What is it with some people and their dogs?

[Wonders10]

One bite with severe injury or two without makes a dangerous dog.

I like most dogs that don't bite, and animals love me.

Love you? They probably fear what you will do to them if they do anything but love you.

 

[hmp2z]

Our 2 dogs (now deceased) had very different personalities, so we would treat them differently in certain situations. Molly came from an abusive background, and would cringe, feel threatened, and sometimes snarl at strange men, if they raised their hands or a stick to her (those ball-throwing sticks, for example). That being the case, we kept her out of situations where she was likely to encounter strange men or children, who might behave erratically, wave their hands around, make her feel threatened. We didn't even take the risk - when my niece would come to visit, Molly would be closed in another room or out on the porch.

Moose just LOVED children; we could take him to the beach and my then 3 year old niece would bury him with sand, play jump rope with his tail (sometimes landing ON the tail), tug on his ears, etc., and he just lay there with a big, goofy grin on his face.

I think that, for the responsible dog owner, it's about knowing your pet well enough to avoid putting them into a biting situation. I believe that every dog has that point at which they can be driven to bite, whether it be to protect their owners, or because they personally feel threatened. I don't think that a biting dog is necessarily a bad dog, just a poorly managed dog.

Some people tend to anthropomorphize animals, giving them human traits and quantifying them in moral terms: "good dog" "bad dog." I know that dogs don't have a moral sense; they come with certain dispositions and certain backgrounds, and the owner's job is to re-focus the dogs into a positive way, as often as possible. Anything else is the failure of the owner.

That's not to say that some dogs aren't past the point of saving. We've had dogs come through the rescue that the organization had to decide to put to sleep. Their owners had hired strangers to beat the dogs with a 2x4 until the dogs learned that every stranger was a threat. Were they "bad dogs"? No - but those owners were truly evil people, training their dogs to kill in a mistaken quest to have a tough image. Could the shelter allow the dogs to live? No, because, unfortunately, they had had their terrible lesson too deeply engrained.

If we in the US would wake up to the responsibilities of pet ownership, there isn't a doubt in my mind that we wouldn't be killing 5 million dogs here each year. We've had dogs get thrown into our pound for reasons as trivial as, "I didn't realize she would shed so much," or "She met the apartment weight limit when she was a puppy, but now she's too big." It makes me sick; I think that the real problem we are dealing with here (and that the OP was dealing with) is irresponsible, ignorant pet owners. Very sad that the dogs pay the price.

Heather W

 

[MushyMushy]

I, personally, don't mind when people bring their dogs out in public as long as they know the dog is well socialized. However, where I live, we have a very high number of, shall we say, low socioeconomic wage earners. The types of dogs these people are drawn to are pitt bulls, rotties, or other larger breeds. And you know, they probably aren't going to reputable breeders, and they aren't too interested in training their dogs well. It's a low-life status symbol. (No, I'm not saying that about all owners of these breeds -- it's just something you need to see around where I live)

Anyway, there are situations where I just don't think these dogs belong -- either the big ones, or the small dogs. We have a street fair at the end of July every year, and it never fails you see a dog that just looks miserable in the heat and crowded streets. Why does that dog need to be there? How fair is it to the dog, let alone the people around it? Same thing goes for our county fair. Why would you bring a dog to that miserable, dusty, HOT place? Are they really being enriched in that kind of environment?

 

[JVL1018]

I have a dog that is a people person..she loves people so much taht she jumps all over them.
She is an 80-90 lb black lab, with very hard scratchy paw pads and sharp nails(even when she gets them trimmed ), so she hurts adults, forget about children!

Jazz goes in my room whenever we have adults over and in the crate in my room whenever we have children over(just in case someone opened my bedroom door).
She wouldn't mean to hurt anyone and I am sure she wouldn't do serious harm, but there's no way I am subjecting guests in my home to that.

We leave her out at times when we have "dog" people over the house, my brothers who like dogs, friends who have big dogs themselves and don;t freak out about the jumping, which yes I try to cure her of, but nothing seems to work!

 

[RitaZ.]

I really doubt it matters what state you live in there are laws about dogs that bite, I believe, after the first bite they are labeled viscous and a second bite most states will require the dog be put down as a danger to humans.

That's what I was told when I was bit. If the dog ever bites another person and it's reported, it will be put down.

 

[MushyMushy]

I have a dog that is a people person..she loves people so much taht she jumps all over them.
She is an 80-90 lb black lab, with very hard scratchy paw pads and sharp nails(even when she gets them trimmed ), so she hurts adults, forget about children!

Jazz goes in my room whenever we have adults over and in the crate in my room whenever we have children over(just in case someone opened my bedroom door).
She wouldn't mean to hurt anyone and I am sure she wouldn't do serious harm, but there's no way I am subjecting guests in my home to that.

