize the dog. Some dogs behaviors wont change unfortunately...

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Since they werent original owners, there may be history here that creates the dogs reaction. My husky was abused prior to my obtaining him. He doesnt react well to a raised hand (drops to floor, cowers and whimpers). I cried one morning as I stretched and he did this. I just cant imagine who would have beaten this loving boy.

We know this, and never raise our hand to him. Not all dogs turn around. Breed is a part of this as well.

That being said, as more information has come to light, I have suggested they take it to a no kill shelter.

@OP, if they do, your IL's should share all the issues. If the No Kill feels the dog isnt a viable pet, it will be taken to the Humane Society. We have a no kill shelter here that will attempt to socialize the dog. Some dogs behaviors wont change unfortunately...

Aw what a beautiful boy!

We have a Boxer we got from a shelter. We're pretty sure he was fought(don't know who fights Boxers). He has some strange scars and is very aggresive toward other dogs.(the way he is aggresive is the biggest reason we think he was fought)

He is a great dog. Very loving to me and DH, especially me...DH is more of a play pal....I'm his cuddle choice. But he doesn't enjoy our kids. He's not aggresive toward them, he's just kind of indifferent. Even when they try to play with him. You can tell when the kids are getting to him...so I just let him in my room to rest and an hour later he is fine.

It is so sad what some dogs go through, but I think there is an owner for all of them...it just takes the right person.

 

[hereyago]

Since they werent original owners, there may be history here that creates the dogs reaction. My husky was abused prior to my obtaining him. He doesnt react well to a raised hand (drops to floor, cowers and whimpers). I cried one morning as I stretched and he did this. I just cant imagine who would have beaten this loving boy.

We know this, and never raise our hand to him. Not all dogs turn around. Breed is a part of this as well.

That being said, as more information has come to light, I have suggested they take it to a no kill shelter.

@OP, if they do, your IL's should share all the issues. If the No Kill feels the dog isnt a viable pet, it will be taken to the Humane Society. We have a no kill shelter here that will attempt to socialize the dog. Some dogs behaviors wont change unfortunately...

Just wanted to say what a handsome dog!

 

[nancytoby]

Remember the old saying? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

Allowing a child to be around a dog that has bitten her twice previously!?!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Remember the old saying? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

Allowing a child to be around a dog that has bitten her twice previously!?!

I think it was said that the dog bit 3 OTHER people previously.

 

[JessicaR]

The choice to get rid of the dog is THEIRS! The choice of taking your daughter there is YOURS!

In other words it is not your place to tell them what to do. Just tell them you will not bring your daughter there and why. Leave it at that and there will not be any confrontations and hard feelings.

There is a reason the dog is biting and it is up to the owners to stop it.

When I was a kid we got a 2 yr old dog from my aunt who was named "snapper". It took awhile, but my dad broke him of the habit and hitting was not involved. Turned out to be a good dog.

Thank You!!! Obviously, I agree.

 

[nancytoby]

I think it was said that the dog bit 3 OTHER people previously.

Ahh, yes, I stand corrected: "my daughter is the third child he has bitten".

Still, was the parent aware that two children were previously bitten by this dog?

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Ahh, yes, I stand corrected: "my daughter is the third child he has bitten".

Still, was the parent aware that two children were previously bitten by this dog?

Yeah...it doesn't really HELP the situation...but it sounds so much worse if it was the same child being bitten.

 

[angwill]

Don't try to make in-laws get rid of the dog (or crate it). Simply tell them your DD will not be visiting their house as long as the dog is allowed inside while she's there. They are more than welcome to come to your place and visit (and leave the dog at home).

Find a new sitter arrangement for Friday if MIL won't come to your house.

I agree completely. You do not want the memory of them having to get rid of their pet being yours or your daughters fault. The decision has to come from them.

That said I got bit by our family dog when I was little. My parents blamed it on me and a month later the dog bit my baby brothers face which was the wake up call that the dog was with the wrong family.

