Help with Dog Bite Question

Definitely a normal response from a dog who is sleeping. Please don't put the dog to sleep. If you don't want the dog to live with you anymore, maybe you could try to find him a new home, possibly a home without small children? I have two dogs and for the most part they are fine around the baby but we are definitely careful and seperate them when we think there could be a situation, such as when they are eating or chewing on a bone.

I wouldn't say put the dog down. If it was unprovoked then get rid of the dog but she jumped on the dog while she was sleeping. I would just say start to teach her the right way to interact with dogs. I have 2 little dogs that my boys (ages 3 1/2 and 2) know to stay away from unless the dogs come to them. And now my littlest one loves opening the back door for them to go out and use the bathroom.

I think you should keep a close eye on your daughter while she is around the dog. Your husband is right. Anyone (even people) who are awakened in the middle of a deep sleep will be startled and defense mechanisms kick in.

The dog won't do it again if you watch your daughter and teach her that it is **never** OK to tackle any animal (or human either, for that matter). She is old enough to learn that. Watching her closely and teaching your daughter is how you protect her.

I can't see the logic of having your dog euthanized just because you didn't see what your daughter was about to do to her. That is sad. It just makes no sense that, through no fault of her own, your dog (that you've had for 6 years?!) is now about to lose her life. I do think, however, that if you are determined not to keep your dog, that you have her put down yourself instead of dropping her off at the pound. At least if you take her to the vet to do it, she won't have to go through a terrifying ordeal *before* she gets put down (which she has probably a 75%+ chance of at the pound). I hope you reconsider.

By no means should you put that dog down! Your daughter needs to learn restraint - if she doesn't learn it now, she may do it to some other dog and the consequence will be much worse.

You teach your daughter to NOT touch ANY dog while it's sleepig - PERIOD. Your dog had a natural response to being stunned awake.

The only time a dog should be put down because of biting is an unprovoked attack - i.e., child sitting reading a book and dog walks up and bites. Other than that - the blame lies solely on your daughter - young or not, it is her actions that caused the dog to bite - she was, in my opinion, mean and spitelful to a dog who was sleeping.

I hope you take this experience and do positive teaching with it - animals are to be respected just like humans - as animals bring us joy and are apart of our families. Pouncing on one when they are sleeping is wrong.

If your dog was actually being agressive, then I would say put them to sleep. I would, if my dog were being malicious. However, it is not the dogs fault that YOU were not watching your daughter, and did not prevent it. A 2yo cannot be trusted to be around a pet without guidance, at any time. If a pet gets hurt, it is their right to protect themselves by nipping. With that said, I do have a dog, and my kids do get nipped when the are being too rough. And they are absolutely never ever allowed around him when he is sleeping, for just the reason you stated.

If you don't feel comfortable keeping the dog around, then you need to find him a new home, not end his life because you weren't doing YOUR job- to protect your child- AND your pet.

I'm glad you posted this question because often people respond to this situation in the completely wrong way. What your dog did was completely natural. Killing the dog is the wrong decision here. I urge you to really think about what you are considering. If you think about it, if somebody tackled you while you were sleeping, you would probably also have a reaction. What you need to do is teach your daughter how to act around animals. You need to teach her not to approach any animal while they are sleeping, eating, or with puppies or kittens. You also need to tell her to ask permission before petting an animal she does not know. I am an active volunteer with the local humane society. You do not want to know the number of good family pets that are turned over (and later euthanized) every year because of situations like this where it is not really the animal's fault. The responsibility lies with the human (in this case you and your husband) in teaching appropriate behavior. They are just trying to protect themselves from a perceived danger. You should also never leave a toddler in a room alone with an animal because you never know what a toddler is going to do. I completely understand your desire to protect your baby, and following the simple steps I outlined above will do exactly that. Teaching her responsible pet ownership and appropriate behavior can stay with her for a lifetime.

