Our dog just attacked our son.

[mrsbounceisflat]

We have had our rescue dog for 3 months, he has nipped a couple of times but this has been when he has been scared and in the very early days.
My 15 year old son just came to hug me and the dog just went for him, just missing his lip, this was totally out of the blue, he really went for him this was not a nip or a warning. My husbands on the phone to the rspca now where we got him from, my son is upstairs in tears. My son has mental health problems and the dog has helped him in so many ways. I just needed to get this out.

[unicornchaser]

With rescue dogs you can never know their history and they will always be 'unpredictable'
If you go along the route of rehoming a rescue dog you HAVE to be prepared for anything to happen and be willing to put in the work with a trainer/behaviourist.

It is unfortunate that this situation has occurred but sadly the dog will not get another chance if you send him back because he has 'bitten', He will be put to sleep.

I would want to work with the dog if your son has such a strong bond with him, but only you can know what would be more damaging for your son, keeping the dog or not.

If you don't keep it, please please do not go back through a rescue again as it may stop a dog from being rehomed somewhere it may have had a happier ending - I in no way mean to make you feel guilty but maybe better to not have a dog with an unknown history in your circumstances.

[Branleuse]

All you people writing "bitten" like they question if it even happened or saying that it was a warning when you werent even fucking there are absolute lunatics. This dog has just jumped up and bitten a childs face because he gave his mum a hug. There is no need for a dog to jump up and give a warning nip to a childs face that wasnt anywhere near it.
The dog is dangerous. It bites faces out of fear. It is likely why it was given up.
Put the dog to sleep. Its a liability

[unicornchaser]

You say that but there is no way of knowing what happened to the dog previously so can't know if there is a reason why it reacted this way.

Like a few others, I don't see it as attacked or bitten if it was a quick nip that didn't break the skin. Has it have broke skin or the lip be damaged then yes a bite but this was a nip.
Could have been out of fear, excitement, concern, any number of things and not necessarily malicious or warranting an immediate death sentence!
(I say this as someone who has been nipped and bitten on a number of occasions, and some as a child causing real damage)

Again this reiterated that anyone looking to rehome a dog has to be prepared for incidents to happen and to be willing to work through it as you don't know why the dog is reacting the way it is.

[Vallahalagonebutnotforgotten]

Branleuse as a fucking lunatic (actually you are so right!) the dog did not bite, there was no broken skin, no blood , no marks on the skin......trots off to her aslyum

[Vallahalagonebutnotforgotten]

asylum obviously

[Branleuse]

I just cannot understsnd why anybody would downplay this. I guess its not your own child at risk?

[Wolfiefan]

A rescue dog is not necessarily more unpredictable. It won't necessarily have suffered trauma.
And I shall join you both in the asylum. The dog didn't bite. If a dog actually bites it's a hospital job. Not a MN thread.
I get it was scary but it could be workable. With the right support and help and preventative measures in place. Only you can decide that.

[IthinkIsawahairbrushbackthere]

There is one thing I have to take issue with OP and that is that you have said "We are obviously not responsible enough to be dog owners." Please don't think like that. You have done what everyone says to do - you have tried to give a home to a dog in need. It is NOT your fault that that has not worked out.

I don't subscribe to the school of thought that "a dog is for life". I think our responsibility is to do the best for our dogs while they are in their care and if that means rehoming or even PTS then we should do it.

[Winchester89]

@Branleuse
I'm with you. Some of the responses on here are shocking. Especially the first one about the dog that 'eventually' bit the 3 years olds face so they then got rid. WTF!
I have a dog, love him to pieces, but if he went for my daughters face, whether he meant it as a warning or a bite or whatever else, he would be gone!

[Branleuse]

Ive got two rescue staffies. If one of them ever bit or nipped anyones face unprovoked, theyd be gone. OP has said this was a bite, not an air snap. It lunged for no reason to a childs face. The only reason this was not worse was because its a fucking lhasa apso and because OP got in the way. Anyone that would keep their dog here doesnt deserve children

[Notquiteagandt]

I had a pedigree dog all the right papers.
Really was the softest most gentilest dog ever.

But he hatest people near me or touching me. He was beyond protective.

If I so much as answered the door he would push him self in front of me. If anyone hugged me or touched me he would jump up and push them away from me growling. Never but but certainlymade it clear he wasnt happy.

Could it be something simular? Hes latched on to one of you and feeling protective. Just with you saying it was when you both hugged.

We ended up at doggy therapy because of it. They basicly helped to resolve the issue. Said the dog had anixity almost that id get hurt. He saw me as his puppy almost and his favourite person so wanted me to himself.

With a rescue you dont know what trauma he has been through. He could just be feeling protective as you are all actually showing him love. Alot of changes in his life.

Poor dog I really feel for you. What a difficult situation to be in.

[PavlovSkinner]

i think there’s some misinterpretation going on here. No one is saying the snap was a warning. I said the dog very likely gave out / has been givingbout lots of subtle warnings that he’s anxious/worried/scared etc which have not been picked up on by the owner. So thecdog has been wirkingbits way up a ladder of aggression until he’s felt the need to snap. Some work with a trainer to decrease the dogs anxiety and learn about body language might be a simple solution.

[cushioncovers]

If the dog has already nipped a couple of times and now bitten your son you should either reevaluate how you 'play' and hug him etc and learn to give him his own space or rehome him.
But I feel your anguish, we had a rescue dog that we spent ages getting know at the women's property who rehomed rescues from Romania. Making sure she was the right dog for us and within 24 hours of having her she attacked my ds and on further investigation we were her third new home. I was so angry with the women for fobbing us off. The dog is now at a charitable sanctuary for dogs who can't be rehomed. It was very upsetting at the time.

[ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs]

In every case where a dog bites/ nips/ whatever there are different circumstances.

None of us on here can actually know the dog's "intention"or reasoning.

A good behaviouralist ( ie properly trained and accredited) could possibly help. But it takes a lot of work and consistency from the whole family, and that is more difficult sometimes than you might imagine.

That this has happened so soon in the adoption process says nothing about the OPs suitability as a dog owner and more about the dog. The rescue should take the dog back and reassess. It doesn't necessarily mean the dog will be PTS, it may just need a different type of environment. I am reluctant at times to pts on the strength of one incident, but safety has to be paramount. As I said before, when that trust has broken down between dog and owner, as in any relationship, it can be difficult to get things back on track, especially after so short a time. Possibly better for all concerned to start again.

I have seen clients battle through similar, taking and heeding advice from really good behaviouralists, only for the meticulous routine to fail somewhere along the line and the end up is catastrophic. The success stories are unfortunately few and far between, especially at this stage in the dog/ owner relationship. Better to rehome (back to rescue)the dog now than pts in a few months after a similar and conclusive incident.