 

[KDIPIAZZ]

So Update! I asked if the dog has arrangements and MIl said no but that they won't be at the home all day tomorrow. She then asked me to help her find a place for the dog?

HELP!

Please do not help her find a place for the dog. No-kill does not mean that no dogs are euthanized. It means that the animals are not euthanized simply becasue no home has been found in a certain time frame. A "no-kill" shelter is busy finding homes for dogs suitable for re-homing... dogs without bite histories. Even "no-kill" shelters will humanely euthanize dogs that are not adoptable... and with a bite history, this dog is NOT adoptable. The shelter may not tell your parents this, and your parents may attempt to downplay the dog's history, but if the bite history is known and if the shelter is well-run, no-kill or not, the dog WILL be euthanized. A beloved family pet deserves to sent on by his family, not strangers.

At this point, it doesn't matter whether these bites occurred because the dog was untrained, unsupervised or unbalanced. This dog has now bitten 1 adult and 3 children. It is now time for your parents to take responsibility and humanely euthanize the dog... not pass the dog off and have someone else do the dirty work. IMO, there is nothing more sad than a dog euthanized in a shelter by strangers because the owners could not face their final responsibility as owner. The time to feel bad about what is going to happen to this dog is BEFORE the dog bites - supervision, training (of both people/children and dogs) and crating go a long way to preventing these situations.

 

[JessicaR]

Please do not help her find a place for the dog. No-kill does not mean that no dogs are euthanized. It means that the animals are not euthanized simply becasue no home has been found in a certain time frame. A "no-kill" shelter is busy finding homes for dogs suitable for re-homing... dogs without bite histories. Even "no-kill" shelters will humanely euthanize dogs that are not adoptable... and with a bite history, this dog is NOT adoptable. The shelter may not tell your parents this, and your parents may attempt to downplay the dog's history, but if the bite history is known and if the shelter is well-run, no-kill or not, the dog WILL be euthanized. A beloved family pet deserves to sent on by his family, not strangers.

At this point, it doesn't matter whether these bites occurred because the dog was untrained, unsupervised or unbalanced. This dog has now bitten 1 adult and 3 children. It is now time for your parents to take responsibility and humanely euthanize the dog... not pass the dog off and have someone else do the dirty work. IMO, there is nothing more sad than a dog euthanized in a shelter by strangers because the owners could not face their final responsibility as owner. The time to feel bad about what is going to happen to this dog is BEFORE the dog bites - supervision, training (of both people/children and dogs) and crating go a long way to preventing these situations.

Excellent post. I hope it is not overlooked.

Is there any possibility of rehab for this dog? In your opinion. I wish I never opened this thread.

 

[bellebud]

I actually pay for childcare throughout the week. So don't get it twisted. They are still her grandparents and my husbands parents so i can't very well cut them out of her life. The blame is wide spread, yes it is my fault for leaving my daughter with her father over at their house, it's my in laws fault for taking in a dog that bites and it's my brother in laws fault for giving the dog to them after knowing the dog can snap, because he didn't want it around his own children.
Yes, i will be keeping her away from the home until the dog is gone but your tone is so unnecessary right now.

You don't have to cut them out of her life for them to be a part of it. I have some people I would never leave my children with (some of the grandparents and others) for various reasons. Then there are people I would and do leave my children with. The people I wouldn't actually leave them with are still a part of their lives, I still love them, they love the kids, they still come to celebrations, etc. These people don't even know I'd never leave the kids with them. It doesn't need to be said. Others have said you've complained about your mil and how she cares for your dd in the past. If this is the case (I don't know if it is), I'd honestly stop having her watch dd. You can still have a relationship w/ mil. Just not a babysitting one. No biggie.

 

[luvmy3]

So, at what point are you going to stop relying on your in-laws for free childcare and stop taking your daughter there? Ever since your daughter was born, you've been complaining about them, yet you still leave her with them. You know this dog has bitten before, but you left her with them.

