Should a dog be put down after biting a child? Your thoughts?

I think it should be on a case by case basis. Dogs are like people in the sense that every one is different. Every murderer gets a different sentence, every dog that bites someone should be treated as an individual dog. My neighbors dog came into my yard, knocked my 5-year-old nephew off his bike and sank his teeth into Joey's leg. Another nephew saw the whole thing and he said Joe was on his bike in my driveway and all he did when he saw the dog was put up his hands and say "no, no, no", but Hunter came over and bit him anyway. I think Hunter should have been put down, but not just because of that one instance. He is a known dog around here as a "kid chaser". He walks up to people barking viciously-sounding. He chases the kids on their bikes. He has chased my daughter into our yard, and on another occasion, he chased my daughters friend and almost bit her. My neighbors reasoning- Hunter was never exposed to kids, and he's scared of bikes. My thinking- PUT UP A FENCE, THE DOG IS DANGEROUS!!One other thing- when my dog Maxx was a puppy, Hunter raced into my yard and attacked him. He didn't hurt Maxx, but he scared the crap out of him and Maxx wouldn't go out front for weeks. He still is a bit nervous and that makes him a bit dangerous to other people. The incident with Joey was around the 4th of July...in 2006!! Guess what?? Still no fence. When my nephew visits, he won't go outside alone. He is also leery of all dogs, even mine and that breaks my heart. Sadly, it's the owners who mess it up for their dogs. I don't believe dogs are born bad, but they can be raised to be that way. Without the proper education, dogs don't know how they should behave. I told you dogs were like people!!! Very good topic!! I'm glad the child you handled wasn't hurt more seriously. That's a blessing!

I think that the dog should be isolated for several days, and see how it reacts to people during that time. My son was bitten by his father's dog.....he was watching television, and petting the dog, and the dog suddenly jumped him, knocked him down, and started to bite him. He had to have thirteen stitches in his eyebrow and ear. The dog was quarantined for a week, and she snapped, growled and tried to bite at anyone who came near her during that time. My son's father was told that she could not be released to him, and that she HAD to be put down, as she was a danger to people.

If the dog belonged to me, I would put it down. A child is much more important than a dog. The child can not be put at risk of being bitten again. Yes, if the dog bit the child once it is likely to bite again. Put the dog down now.

Ofcourse it should be put down because it could be threat to anyone in the future.

I went through a similar thing with my daughter. She was at her grandparents when their dog bit her under her right eye. They wanted to put the dog down right away but I said no. The dog did not intend to hurt her she was just old and not used to young children. We compremised and they gave the dog away to a couple who did not have young children around. The owners and the parents should discuss and agree on a coure of action. We never know what an animal is thinking but it is possible for them to remember past wrong doing and lash out to prevent further hurt. Each situation is different and should be dealt with as such.

I love dogs but I love kids more. I think that the dog should be put down already if that is what the parent's of the child wants. The dog must have left bite marks on the child's face. It must have damaged the child's face. The child would carry that scar forever unless the child gets a cosmetic surgery. I don't know, I'm torn because I think the owners of the dog would really be devastated with this idea but I think it would be the best move for the 2 families involved.

We had a dog about four years ago we put down. He was a great watch dog and good with older kids. We put him down though when for no good reason he leaped on our then two year old granddaughter knocking her down and baring his teeth inches from her face snarling. I saw it happen and immedeatly got him off her. We put him down because she had done NOTHING to him other than just toddle past him not even near his feed or water bowl and he came running at her and knocked her down meanincing her. That was it for me and I really loved that dog but I love my granddaugher more. She is six now and a great lover of animals herself.

I think this is a matter to be discussed by those involved. In this case, I don't think it should be automatic that the dog be destroyed. The history of the dog's behavior should be considered as well as the actual circumstances of the incident.

I have read a lot of nonsense in some answers to your question. As a todler, 18 months I think, I made the mistake of attempting to pat a dog that was eating and, not surprisingly it turned round and bit me, I am certainly glad the dog was not killed and as far as I know it never bit anyone again. No dogs bite without a reason, though there though processes are different from ours and their reasons may be hard to understand. Just because a dog bites a child does necessarily mean it is any more likely to bite another child than a dog which has never bitten a child. For these reasons it is important that every case be decided on an individual basis. all the best urban

