My dog just bit my son. Twice :o(

[AboardtheAxiom]

DS is now terrified and is begging me to take the dog back to the pound.

He hasn't broken the skin (ds had thick pjs on) but he has left a bruised lump on DS's leg.

I can't believe it. DS was just stood watching TV 1st time, 2nd time was sat at the table!

I half to go out at half 8 and need to make a plan.

Dog is barking in kitchen and DS is crying (again) in living room.

The child may BE safe but the child also needs to FEEL safe

This can't be done with the dog in the house or at least if the child SEES and KNOWS the dog is in the house. At this point in time I don't think the question of what happens to the dog in the long run is important, its making sure the child is ok now.

Was going to say that if he bit but didn't break the skin then it isn't quite as serious as you think.

If he wanted to harm your son he would have.

Of course your son is now scared and you are right to try and find somewhere else for the dog to be rehabilitated. Don't listen to the scaremongers.

I hope Val is able to help you find somewhere suitable.

Yes Vallhala I have seen the posts calling for the dog to be pts, actually one of them was mine, so I saw it fairly clearly as I typed it.

People can have a different opinion without you needing to be nasty and aggressive. The dog has bitten a child twice (or according to you, the op lied in her title), therefore it is not a crazy idea to suggest it be pts to avoid harming any future children/adults it comes into contact with.

Yes I did read your post of 18.37 - again I ask, was the op lying to you then or lying in her title?

The dog IS NOT STAYING

Mamazon - I've been meaning to ask this all week, how come since your return your typing has got better?? Did the break help?

Dooin - mt CPL fostering doesnt give any insight on canine behaviour obviously, as I thought was pretty clear in my message, I added it to head off the usual cry of 'animal hater' that you get on these threads.

I would say it is more likely that the op was upset and posted in a panic than that she lied. After having time to calm down she was able to reasess the situation.

A dog that nips/bites is not always an agressive dog. It might be a very anxious dog or a very excitable dog or a dog that's never been properly socialised.

The child had thick pyjamas on and the dog still left a mark. The op seems to think if he didn't it would have been worse or am I mistaken?

Fuppy - ASK THE BLOODY OP!

I don't think she was lying on either occasion - she posted in haste and shock and typed a word which she later, when I asked her about it in detail, considered probably not to be the case and in her conversation with me said that upon reflection it seemed to be more of a nip for attention/herding type of situation.

Have YOU never spoken or written in haste or shock and then adjusted what you have said once you've caught your breath?

I do love the way people presume to know me on this forum.

It's always very emotive when a dog has nipped a child, but the kneejerk reaction to put the dog to sleep isn't usually justified.

Yes, I agree with the OP that, while this dog could well be trained and rehomed so that it doesn't bite again, it is probably better for her son's sake if the dog is assessed and then hopefully rehomed.

Reading between the lines, I'm guessing this is a collie/ collie x? If that's the case, I agree with Val that this was possibly more of a herding thing than an attempt to hurt. This is very common in collies, and the reason I don't recommend them to people with children. In the right home (and I'm not criticising the OP at all here- it's the circumstances, rather than anything she may/ may not have done) these guys will be no threat, and can often be successfully rehomed to homes without children, where the owner makes efforts to keep them away from groups of children etc and keeps them plenty busy.

Obviously the dog would need to be assessed by a behaviouralist. If a qualified and experienced behaviouralist says the dog is suitable for rehoming with criteria x,y and z, then the OP is free from the responsibility of the dog's future behaviour. this is the path I would go down.

AboardtheAxiom- I'm sorry about your DS, I hope the upset this has caused him is soon resolved. And so sorry for you too to have to give up your dog

'yes I'm sure she did get browbeaten reassess the situation after talking to Vallhala.' yeah because if you thought your child was in danger you'd let a women you have never met before talk you out of it wouldn't you?

That has to be one of the most ridiculous statements I have read on here.

fuppy - im not sure it has. My typing has always been shit cos i can't be bothered to preview. im dyslexic so most of the things spelt wrong i wouldn't notice anyway. to me it looks ok

Dooin - indeed it would be ridiculous apart from the fact that before op spoke to Val she said the dog BIT her son TWICE, and did enough damage to leave a large lump and bruise through thick pyjamas (thereby insinuating that it would have done worse damage had the child not being wearing thick pyjamas) then after the op spoke to Val suddenly the dog was merely trying to 'herd' the child

Anyway, if it helps you feel better please feel free to carry on telling me to fuck off. I'll leave this discussion now and just cross my fingers that the children that come across the dog next time are as 'lucky' as the op's son.

On the contrary, Fuppy, I can take all the shit you can throw at me, all day long, and not take myself seriously.

The lives of dogs, the best interests of rescue, those I take bloody seriously.

Mamazon - its fluff btw, I knew you were dyslexic but your typing/spelling has been spot on recently, I kept thinking it was someone else masquerading as you poppet!

LessNarky - I see you're setting the bar high there nice attempt at a personal attack too. Lovely trying to talk to such educated posters that they have to resort to swearing and insults

I have thrown no 'shit' at you Vallhala I was trying to have a sensible discussion.

And I take the lives of children seriously, perhaps you shouldn't be rehoming dogs that have bitten one child twice already eh?

Perhaps you should be allowing the person who rehomes dogs, and may well know more than you about canine behaviour, to decide if a dog can be rehomed.

And that wasn't an attempt at a personal insult. It was an observation. If I was attacking you you'd know. I don't tend to hold back

ahh ok. No its me. came back to dispell a few myths.
not least the ones about me being able to type

Oh dear, can see this thread not going well since I was last here this morning

Before I had a dog I may well have been amongst those people saying he should be pts. As I said earlier I think he needs to have a vet check and be rehomed. My neighbours would be exactly the people to take on a dog like this 10 years ago. They don't have and never will have grandchildren, have had dogs most of their lives including a collie. She has horses and the dog would spend a lot of time up at the fields with no contact with children and the dog and them would probably live very happily together. They are too old for a dog now but a good example of a suitable home.

How thick do you all think these pyjamas were exactly? Do you think that if a dog wanted to cause serious damage it wouldn't be able to bite through thick pyjamas?

Actually the problem I have with the thread is all the talk is about the dog,

whats fair on the dog, what's in the dogs best interest, whether the dog should be allowed to live because in the right home it won't bite (really are you sure and you can guarantee this how), what should be done with the dog right now.

Really is this really the most important factor right now