Our dog bit DS. What next?

[newnamefortoday]

NC for this one. Our JRT bit 4yo DS on the foot at the weekend. Not terrible, but a huge bruise, puncture wound, visit to minor injuries and antibiotics. We’re not sure exactly what happened, dog was in the garden, DS climbed on the gate as he has done dozens of times before but this time the dog bit his foot as he put it through. Just heard a snarl then a scream. Dog knew exactly who it was as the gate is between garden and house, not the road. It would have been much worse had the gate not been between them. We also have a small baby. We are obviously considering dog’s future and keeping him separated for now. He snarled at my mum this week and caught my ankle snapping at me last week. He’s always been a bit of a grumpy terrier but has never bitten before so we’re considering all possibilities. He’s quite old. Lots to think about but with a small baby we can’t take any chances. What would you do next, apart from taking dog to vet to check for pain etc? Would you expect any follow up from SS or HV through the hospital?

The dog has been aggressive to all ages with no provocation, rehoming would be irresponsible. I don’t see a choice, this is prolonging the inevitable.

Why on earth should OP be faffing around with dog behavourists when the dog has drawn blood? The dog is no longer trustworthy around children. It has to go. Why anyone thinks otherwise is beyond me!

Sorry but it needs to be PTS now, too much aggression, No dog that shows this much aggression (however small or old) must be in same house as a child or baby and it's bitten you too , what are you waiting for?

I had this very same incident happen to one of my grand children. I was mortified the dog had been part of the family for 14 years. Òver time he started to get grumpy, i couldn't rehome the old fella knowing what he had done. It is a tough and very emotional decision but the right action in this cae was to PTS the dog. You need to put the safety of your children first, as the dog has demonstrated it can not be left around children, supervised or not.

I do sympathise it was one of the toughest decisions I have had to make and broke my heart but the safety of family have to come first.

It would be a shame to re home an older dog it would be horrific for it. Check for pain etc and remember there’s a lot going on at the moment. Dogs can take calms. I know baby comes first but please try and find a way.

We had a JRT and she was grumpy. She snapped at my son and bit his cheek under his eye. After that we did training but when I fell pregnant she would sit on me and almost claimed me. When we had our baby, she would constantly try to get to her and I couldn't put the baby down in fear of the dog. In the end I felt like a prisoner, she was stealing baby's blankets and taking them in her cage. We had to rehome through RSPCA. She was a lovely dog and and rehomed with adults but I couldn't take the risk.

Never leave a child unattended with a dog that should be a no brainer. 9 is old for a jack Russel as my old family jack Russel terrier died at only just past 10 years old. This dog was a grump to no kids was aloud near her she hated all kids under the age of 10 ironic as my brother was only 3 when we got her and she always hated him till he got older.
Teach your kids to stay away from it that's what my mum did. Dogs are not kids playtoys and you should be able to separate and monitor them. The dog biting you means the dog also has no respect for you either unfortunately, so that's something that should addressed.

I may have misunderstood what has happened in the original post but form my perspective… No dog, no matter how loving, placid, etc should be left alone with a child who is not big enough to defend themselves from that dog, if the worst was to happen.

To be honest it sounds like your dog was potentially trying to protect the child by telling them to get off the gate for their own safety! Sadly dog only had his mouth to do that with 😬

The hot weather has caused a few behavioural changes in animals across the country so maybe a trip to the vets isn’t an awful idea just to make sure he is ok.
Going forwards I’d supervise the dog with child & just don’t leave them alone together again then this can’t happen again.
You could also set some boundaries to stop the child climbing on the gate to prevent them hurting themselves & that will hopefully prevent this happening again.
In my book gate climbing without good reason is not only disrespectful of your property but also dangerous behaviour.
I had a young climber in the house & we had to manage the climbing because it wasn’t & isn’t safe to expect them to look out for themselves, at such a young age, because they have no fear or perception of danger past what they are doing & accidents happen so easily, as you are now seeing!

