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My dog just bit someone!


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We absolutely love our dog, and I cannot imagine what you are going through right now. That being said, as horrible as it may be, I think you need to get rid of the dog. Once a dog shows aggression like this, whether it be for protection, or not, certain steps need to be taken.

 

The big thing that comes to mind, like previous posters mentioned, is this could have happened to a child. It could have been a girl or boy scout selling something. Even a little kid taunting a dog. It is never acceptable for a child to do this, but that still doesn't mean the dog owner shouldn't be held responsible.

 

And what happens when your child has a friend over one day and they are rough-housing? Even with training, your dog obviously has a basic instinct to protect. Pets cannot pick up on aggressive play between kids. You want to avoid this happening in the future and there is only one way.

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We've been on the other side of this situation. My son was bitten by a friend's dog. We were at their house and all the kids were playing in the back yard when we heard screaming. The bite did not break the skin so we didn't call animal control. His arm was terribly bruised. The friends apologized but, did nothing else. Of course they told us that the dog was friendly and they had never had any problems before and left it at that. We are no longer friends.

 

Now my boys aren't willing to even be outside in our own yard when someone else's dogs are out in the neighborhood. They have realized that every single animal is potentially going to attack them seeing as they have been told before from a trusted friend that they were safe with a dog and saw for themselves that animals can't be trusted.

 

Ask yourself, with this growing history of aggressive behavior, if it is worth the risk of lawsuits and medical bills to keep such an animal. Ultimately, only you can decide if you are willing to take that risk. Personally, with the issues you've had with your baby and the dog, there would be no question for me. The dog would have to go.

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Since you are liable for the injury, I would make sure that the person bit seeks medical attention. Far easier to treat with stitches and oral antibiotics then if the wound progresses to something much worse.

 

My son was bit a few years ago. I did report to animal control, and the dog was quarantined for 10 days at the owner's expense.

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We rehomed a dog two years ago that bit me, drawing blood, and tried to bite my son, who was 8 at the time. We took him to a trainer who was highly regarded as one of the best in our area, and her immediate advice after evaluating him was to re-home him. She also told us to NEVER leave the dog unattended with the children, even for a few seconds. We returned him to the breeder from whom we got him, and he is (apparently) happily living with her on her farm.

 

My kids were 8 and 6 at the time. While my dog bite drew some blood, and he just nipped at my son, I wasn't willing to risk letting this dog maul one of my kids' friends..........or my kids.

 

It's taken 2 years and we are now just getting to the point where we'd consider getting another dog.

 

To the OP - I am so sorry you have to deal with this, but if this had happened to someone else, you'd probably advise them to re-home the dog. It stinks, but are you willing to risk the same thing happening to your children or one of their friends?

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You guys are probably all right who say I should get rid of her. When I look back on the little things that we kind of brushed off or explained away, I get concerned. I don't want this to escalate into something worse.

 

The big problem will be my DH. He loves this dog. I don't know how he will react if I tell him we should look at getting rid of her. I am sure he will not agree to put her down. I will look in to boxer rescues around the area.

 

I believe that she can be trained to be a good dog. He will probably want to go that route, I am just not sure of the time and monetary commitment that will take for me to be sure that she won't do it again. I also don't want to constantly have to be on guard. I think that would make me super stressed out.

 

I am praying that we can make a good decision. Thanks again for all the help! :001_smile:

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I am sure that this is exactly why she bit. However it was a reasonable response for the man with a dog jumping on him. So the key will be to train to not jump. I love my pup but I even hate her jumping on me so I know that others don't like that either. Along with no jumping is the sit and stay. Mine has not mastered stay which is why I still leash her when I answer the door, but she is good at sit.

.

 

I'm not sure that's why she bit. We can't know why she bit. There are a lot of contributing factors that probably increased the likelihood of her biting, but I doubt she went at the guy wanting to jump up and give kisses (which, IMHO, is also inappropriate) but rather to jump up and send a message. Which she did.

