Helping a friend - must her dog be PTS or any other options?

[SoiPup]

Hi all

I was wondering if you wise people can help.

My friend has a highly strung collie, he's always been a very nervous dog. He attacked her 3 yo grandson yesterday and bitten him nastily in the face. It was a mistake on her part as she had always tried to keep them apart but she went to take bins out and an amazon delivery just arrived and apparently in that moment of oversight the dog went for her grandson. Ambulance was called and police arrived. Dog has been taken away. The police warned her she could be prosecuted but have told her that this is unlikely given the circumstances of the case.

Police are coming tomorrow to discuss with her what to do with the dog. Is putting the dog to sleep likely to be the only option? Her grandson is in her house a lot so obviously returning the dog to her is not an option. Could a breed-specific rescue be allowed to take the dog to rehome him in a child-free home where people know the breed? He's a pure-bred rough collie so is it likely there would even be takers for a dog with such a bite history? Would the police even allow it?

My poor friend is in bits. First the terrible guilt about how it all happened and the awful worry about her beloved grandson. And then the loss of her dog in such a terrible way. Her mum is terminally ill and one of her kids is very unwell too so my heart is breaking for her. Is there any way to safely and responsibly save the dog?

I think that the challenge is a legal one in that only a court can say a dog must be destroyed. So unless your friend has already signed the dog's ownership over, he remains her property.

However, now that the dog has been seized it will be assessed - the outcome, in court, being that the dog is either destroyed or is returned the owner with some additional control restrictions. I don't think rehoming will be one of the options.

I think! My knowledge of law is dodgy - although I studied it at uni this was very many years ago now and that was before more event changes to the DDA.

@SirSniffsAlot Thanks She didn't sign the dog over.I had hoped rehoming in a more appropriate home might be an option :(
Oh, this is so awful for everyone involved.

Contact New Hope Rescue in Kent. They take in very troubled dogs and do a great job rehabilitating them.

@Mrswalliams1 Thank you! I'll pass this on to her.

This place gives behaviour challenged collies a second chance www.fostbc.org.uk/

She may not have a choice.

If the dog has been seized it will be up to the courts what happens.

@sunflowersandbuttercups
The dog has been seized and is being assessed. Does this mean the only resolution can now be through the courts?

I believe the police can hold the dog until they get a court date - but only a judge can decide whether the dog is destroyed or not.

Your friend should probably find a solicitor that specialises in that area of the law. It may very well be decided that the bite was so severe that being PTS is the only option.

Does the dog have any kind of bite history before now?

Unfortunately a bite to a small child's face that requires an ambulance is probably one of the worst kinds of bite.

Personally, I think dogs that have attacked anyone in an unprovoked manner should be destroyed. She was negligent and a child is injured because of that.
The safety of others takes precedence over a dog.
The court will decide and yes, she can face prosecution; quite rightly so.

I would be talking to the rescues mentioned above before this got as far as court, so that friend can show she is being responsible.

Huge dog lover here, but I would not have the dog back in my house, if I had any hope of seeing my grandson there.
Your friend doesn’t know if something specific provoked the dog, but as he is known to be nervous, it’s a huge risk.

From what you say sadly the sensible and responsible thing to do would be to PTS.

A nervous, working breed dog was left alone with a young child who required an ambulance. That's serious.

Whilst I understand the guilt your friend will feel that this shouldn't have happened, it did happen. I have toddler, baby and house dogs. Also have working dogs outside. It's not a problem I would be prepared to pass to someone else at this stage, earlier perhaps but not now.

She bought a working dog and then was surprised when it doesn't behave like a pet. Shocking. They should bring back the dog license

How do the parents of the child that was bitten want to proceed? If I was the parent I would absolutely want the dog to be destroyed. If the grandparent also knew well enough the DC and the dog should be separated, yet was negligent enough to allow this to happen, the DC would not be visiting the house or the grandparent again.

I realise that sounds harsh but a bite to the face requiring an ambulance (and not one mention of what the parents feel, or how the DC will recover) is an awful situation. (I was bitten as a child, although the owner of the dog was a stranger not a relative, so I feel strongly about this and irresponsible dog owners that allow harm to be caused to a child).

