My son was bitten by our own dog!

How old is your son. I'm afraid that if he is very young there really is only one choice. The dog has to go.

Sometimes dogs just simply do not like certain people. Is your son 22 or just 2? Doesn't seem like a big deal if he is an adult but a child I see your concern. Personally I wouldnt have an animal that bites a child because next time it could be more than his hand.

If your dog is really that scary, you should cage them especially if you have a little child, it's dangerous sometimes. Or if you don't want them in a cage, you buy those stuff that would prevet their mouth to open. I don't know how you call that. Some mouth protector maybe to prevent them from barking or biting.

sorry to hear about your son but gladly to know that he is safe now.. Your son should take care of himself. Sometimes the dog will be provoked if they hurt..Maybe you son touched your dog painfully..But to avoid it to happened..better you tied up your dog for safety...

Perhaps there was something about the way he touched the dog. I have a cat that does that, he will be really loving and playful but for some odd reason and at certain times he will bite my husband on the leg. If you're dog is old it could just be age, or perhaps the dog wanted to play rough and got out of hand. It's possible. If you are really concerned and I'm very sure you are, you could take him to the vet and get him checked out, just in case he isn't well. I'm glad things are ok now. I hope your sons hand gets better.

Very strange that the dog just bit him. Was he sure he didnt maybe stand on the dogs tail - awake the dog out of a deep sleep (possibly in a dream) or has he ever been rough towards the animal. They may look like stupid animals but they dont forget easily. Just keep an eye on the dogs behaviour really. He could be ill and that simple touch hurt? Your son must not show his fear towards the dog. Rather sit quietly near the dog and talk softly to the animal. If the animal is comfortable with your son in his space he should come up to your son without any problem, or simply wag his tail a bit. I amnot saying you and your family did this..but people need to wake up too. They get puppies and rough them up, making them all aggresive as puppies, and then when they are fully grown, want to beat the hell out of the animal for showing aggression for simple things. Look into the dogs breed for info on their characters and personalities I would also recommend. Hoping you will solve this problem!

I find it interesting that this happened while you were away from home. To touch a dog on the head is to display domination. Obviously, you as the parent are dominant and so perhaps the pecking order between your son and the dog has not been clarified. The dog considered your son out of line by trying to dominate him. It's necessary for a dog to understand where he comes in the line if he is to be part of the family. The dog must be at the bottom. He will be quite happy with this provided it is an established fact and there is consistency. The dog was simply protecting the home for you.

Sometimes dogs are jealous. If your dog was around you all the time and your son was there for a visit, your dog might think that he is the boss and your son an interloper. It could be that the dog has a sore on his head. There could be many things. It also might be that the dog was thinking of someone who was mean and your son may smell like that person and if that person was mean to the dog, it would bite. For example, it would be someone who worked at the same job as your son. So you have to do some investigation and you have to take your dog to the vet to see maybe he was brain damaged. If the dog never did this before, something is wrong.

Sorry to hear about this mishap. Hope everything would be alright soon and your son and you would be more careful in future.

I hate to tell you this, but if the ASPCA had gotten wind of this, the dog would have been taken from the home and possibly put down. I'm not sure I would be keeping that dog if it has bitten your son because there is a good chance it will happen again and what's more important, the dog or your child! My suggestion, unfortunately is to get rid of furball before it bites again.

That's so odd that your dog would do something so violent and random. Had there ever been any such episodes in the past? I've heard of dogs and other animals not liking certain people. Perhaps your son (unintentionally, of course) made the dog feel uncomfortable or even threatened. That's the only reason I can think of that an other sweet dog would lash out like that! I don't know what else would cause an animal to do that. Sounds like he or she is generally a really nice pet to have around. Well, I'd say that your son is old enough to get his own place or deal with his fears. Partly I'm kind of on his side, too, though. He shouldn't have to move out just because the dog doesn't like him. Perhaps if I knew more about your son's and the dog's relationship to each other prior to this incident, it would help me determine what would be best. What about your relationship with the dog? Whose dog is he or she? It doesn't sound like a violent dog or odd breed to me. Everything sounds completely normal, which makes this incident so interesting yet confusing. I think if it's your dog and you prefer to keep it, you should be able to. However, if it's something where your son wouldn't want to live there or be around anymore, it's your dog or your son. I think you know the answer to that one. (LOL) I surely hope that this wouldn't come to that for you, though. I know it's a tough call when a dog has been a pet for a while. It's definitely your call, but I wish you the best in whatever decision you decide to make. Should you share more details with me, I'd love to be of more assistance to you on this situation! I hope all is well in no time. Thanks for a great post.