 

Bite inhibition is an important "skill" for dogs. In my opinion, it's one of the most important. A dog with bite inhibition knows when to bite and when not to, and exercises that discrimination. Your dog didn't do that, and to me, that is the real issue here.

 

astrid

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You guys are probably all right who say I should get rid of her. When I look back on the little things that we kind of brushed off or explained away, I get concerned. I don't want this to escalate into something worse.

 

The big problem will be my DH. He loves this dog. I don't know how he will react if I tell him we should look at getting rid of her. I am sure he will not agree to put her down. I will look in to boxer rescues around the area.

 

I believe that she can be trained to be a good dog. He will probably want to go that route, I am just not sure of the time and monetary commitment that will take for me to be sure that she won't do it again. I also don't want to constantly have to be on guard. I think that would make me super stressed out.

 

I am praying that we can make a good decision. Thanks again for all the help! :001_smile:

 

I had this written in my earlier post and deleted it because i didn't want to make you feel worse--and believe me, I lived this same thing, so I DO KNOW what you're going through-- but here's what I was going to write:

 

"And I'd be willing to bet, if you looked back and were totally honest with yourself, there have been other events, some small, some not so small, that in hindsight could be seen as red flags."

 

Anyway, I don't know where you live in OH but here's a link:

http://www.goboxerrescue.com/ Be aware though that you need to speak to someone; different rescues have different policies about taking known biters.

 

Good luck-- it won't be easy but I think you know in your heart what is the right thing to do. We opted to euthanize. It was a hard decision, and no one loves their dogs more than I do, and we were very willing to train and had the know-how to do it, but we just couldnt' take the chance that we'd lose our house over a bite. And that's a very real possibility when it comes to dog bites.

 

Hugs,

astrid

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You guys are probably all right who say I should get rid of her. When I look back on the little things that we kind of brushed off or explained away, I get concerned. I don't want this to escalate into something worse.

 

The big problem will be my DH. He loves this dog. I don't know how he will react if I tell him we should look at getting rid of her. I am sure he will not agree to put her down. I will look in to boxer rescues around the area.

 

I believe that she can be trained to be a good dog. He will probably want to go that route, I am just not sure of the time and monetary commitment that will take for me to be sure that she won't do it again. I also don't want to constantly have to be on guard. I think that would make me super stressed out.

 

I am praying that we can make a good decision. Thanks again for all the help! :001_smile:

 

:grouphug: I know how hard this is. We had to re-home an American Eskimo dog that narrowly missed taking out our son's eye when he was a toddler. I was absolutely SICK when I thought back to all of the incidents we'd brushed off.

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We have a 3 year old female boxer. She is not normally aggressive, but today some guy from a tree service came to the door trying to get us to hire them to trim the maple out front. This happens frequently, so it's not new for people to come knock on the door. Of course, she comes running when she hears the knock, but I try to edge her out as I open the door. I only opened the door a little bit, because I knew she was right there trying to get out. Well, she pushes her way out the screen door as I am trying to hold it shut and jumps on him. When he raised his arm to protect his face/head area she bit his arm! 2 puncture marks and it drew blood! :001_huh:

 

She has never bitten anyone before. A few months ago she ran out when my ds opened the door to get the mail and knocked over the mail man, but she didn't bite him. He was more upset about it than the guy she actually bit today! The PO sent us a letter telling us to control her.

 

She has always been a friendly dog, but appropriately protective. She doesn't like other dogs when she is on a leash, but does fine in a dog park. She growled at the vet when the vet got between her and my kids, but the vet said that was a normal protective thing. She is not as tolerant of my youngest DS, but he is kind of mean to her so we have been trying to work on teaching him how to be nice to the dog and not to pull on her.

 

Overall, she is a great dog and I am so afraid of what will happen if he reports it. He was nice about it, but she DID bite him. I have never had a dog bite anyone before. What should I do? Has anyone been in this situation before? Thanks for listening and any help!

A biting dog has got to go. Research the law on this. The "one free bite" law applies many jurisdictions, but you are on notice you have a biter now.

