Dog Community

help for a friend -- dog bit child

Ruth

Posted : 12/15/2006 7:36:16 PM

So a friend of mine just told me that one of her dogs bit her 9-year-old daughter in the face this morning. The family is very shaken up and trying to figure out what their options are. They took the girl to the ER and she is generally OK, but has bite marks on the face that are expected to scar, and she is understandably freaked out. I've never met the dog but I talked with her about it for a while.

The dog is a 3-year old bichon, one of 2 bichons in the household. The bite occurred when both dogs were snuggling on the girl's bed with her. The child was petting the dog on the belly when the dog went for her face. My friend said this dog has never bitten before, but did describe some issues with the dog -- she said the dog has always seemed a bit bossy with the girl who was bitten (her words were that she doesn't accept the child as alpha to her), and that the dog gets a little touchy/growly when she is settled in on her bed and doesn't like to be bothered or moved. She said otherwise the dog is obedient and well-behaved.

I asked if the dog could be hurt or in pain, and she said yes. The dog apparently has a large bone spur on her back that causes her pain when pooping and during some other activities. The vet has tried three different painkillers that have not helped. They have been recommended to consult with a canine orthopedic surgeon to see if the problem could be surgically fixed, but have not done so yet. They were told it would probably be a $2000-4000+ surgery with a 6-8 week rehab period, and they are not sure that is possible for them. The dog last saw the vet 2 weeks ago and otherwise is in good shape -- good hips, healthy weight, no other problems.

Now with the bite they are thinking about rescue or even having the dog put down. My friend knows that the chances in rescue are not great for a dog that has a bite history and needs major surgery, and she loves the dog, but she is understandably concerned for her kids' safety. I suggested that she re-vet the dog to make sure there's not a new medical problem at work, and find out the details of the surgery to see if it's feasible, since the pain could well be contributing to the behavior issue. (But now they are even less sure they want to put all the money and rehab time into a biting dog.) I suggested seeing a behaviorist or trainer, and I came up with a few specific things I would do immediately -- no more dogs on beds or couches; no kids alone with dogs; under close supervision, have the bitten child handfeed and walk the dog; and NILIF, which I described and she said she already is doing.

But it's really sad and I felt like I didn't have a lot of good options to suggest for her. Does anyone have anything helpful to suggest?

Mark

Posted : 12/15/2006 8:14:53 PM

A dog that does not respect the position of a kid in the family needs attention.

It is too bad that they say they saw the signs and yet still left the dog alone with the kid..

Unless they are willing to make a commitment toward "reprogramming"the dog,then i hope they can find a home for him where he will be allowed to be trained and have any problems taken care of..

mollymoo

Posted : 12/15/2006 8:18:14 PM

I feel so sorry for the little girl. Poor thing.

On of my granddaughters got bit in the face also. She just started crawling. The babysitter thought Casey (the dog) was outside but she was sleeping behind a end table. Anyway Hailee startled Casey and she got bit. Hailee had to have stiches. It took 1 year to see if she would have scars. She is 2 and 1/2 now and no scars. Thanks god.

They still have Casey but she no longer is around Hailee unless supervised. Casey has a big fenced in yard and her bed in now in the finished basement. She still gets a lot of love and affection but her total freedom 24/7 is gone. Casey is about 10 years old now.

I think that your advice to your friend was very good.

The bone spur under blankets may have a lot to do with what happened.

zsrg;lb ksr'pfjsoprej dfsg;va bjpskopa]

Posted : 12/15/2006 8:23:46 PM

I somehwat agree with Mhaddog. It is their responsibility to protect their animals and their pets. Sure one couldnt

redict the dog would reaact this way but on the otehr hand that is why its important for elderly or sickly dogs to have thei o wn kennel or "safe place" to sleep and retreat to. Growing up we had a cocker that got arthritic and fussy. It was known to leave him be, he was a old man and didnt like to be touched. I can only pressume their were warning signs. Please take no offense but when a dog bites a human of its household it is 90% of the time the humans fault. You cant let your emotion of the incident blind you from the common sense that this dog had medical problems and is not anymore at fault then if a elderly family member snapped at a kid for being rambunctious or bumping into them and hurting them.

I am so sorry this happened. That poor girl, I hope she recovers quickly and is left with as minimal of scarring as possible. Especially at this time of year, that stinks and she will be in my prayers.

zsrg;lb ksr'pfjsoprej dfsg;va bjpskopa]

Posted : 12/15/2006 8:25:46 PM

ORIGINAL: acesmom

(But now they are even less sure they want to put all the money and rehab time into a biting dog.)

Thats a shame, ultimatly this could ahve been avoided

Ruth

Posted : 12/15/2006 8:55:24 PM

I know, it is a shame and really sad all the way around for everyone involved -- the girl, the dog, the parents. I think especially when you have small dogs it's easy to make accomodations for them and not zoom in on developing problem behaviors and deal with them right away. Then one day something happens and you realize the problems are critical, and suddenly your options are more limited than they were before. It sounds like the girl will be OK -- she didn't need stitches or surgery or anything.

It does sound like they were trying to manage the situation, just not diligently enough. My friend said she's told both her daughters not to allow the dog on their beds -- but the girls love to cuddle with the dogs, so they didn't follow the rule, and she let it slide. Of course when something like this happens you wish you'd been more adamant about it, but in a household of two adults, two kids, and two dogs, you have to pick your battles and you can't always get it 100% right. Still, it's such a sad thing.

