Topic : 03/30 Is This Normal?

THis literally just happened with my 3 year old and 4 year old dog. A cocker spaniel. 

She was bothering him and was not thi first time. SHe has been put in time out I don't know how many times and the dog scolded and put in his "room" for nipping.  

But it happened, she was too close to his face with her own and got bit on the side of the head and under her eye. I had to take her to the ER and get stitches in the wound under her eye.  The whole time I was sitting there I knew what had to be done. 

I was reported to the animal control and they talked to me about the chances of it happeneing again. I trust my vet and called him. He has known my dog since I got him at 8 weeks. He told me that if the level of aggression is getting worse then it will continue to get worse no matter what you do.   

I took my dog to animal control the next morning and had him put to sleep.  I had the dog longer than my daughter BUT my daughter comes first.  This dog was a part of my family and it happened only 2 weeks ago I still am "morning" him HOWEVER...  another inch up and it would have been my daughters eyeball. I would never be able to forgive myself if she had more than the scar she now has from the bite. 

It is OUR responsibility to our children to keep them safe.  

Tammy 

I believe that Forrest has a promising career in front of him.  I, for one, will be purchasing his music and enjoying it.  I sincerely hope the record company decides to sign him... he's a wonderful songwriter/vocalist.. has so much expression in his music. 

Thank you, and best of luck! 

~Heather 

I have a black lab coon hound mix and one time when he was young, he nipped a teenager (who was playing with him) and it broke the skin. I contempleted getting rid of him but the girl said that it was an accident and it had looked like one to me. My fiance and I spoke about it, we had ten days while he was in quarantine. (in NYS, any dog that nips or bites hard enough to break the skin needs to go into quarantine. Regardless of their vaccine record.) We came to the decision to keep him but have since had a son who is now 5 mos old. I used to get nervous when my son would reach for the dog, but today the poor dog got poked in the eye like 10 times before he flinched to shake his head. Watching the story about Chewey, I could not imagine what I would have done, had my dogf bitten my son this afternoon while Will was poking him.  

Chewey should not be in the house with the child, the way it was described, it was an attack. Maybe Chewey could stay at his Mom's. When the family comes to visit, the dog can be outside or somewhere away from the child.  

if it was a pit bull? I mean really, would Dr. Phil tell the parents to keep the dog if it was a pit bull? Or any breed like it. Would he tell them to make a special run for it till the little girl was older. 

All I hear is how bad pit bulls are day in and out (I work at a Humane Society). And I'm sick of the breed prejudice. If a pit bull attacks a child, its put to sleep or rehomed if possible. But so should OTHER breeds. This dalmation should not be NEAR a young child. The attack NEVER would have happened if the child was being properly supervised and dog was well trained. Any way you look at it, those things didn't happen and now a child is permantly scarred, inside and out, and daddy's too busy loving on his beloved dalmation. 

Again, I ask you all, if this was a pit bull, do you think they should keep it? If the answer is no, then it shouldn't be all right for the dalmation. 

Frankly, the dalmation breed is high strung and well known for biting. I worked in a grooming shop for 6 years and 10 years at the Humane Society. Dalmations are usually very nice dogs, but they seem to be effected by "spanial rage". They take a very special person. Someone with time and patience to keep the dogs active and happy. Otherwise they often become destructive and aggressive. Its not the dog's fault. Its the result of bad breeding (due to backyard breeders profitting from Disney movies) and bad owners (who either don't care enough or don't know enough, usually who buy these dogs because of those Disney movies). 

The father of the child is an idiot.  I have 5 dogs and LOVE them all, however, if any of them ever bit or showed agression to my 2 precious children, they would be removed.  Dr. Phil's comman sense advise is to put the dog in a run/seperate the animal from the child.  Why do people have to be so stupid and waste his time about what should be comman sense to them as well??????? 

I posted my other message before I watched. 

My daughter only needed one stitch. I could not imagine 20-30. if my husband even tried to blame ME for the dog biting my daughter, he would have been smacked upside his head. 

How dare that man put more of a guilt trip on his wife than she must already have.  I would rather spend the 500 dollars on my daughters face than put up a dog run after what that dog did, and I have also grown up with dogs my whole life. Humans come first. 

JMO, Tammy 

Sometimes it is the dog who is at fault through behavior or illness. 

My dog, that I did put to sleep after biting my daughter in the face, has seizures.  He has always biten, even myself. If you even lightly pet him while sleeping his turns and bites down on your hand.  I did not want to put my dog to sleep, however after discussing my dog with my vet (who has cared for all of my animals, and this one since he was 8 weeks old) knew that he wasn't going to get better, that he was getting worse.  He was biting harder each time and even though my daughter was messing around with him when heh bit her in the face, and I do blame her for bothering him... I cannot excuse or put blinders on to the fact that he was an aggressive dog and probably would do it again. 

I have another dog and she is the total opposite. my daughter messes with her just the same and she has NEVER bit my daughter... I think it is each dog and their personality and problems.. My dog that I put to sleep, had health issues... and his were brain related.  I amnot saying the dog ont he show put to sleep, but definetly not around children especially when they know he startles easy. 

JMO, to each his own. 

I don't think it is fair for you to say because we chose to have our dog put to sleep we shouldn't be allowed to have animals.  I am curious, just for sake of arguement, what if I kept my dog and he bit my child again, only this time instead of 1/4 inch below her eye it was her eyeball he bit and now she is blind in that eye? Woudl you be telling me I shouldn't have children??? 

Thats was the bottom line with my child... instead of a scar under her eye it could have been her eye and that would be unforgiveable. 

Something to ponder 

Tammy 

I agree with Steve that the dog did not attack the child but he was startled.  It is common sense that one does not get into a dog's face, and because this child is so young it was the mother's responsibility to make sure the child did not get into a potential dangerous situation. This is not limited to certain breeds but all dogs.   The mother has been part owner of the dog for 5 years and should know how a dog reacts to certain situations.  This is especially true for a dog who is deaf.  The dog's perspective is different  than a dog with normal hearing. When one is going to provide a home for a dog with a disability one should expect to be alert at all times.  Steve, I hope that your beautiful dogs get to keep their loving home.   

  I think the best remedy is to teach the child about dogs and until she understands and respects them keep them separated.  That does not mean that one must stay inside and the other at Grandma's.  You want your daughter to be able to come out of this without being traumatized. She is young enough that if the situation is treated right she may not remember it. But shunning the dogs and constantly bickering about how awful the dogs are will only create an awful perspective of dogs in that young child's memory and instead of healing her on the inside she may develop an irreversible fear of dogs.