What would you do in this situation? Please Help!?

Question

Well my husbands dog of 10 years bit my 2 year old son in the face and got 2 stitches one in the cheek the other in his chin.My husband got depressed when animal control came and got her.She is being quarantined for 10 days and if he wants her back they said he could.But I don't want it to happen again cause shes a jealous dog.My husband don't want to put her down he wants to keep her. I wanted to save a puppy from being put to sleep so I told him i was going to save it he said no. So he could kill an Innocent puppy that's just starting life no one wanted and the one that bit my son he would keep. Whats going on?

Answer 1

It's your fault as owners that this happened, don't be so fast to abandon a dog you've had for 10 years.  Chances are the dog didn't snap suddenly, chances are that the dog has shown signs of aggression towards people before.  Take the dog to classes, it's going to need extensive training.

Answer 2

There are so many things that play into this like:

Can the dog see well, Did the child do something,has the dog ever been around small children, just so many things.

Here is an easy answer to your question, yea the dog may do it again. I wouldn't say you are responsible for it at all. Some dogs get grumpy with age, and some breeds of dogs exp. ChowChow, get even more snappy. So now that you know that your dog may do this again it's simple keep them separate at all times. Put up baby gates, tie the dog.  

Answer 3

I think, The best option is to have his dog put to sleep, and have a puppy.

That sounds pretty bad of your Husband's dog to have bitten your son and cause stitches! You should discuss it with him!

Good Luck! x x x  

Answer 4

its because its his dog.

it is terrible he let that pup go to sleep.

i understand for him not wanting the dog to be put to sleep BUT the question is..

Was it the childs fault or the dog?

Who provoked it?

Did the child do something that the dog didnt like?

All these things have to be answered before your question can be

Answer 5

First off I would not keep this dog. A dog that shows aggression especially towards kids should be PUT DOWN!!!

If this was a pit bull that had done it, it would be put down in a heartbeat. What makes this dog any different?

Don't anyone give me that c**p that they are bred that way.

If you do your homework Human Aggression was culled out of the pit or the pit was put down. A real American Pit Bull Terrier was bred to have dog aggression not human aggression.

It does not matter how old or how long you have had this dog.

I am all for dog rights, but he is just a dog that BIT a child.

Your family should come first,,your hubby needs to be made to realize that! The damage could of been much worse.

You either need to get him checked out by a behaviorist or put him down.

Why was he quarantined? Most of the time they will not do this unless you have no proof of rabies vaccination.

What is to stop this dog from biting him again if he comes back in the house?

Sounds to me like your hubby is selfish and cares more for the dog then his child...sorry just the way I see it! Alot of people are like this unfortunately!!

I would not allow this dog back into my house..plain and simple.

I would tell your hubby it is either us or the dog you decide.

Answer 6

I think that the relationship your husband has with the dog is a valid one.  That being said, at 10 years old she probably wants to be left alone for the most part from a 2 year old.  There are options other than putting the dog down.  Working with an obedience counselor and strict supervision when your son and the dog are together would be a start.  A 2 year old does not have the social skills that would be required to respect the dog but start trying gently to impress him with such.  The dog should also be made aware of the boundaries for the child.  This will take patience and could save a world of resentment and problems in the future.  Not an easy situation, best of luck to all of your family.

Answer 7

Im really sorry to hear that about your son! Your husband probably just loves his dog. 10 years is alot of years, and i have two dogs too and i would never let them be taken away. Does she usually bite people? If he doesnt want to let go (you shouldnt force him to let them take her because then you will have major relashionship problems and ur husband will be very sad, and depressed. Keep your baby away from her until your child grows a bit more, and then things will be alright!

Dont stress about this too much, let ur husband keep his dog, keep the baby away from it for a while, let the baby feed the dog some treats while u are near so the dog will get used to the child and wont harm again!

Good luck!!

Minkii

Answer 8

Seriously, before I would allow the dog back into the house, you need to find out why the dog bit your son.  Was your son doing something to him and the dog tried to get him to stop?  I've heard many stories similar to this and usually it's because the child has grabbed the dog, bothers the dog while he's eating, teases him, hits him in play (but the dog doesn't know it play), etc.  Often this is just a reflex of protection, I have never seen a dog run deliberately at a child and bite him in the face for no reason.