Have you learned your lesson yet?

That was a little harsh, and the OP said her dd was with her father.

OP, thanks for coming back and explaining more details about what happened. After hearing it was unprovoked I think its definitely time that the dog be placed somewhere else with full disclosure. Are there people out there willing to take dogs like this? Maybe with the right owner and proper training it can change, but if not there really doesn't seem to be another choice than to put the dog down.

 

[LisaR]

OP'er, how do you plan on helping your MIL get rid of the dog? Will you be honest with a shelter or someone that takes the dog? They really need to be told that the dog has bitten three people including an adult simply because he was hugging his wife. If you fail to mention this, you are risking some other families safety.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

So Update! I asked if the dog has arrangements and MIl said no but that they won't be at the home all day tomorrow. She then asked me to help her find a place for the dog?

HELP!

Tell her the dog is her responsibility and then leave it at that. I would not touch their decisions about their dog to YOU. That is just asking for backlash.

Just be calm and tell her that your dd is not allowed over there right now because the dog bit her.

I would like to see them argue that statement. Keep it simple so they can't twist your words.

 

[KDIPIAZZ]

Excellent post. I hope it is not overlooked.

Is there any possibility of rehab for this dog? In your opinion. I wish I never opened this thread.

In my opinion, no. Not for the average pet-owner. Not after 4 bites.

Can a biter be re-habbed? Yes, depending on the circumstances. Resource-guarding (food, toys, etc.) can be corrected with training and managment without tons and tons of effort or danger. Territorial aggression can be dealt with effectively with training and proper management (double fencing, self-locking gates, etc). I've trained, managed, medicated and yes, euthanized.

FOUR bites to FOUR individuals means that the owner is not committed to training, not committed to management and not committed to supervision or that there is something wrong with the dog.


I know people want to think that every dog can be saved, but every dog cannot be saved. I wish they could be.

 

[Scornelius]

Since they werent original owners, there may be history here that creates the dogs reaction. My husky was abused prior to my obtaining him. He doesnt react well to a raised hand (drops to floor, cowers and whimpers). I cried one morning as I stretched and he did this. I just cant imagine who would have beaten this loving boy.

We know this, and never raise our hand to him. Not all dogs turn around. Breed is a part of this as well.

That being said, as more information has come to light, I have suggested they take it to a no kill shelter.

COMPLETELY different than biting with no provocation. There is no acceptable excuse for random attacks.

 

[dngnb8]

COMPLETELY different than biting with no provocation. There is no acceptable excuse for random attacks.

Im not arguing that point. But the word provocation has different definitions to different people. Ive seen kids provoke a dog, and the parent of the child say, he didnt do anything to be bitten for! Well, apparently the dog disagreed.

As said before, the dog may also be ill. I also agree that not all dogs are savable, but I also hate to see people jump to the "euthanize" solution because they do not want to put in the time and effort to help the dog.

I think in this case, the dog needs to be removed not just because of the bites, but because the owners are not the types to take the extra steps to fix the problem that may exist.

 

[Ana~n~Joseph]

A dog bit me on my face when I was 17 - totally unprovoked, I promise. Anyway, I got sent to the ER right away - I had four puncture wounds and one was extremely close to the eye - the ER immediately reported the incident and the dog got put in "doggie jail" for 10 days. I felt really bad because the owner was an older lady and her dog was her best friend but there was nothing I could do.

Ever since I've been afraid of dogs. It's a fear that people do not understand - everyone always says I'm making it a big deal, etc. I really loved dogs before but the moment I see a dog, I picture that dog biting me (it's that vivid of a memory). It took me 6 years to touch a dog again and I still can't have a strangers dog come up to me.

Please don't take your daughter back there until the dog is gone. The in-laws need to understand - this time it was a hand, next time it could be her face or worse. I had to see the dog that bit me twice after that incident (she was a family friend and my mom would make me go) - the dog would lash out at me every time he saw me (even if he was locked up in a different room - he hated me).