Hi,
your Toddler is old enough to start learning about what is wrong and right. So...the next time she approaches the dog quickly take her to a time out. after the 2 minute timeout explain that we do NOT touch the dog while sleeping/eating etc. hug her and let her loose...should she approach the dog again (and she will) repeat the above. time outs take some "time" to work. but they really make a difference! I am not sure what type of dog you have...but they all have teeth and that means they all will bite but I am sure it will live longer than 6 years and I DO NOT believe it should be PUT DOWN for defending itself. geez...hope your toddler never bites another toddler...which WILL happen.
so perhaps give the dog a "safe" place to snooze. ie: baby gates to keep your daughter away from it! if you still believe that the dog should be PUT DOWN then please take the dog to the nearest NO KILL shelter immediately. it was only defending itself.
best of luck!

Hi, P. - There are always alternatives to putting a dog down. Please don't put the dog down if your husband is not in agreement; this could cause a rift between you, even though you are trying to protect your daughter. Try keeping the dog and child separate, especially at doggy naptime! I know you can't watch your daughter every minute, but until she learns not to disturb the dog....hate to say this, but maybe the bite taught her the lesson! Good luck! (P.S. Friends of ours wound up giving their dog to folks who had a farm and no kids; a happy ending for everyone.)

Your husband is right. And so are the other ladies who've already posted here. I totally understand the instinct to protect your baby (completely normal). It is much the same as the your dog's instinct to protect itself when attacked while sleeping. Your posting makes it sound like this was the first time there has been an incident between the dog and your daughter. If that's true, then you are completely over-reacting. If this isn't the first incident, then find another, child-free home for the dog. Don't put the dog to sleep! That's just crazy.

I think putting the dog to sleep is a complete over reaction since it was not the dogs fault. I completly agree with your husband that is was a natural instinct for your dog to bite - quite honestly your daughter should not have been crawling on the dog. I understand you wanting to protect your baby and the best way to do that is to keep an eye of the interaction between your child and the dog and never let them be alone together. I have an 8 yo 135 pd dog and two small ones. I try to protect my dog as well as the children. I do not let the children pull or tug on him because it is unreasonable to expect him to tolerate that. I keep the dog separate from the children at times and always supervise any play with our dog. But ultimately our dog is a faithful committed part of our family that we took on 8 years ago.

DON'T PUT YOUR DOG TO SLEEP DO NOT! Teach your daughter to respect a dog and now she knows that is what will happen when she annoys a dog when they are sleeping. I was bitten by a dog 3 different times when I was 4, 6, and 12, the dog was only put to sleep after she was 16 years old and about to die anyways, I still bear the scars but you know its okay, it was a learning lesson and I never bothered a dog again.

I understand the need to protect your child, I'm the same with my son and my dog, but you also have to realize that the dogs will be dogs, and that your daughter invaded her space and surprised the dog and the dog did the natrual response with believing she was being attacked. Your child needs to learn to respect an animals space and understand that doing things like that are not nice, its just like with pulling on tails or ears, its not nice.

Bottom line is don't put your dog to sleep, its not fair to the dog. You need to teach your daughter to respect animals space. Also it wouldn't be fair to your husband or yourself if you put your companion down. The dog did what dogs do, don't punish her for that, just teach your child to respect the space and the animals.

We had a similar incident this weekend. Our 14month old son was lightly grazed on the forehead by our dog. This only happned after our son would not leave the dog alone, as food was indirectly involved. Our son kept wanting to play, and the dog was sitting minding his own business while my husband had some food. Apparently the dog must have thought our son was going to take the food, and became defensive. we explained to both of them, (don't know how much each understood), that they can not do that. I took my son upstairs, wiped the scratch, and he was back playing within 5 minutes. Up until that point, they have both done really well together. We will contiunue to keep an eye on them.

I wouldn't look at putting the dog to sleep unless you have spoken to some experts first - which I am not. Have you spoken to either your vet or a local shelter or even a rescue for your type of dog? If not, you may want to and ask if either:

1) The dog has possibly become a danger to your family or your family to the dog.
2) Do they know of a group that might be willing to take your dog and help find it a new home where there are no children.

