Should I get my dog put down?

[andypandy30]

Really don't know what to do for the best. Had our dog nine years, she is a mixed breed, nor really sure what she is a bit Spanial, she has always been lively jumping up etc.
We took her to training a few years back, it didn't really work to be honest. I have 2 ds one who is five and one 2.10.
A few years back the dog bit the next door neighbour, we were at work she got out in the rain so he tried to put her back in. The nice next door neighbour played it down but had a plaster on.
We let it go and watched her closely. She has growled at the kids a few times and nipped the eldest once when he was a toddler but the child stood on his tail accidentally. Both ds know not to be cruel to the dog and never are. Today ds tried to take a bean off the dogs plate, it was left over from his dinner and given to the dog. I heard ds scream I was washing up he was crying hard his arm was very red and swollen and has teeth marks but it didn't bleed.
Not sure what to do, everyone telling me we have had enough warnings now and next time it could be the eye.
Dog is walked everyday has massive back garden and I only work part time so it's rarely alone.
Please give me some advice sorry it's so long didn't want to drip feed

I wish I was as perfect a parent as all of you who can watch your children all the time and never take your eyes off them while you manage to keep the house in a livable state. I can't, my dd toddles around the house from room to room to play and sometimes (heaven forbid) up the stairs to her bedroom without me following her around. If you have a big open plan kitchen wtf are you supposed to put the gates to separate the child and the dog while you wash up. Surely in a normal family you would expect to be able to turn your back to wash up without the bloody dog biting your 2 year old.
And what are you supposed to do with you sleeping toddlers while you take said dog for a walk in the dead of night?
Spaniels are not easy to train, they don't take to it easily ours was really tough and we went to training classes twice a week for it's whole life and the trainer used commend us for our persistence but the bugger still couldn't sit stay.
To question the OP as aparent is just taking it too far, she asked for advice about what to do with a biting dog, some people throw the phrase bad parent about willy nilly just to be man cos it touches a nerve in all of us. I've seen bad parents, they wouldn't give a shit about the children, they'd belt them for being near the dog and getting bit, then praise the dog for being cool and hard. The OP is a responsible parent, that is why she is facing a difficult decision.
Some people give dog lovers a bad name they really do.

And btw fencing off the garden isn't practical with a spaniel, our springer used to jump over our neighbour's 6 ft fence easily to steal their airdale's bones.

"Tarty do you find it difficult to read? It might be because you are so busy? Maybe you need to get your eyesight checked."

Tarty seems to have taken time to offer you some good advice despite her being so busy.

It's easy to fall into the 'safe dog' trap. It's small, it's cute. It can still bite. Even a Spaniel may take a snap if you hurt it or take it's food. It's an animal regardless of how domesticated.

Does the dog have a space to retreat? I know some dog owners loathe crating but when you have a dog that has shown behavioral problem having a space that is theirs to eat and sleep can be a saving grace. You don't have to lock it, let the dog come and go. You can get really big crates that aren't cramped and leave lots of extra space. Then you train your children not to go near the cage. At all. Even when the dog isn't there.

Please don't put your dog down. Rehome. Move heaven and earth to find him a nice home. He deserves it.

I'm sorry doesitcomeinblack but the reason why spaniels are working dogs is because of how easy they are torain think gun dogs, snifferdogs etc. Spaniels are however very energetic and need constant stimulation and exercise.

Op, as you have been advised there are plenty of charities that can help without having to put him to sleep; please contact them

Sorry, "to Tran" rather than torain

Train!!!!!!

Not read all posts but I've heard a few folk recently say never trust an old spaniel.

I'm in NI. You've not put much effort into finding somewhere which will rehome your dog. The dog you loved pre DC and you have failed to train.
Assisi in Bangor. There are others. Poor dog. Poor lesson for DC to learn.

I use one of these for when I can't watch my daughter:

www.amazon.co.uk/7-2-meter-octagonal-baby-playpen/dp/B004OWZNBQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1345498511&sr=8-3

It can also be used as a room divider in an open plan room as it comes with wall fixings (can be extended to make a pen or divider as long as you like/need). I honestly would not be without it. Nor would I be without my dog's crate - she needs her own space, even though I never shut the door. She's old. When she's had enough of company she goes in there and we leave her alone until she chooses to come out.

Just for the record I do this because I don't trust any dog, including my own beloved pooch - they all have a breaking point and it's totally individual to them, and can vary depending on if they are feeling unwell (which they can't tell you so you might not know) which can become more of an issue as they get older. Likewise I don't trust any child not to provoke a dog, be it completely by accident or on purpose. I wouldn't leave any child alone with any dog. That's when those horrible "he's always been great with kids - til he ripped my daughter's face off" stories happen. Whenever you read these stories they seem to say the child was in the garden/room alone with the dog whilst the parent/grandparent/unnamed adult answered the door/phone/went to make a drink....

My dog has never so much as looked at my child the wrong way, and when I am there, and my daughter is on my knee, we stroke the dog. But she doesn't go on the floor with her in case she accidentally provokes a reaction, she's never alone with her, and she never feeds or touches the dog's food. For me it's basic safety and so many children could avoid nasty scars (and dogs could avoid being put down) if certain precautions were taken.

I will be contacting all of them I have stored the numbers in my phone thanks to those who gave me them. Of course rehoming is the best option I would love this. My vet does not think thinks is do able because no one will take a dog who bites, also growls at kids and if I had her off the lead which I never can she would have bitten the little girl in the park who came to pet her.
She does not like kids full stop, the ds friends can't come to play ever as she may go for them, it's sad for them too, they adore the dog, as do we.
The vet said if we choose to try to rehome she will sit in a cage for the rest of her life as no one will take her. I understand this is just the opinion of one man though, who did mention her aggression at her appointment so may not like the dog. So I will not take his word as gospel, I will do all I can but I am not keeping the dog here it's not safe 3 bites are too many I need to put the kids safety first.
My sil may still take her if we pay insurance food and all vets bills which we are v happy to do, but I know they will not walk her, they are not a walking type of family at all, sil is very obese so would not be able to. We live 40 mins away so can't drive over every day to walk her.
I'm trying to figure out how we can still make sure she gets excercise? Sil has no garden either just a small yard. Can dog walkers be hired, or is that an American thing?

