Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask if you would get rid of your dog if they growled at your child?

181 replies

Busybecca · 20/06/2017 22:25

I have a 7 year old large breed dog. Today I took her for a run/bike ride before collecting the DCs from school/nursery and heading to the park for them all to cool off in the river. When we arrived home, I asked DH to watch them while I took a quick shower. Ddog was sleeping and drying off in the sunshine when I went upstairs.

I heard shouting when I was in the shower and when I got out I found DH had locked Ddog in the utility room. He said she had growled at DD (3) and we need to get rid of her. I asked what had happened and he said it didn't matter, she's agressive and should go. After speaking to the DCs I discovered that they had been running and doing cartwheels and DD had accidentally kicked Ddog when landing. She said she stroked her and said sorry and Ddog licked her. She also mentioned that DH had been inside the house so hadn't been supervising them like I'd asked.

Ddog adores the DC and has never shown any aggression towards humans or dogs. I think a growl was a natural reaction to being woken and hurt and doesn't mean she had bad intentions but DH thinks I'm putting Ddog before the DC. I said he was putting himself before the DC when he wasn't supervising them appropriately...!

Am I being naive? Would you get rid of your dog if they growled at your child?

OP posts:
Augustbabyyeah · 21/06/2017 09:22

And your DH. Hitting a dog is stupid beyond words.

Therealslimshady1 · 21/06/2017 09:24

The 3 yr old needs better supervision

The husband needs educating

What breed is it by the way?

TaliZorahVasNormandy · 21/06/2017 09:38

Op, give your DH a kick in the shin, then when he yelps, give a smack on the head. Say to him, "Oh, you didnt like that. Well neither did the dog."

AnnieOH1 · 21/06/2017 09:40

DH would be the first in line out the door for that suggestion I'm afraid, with the dog and children staying firmly at home.

verystressedmum · 21/06/2017 09:54

As it's been said by previous posters why the growl is so important and why it needs to be listened to. The dog is communicating that it doesn't like being kicked.
You do need to sort your dh out cos that behaviour might cause a terrible situation that isn't the dogs fault.

Welshrainbow · 21/06/2017 10:02

No not for the circumstances you describe, I'd give your DH shirt shrift though for leaving them unsupervised.

Gooseygoosey12345 · 21/06/2017 10:24

No I wouldn't get rid of the dog. It's a good thing he growled instead of snapping, I would growl at someone for kicking me in this heat ha. He didn't growl for no reason, he's just communicating that it pissed him off. He also shouldn't be told off for growling. It's a warning to back off and is helpful for humans to know when they've had enough and need to be left alone. Your DH is being an idiot and should have been supervising!

IHateUncleJamie · 21/06/2017 10:41

Absolutely not. What does he expect the dog to do, instruct solicitors?

😂😂😂 Brilliant!

I advise TaliZorah's strategy, OP

Your dog sounds like a lovely girl who gave a reasonable warning grumble. The only person to blame is your DH.

Orlandointhewilderness · 21/06/2017 10:54

Nope, not in this situation. Your dog is well within her right to tell DD that she doesn't like being cartwheeled on! DH is well in the wrong.

If you can't see you child with your own eyes and can't physically intervene when something goes wrong then you aren't properly supervising them.

BigChocFrenzy · 21/06/2017 11:23

Your DH is a nasty bastard AngryAngry

He doesn't respect the dog's boundaries or space
He didn't supervise
He didn't accept blame for not doing his job

He smacked and shouted as a punishment AngryAngry

He's lucky the dog didn't bite him, in self-defense

It is NOT the dog who deserves banishment or retraining

BigChocFrenzy · 21/06/2017 11:25

Now I'm wondering if the growl that really frightened him happened after he had smacked her

StormTreader · 21/06/2017 11:29

It doesnt surprise me at all that you had the dog before you met your husband, he sounds like hes looking for an excuse to make you get rid of it.

Alicia555 · 21/06/2017 11:32

Do get rid of the dog, give it to a lovely home where it's not going to get abused for being kicked. Poor dog.

TaliZorahVasNormandy · 21/06/2017 11:45

Do tell your Dickhead husband, she didnt growl out of aggression, she growl out of fear.

We all shout when something scares us, dog is no different.

Would he re home a cat that hissed after you stepped on its tail?

Mia1415 · 21/06/2017 12:40

No! I've got a lovely lab and he has growled twice at my DS. Both times as warnings and that has helped my DS have a healthy respect for him.

(btw I was supervising but DS moved (toddler) quicker than I could!).

FuckCalmRhageOn · 21/06/2017 12:41

Ugh and this sort of human behaviour is why bully breeds have such a bad name! Is be buying your dog a juicy steak and sending your dh to the utility room for thinking it's ok to use violence in any situation!
I have a large breed... a Rottweiler. People cross over the road to avoid her. Those who get close enough can see she is a well trained well mannered Pets as Therapy dog. My son couldn't speak until we got her and she too growls... when she's happy and when she's not. She's never shown any aggression it is just communication and should be read with other body language aswell as circumstances. She was expressing shock and possible hurt. I'd reward her excellent behaviour.
Your dh could do with a stay in a local pound tho!

FuckCalmRhageOn · 21/06/2017 12:42

I'd be buying* stupid auto correct

XJerseyGirlX · 21/06/2017 12:51

DH did the worst thing, smacking the dog for not doing anything wrong. Hitting a dog when its done nothing wrong is what turns animals, you may need to educate DH, he seems a bit ignorant about how to handle dogs.

Dh also needs to realise he wasn't supervising his child and he enabled that situation.

Dogs need to communicate when they are unhappy about something, a growl IS NOT a bite .

tiredplusstressed · 08/08/2017 09:49

There's no way I would keep a dog like that in the house with a child

5secondrule · 08/08/2017 10:34

I definitely wouldn't get rid of the dog... however i would be having stern words with DD about keeping her hands and feet to herself when playing - kicking an animal, albeit by accident, shouldn't happen multiple times in any event.

smurfit · 08/08/2017 12:07

Growling is a dogs warning and this is a good thing.

The only concerning part to me is the lack of supervision from your DH. My dog is teeny and weighs nothing but I still watch her like a hawk with kids (they hurt her easily by loving her a little too roughly).

He set the dog up to lose which I struggle to see as fair.

GahBuggerit · 08/08/2017 12:12

Is this a fucking joke?

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 08/08/2017 12:26

If the dog came first and my "d"h displayed this sort of behaviour/attitude towards him, he wouldn't have become my Dh.
He's a twat and is behaving like one.

kali110 · 08/08/2017 12:27

There's no way I would keep a dog like that in the house with a child

There's no way i'd keep a cruel dickhead in the house around the dog.

So is it because the dog growled or simply because it's a big dog Hmm

Your poor dog op, and you.
I'd kick my dh if he ever smacked one of my pets. ( he wouldn't, he adores them).
What a great example he's setting the kids.

hiphopcat · 08/08/2017 12:29

I would never have a large dog with small children/toddlers around anyway.

Can't stop chuckling to myself at Ddog! Grin

Swipe left for the next trending thread