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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If a dog bites, should it be pts?

272 replies

Snappedandfarted1 · 12/11/2018 21:35

After a discussion with my dog loving friend, I’m curious as to how many of you dog owners would have your pet pts if it bit you or a member of your family? I don’t mean just a nip, I mean a bite which bleeds a fair amount and requires stitches.

To me, that says that a dog cannot be trusted around a human at all and should be pts, but my friends opinion is that unless the bite causes serious damage it should ultimately be ignored. She did agree that an elderly dog should be pts in this situation but not a young or middle aged dog. Hmm

Opinions?

OP posts:
Alilwolf · 12/11/2018 22:21

Frequency you lost me at blah. I couldn't even read that post. I'm telling you what my father over 50 years with 20 dogs over that time has told me. If you want to blah it with 10 paragraphs about blah fair play to ya!

tinytemper66 · 12/11/2018 22:23

My dog bit me above my eye when I was 7. He was not PTS as it was my fault for teasing it. I have a scar but it isn't noticeable to most people.

Alilwolf · 12/11/2018 22:24

Yes, that's exactly it Babies. If it's in them it's in them. My father learned the hard way by trying to train them not to bite, but it's just in them! They had to be locked up from people and couldn't be trusted on the land. A bite to the heel of a cow can cause serious vet bills. They just can't be trusted.

agirlhasnonameX · 12/11/2018 22:26

@Alilwolf if they where locked up I can understand why he encountered so many untrainable, aggressive dogs Confused

Alilwolf · 12/11/2018 22:26

But I know your beloved pet is just that. But it's showing you what it's capable of.

Adviceandguidanceneeded · 12/11/2018 22:27

Never in a million years would I pts my dog. She has bitten twice, she is only small so not a deep wound but tiny punctures. The first time she had an ear infection the second a wee infection.

If for some reason she turned aggressive for no reason I'd muzzle her outside of the home.

Jasperoonicle · 12/11/2018 22:27

If you knew my family you would put the human to sleep and give the dog a bloody medal....

BMW6 · 12/11/2018 22:29

My sister had a dog pts years ago after it had bitten 3 different people, each time for no apparent reason. She consulted with vet who checked dog thoroughly but could not find anything wrong.
Sister was devastated and heartbroken, but all in all it was the best thing to do.

CherryPavlova · 12/11/2018 22:29

If it was unprovoked I would. I’m sure ours wouldn’t but he’s a big dog and if he developed a vicious streak, he could kill. I don’t understand why any dog that attacks isn’t destroyed - regardless of size. A dog that bites is a dog that bites.

Alilwolf · 12/11/2018 22:30

No, don't try to make it out like they're abused dogs. They spend most of their time out with my father working. They go into their (outdoor) beds at night. They are spending about 10 hours a day interacting and working (which is what they are bred to do). So don't try to make it some shit about them being neglected.

FrozenSprats · 12/11/2018 22:30

I posted on the other thread - my ddog had dementia. She never bit but became more snappy & unpredictable. Agree with the premise that having a dog PTS one week early rather than one day late - though I know this is a dependent on diagnosis.

MrsRhettButler · 12/11/2018 22:30

Unprovoked then possibly, once I had ruled out illness etc but then I have a 7yo dd who spends a LOT of time with our dog.

Incidentally he does have to be muzzled whilst in public because he has bitten a stranger before (during a dog scrap) but he is ten years old, it has only happened the once and he was extremely provoked.

Frequency · 12/11/2018 22:31

Dogs can be trained to ignore their instincts to chase but it is very hard and would require a lot of time and patience. I can completely understand why a farmer would not have the inclination or know-how to re-train a dog who learned to chase.

However, that it learned to chase at all does suggest a lack of experience on the farmer's behalf or poor breeding stock. Typical herding breeds weren't bred to chase. It is not an instinct they naturally have.

For a dog to suddenly take to chasing sheep it has been trained to chase (probably inadvertently). Chasing sheep is fun for a dog, like barking, it is a self-rewarding behaviour. It could be the dog was spooked by something and ran causing the sheep to run and oh, what fun. The dog's just been rewarded for chasing sheep. It will repeat the behaviour unless it is trained not to.

'Wicked' working dogs should be rehomed through one of the many, many charities dedicated to rehoming them, not pts.

RedDeadRoach · 12/11/2018 22:33

What on earth does your friend think it's a serious injury if not stitches to the face!?

Yes if a dog does that it should be pts.

Pissedoffdotcom · 12/11/2018 22:35

Most dogs will chase sheep if they get given the chance. Doesn't make them wicked ffs. Just means they aren't up to the job of herding sheep!!

Alilwolf · 12/11/2018 22:35

There are just some dogs who are dangerous. Same as humans. Not surprised that apparently our dogs were mistreated in some way which caused them to bite. NO. They're like that when they're working too. And my father loses out on about 500 quid everytime a dog doesn't work out - because that's how much you pay. His dogs are like royalty to him and in fact, if you've ever seen One Man and his dog or even Babe the movie, that's what my Dad is like. But even he agrees that some dogs are just wicked and he can't have them working and he certainly wouldn't let them near children.

PennyArcade · 12/11/2018 22:36

I'm with Frequency on the working dog thing. I don't buy the 'wicked dog' line at all

Nor me..

It's true not all collies make great shepherd's. Most farmers rehome those who don't make the grade. Poor puppies being put down because they are not natural sheep herders 😭

Alilwolf · 12/11/2018 22:38

I think a lot of people tend to get working dogs rather than lap dogs when what they really want is a lap dog. Again though, if a dog bites, no fucking way! That's a killer instinct coming out in them.

Alilwolf · 12/11/2018 22:41

Penny, don't be ridiculous. A puppy is never put down! A puppy doesn't even start training until they're at least a year and then they're following another dog. Jesus Christ.

Frequency · 12/11/2018 22:42

I would bet my last penny that Alilwolf's father subscribes to the outdated and repeatedly disproven (even by Mech et al who originally spawned the theory) dominance/alpha dog/dogs are wolves in disguise theory. It would explain why he had so many 'wicked' dogs.

PickAChew · 12/11/2018 22:43

I'd check first for signs of illness. A fair few humans would bite or similar if they startled while in pain.

Alilwolf · 12/11/2018 22:44

Frequency, my Dad is a very gentle man. He trains his dogs. But if there is one that is wicked, there's nothing he can do. It's just in them. You can't train it out of them.

PennyArcade · 12/11/2018 22:45

Penny, don't be ridiculous. A puppy is never put down! A puppy doesn't even start training until they're at least a year and then they're following another dog. Jesus Christ

Bollocks!

Pissedoffdotcom · 12/11/2018 22:46

A bite isn't a killer instinct. It's a defense mechanism, the ONLY defense mechanism a dog has. And in the majority of cases there is a reason for a dog biting. Usually because somebody in charge has ignored the warning signs that have gone before

Alilwolf · 12/11/2018 22:46

My father has had 2 wicked dogs over the years. Hey ho.