Rehoming dog after baby

[woofwoof101]

Hello, looking for some advice please - delicate subject and already feeling very upset by the whole thing so please kind words and support only.

we have an English bulldog, 5 years old, have had him since he was a pup. Then had baby December 2024. Dog a bit wary of baby initially but we just kept them seperate/never left them unsupervised and all settled after a while.

before Christmas baby started mobilising more, crawling about and pulling self up to stand at the side of furniture. On one occasion I was playing with baby on floor and dog was on sofa (corner sofa). Baby pulled self up to stand at far end of sofa and dog quickly turned around and snapped at him. No contact made, no injury etc and since then if baby is on floor dog is in bed (under stairs in hallway).

kitchen and living room are open plan except for a half wall with walkway, baby becoming more mobile so we put a mesh baby gate across the entrance to the walkway so baby can mobilise and dog can be contained. At the weekend the dog snapped at baby through the mesh safety gate - baby was on other side and had pulled up to stand against the wall - again no contact made due to distance but it’s very much unsettled me and my husband.

there have been lots of tears over the weekend and our immediate reaction is that we need to rehome him but it is absolutely breaking our hearts. We know baby is only going to get more mobile/inquisitive and we don’t want anything to happen to him, but our dog is our family - we jokingly refer to him as our first born.

I’ve suggested to my husband to get a dog behaviour specialist, to get a dog walker to take dog out at specific times of the day when I know we are usually at home, take baby up to room to play/out more etc but he says all trust is gone. I do agree and I suppose I’m clutching at straws to try and keep them both at home safe and happy.

I don’t know what I’m asking for - I have to reiterate that these were complete unprovoked incidents while we were in the room, it’s not a case of baby and dog being left alone. Dog has been opportunistic and I’m just wondering am I mad to consider anything possible to keep him home or do I need to accept that rehoming is our only option?

again we already feel devastated/guilty/every emotion under the sun so support and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Only rehome the dog through a proper breed rescue , it really is the only way to guarantee his future and they will match him with suitable owners .

Is there a family member or friend that would take your dog? At least then you could still visit?

Get rid immediately. It’s not even a question you should need to ask.

There was a recent similar thread about a labradoodle or such a few weeks ago. No, sorry, it was a spaniel mix. Long story short, the spaniel rescue couldn’t take the dog given (attempted?) bite history so the dog was PTS.

OP, I’ve been in a similar position to you. Even based on logic, you get a trainer or behaviouralist…you’ve got a soon-to-be walking child…you don’t have the time to train the dog even an hour a day. I hope you know a family member or friend to take your boy. Fingers crossed for you

Could you possibly get in a dog behaviourist or trainer that has experience with this type of behaviour?

@MauriceTheMussel Almost certainly a lie in that story from that spaniel cross owner. Lots of rescues take dogs with bite histories let alone snaps at babies or toddlers as it’s actually very normal - almost all the big ones and breed specific ones. Spaniel aid take lots of dogs with bite histories on small children, for example. So either that OP was very unlucky or (and more likely) they just had their dog put to sleep with no recognition that the snap was their fault as both a parent and an owner.

Having a baby when you have a dog is one of the most risky things you can do. The best thing anyone can do if they’re not prepared to be an active parent or owner (i.e teaching the child from day dot that dogs should be left alone, being right by the child, not letting it approach the dog even if there’s a divider between the two as, being in the same room or nearby is not active parenting or good dog ownership), is rehome the dog before such an incident occurs.

In OPs case, the dog should be given to a breed specific rescue and not PTS. This has unfortunately been handled poorly - separating them from the start was a set up for failure, but that’s not the fault of the OP as it’s what people assume is the right thing and it’s certainly not the dogs fault. It’s a horrible situation, and I feel for both OP and the dog, but the dog will be happier in another home and OP won’t be stressed.

whatever youre doing buy a muzzle today.
now. hopefully they come in his size with his short face and you can get a well fitting one for his breed. so try instore

that way you can be sure he cant bite when he’s at the baby gate or whatever.

if your mum does take him start getting her used to him now, walkies today, round her house for a bit etc. so it’s not too much of a shock for both of them when it becomes longer spells.

tbh i dont see it working but you never know. you have to try it before rehoming or youll always wonder.

remember that when you get him back he will be all over you excitedly. so plan ahead so as not to be next to your child at that time so he doesn’t knock dc over. and that your mum puts his muzzle on prior.

if your mum does this it’s a big sacrifice for her. it might be too much. so look behind her words and see if it’s too much/too inconvenient for her.

rehoming may be best in the long run but a temp measure this week is the way forward i think.

thank you for this. My mum already takes him out for walks 3-4 times a week while me and my husband are at work - she said only difference will be rather than bringing him home she’ll just bring him back to her house. She lives directly across the road from us so it wouldn’t be a massive shock to him as he sees her daily

All sounds great until the dog in the same room as the child bites the child. There is no way any right thinking parent could accept that risk. Some dogs cannot cope with young babies, the baby and normal baby behaviour sets them off. There is absolutely no guarantee that can be trained out of the dog.

It isn’t common, most dogs are fantastic around babies so long as the owners are doing their part and no dog should be trusted around a baby without supervision but a dog that is actively showing up the trait of potentially harming the baby needs to be kept away from the baby. That is cruel for the dog not to be among the family. There is no way I’d put a baby at risk if this trait came up.

@Deerinflashlights over 95% of Golden Retrievers we get into our rescue our re-homed due to bites on children or babies. If you look at Spaniel Aid, after a change in circumstances, bites or snaps at members of the family (usually children) is the second most common reason why dogs are rehomed through them. It is incredibly common.

