My Dog Bit a neighbor's child.

jaceaa · 07-27-2014, 10:41 PM

I am freaking out. My dog has bit my neighbor's child. A 14 yob wanted to play with my dog and give him cookies. So I went and got him put him on the leash, and was walking with him we were a couple of blocks away when I looked away for a second to speak to someone while still holding the leash. The kid was still pulling cookies from his pocket, and for some reason with out provocation my dog circled him for the cookies jumped and bit his face and then his leg. He has gone to the ER to get stitches. The dog will probably be held for 10 days, but I don't know if I should destroy him or return him to the breeder. He is 2 years old. My girlfriend reported a bite on the dog on my 5 year old, and he was held for 10 days, and I brought him home because I never believed it was a bite based on the look of the mark on her arm it was a scratch. However he did bite someone at a show. I brought him to the weight pull track and did poorly because we were inexperienced, and a gentlemen wanted to help me, but as the dog was nervous around the weight pull cart and was being handled by someone he wasn't familiar with he turned and bit him. The guy let it go, but I was told I needed to watch him from now on. I have been watching him, and as he seemed fine with receiving the treats from the kid I believed walking together would have been fine, but now I am a bite statistic, and I could be eligible for a lawsuit on top of the medical treatment expenses.

**BCdogs** · 07-27-2014, 10:49 PM

WHY didn't you pts at the first sign of human aggression? That is NOT a normal trait. You allowed him to bite a human THREE TIMES and didn't think that MAYBE, just MAYBE, he's not mentally sound and should be pts before he really hurt someone?

Why is it even a question whether he should be destroyed? I'm sorry, but this is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Have you not learned your lesson? Shit like this affects EVERYONE. Not just you and your poor neighbor's child. The media is going to eat this up. Attacks on children like this are what create BSL bills.

jaceaa · 07-27-2014, 10:58 PM

There were other circumstances with the other incident, and the guy with more experience than me said that because the dog was nervous and scared by the cart that the dog should get a pass. As far as jumping and scratching my daughter I reiterate that was not a bite. It looked more like a scratch, but I have been watching the dog. I am aware that the media eats stuff like this up. Yes, I feel like crap about this, and I want to do what is right by my neighbor, but I have had him for 2 years, and was really surprised at this uncalled for human aggression.

**hashbrown** · 07-27-2014, 11:02 PM

If my dog were to bite my 5 year old it wouldn't have drawn another breath before he would of had his head caved in.

jaceaa · 07-27-2014, 11:05 PM

I'm pretty sure I included in my other post that it was a scratch on her arm not a bite. If I thought he bit her he would have gotten the needle then.

**BCdogs** · 07-27-2014, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaceaa

There were other circumstances with the other incident, and the guy with more experience than me said that because the dog was nervous and scared by the cart that the dog should get a pass. As far as jumping and scratching my daughter I reiterate that was not a bite. It looked more like a scratch, but I have been watching the dog. I am aware that the media eats stuff like this up. Yes, I feel like crap about this, and I want to do what is right by my neighbor, but I have had him for 2 years, and was really surprised at this uncalled for human aggression.

Your girlfriend reported it as a bite. You weren't there, so how do you know it wasn't? Bites can look like scratches if teeth only grazed the skin. That doesn't change the fact that the dog made purposely made contact.

I don't know, you can backpeddle if you want, but I'm still going to sit here shaking my head. It it were me I would have AT LEAST consulted a behaviorist after the bite at the show. Fear biting is still biting and APBTs are bred to be very even-tempered, if not fearless, and human friendly, so that would have been a red flag in my books.

And I definitely wouldn't have risked bringing the dog home that had tried to bite my child. Whether it be a bite or potentially a scratch, I still wouldn't be okay with keeping that dog around.

Either way, the damage is done. Let this be a lesson to others in the future, I guess.

**hashbrown** · 07-27-2014, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCdogs

Your girlfriend reported it as a bite. You weren't there, so how do you know it wasn't? Bites can look like scratches if teeth only grazed the skin. That doesn't change the fact that the dog made purposely made contact.

I don't know, you can backpeddle if you want, but I'm still going to sit here shaking my head. It it were me I would have AT LEAST consulted a behaviorist after the bite at the show. Fear biting is still biting and APBTs are bred to be very even-tempered, if not fearless, and human friendly, so that would have been a red flag in my books.

And I definitely wouldn't have risked bringing the dog home that had tried to bite my child. Whether it be a bite or potentially a scratch, I still wouldn't be okay with keeping that dog around.

Either way, the damage is done. Let this be a lesson to others in the future, I guess.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^

jaceaa · 07-27-2014, 11:21 PM

I came here for advice, and now I have it. It's a bit abrasive, but it's honest. I have something unpleasant to do.

**BCdogs** · 07-27-2014, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaceaa

I came here for advice, and now I have it. It's a bit abrasive, but it's honest. I have something unpleasant to do.

Yes. I'm glad you understand.

Also, please inform the breeder of what happened. They definitely need to be made aware that a dog that they bred carries HA tendencies. Hopefully they weren't already aware of that....

**bluefamily** · 07-29-2014, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaceaa

I came here for advice, and now I have it. It's a bit abrasive, but it's honest. I have something unpleasant to do.

All I can say is bless your heart. May he be waiting on you at the other side of the rainbow bridge. I know your heart aches. I am so sorry for you. But the advice you got was dead on.

Jen A · 07-29-2014, 02:51 AM

I know how hard it is to do. I had to put down a german shepherd because she was stalking the neighbor's kids and I had no doubt she would bite. It's awful to look into a young dog's loving eyes and know that you really have no other responsible choice.

But, really, you don't have any other good choice.

**surfer** · 07-29-2014, 03:52 AM

16cent at walmart, a 22bullet,

and if you got other dogs,

blow his brains ouit in front of them,

who is the alpha????????????????????

**ames** · 07-29-2014, 04:06 PM

Biting a human does not make a dog human aggressive. You have kids obviously not an ideal situation for a fearful or human aggressive )if that's what it is) dog and I don't agree with rehoming dogs who have issues. One bite should have been enough warning for it to never happen again. Some people aren't equipped to handle problem dogs, that's ok they aren't for everyone. I just don't like when people start claiming a dog is human aggressive without seeing the dog or being in the situation. Very very few dogs are actually human aggressive. There is typically an underlying issue causing the reaction.

It's not legal to shoot dogs in my state. There are other ways to handle it, so check your states laws.

Sent from Petguide.com App so please excuses the typos

jaceaa · 08-05-2014, 04:33 AM

He had been my dog, and regardless of what the people who were not in the situation when he had past issues say I owed him the needle and not a poorly placed bullet followed by a second even worse placed bullet. The needle was hard enough on me, and I nearly backed out with every step. As nobody witnessed the incident with my child and she lacked the vocabulary to accuse and had no fear of him what so ever I will never consider that a bite. The real bite at the weight pull track was witnessed by dog men with decades more experience, and the fear caused by the sound of the cart was enough for these men to excuse it, and tell me to watch him. The bite on the young neighbor was inexcusable, and unprovoked, but doing the right thing never felt worse.

jaceaa · 08-05-2014, 04:40 AM

Bluefamily and Jen A. Thank you for your kind words and the reminder that not everyone on here is a troll posturing as a hard ass.