Advice on Dog Bite

[wabashman]

When our dog bit our son, we had to report it to the county. We were told to just quarantine our dog and wait a week to make sure he wasn't rabid. Not a big deal really.

That dog was put down shortly there after. I can't abide a biter, even if it's just a one time thing. Pets are supposed to enhance your life, not make it a pain in the ass.

Without knowing the full background, that sounds a little bit extreme. If I went off of your rule, then I would have to had put my dog down 3 years ago, last year, and back in January as he bit me each time. Each time was when I got home extremely late and opened the front door without saying anything to him. He was simply doing his job at protecting the house. And yes each time drew blood and left a scare. But oh well for me, the dog did what he was trained to do so I cannot fault him there.

I guess my parents would had to put down our yellow lab years ago as well since he bit my brother in the face after my brother bit the dogs ears ( he was 4...).

 

[yeahbaby]

Ok, got the whole story. The kid placed his left hand near the crate so the dog could get a sniff of him. Then stuck his hand into the crate. This dog is extremely smart. The one thing I found interesting is the guy has been around Gunter a lot, and likes him. He always wears a ball cap at our house. Guess what, this time he did not have his cap on. So I am thinking the dog is like who the hell is sticking their hand in my domain. He ended up with seven stitches and a valueable lesson. He admitted it was a big mistake on his part. His parents were cool with it too, so far.

 

[churchmouse]

Ok, got the whole story. The kid placed his left hand near the crate so the dog could get a sniff of him. Then stuck his hand into the crate. This dog is extremely smart. The one thing I found interesting is the guy has been around Gunter a lot, and likes him. He always wears a ball cap at our house. Guess what, this time he did not have his cap on. So I am thinking the dog is like who the hell is sticking their hand in my domain. He ended up with seven stitches and a valueable lesson. He admitted it was a big mistake on his part. His parents were cool with it too, so far.

Figured as much. Glad he is OK and you are off the hook.

 

[HoughMade]

Many people have said it, but regardless of what the parents say, notify your insurer.

We used to have a virtual "one free bite" rule in Indiana, but that has been modified a bit.

A little light reading.

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/in-supreme-court/1479607.html

 

[yeahbaby]

Many people have said it, but regardless of what the parents say, notify your insurer.

We used to have a virtual "one free bite" rule in Indiana, but that has been modified a bit.

A little light reading.

That was my very first call after I found out this happened. We are covered.

 

[mom45]

Many people have said it, but regardless of what the parents say, notify your insurer.

We used to have a virtual "one free bite" rule in Indiana, but that has been modified a bit.

A little light reading.

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/in-supreme-court/1479607.html

Shouldn't "light reading" be in purple? LOL Case law is interesting to read, but I'm not sure it is light reading. It's a lot like reading state statutes. Those are very fun too.

 

[88GT]

Without knowing the full background, that sounds a little bit extreme. If I went off of your rule, then I would have to had put my dog down 3 years ago, last year, and back in January as he bit me each time. Each time was when I got home extremely late and opened the front door without saying anything to him. He was simply doing his job at protecting the house. And yes each time drew blood and left a scare. But oh well for me, the dog did what he was trained to do so I cannot fault him there.

I guess my parents would had to put down our yellow lab years ago as well since he bit my brother in the face after my brother bit the dogs ears ( he was 4...).

It's ridiculous, but the "can't ever have bad things happen" crowd is obsessed with reactive, won't-solve-anything responses to, well, bad things. The whole dog bite paranoia is one of them. (Firearms and the attempt to regulate them out of existence is another.) Most metro/suburban counties/municipalities have mandatory reporting for dog bites it seems. It's ridiculous. I bet the non-compliance rate it really high too. I'll stop there because I get too worked up over stupid inane attempts to control every aspect of a person's fate.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Without knowing the full background, that sounds a little bit extreme. If I went off of your rule, then I would have to had put my dog down 3 years ago, last year, and back in January as he bit me each time. Each time was when I got home extremely late and opened the front door without saying anything to him. He was simply doing his job at protecting the house. And yes each time drew blood and left a scare. But oh well for me, the dog did what he was trained to do so I cannot fault him there.

I guess my parents would had to put down our yellow lab years ago as well since he bit my brother in the face after my brother bit the dogs ears ( he was 4...).

That's different I guess. You trained your dog to be a biter, to protect the house.

Pets should never be biters. Especially if you have little kids. A dog can do a **** load of damage to a kiddo. I won't suffer any mere animal to live that could possibly threaten the health and well being of my children. It just isn't worth it. Dog's are killed by the hundreds or thousands every day because there is such a glut of them. Getting another one isn't a big deal.

 

[wabashman]

Have 3 year old and 5 year old in the house. But then again, they aren't coming into the house at 3 am either. Not to mention the dog sleeps directly outside of their bedroom doors every night. Separate rooms but the doors are about 2 feet from each other. I'm more worried about the cats scratching and biting them than the dog. The dog is a big baby until it's time for him to do his job.

However, I do agree with you on the fact that a dog can do a **** load of damage, to a kid or an adult. And should any signs of aggression or the like start to show from the dog towards the kids without it being provoked (yea, kids can provoke dogs) I will address that accordingly.

And yes, dogs are killed by the hundreds/thousands every day. But to unnecessarily put one down because he nipped a person is extreme. I'm sure the dog could have been adopted and relocated and been fine. Just because an animal is replaceable doesn't mean it should be thrown away.

 

[ATOMonkey]

We tried to adopt out or re-locate our dog after he bit our son. Those places are full up too. This country is literally overflowing with dogs that no one wants. Having a pet is about more than just keeping an animal alive IMO.