Your vet sounds like a plank!

OP you said you had a large garden, would you not be able to fence part of it off so the dog could have a part when outside? I did this round the side of my house and I also have a solid stairgate at the top of the house so I can put dog in my bedroom if wet with no danger of kids getting near him. His food is on upstairs landing and he has his bed up there. My kids are older now so not so much of a problem, but I know he would bite the postman or any delivery men because he sees himself as the man of the house but he knows from my tone of voice that bed means bed and he will go up. He is a mongrel off a working terrier and an alsation/lab cross so I would not trust him with small children....but there must be a way. Do they have gumtree in your neck of the woods? If you have to part with him someone else will love him, please don't put him down without looking at any and all alternatives first.

Again, no effort to look into it for your local community. Of course there are towns in NI who have dog walkers. And pet ambulances, and taxis, and sitters. FFS.

Why ask this question of an audience on MN?

Tbh your sil does not sound like someone who would be suitable for the dog.

She won't walk it, has no garden, will not pay for it.....

We don't mind paying for the dog though, we have been for years. Can't find anything on gum tree about dog walkers in the part of NI I would need. Really can't afford to pay to have the dog waked everyday though just don't have the money for that. Sil loves the dog, her teenagers may walk the dog but I can see that not lasting long.

YANBU. Good luck with the rehoming. An elderly dog with a possible bad temperament, known biter and food issues, you're gonna need it. I always quietly laugh to myself when people scream rehome because the reality is that it is going to be nigh on impossible to rehome a dog with these issues. Even if a rescue takes on your dog theres not guarantee that he would even be rehomed but possibly left to languish in a kennel.

Keeping dogs and children apart in a house imo is very difficult, and can lead to a very stressful situation for yourself, your family and your dog, and it just takes that one time for the dog to escape/kids accidentally let it out/some one forgets to close the gate scenario for something unimaginable to happen. If dogs and children can't live in harmony then they shouldn't live together.

Sometime PTS is the better option and by far the harder decision.

Gumtree? Gumtree? FFS. I'm out. Poor dog.

What is wrong with looking on Gumtree for a dog walker? It's where I found mine 3 years ago before my beloved Lab died and I was seriously ill with swine flu?!

I was physically unable to walk the dog at that point, but managed to find dog walkers on there for him. So what's with the FFS?! At least the OP is trying to think longer term, that if her sister regimes the dog (no small children) but is unable to offer a decent amount if exercise, and a dog walker would solve that, then surely that is better than the dog being PTS?

Titty this is what I fear and what my vet has told me. Really can't face the other option though so am praying sil takes her, but the dog will not get walked there, they will say they will do it, but they won't, they don't believe in excercise and think I am a gym freak in their own words.
Dog walking is £8 per hour even one hour per day thats almost £50 per week there is no way we can afford this we spend this on food at the min.
This is horrible I just have no idea what to do for the best

YABU poor pooch

Jesus Christ there is so much bull shit on this thread I am not even going to bother.

OP give me a PM if you get stuck and I'll try and help find more rescues you can contact.

Now if you'll excuse me I need to go and feed my wolf, the one who was returned to rescue for snapping at a child, who obviously will never find a home....

I agree with everything flatpack said. I don't think you should have animals at all tbh. The instances you describe are your own fault, not the dogs.

The dog will have bitten the neighbour because she was scared.

I knew this thread would upset me, I shouldn't have opened it.

DoesItComeInBlack - you can do this with spaniels. My dog is a spaniel. That's how I know.

Ok, let's be realistic for a second.

Whoever told you that dogs who have bitten will never get rehomed is ridiculous.
2 of my dogs were rescues who had bitten in the past. I bought them home. They haven't bitten anyone since.

Whoever told you your dog is too old to be trained is again ridiculous. As dogs get older it takes an enormous amount of time and effort to train them but it can be done

I don't think the dog is the problem, I think the fact you have not trained your dog sufficiently and you are letting the toddler be unsupervised with the dog and allowing him to take food out of his bowl is the problem.

However, that is irrelevant right now because you have clearly decided you do not have the time or inclination to train the dog or adequately seperate the children from the dog so you are trying to do the right thing.

I would strongly urge you not to give the dog to your sister if he isn't going to be walked. He will not benefit, your sister will have a troubled, bored, I unexercised, unpredictable dog on her hands.
Yes of course you can hire dog walkers but you seem unwilling to do so for financial reasons. I don't think a dog should go to a home where it isn't wanted.

There are rescues in NI. Have you called any of them yet?
If you do not get the response you are hoping for please PM me and I will make a few calls for you.

Just to let you all know. None of the rehoming places I rang there will take the dog, Assisi have a waiting list of 6 months as do the dog house sanctuary. Both said its very unlikely the dog, because of her age and because she bites will be rehomed.
I asked about training and Assisi said she would be very doubtful this would work for a dog of her age and breed and that Spanial type dogs can become aggressive in later life. I was advised to try to privately rehome her as she is likely to bite again. My only option is sister in law, who will not walk the dog.
Really don't know what to do for the best. I can't fence off my garden she jumped a six foot fence the day she bit my neighbour so this would be no good.

Ok. So what now?

Do you want me to make some calls?

What are you going to do?

And I'll just reiterate that no rehoming die to biting is BS