Has your dog ever bitten anyone and you were forced to make the decision to put him down or not?

Question

If so what was your decision?
My dog bit my sister she was attending to an injured dog and my dog was trying to help the injured dog and he grabbed my sister by the leg and pulled her out of the room, she was hurt really bad. My sister and I both love this dog very much, but his actyions cannot be tolerated. I know he was protecting the other dog, but that is not an excuse. I just can't bring myself to destroying this guy. I get a 50/50 response from training professionals, what is your honest opinion?

Michael Angelo- My name is Demarco, my Dad called me Dem for short, people thought he was saying Demon I have this name since I was a toddler, I can't shake it and I'm in my 30's now.

Dear Lynn_ The thing is we are a breed rescue. He is a extremely well trained dog, but he is a pack protector, he loves dogs. And he truly loves my sister.

Jasmine- I agree I would never give him away, he is going through retraining now and will have his temperment tested next week. If I keep him I will keep him away from humans. I am really lokking for opinions and I thank all of you who are posting.

Moira77-I really appreciate you posting. It seems like you went through the same incident and emotions I'm going through right now. I'm really sorry about what happened to your daughter, but I'm glad to hear she doesn't have a fear of dogs, and she has a rottie for a best bud. I am a trainer my dog has already been fully evaluated and passed with flying colors in the past. He will be re-evaluated next week. Your answer has come the closest to the way I feel so far. Thanks again.

MIsbehaving- I appreciate your answer, but your facts are a little cloudy. My sister never lets any other dogs out while she is tendind to a injured pup. I came in the door with my dog while she was doing this, she didn't even knew what grabbed her.
And My sister , my younger brother, and myself have a deep love for one another, we would stand up and fight and defend each other even if we knew the one we were defending was wrong.
As far as lazy, no you are wrong, This dog has had the best training that can be provided to any dog. We are professional dog trainers, and our family has been breeding the same breed of dogs for over 175years, And we do dog rescue as well. It took 3 guys and a baseball bat to get this dog to let go of my sister. Now he appears to be remorseful and perfectly fine, if I give this dog any command he will follow it flawlessly, except the command to release my sister. I would never want to destroy him. Animal control doesn't want to step in, they respect us.

Misbehaving(cont)- and animal control contacts us when they have dogs worth saving. This dog has already defended myself and my sister, and he surely has earned his keep. I would go to bat for him just like you did for your dog. I just can't help thinking about how I saw this dog go after my sister, she ran a grabbed a shot gun, he laid on the floor and covered his eyes with his paws, he kept peaking at my sister through one paw, she handed me the gun. At first she thought he lost his mind, once she knew he was submissing she knew he was protecting the pup, and told me to lock him up and take her to the hospital. She has thousands of staples, a huge hole in her leg, which required 6hrs of plastic surgery and skin grafts, 1 week in trauma care, she is currently in a wheel chair, and needs more extensive sergury as soon has the graft heals. She loves this dog as much as I do. I am looking for opinions and yours was a good one. Thanks for posting

Thanks Falk.

Answer 1

Because the dog was acting under extremely stressful and unusual circumstances, I don't think it would be fair to have him put down. However, you should assess the dog's behavior at other times. What is he usually like? Does he usually show any signs of aggression? Think of how you might react in a situation like this one. Imagine that your friend is injured. You're extremely freaked out and trying to help, then someone else comes in and starts messing with your friend. This person doesn't speak your language and you have no idea what this person is doing to your friend. For all you know she is hurting your friend even worse that he was already hurt. Acting out of fear, you grab this person and push them out of the room. Should you be sentenced to death for that, even though you had never shown any violent tendencies before? If you said no, then you can understand what your dog was going through. Give him another chance.

Answer 2

Unfortunately yes, roughly 5 yrs ago I had a Dalmatian that was an outside dog , due do my allergies to dogs. (In bad weather he was put in the basement) We live on a corner where lots of the neighborhood children play, walk by, and even gather for the school bus. The area adults & children had become familar w/my dog and would stop and pet him. After 3 yrs he sudden bit a lady, pretty severly. Short time after that he bit 2 children, (different occasions), minor bites...It was then I made the decision to have him put to sleep. I was very fortunate that none of the 3 families sued me & could not risk another bite in which I might be sued. Nor did I want anyone, especially a child injured! I had considered putting up "beware of dog" signs, but the children had previously gotten to know that "Domino" was a friendly dog & many of the school children were to young to read the signs. And kids are just drawn to dalmatians, probably due to Disney's "101 Dalmatians".
I could/would not be responsible if I gave him away to another family and he bit them or any other person. And didn't know if/when his bites might turn into maulings. It was an extremely hard thing for me to do. I hope you make the right decision for you, I'll keep you in my prayers.

Answer 3

there is not any place in a glance after for a human-aggressive canine. in the event that they tell the look after he has bitten them multiple instances, he would be euthanized. in the event that they do no longer tell the look after, then the canine would be located in a house the place persons are blind to the threat, and that they are going to be bitten. attempting to provide up this canine to a glance after is only dumping the topic in somebody else's lap. they are able to have a behaviorist come out and evaluate the canine and his habit, if which will help them settle for that euthanasia is the only determination. A canine that has aggressively bitten the adults interior the family individuals & acts aggressively in the direction of the toddlers, is like having a loaded gun on the coffee table. What if he does bite the toddlers? What if he bites a neighbor's baby? Bites every physique coming to the door? they are risking severe injury to others, the canine being order to be euthanized, courtroom situations, and fines. everybody desires to assert, "oh confident, there is desire", yet regrettably each so often there is no longer. And a canine it rather is aggressive to everybody is residing a depressing existence besides--he's not a happy canine. upload: Alias Boxer has a solid factor. If it rather is new habit or escalating, a vet verify to rule out wellness issues mutually with thyroid imbalance could be finished earlier committing the canine to be euthanized. The canine could be saved removed from the toddlers till a call is made.