 

I would not take that chance. Major liability next time, and possibly medical bills this time or more this time. You just don't know yet. I hope it works out but I wouldn't take the chance again. An aggressive dog does not belong in the home.

 

It can happen.

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I love animals, but that dog would be gone *today*, and by gone, I don't mean gone to someone else's home where it might attack someone else some day.

 

If this were a puppy and new to your home, I might expect, anticipate, and deal with slightly aggressive behavior until the dog knew how it ought to behave. A 3 year old dog though, who's not super-tolerant about *a child living in the home*, and who *ran through my attempts to contain them in order to attack*? Nope. No. No Way. Never would happen here. Ever.

 

That's a separate issue from possible liability due to this episode. I don't have any particular legal knowledge, but I would probably start with calling the vet and asking what the usual procedure is for dealing with an attack, which is what this was. The dog wasn't around a new person who reached out and scared them into a single, isolated incident of nipping. The dog pushed past your attempts to restrain and immediately jumped and bit hard enough to break the skin. That's an attack, not a bite, imo.

 

ETA: I just wanted to add a :grouphug:.

I'm not totally heartless,and I would be brokenhearted were I in your position. I would still act immediately, and would not analyze why. The danger signs are there. For the safety of your child, and independent of the liability issue, I would not risk it in order to keep a dog who displayed aggressive tendencies. Please don't give the dog to someone else either. I'm sorry. :sad:

Edited by Julie in CA
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I'm so sorry- for you, for your pup, and for the fellow who was bitten! Fwiw, the dog probably thinks she's protecting her "pack." A funny-smelling stranger was at the door, you were probably acting hesitant, she sensed your change in attitude, and then he made what seemed to her to be a sudden and aggressive movement. :(The poor girl probably thought she was doing the right thing. (If the guy had been a burglar or worse, wouldn't you have *wanted* her to respond that way?)

 

I agree with the previous posters- train, train, train, then train some more. Don't try to do it on your own. Take classes, and make sure the instructor has experience with aggressive dogs. If it is determined that the behavior is caused by fear or anxiety, there are medications that can help.

 

Please, please don't consider putting the dog down unless there is absolutely no other alternative. If you really believe she can't stay with you, contact local- or even national- rescue organizations. There are some rescue volunteers who are willing to work with aggression, fear-biting, etc... Don't give up on her just because of this!

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LazyDazy: We've been on the other side of this situation. My son was bitten by a friend's dog. We were at their house and all the kids were playing in the back yard when we heard screaming. The bite did not break the skin so we didn't call animal control. His arm was terribly bruised. The friends apologized but, did nothing else. Of course they told us that the dog was friendly and they had never had any problems before and left it at that. We are no longer friends.

 

 

This happened to us too. We were fortunate in that these friends recognized that the dog had to go. It had been nipping aggressively at them for awhile and it took the incident with our kid for their eyes to be opened.

 

They faxed us all records, and we are still friends now, though it was strained for a little while.

 

 

Ask yourself, with this growing history of aggressive behavior, if it is worth the risk of lawsuits and medical bills to keep such an animal.

 

It is never worth that risk, given the litigious society in which we live.

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This must be so hard to go through. You've gotten a lot of good advice here, but the one thing that no one has mentioned is homeowner's insurance. If it were me, I'd be reading the fine print on my policy right about now. If the guy does decide to sue you for some large amount of money, I would think that you could file a claim on your insurance to cover it (or would he file? -- dunno exactly how these things work).

 

However, I would also be concerned that your dog would now be considered a "dangerous dog" by the insurance company, and I would certainly be checking what their rules are for that.

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This is a tough one but as a parent who just had her 3 year old nearly attacked in her driveway by the neighbor's 4 wiener dogs....I have nothing good to say. The dog needs to go. Biters are biters and I would never trust the dog with my kids. You will most likely have to produce papers and will likely be sued. The neighbor's dogs have bitten TWICE and have not been taken away.:glare:

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I love animals, but that dog would be gone *today*, and by gone, I don't mean gone to someone else's home where it might attack someone else some day.

