Should My Dog be put down?

Question

Hi,
I really need advice.A friend visited my house with his daughter.He normally just does not watch her when he brings her! I do! I have a dog.I want to say that my dog means ALOT to me!!His daughter received a warning from my dog.He nipped her face for going near some sort of toy that was on the floor.They were all on the floor(dog,child,toy).I have a child and a niece that are loved by my dog!The child's parents were around the 1st time.Ok,well it happened again.This time much worse.Her father brought her to My house and left her unattended.He knew what happened the 1st time.He was told not to even come over WITH his Child!My dog was in a different room with the door shut.Somehow it got opened and Boom,next thing I heard was my friend saying that his daughter needed a hospital.Just to remind you He WAS NOT watching his child.Now my dog is most likely to be put to sleep.I feel terrible for the child.Her face is bad.She is only 18 mos.I have been crying for Both! I miss my dog....

Answer 1

Your dog shouldn't be around other children. You shouldn't have allowed the child in the house..when she came to the door, you should have sent her away, but now it is too late to think about what should have been. the authorities will likely make the decision for you..you may have a chance to argue the case for your dog, so you will have to check with them tomorrow and find out how things stand..

I'll say a prayer for you and yours.. I had a biting dog, too, so I know how you must feel.

Answer 2

First of all has the dog been put down yet caus I'm not sure from the end of it and what does 18 mos mean.

I would be sad If it were my dog or child to I would probably get it put down or try to train it not to attack people even if it means you have to punish the dog severely with out causing any physical, emotional or mental harm to it so it still respects you instead of being afraid of you, that's just what i think but it is entirely up to you. It is the fathers fault mainly for not paying attention to the child. Its not your fault you did your part in telling him not to bring her over or at least supervise his own child when he does, It's just unfortunate we had a dog like that it never bit anyone but it was to big and rough for us ever since we were all little children so we gave it to a farmer to burn off its extra energy. hope this helps. and I'm also sorry to hear that alot of people are blaming you for the accident.

and I hope you find the right thing to do with your dog.

Answer 3

What a horrible thing. I had a similar thing happen I had a dog that guarded my son's room when he was out to school and the dog would growl and go for anyone (even me) that tried to enter the room for some reason my maid decided to go in when she knew she was never to do so. She was ravished by the dog. I didn't have the heart to put the dog down so I was lucky enough to find a farmer who was looking for a guard dog so I sent her there. You don't have many options and a dog with this nature is unpredictable, so although it will hurt best you get rid of the dog one way or another.

Answer 4

To Steph: If it were *my* child, I would have paid attention and not brought her back over, or, if for some strange reason I *had* to bring her, I would have paid attention to what she was doing... I HATE IT when people bring over their kids and don't keep an eye on them... it is RUDE and dangerous... my kids are older now and the house is NOT baby-proof! I don't allow it. If they won't watch their kids, I ask them to leave.

SIGH. That being said.. you really should have turned him away at the door. The dog was just being a dog, but unfortunately, laws tend to ignore nature and stupid parents. I suggest you ditch town with your dog, or give him to a friend/family member that has room... the courts will probably order that your dog be destroyed. Your "friend" doesn't seem very friendly, or smart, or like a caring father.

Answer 5

I'm very sorry to hear about this. We don't know what the child did to provoke the dog, but if all she did was grab a dog's toy, then your dog has a temper problem. Do you ever watch the pet rescue shows on Animal Planet? If they've rescued a pet and want to see if they can adopt it out, they'll do all sorts of tests, including touching the dog's paws, ears, etc., touching it while it's eating, taking it's food away, etc. If the dog reacts aggressively to any of those tests, it's deemed to be a risk to those around it and is put to sleep. I understand that the dog is taking good care of your family and is a friend to you, I'm a big dog lover myself and it is a very hard decision to make to put your dog down. In this case though, I think that it is the right thing to do. You know your dog has an aggression problem and that is not going to go away. Your dog has proven what a danger it is to those around it. You'll either have to isolate the dog to the point where any contact with a stranger is absolutely impossible, or you'd have to put it down, which is actually the more humane choice of the two, I think. Hope this helps, and again, I'm very sorry to hear about your and your friend's situation.

Answer 6

I am so sorry to read your story.
Sadly in NSW and Vic any dog on there own turf is the owners respondiibilty fully so if this dog bit this child as bad as it seems and no adult was around to supervise then the fault falls back on your self and the father for the child.
regardless whether the father brought the child back it was your respondibilty to inforce the child was not left unattended either knowing what happend the first time.
you can have the dog declared dangerouse so then ppl are aware you have a dog that may bite but due to any medical intervention with child and dog then the dog usaly is put down after a hearing if the parent of child pursues it.
you have the right to state your case as well saying what you did here then the dog may have a chance but in all honesty depending on were you live if any animal gets the taste of blood they will usaly attack again and again.
thats why it is always best to remove all toys and food bowls out of harms way especially if you got a toddler coming around who wouldnt understand that he/she cannot touch the pooches stuff.
a dog is a protector not just in the wild but in there own home as well.thats there nature
saddest lesson learnt here is is the father wasnt listening to your advice and his daughter/son had to learn the hardest lesson in life or you werent clear enough or firm enough to make sure your dog didnt get out or get near the infant.
i feel sorry for the dog and child here not either you or the father as you both new the consquences regardless.

Answer 7

It is very disturbing when a pet nips, bites or gets aggressive with children. I myself feel that after the pet nipped her the first time, the parent should had kept his daughter with him, or asked you to either place him/her in a kennel, out side in their room. It is not your fault this happened, as a responsible parent he should had watched his daughter more closely. I have seen situations were a dog had bitten and was not put down. They are observed at the kennel for signs of being overly aggressive. My brothers dog is aggressive, when he bit the neighbors boy, they investigator found that the child should not had been were he was (in my brothers garage unattended by his parents) at the time, the dog was observed, released to my brother, he now has special restrictions for the dog, but he was not put down.

Answer 8

It's too bad that people don't use common sense. I don't feel you should put your dog down. I understand how you feel about your dog. It wasn't his fault. Are they pressing you to have the dog put down? If they push the issue, an alternative would be to find a great home for him. Maybe it could be just until the dust settles from all of this.
Best of luck to you and your dog. I really hope things go your way.

Answer 9

NO DOG SHOULD BE PUT TO SLEEP FOR WHAT IS NATURAL!! Your friend should have known what your dog was capable of doing, any dog no matter what breed it is, it is going to to attack when they think that something is being snatched from them. They take it as a threat, they feel like they are going to be hit so in self defense they attack!!
I know how you feel about the little girl but if the parent was irresponsible and left the child by itself knowing that there's an animal in the household then he should take it upon HIMSELF and take the blame for what happened to his child.
If you really love your dog like you say you do then you would fight for him.

Answer 10

This is so sad... it's not the dogs fault or the little girl... it's the father's fault for bringing her over when you told him not to and sadly also your's for not turning them away or making sure your dog was locked up... try and fight for your dog's life and if you do win get your dog some good training and take more care... but unfortunately apart from that there's not much you can do... I'm very sorry for both your dog and the poor little girl..