Our dog bit me :(

[Jellymuffin]

Yesterday our dog bit my face, completely unprovoked though he had got out unknown to us and come back in so could have been stressed. We have a toddler who is typical tough and tumble. The dog and DS get on reasonably well but dog has always been nervous around him. The dog is 10 and my husband is adamant he has to go :( I understand why but feel so terrible about losing a member of the family. He really is a quiet and sweet little dog and this was massively out of character for him. AIBU to want to keep him when he is a potential danger to my beautiful child?

I wouldn't allow a dog near my children either. It's not an uncommon thing.

No, I would hazard a guess that most dog owners don't recognise a dog's stress signals, unfortunately. If you google cute pictures of dogs and babies, in most of the pictures the dog is looking uncomfortable. On my FB, there are several "experienced" dog owners who let their children ride them and/or treat them like toys, and the dog in the photos is looking very uncomfortable, every single time a dog owner ignores this, they are pushing the dog's boundaries, which is very unfair to the dog.

Obviously it's your choice not to have a dog, and not to allow your ds to come into contact, but it would still be wise to learn those signals and teach your son so if he decides as an adult, or if a dog approaches him out and about, he knows how to react and is aware that dogs have dog emotions and they need to be understood and respected.

The story of Liam J Perk is heartbreaking, but the website gives essential information that everyone should know.

Iam a lot of owners don't see the signs or recognise them for what they are. We are fortunate that dogs are so forgiving of us. The OP may just have been lucky or the dog became more sensitive and the OP didn't pick up on this.

A friend of mine has a mastiff type dog who is huge. She spent considerable time socialising him, which was ace because it meant having to play lots with a big puppy. I think the trouble with small breeds such as chihuahuas is that people don't train them as thoroughly.

Jelly I think you have been highly irresponsible.You should have had it put down.
You don't want you or your family bitten, but future owners and their children? meh it doesn't matter.

Iam, I'm not about to call you hysterical or a troll. Your son, your choice, and under those circumstances it sounds a wise choice.

I had no idea about dog stress signals despite having owned dogs for years.
When my third child was 7 months old he climbed into our old JRT's bed and she snapped at him - to is this was totally out of the blue, no warnings etc. luckily ds wasn't hurt, and also luckily our local vet was a behavioural specialist and was very clear that we had put the dog in this situation and that we should educate ourselves, so we did. We took it seriously and the dog never snapped or even growled again.

A quick google (dog and baby photos, baby riding dog) shows loads of pictures of dogs showing clear signs of being stressed, but most people don't recognise those signs and carry on regardless because it's cute

I did wonder :o

my 9 year old son is not allowed into a particular friends house because they have a dog

You said 'because they have a dog', none of the other details were given.
You said it was simply because they had a dog

Indeed Alis people will link to frightening stories about unusual cases of dogs but the child is far more likely to be injured or killed in a household or car accident.

I do agree that everyone should learn to recognise stress symptoms in dogs and allowing children to mistreat them and then blame the dog is unforgivable. Dogs are incredibly tolerant generally and put up with a lot.

Iam - i woudlnt have allowed my child to play with THAT family either. Huge dog in a small flat? they sound like idiots.

Don't however deprive your son of contact with dogs as he grows as he will be missing out greatly.

chihuahuas are a grossly misunderstood breed - it ires me that people have thse dogs as fashion accessories and think because they are small they will be all cutsey wootsey. No, because they are small and vulnerable they are more likely to be snappy and defensive. They are living creatures, not toys.

maydancer yes what a terrible threat an elderly chihuahua is going to pose. Scary stuff eh!

Exactly Iam, but most people don't recognise how ill at ease the dog looks, probably because it's a good dog, it's never bitten etc

Most dog bites are avoidable, and it is very sad.

This next picture, well I do not understand why anyone would be so stupid as to let their child sit on a dog, yet so many fools parents do.
There was a viral video a few weeks ago of a child using a dog's tail as a paintbrush, but when I pointed out how irresponsible it was, I was considered a killjoy!

I would be reluctant to visit a relatives house as they have a dog who is very uncomfortable around children, to the point where it will growl, yet everyone thinks I'm being OTT and ridiculous about it!

Oh Phil , those pictures boil my piss they really do. The problem is that most dogs are TOLERANT of young children and they will TOLERATE being poked and prodded and people think its cute. Until one day the child pokes the dog in the eye one to many times, or the dog is feeling unwell or just HAD ENOUGH. Fortunately, most dogs will give a warning growl and one would hope that the humans would take notice. The growl isn't aggression, it means "im uncomfortable/worried/in pain, please leave me be" Sadly, some dogs get to the "had enough" stage before this and they snap, resulting injury to the human and the poor animal being pts.

No Iam you stated on here 'because they have a dog'.
Adding completely different reasons why later is quite misleading, it's nothing to do with what your son was told.

I wouldn't have any kind of dog around my children

Actually, I stand by what I said earlier.

This is the video of a child using a dog's tail to paint
Honestly, this should be used as an educational video as the dog's feelings are so clear if you know what you're looking for
Trouble is, most people's brains fall out and they think "aaaah, look, how cute". Thankfully the dog was very tolerant, or the video would have been very distressing, but what stupid, stupid people to not even consider the dog in this!