We leave her out at times when we have "dog" people over the house, my brothers who like dogs, friends who have big dogs themselves and don;t freak out about the jumping, which yes I try to cure her of, but nothing seems to work!

That sounds like my dog! She's a lab mix, and I'm not sure what she's mixed with, but she's solid as a rock. We were able to get her to stop jumping eventually, thankfully, but she's still really hyper around people.

What we did with her was, whenever she jumped, we'd grab her paws (oh, she hates that!!!) and step firmly on her back feet and keep her there. It made her really uncomfortable, but we did it almost every time she jumped. The other thing we did with her was to knee her in the chest. She'd jump up, we'd block her with a knee. That didn't work nearly as well as the paw thing, though.

 

[taximomfor4]

He got his head rubbed, claimed a fire hydrant as his own, and we went on our merry way.

Well, as the parent of a special needs child who is absolutely, unconditionally, inexplicably afraid of any and all dogs, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Not for leaving the ballpark, but for not forcing your dog on everyone watching the game, lol.

 

[mking624]

I've been bit by this one kid more than one time and it drew blood each time...should that kid be labeled dangerous and be put down, too?

Oh no wait, I guess it's different because one's a dog and one's a human, right? Except, a human knows the clear difference between right and wrong and willingly chooses to do wrong....

 

[momof2inPA]

I've been bit by this one kid more than one time and it drew blood each time...should that kid be labeled dangerous and be put down, too?

Oh no wait, I guess it's different because one's a dog and one's a human, right? Except, a human knows the clear difference between right and wrong and willingly chooses to do wrong....

My goodness, who's hitting you? I have two boys and neither have ever hit me and drawn blood. What's going on at your home, or do you encounter this child at the ballfield?

 

[mking624]

You do remember the original dog and victim in this scenario from page 1 was the woman's own grandson right? I don't think it's a stretch to say that the child and dog were familiar with each other yet the dog bit the grandson and all grandma could say was "Suzie's biting today."? I think her reaction implies that it is not unusual behavior for "Suzie". So, public park or not, unless the dog intends to pick up a glove and take a position on the field, the kids have more right to be there.

I have a dog, a beagle, who is the absolute best dog around kids which was imperative since I did daycare in my home for several years. I would NEVER, never leave her and the kids unsupervised even though she never even hinted at being anxious or upset around kids and certainly never growled or bit anyone. That said, I didn't get a dog to protect me and would not want her to react with aggression toward anyone. I really love this dog but I wouldn't hesitate to put her down if she bit someone. People just come first.

First of all, the original situation that I was describing as to what might possibly an unusual behavior was referring to the OP's post and it was not a situation of family members. Second, I know who it was involving with the other situation...but grandparent or not, that doesn't mean the child and the dog know each other (it may be a stretch, but the possibility is always there. When I was bit by a dog, the dog belonged to a family member and the dog and I did not know each other). And if they did, something tells me there was some sort of provocation or a feeling of being threatened because animals who know a person well aren't prone to bite them unless they are provoked (otherwise if the dog really did just bite everyone he knew, sometimes tells me the grandparent would be covered in injuries). And third, instead of putting your dog down right away if she were to bite, why don't you try obedience school first if she were to bite? It's easier said than done to put an animal you love dearly down...even in the event of the animal causing injury. I would agree for the most part that people come first, but if my dog were to bite an intruder who was intent on harming me...sorry, my pet comes first and that dog will be praised for protecting me (regardless if I trained the pet to be that way or not).

To each his own, I suppose.

 

[mking624]

My goodness, who's hitting you? I have two boys and neither have ever hit me and drawn blood. What's going on at your home, or do you encounter this child at the ballfield?

Actually I said "bit" not "hit."

This was several years ago. Nothing is going on in my home...this was an outside situation.

 

[Luv'sTink]

I've been bit by this one kid more than one time and it drew blood each time...should that kid be labeled dangerous and be put down, too?

Oh no wait, I guess it's different because one's a dog and one's a human, right? Except, a human knows the clear difference between right and wrong and willingly chooses to do wrong....

Actually, if you were so inclined you could press assault charges.

KID = Dog.....Apple = Oranges, doesn't work.

You can not compare children to dogs, You can not leave a six week old child home alone with out a visit from CPS,::cop: but, you can leave a six week old puppy home alone.

 

[momof2inPA]

Actually I said "bit" not "hit."

This was several years ago. Nothing is going on in my home...this was an outside situation.

Neither one of my kids has bitten me and drawn blood.

 

[mking624]

Neither one of my kids has bitten me and drawn blood.

That's great, but what is your point?

 

[robinb]

In some case though the owners aren't always at fault if a kid comes running up to a dog before you can get them out of the situation and you are saying NO what else can you do??

