What would you do? Almost dog bite.

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_SASX_
_SASX_ Posts: 255 Member
in Chit-Chat
Yesterday while my Dh and I were away at a Warrior Dash - Go me! My son was staying at my parent's place. There were a lot of family and friends there for a fun games weekend. My brother has a rottweiler that is a rescue from a neglected home. This dog is always on leash and never left unattended. The kids were all playing and running etc. they had water guns. They were spraying anything and everything. The dogs were drinking from the waterguns, then all of a sudden,, my brother's dog lunges at my son, tearing his shirtsleeve and leaving a hole on the other side of the sleeve. The dog was whisked away at once and not a scratch was on my son. The adults all 5 that were standing there handled things maturely and calmly so as not to freak my son out. My sister in law actually left with the dog, she was so upset that he'd do that.

When we came to pick up my son today and spend some time with family, I was told about it in a softer version...kids making a ruckus....dog fed up,,,just tore the shirt a bit. OK, I thought. Kids were told to stop (who actually made sure this happened?) no one. 5 adults right there and not one took the waterguns away when they told the kids to stop. then the dog lunged. (no warning growl or anything)

After I thought about it for a bit-a little shocked and thought through the soft version...my son was almost bitten by a full grown rottie. not a puppy. but a full sized, previously abused, on-leash dog. it doesn't really matter the breed. We will not be at the house again if that dog is there. If he can lunge at my kid once, he'll do it again. or to someone else. with no warnings. the dog wasn't even trying to move away before hand.

What would you do?
We have dogs and my son is around dogs all the time and he knows not to bug them - because they can growl to let you know they need space etc...but he will not be around this dog again. and my hubby is even more than mad-

would you say no more of 'that' dog where you are?
would you do something more?
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Replies

  • workoutdood
    workoutdood Posts: 59 Member
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    Kind of impossible to say not seeing the incident.
    The dog may have been trying to play, and just ended up biting your son's shirt. Rotty's have big mouths, I'd have to imagine if he wanted to bite your son maliciously he would have.

    All in all, I wouldn't leave your son unattended around the dog ever though
  • clydethecat
    clydethecat Posts: 1,094 Member
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    i'm biased, because i dont like dogs for just this reason. they can be flightly and can react badly at a moments notice.

    that being said, i would keep my kid away from this dog. it may have just been in fun and a playful reaction, but that may be worse. a dog thats playful and bites is bad.

    never put your kid in harms way. this seems like harms way.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
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    Make sure the owner of the dog knows you're not comfortable with the events that occurred and you'd prefer the dog not to be around your child if your child is visiting the residence.

    I think it's only natural that a rescue might have a moment of fear and 'lash out' and unless you saw the event transpire, I wouldn't take it any farther as you don't know for sure the events surrounding the 'almost' bite.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Make sure the owner of the dog knows you're not comfortable with the events that occurred and you'd prefer the dog not to be around your child if your child is visiting the residence.

    I think it's only natural that a rescue might have a moment of fear and 'lash out' and unless you saw the event transpire, I wouldn't take it any farther as you don't know for sure the events surrounding the 'almost' bite.

    This. I think that's perfectly reasonable. And I'm a dog person. I have a fairly weird rescue dog with an unknown past. I know he's unpredictable, so I wouldn't be offended if a family member said, "Hey, can you keep the dog away from my kid?" I prefer to avoid situations where he can feel overwhelmed and/or I can't pay close attention to his body language.

    Sometimes abused dogs get punished so much for growling or snarling or biting that they skip the warning phase and go right to action.
  • kaned_ferret
    kaned_ferret Posts: 618 Member
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    Make sure the owner of the dog knows you're not comfortable with the events that occurred and you'd prefer the dog not to be around your child if your child is visiting the residence.

    I think it's only natural that a rescue might have a moment of fear and 'lash out' and unless you saw the event transpire, I wouldn't take it any farther as you don't know for sure the events surrounding the 'almost' bite.

    This. I think that's perfectly reasonable. And I'm a dog person. I have a fairly weird rescue dog with an unknown past. I know he's unpredictable, so I wouldn't be offended if a family member said, "Hey, can you keep the dog away from my kid?" I prefer to avoid situations where he can feel overwhelmed and/or I can't pay close attention to his body language.

    Sometimes abused dogs get punished so much for growling or snarling or biting that they skip the warning phase and go right to action.

