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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:
Greyhorses · 13/11/2018 07:28

I would and have PTS a dog that isn’t safe in society. Mine could have seriously mauled somebody (stranger aggressive) and wasn’t safe despite lots of training, medication and rehab.

My current dogs are all gentle, friendly and would run rather than bite given the oppertunity. If they did I would class it as my fault and do some serious assessing but ultimately I would never trust it again regardless of the situation.

It amazes me that owners have dogs that ‘warn’ them or that have even bitten them. I could never own a pet that did so and it baffles me that people trust dogs like this in the house.

Sleepyblueocean · 13/11/2018 07:29

I agree it was the owners fault.

Hisaishi · 13/11/2018 07:43

grey what on earth is wrong with a dog warning someone? There are very few dogs that are so placid they never growl.

Alilwolf · 13/11/2018 07:43

sonlypuppyfat
Exactly the type of dog I'm talking about. Absolutely brilliant, but literally could not be trusted 2 foot away from my father. Lunatic dogs! They do actually exist. And it appears my father seems to have bought a disproportionate number of them. Or else he knows nothing about dogs (despite training them for 50 years *sigh)

agirlhasnonameX · 13/11/2018 07:48

What methods did your dad try to train them not to bite @Alilwolf ?

Alilwolf · 13/11/2018 07:48

Honestly, you should watch One man and his dog (I'm sure you'll find it on youtube). That is how well my Dad trains his dogs. But some just can't be trusted and that's it for Dad. He knows them inside out as he's out with them 10 hours a day. They adore him, but 2 of them were 'wicked'.

StoppinBy · 13/11/2018 07:50

If I couldn't trust my dog I would not keep it around. If I had any doubt in my mind that the same situation would occur and that the dog would react the same then yes I would.

I have been bitten a few times hard enough to draw blood but not enough to need more than a bandaid when my dogs were fighting - I used to have two that for some reason started fighting as older dogs and I didn't PTS but if I had of had kids then it would have been a different story.

Any dog that threatened my kids would also be PTS. I expect and teach my kids to respect our pets but I still expect my dogs to deal with the occasional tail pull etc from a toddler without biting.

Alilwolf · 13/11/2018 07:51

He didn't train them not to bite. He didn't train them to bite in the first place! His only command would be 'To Heel' when they're being boisterous. But he never let the wicked ones around us, they would have been put in the shed when we were visiting.

Jaynesworld · 13/11/2018 07:52

No, I think it all depends in the circumstances. Was the dog goaded? Ill? Terrified? I also think that the decision to pts in a dog bite circumstance, should be done by a 3rd party. Too many dog owners wouldnt put their aggresive, unpredictable ddogs to sleep as they love them.

Loonoon · 13/11/2018 07:53

When our much loved golden retriever bitch was provoked she bit a visiting child. We were visited by local police who advised that as she was defending herself we didn’t have to have her PTS but if it happened a second time it might be a necessity. My Dad was not prepared to risk her doing it again and perhaps permanently damaging someone next time and so made the decision to do it then. We were all heartbroken but sometimes making a painful decision is part of being a responsible pet owner.

Alilwolf · 13/11/2018 07:56

Another bad behaviour from dogs (even sheepdogs) is getting loose and attacking and killing sheep. My Dad's never did, but a neighbour's German Shepherd got loose and killed 8 of my Dad's sheep.

These are animals we're talking about. They don't have a conscience. And most posters on here are deluded about their dogs. But that's fine. I'm not here to educate you. I'm just telling you that if a dog bites, it needs to be pts, in my very humble opinion.

SauvingnonBlanketyBlanc · 13/11/2018 07:57

I wouldn't put mine to sleep but I have a Chihuahua and I doubt he'd draw blood.

Alilwolf · 13/11/2018 08:02

Chihuahas are the most prone to biting! I'll try to find the league table of bold dogs. I guess the difference if that it's not going to do much damage, but they are known to be the worst offenders!

Pissedoffdotcom · 13/11/2018 08:03

I've had a dog PTS for aggression. I'm not naive to what a dog can do. But the decision to PTS should come as an informed decision after avenues are explored to explain why. Not as an emotional response to a situation.

Anybody who tells their dog off for growling a warning is setting themselves up for a dangerous situation. A dog that feels it has no other choice but to bite first is dangerous. A dog that growls to tell you it is uncomfortable is giving you chance to check the situation

Alilwolf · 13/11/2018 08:04

www.caninejournal.com/dog-bite-statistics/

Alilwolf · 13/11/2018 08:05

Believe me, my father did not have a 2k investment put to sleep on a whim. It was actually very measured thinking.

agirlhasnonameX · 13/11/2018 08:06

@Alilwolf He didn't train them not to bite. He didn't train them to bite in the first place! His only command would be 'To Heel' when they're being boisterous. But he never let the wicked ones around us, they would have been put in the shed when we were visiting.
It is a natural instinct for dogs to bite, they don't need to be trained to do it, that is how they communicate with each other. If you don't teach a dog not to bite, of course it is likely to bite in adult hood as how else will it know it is not appropriate???
I hope by shed you mean kennels

abbsisspartacus · 13/11/2018 08:10

I assume she ment shed as in farm shed those things are huge

Alilwolf · 13/11/2018 08:11

It was a black hole in the ground.

Hisaishi · 13/11/2018 08:12

aliwolf I'm beginning to suspect you're on the wind up. Of course you need to train dogs not to bite ffs.

agirlhasnonameX · 13/11/2018 08:13

aliwolf I'm beginning to suspect you're on the wind up. Of course you need to train dogs not to bite ffs.
Yeh me too

Alilwolf · 13/11/2018 08:14

No you don't, because their mother usually teaches them that. You don't need to teach a dog not to bite! It knows!

wishywashy6 · 13/11/2018 08:15

@Alilwolf do you have the statistics for unprovoked hamster attacks too? They're wicked little buggers.
Nobody trains a dog to bite in the first place. It's how they communicate in their pack, it's part of the species they are.
A dog should be pts for doing something which is intrinsic to its species no more than a human should be pts for talking utter bollocks, which seems to be the case here

agirlhasnonameX · 13/11/2018 08:16

@Alilwolf you can't be serious? In the 8 weeks they are with their mother- who will also bite them frequently and with their siblings who bite all the time in play, they are supposed to just know not to bite humans?

Hisaishi · 13/11/2018 08:16

ali puppies are generally taken from their mother at 8 weeks - 10 weeks. Yes, during that time, they learn bite inhibition. That doesn't mean they learn not to bite.