I can answer this one. I had a Japanese Akita who hated kids and other dogs. She (like a previous dog on this thread) was tormented by a bunch of pre-teens when she was still a puppy. It was our fault for leaving her alone for the kids to tease, but they did the damage that we didn't really see for years later. My dog bit a 6-year old while we were holding her and it was the worst day of my pet ownership. We paid all the medical costs for the girl hoping that the family wouldn't sue our pants off. They didn't, thank goodness, and after that we kept a very close eye on the dog.

We never allowed a child to pet her after that ... "socialization" be damned it was not worth it for another child to be hurt. Our Akita also viewed other dogs, especially smalls ones, as snacks. We loved our dog but when we walked her she was always on a short leash and I was always ready to step between her and the child or another dog who was wandering around off-leash. As long as the alpha (me) stepped in my Akita would hang back. When children would run up I would put my leash behind my back and step in front of the dog telling the kids that my dog was not friendly. When a dog would run up I would do the same thing but yell "No!" at the other dog and then holler for the owner body blocking the other dog if need be.

If you have an aggressive dog it is your responsibility to make sure the dog does not hurt someone or something. Thank goodness I have a standard poodle now. At 4 months she loves everyone ... but still "puppy plays" with my DD. My DD runs and play bows and they wonders why Darci nips at her. *sigh* We're working on the play nipping that I never had with the aggressive Akita. Go figure.

 

[mking624]

Actually, if you were so inclined you could press assault charges.

KID = Dog.....Apple = Oranges, doesn't work.

You can not compare children to dogs, You can not leave a six week old child home alone with out a visit from CPS,::cop: but, you can leave a six week old puppy home alone.

I can compare in the fact that people are so quick to kill an animal or label it as dangerous when you don't know the full circumstances, but a kids who willingly chooses to do wrong is just seen as someone who needs to be disciplined. I'm not saying that animals and humans are the same. My point is that you can't label something (or someONE for that matter) dangerous after even just one incident if you don't know what the real and full situation is or the history behind it.

 

[momof2inPA]

That's great, but what is your point?

What's yours? Weren't we talking about dogs? I think some pet owners have made some very good points about not having biting dogs around people, especially children. You should consider their points of view. If everyone disagrees with you, you just might be wrong.

 

[mking624]

What's yours? Weren't we talking about dogs? I think some pet owners have made some very good points about not having biting dogs around people, especially children. You should consider their points of view. If everyone disagrees with you, you just might be wrong.

I already expressed my point...reread the posts. And second, I'm not the one discounting people's views here...in fact I've agreed with some of them. And third, not everyone disagrees with me, but you seem to be the only one who gets so hostile at the fact that someone is disagreeing with you. Everyone else seems to be handling any disagreement fairly well. Just because I have a differening opinion (as do others who have responded) doesn't put me in the wrong. It means I have a differing opinion. Whether or not you choose to respect someone because they have a differing opinion isn't going to change my opinion.

 

[kayeandjim00]

I can answer this one. I had a Japanese Akita who hated kids and other dogs. She (like a previous dog on this thread) was tormented by a bunch of pre-teens when she was still a puppy. It was our fault for leaving her alone for the kids to tease, but they did the damage that we didn't really see for years later. My dog bit a 6-year old while we were holding her and it was the worst day of my pet ownership. We paid all the medical costs for the girl hoping that the family wouldn't sue our pants off. They didn't, thank goodness, and after that we kept a very close eye on the dog.

We never allowed a child to pet her after that ... "socialization" be damned it was not worth it for another child to be hurt. Our Akita also viewed other dogs, especially smalls ones, as snacks. We loved our dog but when we walked her she was always on a short leash and I was always ready to step between her and the child or another dog who was wandering around off-leash. As long as the alpha (me) stepped in my Akita would hang back. When children would run up I would put my leash behind my back and step in front of the dog telling the kids that my dog was not friendly. When a dog would run up I would do the same thing but yell "No!" at the other dog and then holler for the owner body blocking the other dog if need be.

If you have an aggressive dog it is your responsibility to make sure the dog does not hurt someone or something. Thank goodness I have a standard poodle now. At 4 months she loves everyone ... but still "puppy plays" with my DD. My DD runs and play bows and they wonders why Darci nips at her. *sigh* We're working on the play nipping that I never had with the aggressive Akita. Go figure.

I completely agree with this. I'm trying to say (and not very well ) that even good dogs could become aggressive in some situations. If you KNOW your dog is aggressive you have a responsibility to do what any responsible pet owner should. But people shouldn't assume that a dog that bites a child has done it millions of times before it could have been a situation that frightened the dog more than usual

 

[pearlieq]

People need to come to the realization that a person, let alone a child, comes above a dog. ANY CHILD OR PERSON.

You're entitled to your opinion, and I respect it, but I don't agree.

I don't like assigning absolutes to "worth".