Answer 4

I understand why your dog attacked, but it still sent a shutter down my spine when I read the extent of the injuries. So let me tell you my story.
Several years ago I acquired a golden retreiver 'dwarf'. Can you imagine, a dwarf. He was adorable but came with a load of undisclosed baggage. He was the product or both abuse and a condition called sudden rage syndrome ( a form of epilepsy). He bit me, my father and my mother. More than once.
After one such attack I stood studying him, as if the answer to the problem might suddenly materialize. I told my father that we had two choices and I would follow his wishes. We could either have the dog euthanized or I could go back to school and learn how to handle a special animal.
Dad chose the school. Off I went to become a dog trainer, I was never one to settle for half of the information when I could get it all. Through observation and information I learned how to control our little runt and five years later we still have him.
I now own and operate a canine obedience facility, specializing in behavior problems like aggression.
The rules that I give my students who are bound and determined to keep their biters are these.
-When out in public the dog must have a muzzle. They are not cruel although at first the dog might rebel.
-The dog must never be allowed to socialize with children or the uninformed, outside of the immediate family, who understand the problem. This includes other dogs.
-You must always keep a close watch on him for any sign of anthing that might cause him to attack again.
-You can never give him away or put him up for adoption. Only those who have experienced a biter will ever understand the animal.
-You are responsible for the dog. You have chosen to keep him alive now you MUST protect him from himself.
AND most important - NEVER trust that he won't bite again. The genie is out of the bottle and it is not only possible but given the right set of circumstances, probable.
Good Luck.

Answer 5

I have had dogs I owned bit someone three times. The first was a terrier mix protecting my home. The second was cocker who just had puppies and bit a guy trying to pick one up even though my mother was telling him no, in a loud, pi@@ed off voice. The third was a chow pit mix that some kids were poking with a Sharp stick and throwing rocks at her. The only one that took me to court was the last. The judge took the dog home to watch her for a week listen and read all the witnesses to the kids abuse of the dog and he fined the parents of the kids $550 for cruelty. Your dog needs some more training but I would not put a dog down for what is protecting a companion

Answer 6

What you really need to do is figure out if this is an isolated incident or not. Does the dog pose a threat or do you just think his behavior was unacceptable? Instead of putting him down maybe you should take him to the ASPCA. they are very good at determining if a dog can be rehabilitated after biting someone. Taking his life is a very drastic step and should ONLY be used as a last resort. I understand if you no longer see the dog in the same light and don't feel comfortable around him anymore, but putting him up for adoption may be a better, more humane option, especially if the dog is not generally aggressive or violent. Please be absolutely certain though before you put him to sleep.

Answer 7

I don't think you need to have your dog put down. Your dog was protecting the pup, not knowing that your sister was helping it. It is strange how people say animals can't think yet when they do something like bite a person they should know better or stop to analyze what is going on. Instinct is what they act on, it is what can save them from harm. I am sure he didn't know he was causing damage to your sister. He was only pulling her away with his mouth right, sharp teeth right, it would take cognitive skills for your dog to think - if I use my mouth I might hurt a human and that is not good, what else could I do..hmmmm. My partner got bit by our dog who was 10 years old at the time. Another of our dogs attacked her and he foolishly tried to separate them with his hand and he got bit. He had a lot of damage to his hand. We did not have our dog put down, she was defending herself and could not have know at the time that a hand was going to get in the way.
If your dog is not viscious, is normally well behaved and you know it was not his intention to hurt but to help there is no reason to put him down. You say his actions cannot be tolerated. Did you show the damage to him? How was he afterwards, still intent on holding on and angry or could you see remorse, you know the look, head down, tail tucked, that oh oh look on his face or a duh what did I do look?
I do hope that since you train dogs that you also know their language. Love tolerates alot when there is understanding. You use the word excuse but it was the reason, to protect. You could use a soft muzzle when around people to ensure there is no repeat, which I find hard to believe it would happen again.
Also, note that the dog grabbed her leg and pulled her away, he did not bite her as in attack and rip and tear. I rest my case.

Answer 8

it seems that your dog is generally a good dog. I dont believe he wanted to attack your sister on purpose but it might not be the right thing to do in my opinion to put the dog down. it was like when the white tiger dragged his injured magician master[ frued? ahh im going to hate myself later because I forgot his name] off the stage and further injurying him. I understand this is a tough descision because the dog had no immediate threat that your sister posed to him, but I've read your other responses and he seems like the pack protector sort of, maybe its just his animal instinct, like humans have a tendency to protect other humans or family form attack or danger, the same should apply to pets. well hope I helped and good luck.

Answer 9

My honest opinion is that unless this dog has shown viciousness in other situations, putting him down might not be the answer or at least the first option I would try. It sounds like he didn't understand that your sister was trying to help the other dog. You know your dog better than anyone else. If you truly believe your dog is a danger to the people in your life, then maybe it does need to be put down. If you think this is an isolated incident caused by a stressful situation, I hope you'll explore other options.

Answer 10

I feel very sad for you and your dog and I really wish I could have a word of advice,but it's so hard and I can't honestly say I would have the strenght to put a dog I love down. I would say you can give the dog second chance since he never did it before and try to train him to not to freak,when there is injured dog in need of help, I know it can be done. My dog never bit anyone, so that makes it easier for me. I hope that whatever decision you make you won't regret it, good luck :-)