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?

A chihuahua? PTS is a bit extreme then! I was picturing the dog as a JRT or something but that's tiny, he would pose no danger to an adult if you can get him rehomed.

i don't spose the vet will PTS unless they felt necessary

he would pose no danger to an adult

Perhaps not, but short of keeping him permanently locked in the house (which some would consider cruel) and never having a child there that doesn't matter much, does it?

My df's normally lovely dog bit him on the face - she had a brain tumour ( discovered afterwards). She was pts, sadly, but the risk couldn't be taken with young dcs around

Read up on trigger stacking first

What matters is that the dog bit the OP. Why does not matter. Whatever it was it could happen again and it could be a child, the OP's or somebody else's. PTS. Now.

The very fact that you believed that the dog "thought he was in trouble" shows me that you don't understand dogs at all and probably missed a lot of warning signals that the dog was stressed. Very, very few dogs bite for no reason. However you're now in an untenable situation and are likely to find rehoming well nigh impossible, leaving only one option. Your poor dog.

We have a chihuahua too who is very nervous around strangers and has to 'warm' to them first. I think if he was picked up by a stranger without any warning he could snap too. He was probably very scared and then when he came back in to the house was still in a very nervous state. Dogs don't instinctively like us being in their faces and looking into his eyes and fussing over him he probably took us aggression and snapped, I would firstly take the dog to the vets and get checked out for other causes and perhaps try a trainer. Putting to sleep seems a bit extreme when you can see how the dog felt threatened.

I'm really sorry for the dog. A series of human mistakes which it is now paying for with it's life.
Chihuahuas and toddlers also sound like a horrible combination, must be extremely stressful for a tiny, highly-strung dog.

Omg, you have had this dog, who you say is part of your family for ten years. And you are crying every day YET are ignoring everyone who suggests
that you give the dog the benefit of the doubt and see if there is any medical issues.

If you love this dog, you wouldn't be rushing out to kill it. Think of the guilt you will have to live with, if you do.

If it's not sick, rehome it to an older person with no kids. Or a rescue thst will take it.

At least try for the sake of the dog.

This is not the 1950s, it shouldn't be a 100% only what your husband wants!!! Geez.

What ToastDemon said - a catalogue of human error followed by a dog being killed. And I do understand that the OP now needs to make a decision with her head not heart. But really, this was provoked and owners need to understand their animals better.

If 2 adults misunderstand dogs, one being the dog's owner, then what are the odds a toddler will misread (or be completely oblivious to) to dog's feelings and possibly reaction? Blaming the adults doesn't help this situation. If there were no children on the scene then it would be a different situation. She's thinking about the safety of her young child.

Children should not be left unsupervised with any dog, no matter how well mannered the dog in question.

In a responsible household the toddler would not get any opportunity to misunderstand the dog.

There are other options in between leaving the dog in situ and having it euthanised. Personally I'd be getting the dog to a vet for a full health check and then trying to rehome with a knowledgeable owner with no children. It's a chihuahua, not a mastif. Only if that couldn't be done would I be looking at euthanasia. No, it's not the worst thing that can happen, but this was a stressed dog, pushed into defending itself.

This is not the 1950s, it shouldn't be a 100% only what your husband wants!!

What a red herring. In this instance her DH is right. It happens, you know, Babylove 2015, and it has happened here.

All this talk about "provocation" and "stress" and the dog being "well mannered" - ffs. It's a dog. It hasn't got human emotions or human reactions. And having it PTS would not be the worst thing that can happen; we all know what the worst thing would be and it would be the worst thing whoever the child was.

No it's got canine emotions and canine reactions and any responsible dog would have read up on these long before sticking their face in their already stressed dog's face.

ItWillWash I imagine you mean "any responsible dog ^owner".

The problem is that a toddler or a young child - or come to that an older child or an adult who has never had a dog around - is not a responsible dog owner.

There is only one thing for a responsible dog owner in OP's position to do, and it will be tough, but it is better than the faintest chance of the alternative.

Andrew ffs this is a beloved pet and cherished family member not a rabid wild animal.

The dog reacted out of fear and instinct not aggression. He does not need to be pts.

With careful management the OP could potentially keep the dog but with a toddler it probably wouldn't be wise. The dog can and should be rehomed. There are plenty of people out there who have experience in these cases who would help.

I can't quite believe the number of people here assigning human emotions to a dog and generally making excuses. I mean what does this have to do with the 1950s patriarchy? OP's DH is right.

Yes it is only a small dog but small dogs still have lots of sharp teeth and are perfectly capable of ripping a hole in a child's face. All this talk of careful management and behavioural assessments is bonkers - OP has already shown that they aren't capable of assessing the risk and managing a nervous dog properly. Given how bad her judgement has been so far the description of 'nervous around DS' probably means the dog is bloody terrified and on the verge of snapping at any point.

This isn't a 'cherished family member' it is a dog; disposable and replaceable. A child's face is neither.

So it bit you, and went for another person.

You're putting your child at risk by keeping this animal.

This isn't a 'cherished family member' it is a dog; disposable and replaceable

This is what is wrong with human nature! A dog is not disposable and replaceable. They are individuals with their own characters and to some people their family. No they are not more important than a child but to describe them as how you did is disgusting

It clearly isn't the dog's fault. The poor creature hasn't been managed properly and it sickens me to read of the "get rid of it" brigade. The dog shouldn't be punished for the OP's inability to care for it properly by losing it's life. Like all pets, the dog cannot speak for itself. It is entirely dependent upon the family who own it, and who ought to take responsibility for it.

It should not be viewed as disposable and replaceable. It is a living creature, and should be treated with compassion and understanding. Sadly, understanding seems to be lacking within the OP's household and it would almost certainly be in the dog's best interests to find a home with owners who are responsible enough to understand and manage the dog's nervousness.

Dogs that bite are invariably the product of poor upbringing, poor training and poor management. Dogs and young children need careful supervision. My dogs do not bite because they are never put in a position where it might be an option. They are kept away from children. It's not difficult.

RatherBeRiding If you let your dog off the lead in the park - which dog-owners claim it is their right to do - it can get near a child. If that child is not used to dogs the child's reaction may trigger a tragedy.

A dog is not disposable and replaceable. No, those are not the words I would use, but compared with a human child a dog does not matter. As for them being "family" - if you have a young child you must be (if female) and probably are (if male) of an age where you are going to outlive the dog. Will you really feel that loss as you would if it were your child?

"A chihuahua? Rehome it as he would pose no risk to an adult"

But was an adult he bit!

And not just any adult, it was his owner.

It gave a warning snap to someone else and humans continued to pile on the stress. Dog owners are responsible for learning how their dogs communicate so that they can communicate back appropriately.