I think you have to take it case by case when deciding whether or not to put down an animal for biting a child. I think that there is a reason that most dogs bite, even if the reason doesn't seem like a big deal to people. And people need to consider why the dog bit before deciding what to do with the dog. One poster said that some dogs bite because kids hug and kiss them. That's true. I don't necessarily think those dogs need to be put down, but they need to live with someone who won't have small children around them instead. I have no idea what happened with the kid you are talking about. There weren't enough details to decide whether or not that dog needs to be put down. Dogs should never be left alone with small children, no matter how well they seem to get along around adults. I know my dogs act differently when my husband is at home compared to how they act when he isn't. I can just imagine that if left alone with my toddler, their behavior would be much different still. If either of my dogs bit my child, I would consider why before I decided whether or not to put the dog down. A neighbor's child had to have 7 stitches in his hand last summer from a dog bite. The reason the dog bit him was because she had grabbed a treat out of the dog's mouth and the dog was trying to get it back. They had the dog quarantined, and she didn't try to bite anyone. They brought her back home, and she was back to giving the kids affectionate kisses and letting them climb all over her in a matter of weeks. I think they made the right decision in not putting her down.

There have been a spate of dog attacks recently and on each occasion the dog involved has bitten a child. Any unprovoked attack should be considered as a serious incident and I believe the dog should be put down. Suppose this dog is reprieved and goes on to seriuosly injure or even kill a child.

My oldest brother had this problem too. His dog was chained and had a fence around him in his own yard and some kids came over throwing stones and walnuts at the dog. My brothers kids went out to feed and water him and one of the littler boys was over by the dog and even though my brothers kids told him to stay away the little kid stuck his arm through the fence and promptly got bit. The grandfather of the kid wanted the dog killed. The police said that even though the dog was chained and fenced and the kid had been warned to stay away the dog still could not be kept in town since it was now labeled as a vicious dog. Luckly my Mom has a farmhouse just outside of town where the dog went to live. I think it was unfair that the dog was punished when it was clearly the kid's fault not to mention that the parents weren't watching him. This is the only time the dog has ever bit anyone and has always been loveable even playing with the police officers children. **AT PEACE WITHIN** ~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~

I do think a dog should be put down after biting a child. And Im sure that I will get jumped on for this BUT it is my opinion. If it were my dog I would definatley put it down. I wouldnt care if it were our family dog, my kids dog, whatever, if it bit a child, whether it was my own or anybody elses child....Yes I would have it put down!!!!

I think the dog should live, but the owners should be required to neuter him. No exceptions. Dogs who are normally friendly can be aggressive or tend to wander if they are intact. Neutering will solve all of those problems for a dog who is typically very nice. It is really an antiquated way of thinking to put down a dog if they bite someone. Some dogs do have deeper problems but this issue is pretty straight forward.

If it was my dog I would have it put down immediately. You could never trust it not to do it again.

I think that if I had a dog that bit someone, I would suggest myself for it to be put down. Sometimes animals change temperaments over the years, and are not the same as they once were. I do think that there should be a law in place, that if a dog bites a person, down they go.

Hmm, I think it depends on the situation. And with this case I need to know more before I could answer such a question. I have to ask, why is this dog not fixed (same goes for the female)? Is the owner of the dogs a professional breeder? I'm just asking these questions to understand why someone would want to help overpopulate the animal population and not have their dogs fixed as pups before they 'mature' if they are not professional breeders to begin with. Unaltered dogs can be a dangerous thing, especially around young kids. Was the child and dog left unsupervised? I don't care if the dog and child have known each other since the dog was a pup. No child should be left alone with a dog, even if they seem ok together. You said the attack was unprovoked. But was the child on the floor, or at the same level as the dog? Was the child petting the dog? Hugging it? Giving it little kisses? Even these things can trigger something in a dog, which can make it bite. I feel bad for this child and I hope he or she will be okay.

I could never keep a dog that had bitten anyone unprovoked, especially a child. Too many kids have been severely savaged by 'the family pet', and I think the safety of a child is so much more important than that of a dog. I think that if the dog has done it once, it would also do it again. On the other hand, there are so many responsible dog owners who make sure their dogs aren't in the position where they can do that sort of thing to a kid! And of course, kids should never be left unsupervised around dogs, even the family pet that has never bitten anyone!

My neighbers had pappy dog and grand son bit the dog so badly.My neighber was quqrling me.They admited pappy to hospital.

not knowing the dog, it is hard to say. I'm a huge lover of animals and I don't like seeing any animal put down. On the other hand, If it were my dog, I admittedly would have to consider it. The fact that the dog had known the boy since being a pup would be a factor in my decision. I would have expected the dog to be more patient with the boy. It would be a hard decision to be sure but I think I'd probably be fearful of a recurance. If the uncle chose not to get rid of the dog, I would probably not let my son go visit him again for fear of another, perhaps worse attack. If it were not my dog, I would not want to decide on the dog's fate. I would leave it up to the owner and react accordingly.