If you can’t manage those simple changes you should consider rehoming the dog so he isn’t put in this situation again because dogs don’t growl at people or bite for no reason so there has been an issue or trigger here.

Dog is definitely having some sort of crisis that it needs help with.
If it is being blamed for natural, stressed dog behaviour then to be honest dog is better off being rehomed somewhere that is less stressful for it & that in turn will be safer for the family.

Dogs don’t attack or no for no reason. There is a trigger for that behaviour.
kindest thing OP can do is find dog a new home with someone who understands the problems said dog is having & they can work with the dog to address the issues.
OP has too much in her hands with kids & human family to give the dog what it needs & the dogs environment has changed to the pint it is no-longer happy & it is voicing that in the only way it can because no-one is listening.

Can your mum not have him for some quiet time for the dog.

Maybe time to say goodbye poochie?

Maybe time to say goodbye poochie?

My mother and step dad's dog bit my daughter in the face when she was 6, he wasn't overly old but was a rescue dog. He had less than 5 minutes alone with her. He came out of the sitting room wagging his tail and obviously didn't see his actions as wrong. My DD had the full imprint of the dogs jaw on her face in bruises as well as 2 puncture marks. As devastating as it was for my stepdad the dog was PTS. It is safer all around for all especially the children.

I don't really understand why you are asking tbh, surely the facts are 1. He's bitten a young lad bad enough to need hospital treatment. 2. He caught your ankle by snapping at you. 3. He snarled at your mom. 4. He's very grumpy and 5. You have a baby in the house. I cannot for the life of me understand why you've still got him? Husbands' dog or not, you need to get rid before he does something really awful.

I feel sorry for the OP..she understands what needs to be done..the poor dog is ill. The vet advises PTS. Keeping the dog is dangerous for everyone especially the young children...it's the H who is burying his head in the sand because of their history..so much kinder to let the pup go now.

My rule has always been that if one of my dogs breaks my children's skin (26 and 17 years old, so adults technically), that dog gets a one-way trip to the vet. So far, we've been very lucky.

That bite was not a warning nip, though - it was an actual "had enough now" bite. Having lived with a dog with epilepsy (traumatic head injury as its cause), which was controlled with medication, for the 3 years of my oldest's life whilst they overlapped, I was on tenterhooks waiting for him to snap at her. My mother was like your husband, though, OP in that "the dog was here first!" and a blind spot towards the damage a dog can actually do to a toddler or baby (or adult, for that matter!).

Yes, epilepsy can be controlled/managed in dogs - but you also have to factor in the quality of life for them, and whether or not they have eschewed a warning bite and gone straight to biting properly - which, sadly, this JRT has done,. I'd either be seeking a brain scan, regardless of the expense, because there may well be a tumour lurking, or seeking the kinder option long term for the dog, by having it PTS. Sick dogs are rarely rehomed, I'm afraid... especially if they have a history of biting defenceless toddlers!

Jack Russell Terriers have killed young babies in UK.
A human newborn is a relatively small being.
They have killed babies as it was on News at time.

Been thinking of you OP, very stressful time, is there any update? Did you get back to the vet and has DH agreed with what you think?

I’m with Zurala on this .. sorry I know you love your pet but it has bitten a child, please don’t take any more chances it has to go x

I'm so sorry this has happened. This can be such a difficult situation. Unfortunately this sounds like quite a serious bite and because the dog is elderly it may happen again due to doggy dementia/ grumpiness.
We had a dog that started to act like this due to ill health and the best decision was to put the dog to sleep as he wasn't going to get any better.
If you think your dog still has some quality of life, rehoming to a childless home might be your best option. Again, so sorry you are experiencing this with a loved family pet.

Dogs are like people in a heatwave their tolerance levels go way down. Has your dog got his own space away from the noise, and active children? Surely you can shut him in a room or away from children/people running around or stepping on him.

People have killed more people for no reason, then all the dogs put together.

You need to re-home the dog. Next time it might bite another child. And you will be in serious trouble.

Was the attach during this heat?

Attack

No it wasn't, the OP posted on 4th August. It was warm but not like now.