Also I note how your "heart is breaking" for your friend, not the DC involved

I agree with Happytentoes , the dog has to go, these situations are never fair on anyone, I am a huge animal lover, but we have to mitigate risks to fellow humans (even if we prefer animals more !!)

And you can’t have a dog that has bitten with children, especially the poor child it did bite that’s quite cruel.

Not helpful to cast blame right now, trust me, you can't punish her any more than she is punishing herself. My friend fully admits it was her fault and she messed up.

I'm trying to help to see if there's a way to make the situation a bit less horrendous and the one thing would be if there could be a way for the dog to be rehomed (safely and responsibly of course). It's an awful and traumatic situation all around, no two ways about it.

Speak to Dog Law.co.uk .

It depends is the answer to your questions

If you can find a court approved behaviourist willing to home and rehablititate the dog that may be an option.

Depends on exactly how the police have seized the dog, the nature of the damage, the events leading up to the bite. The dogs history and health etc.

Get Legal advice from Dog Law asap

@FlowersInSpringtime
Yeah, it's cos I'm a heartless bitch and I only care about my friend and not her grandson. FFS

Oh, this is so awful for everyone involved.

Particularly for the little boy, who presumably will be scarred for life? I’m rather surprised that the focus is on the dog here....

I think its quite telling that you make no mention of the childs recovery or long term affects (scarring, disfigurement?) Or the feelings of the parents, and only seem concerned about the poor dog?

The dog should be PTS, the only reason not to would be to make your friend feel better, and imo, she should be feeling bad and having the full repercussions of her decisions played out.

Not much I can do for the child, is there? I'm not asking here for medical advice about how to handle the bite for my friend. Of course I'm talking about the boy and how he is doing WITH MY FRIEND.

Why do you need the details of how he is doing? Do you know him? I don't see why it is relevant at all to my post. The issue is that the dog bit him. That's the point here.

I asked a specific question about the legalities of the situation and whether a rescue could help rehome a dog with this bite history. If you can't help, then no need to comment.

I never normally say PTS and have lived with dogs with a bite history but if a dog has bitten a toddler so badly that it requires an ambulance then the best thing for all involved is to pts .

And i wouldnt worry about the dog being around the child if it gets returned, i cant imagine the child will ever be spending time at your friends house again.

@Skyliner001

She bought a working dog and then was surprised when it doesn't behave like a pet. Shocking. They should bring back the dog license

That is a wholly stupid comment. Border Collies can be trained to be working dogs yes, but there are many of them happily living as family pets. Like any animal, you have to be aware of and meet their needs in a domestic situation. But biting isn't an acceptable trait in a working dog either!

And the dog licence would have done nothing - it was a fee that some people paid (and most ignored) to have a dog. It in no way supported the welfare of dogs or the education or suitability of owners or dogs.

We have very little background here, and whilst I make no excuse for any owner or dog, we can't possibly know what went on. The owner should never have left a dog - any dog - alone with a toddler for even a second, because it doesn't require an aggressive dog to make a disaster. All it takes is a typical toddler mishandling and hurting a dog in error - dogs respond to pain by lashing out just like many humans do. But they lash out with teeth.

Given the grandson appears not to be resident in the property, if there is no history of aggression from the dog it may be that there will be no further action. That will be considered. Very few aggression incidents get to court, and in the majority of cases dogs are returned having done far worse. To be honest - too easily in my opinion, but it isn't as cut and dried as people think.

That said I do not think the owner can keep the dog - too much water has passed under the bridge. But there are a number of rescue options - the one that I mentioned above will, if the dog cannot be rehomed, keep the dog for life in a place where it will be happy and well looked after. As would the Dogs Trust although they are struggling for capacity. But if there is no prior history of aggression rehabilitation is very possible, so I would move heaven and earth to find a place that will be able to take the dog and help it.

@Crosstrainer

Oh, this is so awful for everyone involved.

Particularly for the little boy, who presumably will be scarred for life? I’m rather surprised that the focus is on the dog here....

Maybe that's because this is a dog forum and OP asked for advice with how to proceed with the dog?

Nobody is saying the grandson isn't important but the thread is about the dogs fate.