    Both great replies. I am a trainer and behaviour advisor and have worked with rescues and aggression cases for a long time. It's not the dogs fault for responding to the cumulative stress it was under, but having said that the family needs to implement better protocols for visitors in future, both for their safety and for the dogs sense of security. I can point them in the direction of a good behaviourist. Locally if you like?
  • kaned_ferret
    kaned_ferret Posts: 618 Member
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    Also, the fact that it was just a torn shirt believe it or not indicates good bite inhibition on the dogs part which is certainly positive :)
  • _SASX_
    _SASX_ Posts: 255 Member
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    My DH talked to a friend who is with the police. this dog has already been reported for violent behaviour while with the previous owners, and the only reason he didn't bite skin is because my son was already moving away. I agree that the dog should not have been put under those kind of stressful conditions, and there needs to be safety measures put into place but that was the choice of his owner, and they removed the dog right after the incident.

    DH is more than mad about this, and because this dog has been violent before and even with his current owners (no biting, but close a few times) we are making sure that we will not be where the dog is. I have made that clear to my parents (whose house this happened at), and DH will be talking to my brother about this tomorrow when things have calmed down a little bit. DH wants the dog put down. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it only missed biting skin because my son was already moving...
  • onwarddownward
    onwarddownward Posts: 1,683 Member
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    My son was face bitten by a schnauzer. I never went over to that house again. If they won't crate dogs around kids, then my kids don't go.

    I love dogs, but seriously, any dog can and will bite, under stress and in certain circumstances. What were they thinking to have this horseplay around a dog with an abusive background.
  • greenmonstergirl
    greenmonstergirl Posts: 619 Member
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    Legally the dog doesn't have to be put down because of an "almost" bite.

    You can keep the kid away from that dog though and that's what you should do.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    The dog shouldn't be put down because the owners failed to pay close enough attention to it.
  • MamaCass30
    MamaCass30 Posts: 37 Member
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    My 6 year old son was bitten on the side of the face by a dog that wore a muzzle on a daily basis while visiting his dads for the weekend. Dad was negligent in putting the muzzle on the dog when he woke up first thing in the AM and my son paid the price for that. Ended up needing 5 stitches in his cheek & ear.

    Needless to say, my children never stepped foot in that house again.

    Granted, my story is a bit different from yours as my child was actually bitten, but I think for the future, your son shouldn't be around the dog. Yes, it was probably a loud, boisterous situation for everyone involved and the dog reacted badly to that, but it's not the dogs fault he was conditioned to bite first, "ask" questions later.

    So, in conclusion, I would just avoid my son being in the dog's general vicinity for everyone's sanity & safety.
  • JessicaBR13
    JessicaBR13 Posts: 294 Member
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    Kind of impossible to say not seeing the incident.
    The dog may have been trying to play, and just ended up biting your son's shirt. Rotty's have big mouths, I'd have to imagine if he wanted to bite your son maliciously he would have.

    All in all, I wouldn't leave your son unattended around the dog ever though

    ^Exactly this.
  • peggymdellinger
    peggymdellinger Posts: 151 Member
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    Animals in general are unpredictable, but all the more so when they have had abuse in their past (most, not all...). A friend of mine has a rescue rottweiler that was abused. She snapped at me once and at my husband once and just barely clipped his hand. We now won't go to their house unless they put the dog in her pen. She weighs 120 lbs and if she felt threatened or got irritated she could easily take out myself, my husband, or one of my children. That's not a chance that I'm willing to take.
  • workoutdood
    workoutdood Posts: 59 Member
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    If the dog has a bad history, explain to your brother you don't feel comfortable with your son around the dog b/c of the history. I imagine he'd probably understand. If you tell someone to put there dog down, you'll probably receive a response of something to the tune of F U & you'll likely ruin that family relationship
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    Talk to him about it. Tell him that you feel that the situation was allowed to get out of hand and they should have been more careful with a previously abused dog. Suggest training for it.
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
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    I think it's perfectly reasonable to tell them that you don't want the dog near your kid anymore. There's not much else you can do, but if they are responsible pet owners they'll make sure it's not allowed near kids again at all.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    Make sure the owner of the dog knows you're not comfortable with the events that occurred and you'd prefer the dog not to be around your child if your child is visiting the residence.

    I think it's only natural that a rescue might have a moment of fear and 'lash out' and unless you saw the event transpire, I wouldn't take it any farther as you don't know for sure the events surrounding the 'almost' bite.

    This. I think that's perfectly reasonable. And I'm a dog person. I have a fairly weird rescue dog with an unknown past. I know he's unpredictable, so I wouldn't be offended if a family member said, "Hey, can you keep the dog away from my kid?" I prefer to avoid situations where he can feel overwhelmed and/or I can't pay close attention to his body language.

    Sometimes abused dogs get punished so much for growling or snarling or biting that they skip the warning phase and go right to action.

