Urgent help needed please - dog bit toddler.

[WheresMaHairyToe]

Rescued my dog 7 months ago, he was a stray and is between 3 and 5 years old. Lab/ lurcher type mongrel.
He has been wonderful - quick response to training in the home, not quite 100% on toileting but getting there, fantastic with my kids (all over 8.)
Today, we were at the beach for a couple of hours with my 3 plus 5 assorted niece and nephews. Dog completely fine.
Got home, everyone settled, kids playing in garden. Dog took himself to bed in another room. 2 year old niece followed. Nobody witnessed what happened, but niece was bitten on the face. Small cut and bruising - bad enough!
My brother wants the dog out of my house. He isn't insisting on PTS. I rang 4 shelters, all said he was not able to be rehomed, so would be destroyed.
I've put him in kennels to give us all some breathing space, and am waiting on two shelters calling me back. He had never shown a single sign of aggression before this, but apparently did not growl before biting. My brother got to him seconds after the bite, and said he was also aggressive to him.
I got home about 10 mins after bite to a very unhappy dog.
I am heart broken, I don't know what to do. I am considering building him an outdoor run and muzzling him when he's near children, but that seems awful.
Sorry if this is incoherent. I'm in a bit of a state!
Please help with advice if you can! Or if you know of a no- kill shelter anywhere in NI.

Op would shoulder no blame in the hypothetical beating a dog to death scenario, everyone knows that the only person responsible for committing crime/awful deeds is the perpetrator.

I would find it very unusual for a shelter to take him given he's bitten - if they do, he'll get euthanised.

HOWEVER, this wasn't a viscious attack - it was a warning otherwise your niece would have had terrible injuries.

This is your brother's fault and he's feeling guilty. a toddler should never be allowed to approach a dog unsupervised, particularly if it's taken itself off to a quiet place away from others.

Yes to the crate - these are great with the doors open and give the dog a safe place to go. Work on your children to ensure that when he's resting in his crate they never disturb him. When your brother comes over, if you can sort out a secure place for the dog where he can be completely safe from the toddler that would be ideal.

just out of interest, why are you disregarding professional advice you were given when you spoke to the rescue centre, and coming on here for advice instead, from people you know will mostly make excuses for the dog? exactly what would this dog have to do before you would pts?

Wannabe. If you'd actually bothered to read my post properly, you'd see that I never said you advocated beating dogs to death. You said the OP could be partly to blame for someone else beating her dog to death if she rehomed it, which is complete bullshit and also a nasty thing to say.

So you will know that the norm in Australia is that if a dog bites it is rarely taken to the vet to be put to sleep, rather that the owner (or the bite victim or parent of the victim) will take the dog out and shoot it.

WTAF?! No, that's really not 'the norm in Australia'. At all. Unless, perhaps, you live on a farm and own a gun, which counts out the vast majority of the population right off. It's not the Wild West circa 1920.

Beginning to wonder what you're on.

My opinion most certainly is not 'utterly ridiculous' and I would thank you not to call it that just because it differs from yours koaladownunder

Sorry if I can't show much respect for a two-sentence 'opinion' with nothing to back it up. On a topic as serious as killing a pet.

There appear to be a lot of people on this thread who have neither had a dog, nor a 2 year old.

Your brother is at fault here.

Without supervision of the incident it would be impossible to say what happened. Was the 2yo trying to get into the dogs bed for instance? If so then of course to dog reacted - that's his space. (Which he took himself away too).

Children should never be left alone with dogs. The fact it isn't a huge bite implies the dog warned the toddler.

I honestly think yes keep an eye on the dog, perhaps get some professional training but really in this instance? Your DBS fault for not supervising his child

Your brother was at fault here.

I have a rescue dog, and when tots visit they are not left alone with the dog for even a minute!

Your brother was lax here, did you give him clear instruction about not leaving kids unsupervised with dogs? Some people really need clear instructions, as they are clueless about dogs...

I think the 2yo shouldn't have been left unattended. I wouldn't PTS but would be taking no chances with small children.

Not dog's fault. Maybe have the brother PTS?

Maybe I've misunderstood, but your brother's toddler followed your dog into another room, where presumably the dog was having some chill time after a wild afternoon. Child crossed a line and got bitten, and now your brother wants the dog destroyed Sounds like perhaps your brother is feeling guilty about his poor parenting...

Ultimately I believe you have to PTS OP. I wouldn't rehome, you have no idea where the dog could end up or even if he'll ever get out of a kennel again. This is not the dog's fault, but I couldn't have a dog I knew had bitten someone. I think more parents should consider keeping their children on a lead.

I have a lab x rescue from NI who 'bit' a 5 year old. I'd left him and my dcs with my dsis overnight - with lots of reminders about how dog could be a bit growly if he felt threatened.