If you had read what I said, you would have seen I advised OP to rehome the dog.... so I am not entirely sure what the point if you're trying to make?

It was this comment separating them from the start was a set up for failure,

It absolutely is what any right minded parent and right minded dog owner would do in these circumstances. It is not setting up to fail it is absolutely necessary sorry I thought I’d just quoted that section instead of the whole thing.

I don't think you can keep the dog but I don't think you can re-home him with anyone who might have a child, a child visiting even because bulldogs are powerful dogs and if they bite it would be a forceful bite. Shelters are often full and will ask you to keep him until they have a space. Could your Mum keep him and you pay for a walker each day if your Mum can't walk him? As PP said once your DS is walking dog could accept him.

I agree whilst deciding what to do get your dog a muzzle so you know baby can't be bitten. It sounds like your dog is jealous of baby. You used to call it your firstborn now it sees a baby getting all your attention. Can you give dog more attention whilst baby naps. I know it is tempting to try to get house jobs done whilst baby sleeps but maybe a play session with dog, tire it out then it might sleep more later.

Please re-home responsibly and through a breed specific rescue. Your home and love is all that your dog has ever known and this is going to be massively stressful for him - so he deserves the best possible outcome and that's not being shut in a kennel at somewhere like Dog's Trust.

I almost think it's kinder to euthanise than put them through such stress. You have to put your child first, of course, but this is a result of a poorly managed introduction and didn't have to be like this.

I had to have a rescue dog PTS recently. He became aggressive, would only do what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it. The final straw was that he snapped and lunged at my face. Had it been a child he would have caught the face. I decided I couldn't live with myself if he had done that. For info I consulted the vet twice, she agreed on the 3rd visit that rehoming was out of the question.
I'm telling you this, because I understand how difficult it is, but unfortunately some dogs just become aggressive. I've had other rescue dogs, including when my kids were small, none behaved as this one did. I think you just need to make the decision and stick to it.

Look for a breed specific rescue. We foster for Spaniel Aid and often transport or foster dogs that are needing to be rehomed because they're not coping with the new baby etc (we have a 7 yr old WCS who was knocking a toddler over) he's great with us as no children to cause stress or accidentally send flying.

I don’t think I worded it well in my OP. They haven’t been kept completely separate since child was born. We did our research and got advice and prepared dog/introduced them as we thought was right. We are not bad dog owners/parents (although it definitely feels like it now) and initially there were no issues. They have been able to share the same space with direct constant supervision. The first instance, I was right beside the baby on the floor - I underestimated how quickly a dog could move and since then if baby is on the floor then dog is behind baby gate in kitchen. As I said previously house is open plan so dog goes in here with treats and toys. We couldn’t predict he would snap at the baby through the mesh baby gate. the issues now definitely stem from the baby being more mobile and unpredictable. the dog is clearly anxious about this.

im not making excuses just trying to paint a larger picture. I know what decisions we have to make. I think I posted this thread out of sheer desperation and sadness but I would never put a dog above my child’s safety

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to give support and advice and shared similar stories. I just want the best for him

You aren't a bad person

I would recommend a vet check if its out of character incase there is a physical source of pain or discomfort

I foster and would 100% recommend rehoming otherwise

The reality is that your dog needs a child free environment so the kindest thing you can do is rehome him. He will likely go and be the center of someone's world, with a sofa to snore on

Its likely to be a much better life than if he stays with your/your mum. Its likely to be a half life without the comforts he has now, less walks, constantly shut away or tenseness.

It's the kindest thing to recognise that he needs something you can't give

Most people in rescue can tell you hundreds of stories of dogs that should have been rehomed earlier, where they then were left in a situation where behaviour problems become worse (either because it's unchecked, or because they end up being shut away, walked less etc), end up with issues that make rehoming them hard or ends up fatal for the dog. Mental health is health for a dog

Also if you are thinking about a muzzle seek out advice from muzzle up pup fb groups.

Bulldogs have an odd face shape that muzzles don't fit well, and protecting their breathing is very important so the right fit is more important than 90% of other breeds. Lots of muzzles are also not bite proof (especially bull dog shaped ones!) And you'll have lots to consider (eg some muzzles aren't bite proof, others are but are more likely to bruise you because they are clunky)

@Falloxso the first incident was at a time when the dog had a bad skin condition, he was on antibiotics and just generally itchy/uncomfortable. We did factor this in but at the same time can’t chalk it down to this completely

If you do choose to rehome contact the Edward Foundation, excellent breed rescue

When we first got married we got a dog from the rescue centre.
He had been on the streets for a long time. He settled in brilliantly.
Then we had our first child and he was still good. At 9 months baby started to crawl.
Even now I don't think he meant it. Baby touched its leg and the dog turned around and
put his mouth around the babies head and did a small growl.
Unfortunately he'd broken the skin and we couldn't risk it.
Not one rescue place would take him because he had in their eyes bitten.
We ended up having to PTS.
Child comes first each and every time.

@woofwoof101 Please, please only rehome your dog through a proper charity/rescue centre. Do not advertise him on Facebook or other platforms and do not give him to anyone you don't know really well. There are very evil people out there who will gladly "take your dog off your hands".

Hi, yes we’ve already talked about this, we are going to do everything possible to rehome him safely and happily - no Facebook or anything like that. Going to reach out to family and friends first then the Edward’s rescue. His safety and happiness are our absolute priority so will definitely take our time and do this right, it’s the least we can do for him

I am so so sorry this happened to you. Thank you for sharing your story

Would his breeder take him back or help with rehoming? I know my breeder would want to know.