You may be right in thinking that you need to separate your dog and your daughter. The other thing is that your daughter may have learned her lesson and will no longer pester you dog during naps - or you might be able to teach her this lesson.

Good luck!

L. Moore

if you dont want her in the house try to find a new home for her with older kids that know better than to mess with her or no kids at all.

I was bitten in the face by our family dog when I was 8 (I am now 38 and a first time mother to a 4 month old). My dad wanted to get rid of the dog, but my mom did not. I am glad they did not because he was a great dog. the problem was with me testing my limits. Animals deserve to be respected, and growling, clawing (cats) and snapping are the only way they have to communicate that they want you to stop doing what you are doing. You have had the dog for 6 years without any prior incidence? The dog is fine. I would suggest better supervision so that your daughter learns as she grows up to respect all living creatures, and of course does not provoke another negative response from your dog.

You should definitely NOT put your dog to sleep. The dog did nothing wrong, her actions were totally normal and provoked by your daughter tackling her. The dog was only acting naturally and appropriately. If you feel it is in the best interests of the dog, find the dog another good home to live in.

We have a dog and I never, ever leave my daughter and dog alone together. If I have to leave the room I bring one of them with me. It is a lot of work, but worth it to keep both of them safe and to keep their relationship good. We've been teaching my daughter to respect the dog since my daughter started to crawl. We never let her hit the dog or near the dog when she is sleeping or eating. My daughter now says, "Leave puppy alone when she is sleeping." My daughter is two now, so she learned quickly.

Best of luck, but don't put the dog to sleep. Find her a good, loving home if you can't keep her.

Our dog did that exactly once when our son was little. We went crazy yelling at the dog who immediately went under the bed. This was after our son at 2 1/2 had startled him from a sound sleep. Later (age 4) our son put his arm down the dogs throat to get a sandwich back that the dog had taken. No bite. When the children are small you need to supervise them. you wouldn't leave the children alone with matches, a stranger. The child needs to learn to respect the dog as even if God forbid you put your family pet down you could not keep your child away from other dogs forever. Your dog needs his own space that is just for him. Perhaps sleep there.

Our dog recently passed away at the age of 16. Our son, now 10 will love him forever. I can't imagine putting the dog down over an incident. If the dog is truly aggressive that is a different thing.

I agree with the other responses. I have 2 dogs myself and occassionally they might nip at my kids (never left a mark), but it was by accident or because they were doing something they shouldn't have been doing. If the dog hasn't done anything like this before I wouldn't put it to sleep. Just try to teach your daughter to respect the dogs space.

How long have you had the dog?

L.

dogs tend to do that when they are startled i'm lucky enough to have very tolerant dog who lets my 7 month old do just about anything including pulling on his pinch collar and bouncing on him when he is asleep just depends on the the dog and just a note to Laurel M my dog is a red nose pit bull so please don't include the half pit in your response about a dog because i have a tough enough time educating people about my dog and i don't need derogatory comments like oh he is half pit because that is not a reason for a dog to bite a child breed has little to do with anything it is about how you train and how much socialization the dog gets

A dog who is attacked while sleeping reacts on instinct and cannot be blamed for what happens. This is why little ones need to be taught from the get-go that it is not ok to roughhouse with animals. Even with this, there are no assurances that stuff won't happen- I get it- I also have a two year old. If you cannot sum it up in your mind as a lesson learned by all then I would suggest finding the dog a new, loving home. It does concern me that you would skip this other step altogether and jump directly to the more drastic option. Please consider what it was like to be your dog in this situation. Good luck to you.

controll the baby

once bitten twice shy

I'm in line with the other ladies - as a life long dog owner, this doesn't sound like a situation where the dog needs to be put to sleep & I've seen situations where it has needed to and has happened. Especially if this dog never shown any other agressive behavior in the past, wouldn't have it put down.

But if you still don't have your piece of mind back, then put the dog up for adoption @ your local shelter. Fairly relay what happened to the staff & they'll make sure the dog won't go to a household w/ young kids.

Good luck!