    Both great replies. I am a trainer and behaviour advisor and have worked with rescues and aggression cases for a long time. It's not the dogs fault for responding to the cumulative stress it was under, but having said that the family needs to implement better protocols for visitors in future, both for their safety and for the dogs sense of security. I can point them in the direction of a good behaviourist. Locally if you like?

    agreed..... I raised Rottweilers and am so disgusted (not directing this at the OP just a general statement) with society views of these larger breeds. There is seldom bad dogs just bad owners that leads to the aggressive nature of any dog, do to not socializing the dog or intentional creating a dog that will be aggressive by nature and these larger breeds get the blunt of it because of their size and ability of inflicting more bodily harm. Having said that If this Rott was being hosed with water guns to the point of aggravation, it should have never gotten to that point. I have 5 grandkids that I wouldn't stop from being around any of our rescue dogs but never out of my/our supervision and Never would they be allowed to mistreat the dog to the point of causing undo stress to the dog which common sense would tell you that the two don't mix and an incident would more than likely occur... I am glad your son is ok but I will always side with the dog cause in my eyes the problem always lies with the owners.... Just my opinion... I have raised my Rottweilers through puppy school, CGC classes but even after all that I have enough common sense to know there is no way I would have put him (140 lbs.) in the same room unattended with any of our grandkids they are to likely to pull on ears, etc, etc that could provoke an incident but our grandchildren have always been instructed on how to treat a dog and also instructed on what not to do...
  • Lutah7
    Lutah7 Posts: 45
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    I do search and rescue and work with fairly high drive dogs. First off it doesn't sound to me like your brother would resent the request that the dog not be around your son. I guess it sounded to me like they had been fairly careful, though maybe they erred in correctly reading the dog or watching every second. We live in a world where blame is huge. The facts are your son is ok, which is really all hat matters for right now. But for future events, I think this dog should probably stay home. I'm extremely conservative on the issue of dogs putting their mouths on humans.... In ANY way, and my dogs are titled and trained to bite. But they are dogs. They are not furry humans. They grip because it is a basic instinct, it is not a moral or ethical conundrum.

    My concern would be to question your son, see how he feels, and keep him safe. As a parent that is priority #1. I think it is more than within your rights to request that this dog not be around running screaming, giggling kids (which is really hard for a lot of dogs).

    Good luck.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Make sure the owner of the dog knows you're not comfortable with the events that occurred and you'd prefer the dog not to be around your child if your child is visiting the residence.

    I think it's only natural that a rescue might have a moment of fear and 'lash out' and unless you saw the event transpire, I wouldn't take it any farther as you don't know for sure the events surrounding the 'almost' bite.

    This. I think that's perfectly reasonable. And I'm a dog person. I have a fairly weird rescue dog with an unknown past. I know he's unpredictable, so I wouldn't be offended if a family member said, "Hey, can you keep the dog away from my kid?" I prefer to avoid situations where he can feel overwhelmed and/or I can't pay close attention to his body language.

    Sometimes abused dogs get punished so much for growling or snarling or biting that they skip the warning phase and go right to action.

    Both great replies. I am a trainer and behaviour advisor and have worked with rescues and aggression cases for a long time. It's not the dogs fault for responding to the cumulative stress it was under, but having said that the family needs to implement better protocols for visitors in future, both for their safety and for the dogs sense of security. I can point them in the direction of a good behaviourist. Locally if you like?

    agreed..... I raised Rottweilers and am so disgusted (not directing this at the OP just a general statement) with society views of these larger breeds. There is seldom bad dogs just bad owners that leads to the aggressive nature of any dog, do to not socializing the dog or intentional creating a dog that will be aggressive by nature and these larger breeds get the blunt of it because of their size and ability of inflicting more bodily harm. Having said that If this Rott was being hosed with water guns to the point of aggravation, it should have never gotten to that point. I have 5 grandkids that I wouldn't stop from being around any of our rescue dogs but never out of my/our supervision and Never would they be allowed to mistreat the dog to the point of causing undo stress to the dog which common sense would tell you that the two don't mix and an incident would more than likely occur... I am glad your son is ok but I will always side with the dog cause in my eyes the problem always lies with the owners.... Just my opinion... I have raised my Rottweilers through puppy school, CGC classes but even after all that I have enough common sense to know there is no way I would have put him (140 lbs.) in the same room unattended with any of our grandkids they are to likely to pull on ears, etc, etc that could provoke an incident but our grandchildren have always been instructed on how to treat a dog and also instructed on what not to do...

    It irks me when people focus blame on the dog and not the owner. In this case, it was definitely the adults' fault for not stepping in and the kids should also be talked to and taught to respect animals. That dogs don't like to be teased and taunted...in this case - shot with waterguns. it's the responsibility of the owner to socialize and work past behavioural issues and the responsibility of parents to teach their kids how to act and treat animals.
  • datguy2011
    datguy2011 Posts: 477 Member
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    Check things out with your child first... as he is number one.

    Second, try to get the dog back with your son... make sure the dog knows it's at fault, although the owner should be more responsible around the pet.

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