What Would You Do If Your Dog Bit Your Child?
By davaoguy
@davaoguy (319)
United States
February 13, 2007 11:53am CST
Dogs can be loveable, but they could be aggressive enough to hurt you or your family. If it indeed hurt you child, would you still keep the dog, kill it or would you give or sell it?
I had a co-worker who has a pitbull that bit his three year old child in the face. The child was just playing in the backyard, when she spotted the stick my co-worker used to play fetch with the dog. Of course, the dog got excited and the child imitated how her father would play with the dog. To make the story short, the child ended up with stitches in her left cheeks. What my friend did was to donate this dog to a professional dog breeder because he was afraid that his dog might hurt more people in their home. Would you do the same?
10 people like this
68 responses
@jenalyn (675)
• United States
13 Feb 07
I have a dog that bit a child. She was hugging him because she thought he looked so cute. I had no experience in the past of him ever being aggressive, and never even growled at people. It was a horror of an experience, and I wanted to give him away. Her face was really ripped open and blood was everywhere. I went to the hospital and watched her go through enormous trama. When I got home I started looking for a place to put him where he wouldn't be killed.
My daughter and my husband pleaded with me not to give him away. My daughter cried for days. I was really in a hard situation. I was scared of my own dog. My family was trying to convince me to keep him.
Well, it was 3 years ago, and we still have the dog. He hasn't ever been aggressive again. When I asked a Dog behavoiral specialist what I needed to do, and why did he bite, she said I needed to get him obdience training. I should never allow him around children unsupervised. She said he probably did that because he felt scared of being held on like that by a stranger. So now no one hugs him, and I always come out and tell everyone he bit her so they are aware and stay away from him. He is a well behaved dog, and even when we go to the vet, he doesn't try to bite them or snap or growl.
I still to this day have no idea why he bit that child. It has always made me weary though.
@Jshean20 (14348)
• Canada
14 Feb 07
Well I wouldn't automatically decide to give up the dog, I would have to sit down and think about the situation. You never said how old the child was? I would think that if she was fairly young she maybe shouldn't have been alone in the backyard with the dog. Dogs can get excited and jump up out of excitement, which would be more damaging to the child if she was nipped at. Certain kinds of dogs (like pitbulls) have different mouth structures which could result in something more severe if they nipped/bit someone. I would've had to have seen the situation to know what I would've done with the dog. If it was an attack, I would've given the dog up. If it was a nip or a sign that he was trying to play, I would opt to do more to prevent the situation from happening again in the future.
2 people like this
@Ravette (21)
• United States
19 Feb 07
Dog pound will put the dog down ASAP and not even thing about trying to readopt it.
SOCIALZE THE DOG!
I would suggest buying dog books on behavior , example Cesar Milan is a good example. I don't agree with everything he says but he makes it easy for people to understand.
Take the dog (or puppy) to obedience class. Daily exercise not just throwing the ball in the yard help with boredem.
Supervise all playtime between dog and children. Teach your kids to play nice with the doggie. Don't do the "oh look its growling isn't that cute?" Don't teach the puppy to mouth hands this can lead to chewing handsand cloths later on. While yes I do admit that I will leave my dog in a room with a child for a few minutes but he has 7 years of obedience/child training. I never leave them alone if they are under a certain age because he could get excited and knock the child over. :(
Is this your first dog? Tell the breeder/adoption place that and they will be more then willing to offer suggestions on where to go for training and house to dog and child proof your home. If not then consider a different person.
I am always avalible to messages if you want to ask my advice. I promote getting a resuce dog because there are such HUGE amounts of animals needing homes. I train for a living and am trying to become a Vet Tech at the moment and I love to help.
@Calais (10893)
• Australia
13 Feb 07
A lot of the time you'll find its the owners fault, no one should trust any dog 100% especially around children. Maybe dogs get hurt by children unintentionally, (stood on tail, pulled ear etc...) The dog is only retaliating to the pain by the only way they know and thats to nip or bite (they cant tell us that hurts). I think there would be a lot less kids bitten if the parents actually watched their kids when they are near a dog to prevent it in the first place.
2 people like this
@FrancyDafne (2047)
• Italy
13 Feb 07
Once my little doggie bit my little child. It was not fault of my dog, in fact my son put a finger in his mouth and the dog closed his mouth. So I scolded my son.
It's difficult that a dog who lives in a family can become aggressive. A pit bull too. Usually human beings want to play with a dog and the problem is that they don't know dogs, their needs, and so it sometimes may happen something unpleasant.
@FrancyDafne (2047)
• Italy
19 Jun 07
Hi Sacrificialclam,
I'm glad you appreciated my comment.
Education is very important for children.
Hi again!
@moumitamazumder (817)
• India
13 Feb 07
I will surely go to a doctor, and get my child treated with the neccessary medicines. also I would make sure by any veteranary doctor, that my dog has no infections, that might pose a problem for my child in future. I think that will be the correct step one should take.
2 people like this
@jamie11982 (1658)
• United States
14 Feb 07
I have four children and this is why i do not and will not have a dog at this moment. My oldest child is 6 and my youngest is 4 months. I don't want to have to see a dog be put down for bitting my child. I don't care who is at falt i would have the dog put down if it bit my child and that's just how my husband feels as well. My mother has dogs and i won't take my children down there because she has one dog who can only see out of one eye because a child poked him in the eye so hard he went blind. Well needless to say if i had my way and saw it happen when that dog went after my oldest son a while back that dog wouldn't be alive right now. He did go after my son and every time he went after my child my mother would blame my son and not the dog. I have seen dogs let my children clim all over them and never even bat an eyelash so i guess that it is how well you train your dog that depends on if it will bite anyone or not.