We do have a bichon rescue here. Do you think a dog in this situation has a shot? I don't know much about rescue policies. I'd think they would sometimes have dogs who needed a no-kids household, but it sounds like this girl needs a pricey surgery and rehab too . . . would a rescue take a dog like that?

spiritdogs

Posted : 12/15/2006 9:07:49 PM

OK, I'll say it for all the lurkers. Dogs should not be on kids beds, kids should not be on the floor with dogs, and families with kids need to take their dogs to classes, and learn how to train the dogs to think of children as leaders, too, not as peers.
This is a classic way that kids get bitten. No dog that growls when moved should be up on a bed with a child. They goofed, and now the dog is going to pay. Yet again....... This didn't have to happen, but now the dog does have a bite history, and bad enough to send the kid to the ER.
They should have trained the dog, trained the kids not to touch a resting dog, kept the dog off the bed, and done the surgery right away. But, my guess is that the dog will be PTS. Sad - didn't have to happen.

Mark

Posted : 12/15/2006 9:30:47 PM

I have said it from day one,that kids living in a house with any type of animal should be trained as much or more than the animal in the home..

My kids are not allowed to be in the same room as our dogs alone..period...My oldest is 13..

It is funny tho...at 13 i had a 2 year old doberman that used to sleep on my bed..if anyone tried to enter my room,he would growl a protection growl..

The difference between my kids and me and having a dog on the bed..?At 13,i did everything with that dog(even tho he was actually my brother in laws dog)and my kids dont do a 1/4 of the stuff i used to do..

I guess there are advantages to growing up poor..Now the kids have all types of distractions and the dogs are not a top priority with them...its sad for me,but we make sure they respect the dogs,or hear about it from me...

zsrg;lb ksr'pfjsoprej dfsg;va bjpskopa]

Posted : 12/15/2006 9:37:54 PM

Again, i agree with Mhaddog. my sister and I were raised in the same household. We new to never go near the food bowl while they were eating, wrestling, sleeping, or steal their toys. Thats not to say that its ok for the dog to nip at such things but its a level of repsect for other animals that the parents were trying to instill in us. Plus with strange dogs it all of the above was a big no no. So why is it that my sister holds NONE of those rules in her household, She is lucky her dog has such patience but the kids have lttle repsect for the dog's personal space or belongings

marynh

Posted : 12/15/2006 9:55:38 PM

I was 12 when we got our first dog....never had one. Ginger was spoiled rotten...literally. My mother would get off Ginger's chair if Ginger wanted it. That dog ruled the roost!!!
BUT - she slept w/me most of the time and I never once thought she'd bite me, and she never did. She wasn't the friendliest dog either. But I trusted that dog 100%. She lived to be nearly 16 and the only time she even threatened a family member was when my father spanked my sister and then it was a bark from Ginger as if to say "don't do it again" and I know even that was pushing it.
I hope this child is okay and also the dog. I do look at things differently now and I kept my young nephew away from Sadie as she had bad hips and I always feared how she'd react if Dougie fell on her when he was learning to walk. I'm sure she would have grabbed him in her discomfort even if she didn't intend to hurt him.
Can't be careful enough...the child got hurt and this dog might lose its life. Hard place to be in

agilebasenji

Posted : 12/15/2006 11:20:04 PM

We do have a bichon rescue here. Do you think a dog in this situation has a shot? I don't know much about rescue policies. I'd think they would sometimes have dogs who needed a no-kids household, but it sounds like this girl needs a pricey surgery and rehab too . . . would a rescue take a dog like that?

I think they should contact bichon rescue. Especially if they are unsure what they want to do. Perhaps a local rescue would know of local resources/behaviorists that could help. Sometimes talking to a local person who is very familiar with the breed can help. Also, people who have done a lot of rescues in one breed will often be familiar with certain "breeders" and may know or have a feel for the odds about those dogs.

stormyknight

Posted : 12/15/2006 11:53:57 PM

What a shame for everyone involved.

As far as rescue goes, I can say that the rescues that we work with, even for small dogs, will not accept a dog that has bitten someone before. Relinquishing to a shelter with a bite history is almost a guaranteed PTS as they just can't take the risk of placing that dog again.

I can't imagine how the parents are feeling right now.

bonhall

Posted : 1/1/2007 8:54:57 PM

We have a similar problem. We have an almost 13-year-old bichon that unbeknownst to us came from a puppy mill. The breeder got greedy and bought a litter from a puppy mill. Because of problems, the rest of the litter was put down but we had bonded with our puppy and decided to deal with the health/behavior issues we were told to expect. We did extensive training with her because of behavior issues. She has always been a "biter" and everyone is warned to ignore the dog or she is put up when we have company. She has never been in the same room with our 18-month-old granddaughter. However, her behavior is becoming more unpredictable. Today she badly bit my husband for no apparent reason while lying on his lap. We have always had to be careful how we deal with her. One trainer who has trained dogs all over the world finally gave up on her and said he had never done that before. We have dealt with it until this incident today. She is especially unpredictable with children and people who try to pet her when either me or my husband is right there. Because of her age and history, I don't think we have any option but to have her put to sleep. She is well-cared for and has no medical problems except for a skin condition that causes itching. I hate to think of her being put down but don't know what else to do.

Melissa Camiel

Posted : 1/1/2007 9:37:32 PM

The dog should NOT be put to sleep. The poor thing is obviously in pain with its bone spur, and it is the owner's responsibility to get it fixed. And the parents should not have allowed a dog that they know can be irratable on the bed with a kid. I hate when people automatically come to the conclusion that the dog has to be PTS or rehomed from something like this.

loveukaykay

Posted : 1/1/2007 11:43:53 PM

I hate to say it, but I sure hope they are not just looking to justify not spending the money to do the surgery just because they dont want to.