 

If this were a puppy and new to your home, I might expect, anticipate, and deal with slightly aggressive behavior until the dog knew how it ought to behave. A 3 year old dog though, who's not super-tolerant about *a child living in the home*, and who *ran through my attempts to contain them in order to attack*? Nope. No. No Way. Never would happen here. Ever.

 

That's a separate issue from possible liability due to this episode. I don't have any particular legal knowledge, but I would probably start with calling the vet and asking what the usual procedure is for dealing with an attack, which is what this was. The dog wasn't around a new person who reached out and scared them into a single, isolated incident of nipping. The dog pushed past your attempts to restrain and immediately jumped and bit hard enough to break the skin. That's an attack, not a bite, imo.

 

ETA: I just wanted to add a :grouphug:.

I'm not totally heartless,and I would be brokenhearted were I in your position. I would still act immediately, and would not analyze why. The danger signs are there. For the safety of your child, and independent of the liability issue, I would not risk it in order to keep a dog who displayed aggressive tendencies. Please don't give the dog to someone else either. I'm sorry. :sad:

 

:iagree:

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I hardly think it's common knowledge in the population that doing this is threatening to a dog.

 

My niece, when she was 13, leaned into a neighbor's car to chat, and their dog, one she knew well and had walked alone may times, tore her face badly. She ended up with 120+ stitches.

 

I consider it irresponsible that if the dog's owner did know how he'd react to her, she did not warn her. But I suspect it's not common knowledge, no one in our family had ever heard of this before.

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So be aware that you may have involvement with the animal control agency. I would have Your vet fax over your dogs records showing she is up to date on shots.

 

 

:iagree: Also if the man even goes to the doctor, the doctor is required by law to report it to animal control. At least here that is the law. My oldest was bit recently by a pitbull. There were deep puncture wounds, a large bruise, blood... We went to the doctor and the doctor reported the dog. They quarantined the dog for 10 days because the owner had no shot records. Had they had the shot records, it would have been different.

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I hardly think it's common knowledge in the population that doing this is threatening to a dog.

 

My niece, when she was 13, leaned into a neighbor's car to chat, and their dog, one she knew well and had walked alone may times, tore her face badly. She ended up with 120+ stitches.

 

I consider it irresponsible that if the dog's owner did know how he'd react to her, she did not warn her. But I suspect it's not common knowledge, no one in our family had ever heard of this before.

 

:iagree:The responsibility lies with the owner. There are many, many people who are not animal people/dog people. They don't know the ins and outs of "territory", etc., nor would it be their responsibility to.

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Sorry, but my kids trump my animals every single time. I did not see my dog as disposable. These issues are not always black and white. No one would take our dog. The Humane Society wouldn't touch him. I couldn't live with giving him to someone else and always wondering if he had hurt someone. Yes, it is sad. But just because someone has made the decision to put a dog down, doesn't mean they feel the animal was disposable.

 

:iagree: Humans first!! Kids definitely first!!! It isn't worth the risk.

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You disagree that "children trump animals"? Or did I miss something in that conversation? :confused:

I disagree with people, especially in today's society, not thinking that animals are disposable. I've seen it too many times. Additionally, our local non-kill shelters are at maximum capacity. The majority of dogs that are killed are due to inconvenience or lack of training.

 

I disagree that a dog needs to be put down based on this particular instance, with the information that was giving in the OP. I see that the OP has elaborated that there have been other events that lead up to this incident.

 

My children come before any of our animals. However, I knew when I decided to get a dog, that it was MY responsibility to train this animal; to protect visitors coming into my home; to protect my dog(s) from unkind people, or misinformed people. I brought a dog into my home knowing that it would be time-consuming, expensive, and ultimately worth it.

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A few months ago she ran out when my ds opened the door to get the mail and knocked over the mail man, but she didn't bite him. He was more upset about it than the guy she actually bit today! The PO sent us a letter telling us to control her.