Answer 9

You have three options. A: Try to get the dog some obedience/behavior training and see if that can and will calm him down. B: Find a new home for the dog or C: Have him put to sleep.

My first reaction would of course be put the dog to sleep or give it away, a human's life is much more important than an animals. But you have to look at why it snapped, what made the dog bite your little boy. Has he shown signs of aggression before? Did he show signs before he bit your son?

And your husband has a reason to be upset, he has owned that dog for 10 years. Thats a big deal and I imagine he is very attached to him. And I can understand why he doesnt want to get a new puppy, he feels thats replacing his dog and he can't seem to do that.

I suggest you and your husband talk about this. Don't look into getting a new puppy right now, this isnt the time for that.  

Answer 10

wow sounds complicated. It's always hard when a dog botes and you have the decision on rather to put it down or not. I am all for saving the dog. But you'll need more training. Make sure you do it right though. Most dog trainers will hit the dog and simply ahve this whol he listens to you because he's scared it can also make the dog agressive. You didn't includ the breed but anyhow: there are 2 potions depending on the dog:

1. Teach him your the "alfa male/female" and he will mind you

2. Work with him in a manner that says your his friend and he should trust you

You'll need to find a dog trainer that's willing to train your dog properly in being a calm and tolerent dog start small and once he'll tolarate lots of hassel from you and the trainer move him back to mixing with the family he needs to trust that you won't let anyone hurt him and he can't hurt anyone else. Ok it's hard to explain over the cpu but you need to find a good alternative training method trainer! Good luck!!

Answer 11

No child, especially a two year old, should ever be around ANY dog, either a ten year old dog or a new puppy, without constant supervision.  They are way too young to learn proper respect for the animal. What's going on is your husband loves his dog, rightly so, and knows the child can get bitten by a puppy as well as his beloved pet.  I suggest you bring HIS dog home and supervise your child more closely so this doesn't happen again.

Answer 12

Why did the dog bite your son? Was it provoked? Was it out of jealousy?

Do you have a say in it? I mean, can you make the decision to have the dog put down or does your husband have to? I don't have any children, but, I would not have a dog around that I couldn't trust to some extent. I definitely wouldn't have one with a bite history around my child.

I don't know the whole situation nor do I know your husband, but, it seems sort of selfish for him to want to keep the dog that has just bitten his son. If your child provoked the bite, and 2 year olds can do this, then,  I don't know what to say to do.

Is there a possibility your husband would consider giving the dog to someone who doesn't have children IF she passes a behavior test? That's an option other than euth'ing the dog. I wouldn't knowingly give an unstable dog to someone else, though.

Most people are going to tell you the dog needs to be put to sleep.  This is a tough situation. I'm sorry you are having to go through it. It has to be rough.  

Answer 13

well first i would look at why this happened iof the dog had been fine for the past 10years?

2nd i would never let a dog who bit my childs face back in the house again, if he done it once he can do it again.

your husband does seem selfish does he not care that his child has beenn bit in the face? if you bring the dog back your actually telling the dog what she did was fine.

awful situation either re-home her with EXPERIENCED people or the awful one which would be PTS, she she got out and bit more children?

awful situation to be in.

my heart goes out to you

Answer 14

Your son is more important than your husband's dog.

While I am quite confident that the incident was your and your husband's fault for having a dog that is not properly trained and a child that was playing, unsupervised with it, you can't risk your child for your dog.

If your husband wants to keep the dog, then he should consent to an evaluation of your dog's temperament and dog training courses.

Under no circumstances should you get another dog.

Answer 15

First of all, tell your husband that was sorry of him not to let you save a puppy, when now he wants you to save his dog. that sucks he bit your son, another accident that could be even worse would be awful. but i would not put the dog to sleep, maybe find a home for your husbands dog until your son is a little older? or look up training tactics to help the dog not be jealous. i have a jealous dog too, but no kids yet, so i know how they can get. good luck, i hope everything works out!