@sylviekitty (2083)
• United States
14 Feb 07
It sounds like a lot of people are eager to kill dogs who bite.
First off, do some research before you get a dog. Get one that statistically gets along well with children. Get advice from books, from breeders, from families with those types of dogs. Don't buy a dog just because it looks cute- you have to know something about it before you make the commitment to care for it.
Secondly, WHY did the dog bite the child? Did the child provoke it? Was the dog hurt, and just protecting itself? Did you get a dog that had a previous owner that was abusive? (That is probably not a good type of dog to get, if you have kids).
Third, how bad is the bite? Are you telling me that ANY kind of bite warrants taking the dog to the pound to be put to sleep? If it was a freak thing, and your child only needed a couple stitches, is it really that big of a deal?
I'm sorry, but I'm not killing an animal just because it bit my kid. I'd have to really look at all the circumstances. I'd also make sure I was being a responsible pet owner AND parent, and not owning a dog that didn't "fit" with my family.
@yanjiaren (9031)
•
13 Feb 07
yes i would give the dog who could discipline and train it better..i have heard of a lot of stories with these big breeds and kids..they get awfully jealous of little children..not a good mix i am a fraid to say..
@SKLC_PT (1234)
•
14 Feb 07
Actually small breeds can be extremely jealous like the chihuahua's any dog can be very jealous actually, it really depends on the upbring of them. But small dogs have been reported to be jealous and tend to try to pick fights with dogs double their size to sort of show off, I think they think they are big too. I searched on "jealous dog" in goggle and got mainly small breeds.
1 person likes this
@ag_abscruzmd (2283)
• United States
14 Feb 07
In my opinion, if the child was affected psychologically by the dog (like the child shows fear of that dog), then it would be best to give the dog away to those who would be interested in taking care of it, or just send to animal shelter. If the child doesn't show any fear, then the dog has to be professionally trained. In this case, the child has the scar to remember what the dog did. I think that this may affect the way the child would get along with the dog, so it's best to put the dog away.
@poppoppop111 (5731)
• Canada
14 Feb 07
i don't have a dog, but if i did i would first of all never leave them alone in a room with my child because i don't trust them. some can turn at any moment on a person or a child can agravate them to bite them. if the dog did bite my child well my child is way more important than anything in the world so i would find the dog another home, one with out children.
1 person likes this
@mom2adopted (56)
• United States
14 Feb 07
I have 2 dogs and 2 kids. I love my dogs, but if either of them bit either child, the dog would be gone. I would take it to a pound if I had to. As much as I love my dogs, I would never choose them over my children. My husband would probably want to find a way to keep them, but I would never allow it.
@davaoguy (319)
• United States
14 Feb 07
If you're a mom, that's a natural reaction because you would definitely put the safety of your child at the top of your priorities. But I think sending dogs to a pound is quite not fair for the dog. I think what's the right thing to do is to give them to a trainer who might have the right skill control the dog.
@randomgrafix (110)
• Trinidad And Tobago
14 Feb 07
Some dogs are agressive by nature and Pitbulls are a very agressive breed. These dogs are breed to be mean but the blame need not lie with the breed but the owners. Owners need to know how to train and temper their dogs regardless of the breed.
Most attacking dogs are a product of owners either mis-treating their dog or simply not getting the dog trained properly.
Dogs like Pitbulls can be lovable creatures but unless they are well trained they can be very deadly.
DON'T JUST OWN YOUR DOG... KNOW YOUR DOG.
@Profetu (1253)
• Romania
14 Feb 07
Oh my god! How can you even donate that animal? Putting it to sleep is the best solution for that kind of animal , and further more even give a ticket for the owner.If the animal does that...either is NOT proper trained or just a breed that is too dangerous to hold.
1 person likes this
@davaoguy (319)
• United States
14 Feb 07
I do not believe that killing it would be the best solution. The child might just have provoked the dog. Dogs are wonderful animals and they are not perfect. Like people, I think it is only fair that we treat them well. What happened was an accident and we should not put all the blame on the dog. Just my opinion.
@Freespirit (593)
•
14 Feb 07
How can anyone claim that an animal such as a Pit bull is loveable?
Some dogs maybe, but not that breed.
If any dog bit any child of my family it's quite simple, Shoot it.
If it attacks once, it will attack again.
Anyone that thinks differently must love dogs more than children
1 person likes this
@destroyer (784)
• Pakistan
14 Feb 07
If it was my dog who had bit my child i would have done the same thing your friend did!
Pitbulls are not for everyone, they are easily excited and need special care! for someone who has kids dogs like golden retriever or german shepherd are the best!
1 person likes this
@loousta (24)
•
14 Feb 07
such a scary thought. i hate dogs anyway they scare me so much so i would never have a dog, but if that was to happen id have to do the same as what your friend did. i could face putting an animal down , but i wouldnt want it near me or just give it to someone else without explaning that it is capable of hurting someone and has done it befor.
@smart_boy0019 (3)
• India
14 Feb 07
i hate dogs . i think the dog should have been killed then and there itself.. i hope animal rights activists are not reading this right noww. but i have a valid point . the value of a human life is more than that of a dog.dogs are meant to be kept on a leash and are meant for protection of valuables.
1 person likes this
@dana87432 (5)
• United States
14 Feb 07
Personally, I love dogs, but if I had a little child I would never let her near a pitbull. I read somewhere that they are responsible for 90 some percent of all dog attacks. If I had kids I might go with a friendlier dog like a Border Collie or something. At the very least you could make sure that the dog and the child stay away from each other (Let the dog run in the back yard when the kids are in the house or something). I think in the county I live in it is illegal to have a pitbull, so I guess I would never get one in the first place.
1 person likes this