How would you feel if someone did the same thing to you? This is not the best reaction, but your daughter needs to learn to behave properly with the dog. I am not saying your dogs not at fault. Both should be disciplined. However, it doesn't give your daughter the right to trample all over the dog. That's not fair either. If you are considering putting her to sleep, let me know. I am sure we can find a good home. If this is the only incident, I wouldn't put her down. If it were unprovoked, then maybe. You can tell if your dog is red zone or not. Maybe she's just not right for your family. Anyway, your daughter needs to learn how to interact with dogs, b/c you may be in a scenario similar with someone else's dog. You can't put every dog down. Both the dog and the child's behavior should be addressed.

it was a natural response for the dog. Please do not put the dog asleep for that. If you are concerned that she might bite your daughter again then please find a new home for her.

In my opinion, it would really be a personal decision and alot would depend on how bad the bite was and the history of your dog. Our daughter was bitten by a neighbors dog several years ago and even though she didn't get stitches (they wouldn't do that since it was a puncture wound) she does still have a scar. Fortunately, she remembers the incident but still loves dogs. Anyway, turns out our neighbors dog was a stray they had recently picked up and they knew nothing of the dogs' history. It didn't help either that it was half pitbull. Anyway, we suggested them getting rid of it for fear it happening again to our children or someone else's, and they got upset and ended up moving shortly after the incident. I'm sure you have a better knowledge of the history of your dog, but I have heard that once a dog bites and get the taste of blood, it is likely they will do it again. I don't know if this is true or not, but just thought I would share. Good luck!

Hi P.
Please do not put this dog to sleep. There is nothing wrong with the dog. She is not agressive because your 2 yr old startles her by jumping on her while sleeping. If you are so concerned that it will happen again, put the dog for adoption or bring to the Humane Sociey. I know that kids will be kids, but you should be sure that you are teaching your 2 yr old (as best you can at this age) that you need to be kind to animals and they are not toys to jump on because dogs will be dogs. Your dog is there to protect the home and when it is startles, that is how she will react... you dont know what she was dreaming about...

again think of adoption first... do not euthanize this dog!!

Please don't put the dog to sleep. As your husband said, it was a normal response. When my son was 5 or 6, he picked up our cat and squeezed her too hard. she bit him, and my son needed to get stitches. My husband, who hated cats to begin with, wanted to get rid of her, but we just kept her separated from the family for about a week. What's really funny is this cat really likes my son. After that, he became one of her favorite people, and would even climb in bed with him. He's 18 (almost) and we still have Shadow, the cat. And she'll still go to him.

Instead of just wanting to put her to sleep, couldn't you find a home for her. She's only six, all my dogs have lived til about 14. I understand not wanting your child hurt, but I think there could be a better alternative than ending the dogs life. She was just doing what dogs do when startled.

S.

If somebody jumped on me while I was sleeping, I might be inclined to do a little biting myself. Often, little kids treat live animals like stuffed toys. Pulling ears, tails, and fur hurts, and you can't blame the animal for defending itself. It takes time to teach kids to be kind and gentle. Animals and toddlers together always need close supervision. Make sure your dog has some safe space where she can get away from your daughter. Make sure your daughter can't get to the dog without your being there. Do dog and daughter get along the rest of the time? Daughter might get pretty upset if the dog suddenly goes away.

Here's the deal with the dog, if she does it again, the dog will probably bite again and it may be worse. That being said, it's not completely the dogs fault, nature built it that way. That being said, your child's safety is your #1 concern. If something bad happens not only will you feel bad you can be held responsible. Now, you don't necessarily have to put the dog down. My boss has wonderful pit bulls that are great with her kids, but if she's not directly interacting with both of them (the dog and the kids) they are kept in separate spaces, sometimes with a door with a child-protection grasp on it (if she's doing laundry or cooking) or at least a baby gate, if she's just busy with stuff. This is to prevent the two from interacting in a dangerous way if she's not there. This maybe a good idea for you, since you can't watch everything all the time (no one expects you too) but then you don't have to worry and you can protect both the dog and child!! Good luck!!