Dog Community

My dog has bit a child

Posted : 7/19/2006 12:07:50 PM

Right first off hello how are you all?

My dog yesterday lunged at a child in my neighbours garden and bit his face leaving the kid with a black eye and some cuts fom the teeth marks the child is ok and the parent is ok
Now my dog has nipped a few of the kids next door before though nothing has bad as what happened yesterday as he went for my other dog who was getting stroked then went back to the fence and lunged at the kid biting him
now as im in the uk we are struggling to find anywhere that will take him so we will have to get the vet to check him out and if the vet says we have to put him down then we will have no choice though having a child ourselves we cant take the risk with him anyway
We are at a loss at what to do as we love our dog to bits and dont want him destroyed yet we dont know what to do also the fact we cant afford the fee to have him put to sleep which is £58 and thats without the vets fee for looking at him so there is no chance we can afford to have him go to classes for his behaviour
so im wondering if there is any other uk members on here that could help point me in the right direction

strange 1st post i know but like i have said we are at a loss as to what we should do.

thanks

darave

RoyallyYours

Posted : 7/19/2006 3:26:52 PM

I know this was probably a shock but why are you so quick to want to dump your dog? You say you can't take the risk because you have a child but it hasn't been a problem before, has it? He's nipped in the past, yet you are only worried now? Have you tried anything to curb this behavior?

david spencer

Posted : 7/19/2006 5:40:03 PM

sorry if you have misjudged my post but i dont want to dump him at all

he has been aggresive in the past when we 1st went to see him he was aggressive toward people he didnt know and when took for awalk he would be barking at everyone
he has gone for the health visitor when she came round to check on our daughter he has gone for the kids next door but only nipped them
but yesterday was different he attacked my other dog then attacked the kid
i just dont know what to do i mean do i keep him and take the risk that he could do it again or do i take the hurtful way and have him put to sleep
he was unprovoked when he went for the child as i saw it with my own eyes

glenmar

Posted : 7/19/2006 5:46:09 PM

Has this dog been vetted? Has he had a complete blood and thyroid panal? This agression could be the result of a medical issue. Should you opt to keep this dog in your home, I'd get him into training with a good professional immediately and also until things are under control, get a good basket muzzle to keep on him.

david spencer

Posted : 7/19/2006 5:48:44 PM

ORIGINAL: glenmar

Has this dog been vetted? Has he had a complete blood and thyroid panal? This agression could be the result of a medical issue. Should you opt to keep this dog in your home, I'd get him into training with a good professional immediately and also until things are under control, get a good basket muzzle to keep on him.

we dont think its a medical issue due to the fact when my dad came round the other day he was fine and he has been out in the back being stoked by the kids next door
we think its jealousy as my neo gets stroked more often by the other kids but thats because rocky has never gone for one of them before

glenmar

Posted : 7/19/2006 6:02:25 PM

Many medical issues don't present 24/7...example, lets say your dog has HD. Some days he's in a lot more pain than others. It could be that on those really painful days he's a bit testier and quicker to attack. That's ONE possibility.

You are giving your dog a heck of a lot more reasoning power than he actually has. Yes, sometimes dogs do get jealous, but when they do, they usually just shove their way right in to get THEIR share of the attention, they don't plot revenge.

ashland

Posted : 7/19/2006 6:22:07 PM

I agree with Glenda here. I think your dog needs to be checked by the vet ASAP. Also, if the dog were showing signs of aggression earlier, this bite was just waiting to happen. It was inevitable. That dog needs to be put in some really good training.

tiffy

Posted : 7/19/2006 6:59:50 PM

I don't think this dog has been vetted or if the OP will even do this. He clearly stated that he can't even affrod to have the dog humanely euthanized.

spiritdogs

Posted : 7/19/2006 11:04:45 PM

What breed is your dog? Where did the other bite incidents take place? Has he ever done damage before, or did he use "warnings" and just air snap? Was the child on the *other* side of your fence, or inside with the dogs?

I'm not inclined to think this is pain-related, although I don't know. It sounds like he may be territorial, or a redirected bite. If the dog has been aggressive before, and you didn't address it, IMO, this bite should not have surprised you. Basket muzzles are cheaper than euthanasia, and wearing one can buy your dog some time until you can afford a professional behaviorist to take a look at him. If you want to save your dog, you must take precautions that he not hurt anyone else. If you can't afford care for him, there may be organizations that can help you. In the US, we have [linkhttp://www.uan.org]www.uan.org[/link], [linkhttp://www.help-a-pet.org]www.help-a-pet.org[/link], etc. If you Google on "help with veterinary expenses" & UK, perhaps something will come up.

laura

Posted : 7/20/2006 1:52:09 AM

This is a sad story.. I can't help wondering why the dog's behaviour wasn't dealt with sooner.

Find your nearest branch of the PDSA for veterinary help at reduced costs, either for health checks or euth. Or your local vet might be willing to consider a payment plan.

(The PDSA provides vet care for

pl on low income at greatly reduced costs. It's a very well known organization in the UK.)

The others gave great advice to try and deal with the situation. I'd also suggest you use a NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) programme with this dog. If you google NILIF you'll find lots of info about it.

.

Donna Handley

Posted : 7/20/2006 5:13:48 PM

mmm Hi im in uk,
PDSA number is 0800 7312502,they help if you are on benefiets etc.But will not castrate,flea.worm etc,just illnesses or life frettening ops etc!
When i first got my lurcher he was a tempermental thing with anyone in his face,but i planned to have no more kids,but then i did have more kids,i had to watch him like a hawk and also teach my children he was not a play thingm,we had a couple of nips but he,s 12 now and he,s been pretty toloernt of the kids.
Dont give up on him too easily,just take precaustion around kids x strangers and do some training even if you buy a good book to teach yourself.good luck x

dyan

Posted : 7/20/2006 6:42:06 PM

I think a muzzle is a wonderful idea for when he is around children or people that you feel he might bite. It might just give you a chance to learn what to do about him. I know you are hurting over this,,, get a muzzle and take your time to think. Lots of people could give you lots of advise.

Jan

Posted : 7/20/2006 11:37:59 PM

One more thought: it sounds like you really need a professional trainer, and I know you said this is something you can't afford. I don't know what you do for a living, but if you have some special skill or talent, or some free time to spare, you might find a trainer who will barter training in exchange for something else. At our training school, we had a girl answering phones for a while for us in lieu of payment, and we had another one who worked out a deal where her husband did some electrical work in our building in exchange for training.

A lot of trainers aren't just about the money, they're about helping dogs. If you really desperately want to keep this dog and are willing to invest work in the dog, you may find a trainer who will help you, either with a payment plan, or some kind of service barter deal.

It might be worth looking into...

Good luck!

Jan

david spencer

Posted : 7/21/2006 4:35:01 PM

thank you for you replies and suggestions
i was considering getting him a muzzle but my partner is still put off the idea as we have a young child
my other dog a neopolitan mastiff is fine doesnt bite ect...we will feel guilty about taking away his friend as he was a young pup when we introduced him to nemo so he has grew up with him
i have booked nemo into the rspca to see if they will rehome home and this will be in 2 weeks so we have plenty of time to make our minds up
we dont want to get rid of him even though it sounds that way we our just worried about the risk as i dont want to end up saying to myself i knew this would happen

anyway thanks

dave

cavowner

Posted : 7/21/2006 4:45:51 PM

If you don't trust the dog why are you giving it away to be rehomed to another family? Some one else's baby getting it's face ripped isn't as important as your own kid?
Either retrain the dog or put it to sleep, your responsibility not someone else's.