 

JFWIW, the reason for this is because postal officers get in trouble for being attacked. It seems like it is wrong to punish them, but....So he likely was upset for very good reason if it wasn't that bad of a situation. Fear alone of what could have happened both by the dog and his boss would have made him plenty upset, I'd guess.

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If you haven't already, you need to self-report. Call your vet or the non-emergency number of the police department and ask where to report.

 

My dog bit a boy on a bike. I had him on a leash but I was distracted by one of my other children. The boy on the bike barreled toward my young special needs son. The dog stopped him and when I turned around jumped back behind me following my son. We self-reported.

 

He's also a Springer Spaniel and they tend to be territorial. When I answer the door I either put the dog in another room or I take the time to put him in a sit and keep one hand dominantly on his collar. Knowing our dog, I would never answer the door to a strange man without complete control. Not all dogs are the same. Some are more protective than others. Some lack the experience, intelligence, or training to recognize good intention in human beings. Some may never have that ability.

 

*the dog needs training

*the dog needs to feel that its owner(s) is in complete control (no need to act)

*you need to know you always have complete control over the dog

*a home where an inexperienced child is sometimes mean IS NOT a home for an inexperienced dog

 

I think euthanizing an inexperienced dog is a bit much, but this dog did not take the time to warn your visitor. She just bit him. This is not just a protective dog. A protective dog would first try to scare him away by growling, barking, or chasing. She obviously does not understand how to hold back or she's under so much pressure/fear she felt justified. This is not a good dog for you home.

 

Having to train a youngest child in how to deal with dogs AND train a particularly protective, dominant, inexperienced, or fearful dog is an accident waiting to happen. The same thing happened to friends of ours. They even took the dog to a professional animal behaviorist for over a year before trying to conceive. Eventually they realized that they could control a majority of the behaviors, but they couldn't change who the dog was. They found a good home for the dog which had no children or other pets. The dog is very happy there and the behaviors are minimized.

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My lab is the worlds best dog and my kids can lay on her and run around her and do whatever and she is extremely docile.

 

Now, if someone comes to the door she growls and barks and her hair stands up until she sees who it is. That's what she has been trained to do...protect us. She has never attacked or bit anyone, she just sounds scary and we let her do her bark growl and we praise her and then we send her to her crate before we open the door to any stranger. I don't want to risk her misguessing someone as a threat and hurting them. I have tried holding her collar but she is strong and I didn't want to risk her doing what your dog did and slipping out.

 

Once she knows that I have allowed the person into the house and she hears them she calms down and is allowed out of her crate. Everyone is safe.

 

To be perfectly honest...this is your fault, not the dog's fault. You knew that you had to restrain her and she got away. You even had a prior incident. You need to train her or get her a crate and never allow her to greet people at the door. Plain and simple.

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She is fully vaccinated. I did tell the man that.

 

I am scared that we will be liable for something and we honestly, don't have the money for that right now. I get that it is my responsibility, so I am not saying it is not. I just hope nothing comes of it, because financially that would be horrible at this time.

 

I don't want to have to put her down, but I can't have her biting people either. I don't know what made her do that, but I pray it is not an escalating thing. First, knocking over the mailman, now biting a salesman, what's next? I want her to be protective, but not to bite people who are not being threatening. :banghead:

 

:grouphug: We have a just-turned-4yo English mastiff who is extremely protective. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old, and socializing and training haven't really helped. We've grown to understand her and manage her the best we can.

 

The routine now is...someone knocks on the front door; she peals out on the wood floor and eventually gets to the door, barking her head off the whole time; i walk to the door, point to the back door and quietly say "out"; she walks out the back door that one of the kids has opened; i open the front door. Repeat at least 80 times a day. Especially after school is out.

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Don't know if this is true or not but my dh went to a training once where a lawyer said the Beware of Dog sign can get you in more trouble. You are admitting that you know your dog is dangerous so if he does bite someone you are more responsible than if you weren't aware of the danger and it was just a freak thing.

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