That is a difficult question I think to answer. I say that only because you say that the dog isn't aggressive. I think it also could have something to do with the dog's age (if it's younger or older), it could be because of that. I would just be very very careful in your decision, but I couldn't tell you what to do. I hope that everything works out no matter what you decide to do.

When my dog was alive she only snapped at one person. I can't really blame her for snapping at him because he would always pull on her hind legs and hurt her. I think he was trying to play but he always hurt her, I don't know if he realized or not that you should not pull on a dogs hine legs, especially a shephard mix, since they tend to have hip problems. She didn't do anything the first several times he did it to her except yelp in pain, then she finally got tired of it and snapped at him, she didn't actually bite, him but she was sending a clear message, I don't blame her though. Without knowing what he did to the dog, I would not know what to tell you. It is a bit odd that a dog who is normally friendly would bite someone who was just going to pet him. If it happens again I would worry, and since you don't have the dog's side of the story, I would give the dog the benifit of the doubt, but if you witness it or have reason to believe it has happened to someone else there exists a situation that must be dealth with.

as a vet tech my question is well #1 I hope your son is ok? But, what occurs when your son is around the dog, is he in the dogs face, or jumping up and down,was the dog adopted by you,what's the dogs history? when you take all of the factors into consideration you can come up with a better solution. As far as your son getting the rabies vaccines was it because the dog wasnt vaccinated or did you just get the dog? post me your answers and i can help you further in your dicission.

Oh my that's bad. If I had a dog and it will just bite my kids I am better off with it. I will give it away. I'm sorry but I am speaking from a mothers point of view. I'm glad you son is ok. If you still want to keep the dog have him in a cage or tied outside.

Could be he did it too fast, could be the dog doesn't think it knows him well enough. Could be he was playing with some other dog recently and that's what set the dog off. I'd say something about keeping the dog outside but if I recall correctly those dogs are on the inside so it might get eaten by stray cats or something. (That is of course, a joke)

I believe that it could have been a mistake. If you guys has had that dog for a while now, and it just now biting your son, that is why it may have been a mistake. I believe dogs can get to excited. I know my cousins they play with their dog aggressively, or what we call playfully, and sometimes the dog get to excited and bites him a little, but the dog knows how hard to grip. The dog you know does not try to hurt my cousins. The dog does not realize how sharp their teeth really are. But I hope that your son will get his hand fixed, and that it will heal up. But I'm believing that everything will be alright with his hand.

If your son doesn't live at home anymore the simple thing to do would just to put the dog in a different room or crate the dog when your son is over. If your son lives with you than there could be a problem. If your son lives at home that you do have some thinking to do. Because reverse the situation would you live with a dog that bit you that your were scared of?

Yup, partly because of the dog type you own. Japanese spitz have real tempers, you could have noted that the day you owned one. They aren't as sweet as labradors or golden retrivers, and may not tolerate certain just-making-fun jokes from either the housepeople, or the guests. I have seen some Japanese spitz who would not themselves get touched by anyone other than those whom it sees in the house. And to top that, these breeds have a certain level of indifference than many other dog types. Second, well, just thinking, your son is already 22 and in cases such as these, you should trust that he is bit grown up to figure how to get to the proper medics to seek help. But I admire your concern and love though. That is really touching. Third, I think it might be time to give your dog a house of his own in the backyard. I am not sure what personality your dog has, but for it to react to a certain movement, it is likely that he is going to repeat it again. Just for your family to be safe, I think it would be better to make it a house outside the main house, just so you could minimize contact with it especially when you are not around and there are new or not-so-familiar people in the house. Goodluck, and hope that dog won't bite anyone again.

Just wanted to say to your son to be more careful next time. And you can't determine a dog's behavior even though it is your own pet.