Sonny reached for his food and got bit. Dog was acting territorial, which is what they do. However, I just don't need that. I don't need to take my screaming kid to the ER because of a dog. My son got an infection and was admitted to the hospital. The doc was even worried that he may have a bone infection. Did having a pet improve the quality of my life? No.

The golden we have now is another dog no one wanted. I don't think she's ever bitten anything. In fact, I think she just swallows her food without chewing even. Kids poke, step on, ride her. Nothing. She doesn't even react to other animals. Never barks.

That's an acceptable pet for my children to be around. It took about 3 seconds to find this new dog after the previous one was gone.

IMO, no excuse to keep a biter when there are better dogs out there that probably won't make it another week.

 

[wabashman]

Fair enough. I wasn't trying to degrade/insult your decision making, it just differs from mine. IMO my/our dog biting me is on a whole different level than biting one of the kids.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Dog was acting territorial, which is what they do. However, I just don't need that. I don't need to take my screaming kid to the ER because of a dog. My son got an infection and was admitted to the hospital. The doc was even worried that he may have a bone infection. Did having a pet improve the quality of my life? No.

The golden we have now is another dog no one wanted. I don't think she's ever bitten anything. In fact, I think she just swallows her food without chewing even. Kids poke, step on, ride her. Nothing. She doesn't even react to other .

Exactly this. I get so mad when parents defend the dog and blame the kid because "she came up to the dog while it was eating" like that is some kind of excuse for having a dog bite a kid. Our dog you can take food out of bowl while he's eating and he just looks at you like "dude, what's up with that?" And goes back to eating.

dogs are domesticated. That means they live with humans in our homes. That demands certain behaviors. If they are territorial, they don't belong in the home with a child (or one with visiting kids). It takes one second to scar a kid for life.

in the last two weeks I saw a pitbull bite, a pit/boxer bite, and a Rottweiler bite. Two were very nasty and one could have easily killed the young child had it bit on a different part of the neck. The owner defended that dog as "she's a good dog".

 

[wabashman]

Messing with a dogs food is no excuse for it to bite anyone. I agree there. But at the same time, if I am biting the dog myself, smacking it with a stick then it's a completely different scenario.

 

[88GT]

That's different I guess. You trained your dog to be a biter, to protect the house.

Pets should never be biters. Especially if you have little kids. A dog can do a **** load of damage to a kiddo. I won't suffer any mere animal to live that could possibly threaten the health and well being of my children. It just isn't worth it. Dog's are killed by the hundreds or thousands every day because there is such a glut of them. Getting another one isn't a big deal.

As if a dog can't be a pet and a protector at the same time. Mine will bite a stranger making entry. But not a family member. Not even my mom who doesn't live with us though she may come into the house when we aren't home. Everyone else is fair game and I want it that way.

 

[88GT]

Exactly this. I get so mad when parents defend the dog and blame the kid because "she came up to the dog while it was eating" like that is some kind of excuse for having a dog bite a kid. Our dog you can take food out of bowl while he's eating and he just looks at you like "dude, what's up with that?" And goes back to eating.

dogs are domesticated. That means they live with humans in our homes. That demands certain behaviors. If they are territorial, they don't belong in the home with a child (or one with visiting kids). It takes one second to scar a kid for life.

in the last two weeks I saw a pitbull bite, a pit/boxer bite, and a Rottweiler bite. Two were very nasty and one could have easily killed the young child had it bit on a different part of the neck. The owner defended that dog as "she's a good dog".

They are also bred and the genetics is poorly controlled in a good many pairings. Domestication doesn't even come close to erasing the natural instincts. Dogs can go feral. If that doesn't tell you something about the nature of a dog's genetics and its tendencies, I don't know what else would.

 

[hoosierdoc]

They are also bred and the genetics is poorly controlled in a good many pairings. Domestication doesn't even come close to erasing the natural instincts. Dogs can go feral. If that doesn't tell you something about the nature of a dog's genetics and its tendencies, I don't know what else would.

Right, at which point they get relocated laterally or vertically.

 

[Hookeye]

I got nailed as a kid, and any dog that bites me that's free roaming is gonna get nuked.
But, with the OP's dog in a cage................well, I aint gonna blame the dog.

Animal in a cage.............uh, don't F with it. Kid maybe learned a new lesson. Wonder if the hand bitten was the same one
he used to learn about stoves.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

I see dogs kindof like guns. I assume all dogs can bite. If any dog of mine bit anybody, it would be my fault, since it's my responsibility to maintain my dog in a safe manner. Just like it's my responsibility to maintain my guns in a safe manner.

 

[ATOMonkey]

As if a dog can't be a pet and a protector at the same time. Mine will bite a stranger making entry. But not a family member. Not even my mom who doesn't live with us though she may come into the house when we aren't home. Everyone else is fair game and I want it that way.

Life is all about risk right? You said it yourself that a dog has certain istincts that will come to the surface when it needs to. I'd just rather they be really really deep. You want a biter in your house. That's additional risk that you're comfortable with, but that I have absolutely no interest in. I wouldn't bet my life or the well being of my family on an animal.

Now, were I a single guy, I'd be willing to take on more risk. I love the personality of bully-breeds and their drive and intensity. I would have a APBT in a new york minute were I the only one in my home.

A golden with the personality of a wet blanket makes a better family pet for me. She's one step up from a giant teddy bear on the evolutionary ladder.

 

[Double T]

A 60 pound lab isn't going to be able to get its mouth through the bars of a dog crate. Kid is lying.

My 30 puggle breaks out of kennels. I beg to differ. My golden retriever at about 70lb busts through crates because of the mail man. I had to wire them shut to keep them potty trained after the move, now they don't pee/poop in here.

Any animal that wants out of a cage can get out.