My nephew visited them with his 5 year old DD while I was away and I received a phone call from my eldest to say dog had bitten small child and had been taken to hospital to have the wound checked. Turns out small child went up to dog who was curled up on his bed out of the way and decided to lie on top of him and pull him about. Dog growled and whizzed his head round, catching the child under her eye.

NOBODY BLAMED THE DOG. My dsis was mortified that it happened under on her watch.

You don't know what happened on this occasion op - nobody does - but it could well have been a similar scenario. I suspect your db's outrage may have an element of deflecting his own guilt for not keeping his eye on things. Small children should never be left unsupervised around dogs. I also agree that this sounds like a warning snap gone wrong from an exhausted dog that just wants a bit of peace so had tucked himself away.

Of course he deserves a second chance.

Well Vetinari, its a shame you havent pointed out to the OP the Dangerous Dogs Act, and as such she shouldbe reported and enforcement action taken. Theres a reason the DDA exists and a reason why the courts enforce it, despite all the 'poor dog' sympathies on here, and its equally as irresponsible of you (if you indeed are a BVA member) to disregard the DDA.

I will say again, millions of dogs happily cohabit with children and quite simply never react aggresively to humans under any circumstance. Millions. Looking at US statistics from 2016, 58% of fatalities in the US are from dog attacks on adults. 31% of fatalities are on infants aged between 3 and 6 days, and the remaining 11% are on children.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act, if a dog bites, it is the dog who is "dangerously out of control" not the child, even in your own home. Im staggered that not only is the law being disregarded, but there is ongoing excusing and an utter disregard for the real victim here. A child. On mumsnet to boot. Whats a bit of scarring hey.

This with bells on. I'm actually disgusted to see posters blaming the child here. She is 2 years old! Yes she should have been supervised but the dog reacted and bit her in the face but also was aggressive to ops dbro. Ive grown up with dogs we trained guide dogs for years any ounce of aggression and they removed from training.

The dog should be destroyed you are being an extremely irresponsible owner by keeping it. I've witness a dog maul a girl as child outside our primary school gates her crime was going to pat it. I absolutely agree with plants and Wannabe. When in this world do you put an animal above your human relations? I would never talk to either my dbro if they dog bit my dcs face. My dbro had two dogs who be adored one of them attacked the other injuring her he made the decision to put the dog to sleep because she was aggressive and couldn't be trusted.

Well, Under, as I asked that poster: please show us the section of the DDA which says that the OP 'should be reported and enforcement action taken'.

You can't, because it doesn't exist.

OP, does your brother often try to tell you what to do?

When in this world do you put an animal above your human relations?

When a human is being unreasonable at the expense of an animal's life, maybe? That'd do it for me.

Sleeping dog and unsupervised toddler? You aren't suitable dog owners if you cannot keep your dog safe.

I hope you can find him a good home.

Nobody is blaming the 2 year old. People are very much blaming the brother who should have been watching said 2 year old. 2 year olds aren't exactly known for their impulse control so it's not the 2 year old's fault it bothered the dog, but because it's a 2 year old it's also infinitely more likely it bothered the dog than that a fo which has always behaved well around children did this out of the blue.

Wtf a human was being unreasonable she is a child fgs the dog was also aggressive to the dbro when he tried to remove the child. So again why on earth would you put a dog a rescue one at that with no knowledge of history above your own family. What if it bites ops kids or other kids when being walked?

Child bothers sleeping dog. Sleeping dog is startled and reacts in defence, large man charges in and I'm guessing is fairly angry and intimidating seconds later and the dog is expected to be sunshine and rainbows?

OP - there is a really good facebook page called Reactive Dogs. You have to be approved to join and it's non-judgemental and very supportive. There are lots of things you can do to protect your family and the dog.

This is also an excellent resource: www.liamjperkfoundation.org/

Good luck

I don't think this is the dogs fault

It had been busy and running around like mad. Then got home and wanted to go to sleep and your niece bothered the dog

It's your fault for letting her do it

Soubriquet - op wasn't there. Her db was in charge.

For your illumination, Underthemoonlight. From Dangerous Dog's Act UK:

(1)If a dog is dangerously out of control in [F1 any place (whether or not ][F2 any place in England or Wales (whether or not a public place) ])-
(a)the owner; and
(b)if different, the person for the time being in charge of the dog,is guilty of an offence, or, if the dog while so out of control injures any person[F3 or assistance dog ], an aggravated offence, under this subsection.

1. The owner (the OP) wasn't even in the house at the time of the incident.

1. The OP's brother he was therefore 'the person for the time being in charge of the dog'.

1. He let his 2-year-old child wander off unsupervised into a room with the dog. He clearly failed to 'control' either the dog or his own very young child.

1. The penalties for such an offence include fines and orders to muzzle the dog. It is not an automatic penalty of PTS.

HTH.