Would you have your dog put to sleep after he bit your child?

This situation just happened to a couple I know; they have a daughter just over a year old, and they bought a little designer dog a few weeks ago. The dog attacked the child (not seriously, praise God) and they decided to rehome their dog and gave it away. I don't believe the child had provoked the dog, sounds like it might have just been jealousy or a dog who didn't like kids.

Very young children should never be left alone with any dog, even an older family pet who's never bitten anybody, because you just never know what might happen. Then there are older children who should know better but mistreat their dog anyway. Kids who won't treat dogs right shouldn't have one, and in that case the dog should be removed from the home.

Just because a dog nips at an ornery child, it doesn't make the dog dangerous, it's just setting limits. Some breeds have a natural tendency to dislike kids' noisy, rowdy antics and some dogs, like Labs, will put up with about anything kids will dish out. When you're going to have dogs and kids in the same family, parents need to choose the breed carefully and make sure that the kids are taught that if they bother the dog while it is sleeping or eating, or if they pull it's ears or tail or otherwise mistreat it, that they are likely to get bitten.

The dog and the family need to be a good fit, and choosing a breed just because it's the latest fad breed or you like the breed's appearance or temperament is a bad idea. Whether to get a dog, and which kind is best for your family, is something that should be carefully considered, and doing so can prevent a lot of heartache and injury! Dog owners also need to realize that they can't treat their dog like one of the children.

The dog will assume the children are his littermates and treat them as such, including nipping them when they play together. The dog needs to be taught that he is at the bottom of the pecking order, and the owner must take care to train his dog to know it is a dog, not a person. Otherwise, they end up with a dog with "Small dog syndrome," which is a condition that is not only confined to small dogs, but owners are more likely to overlook bad behavior from a small dog than they are a larger one (such as nipping and jumping on people).

I believe a lot of dog behavioral issues are actually created or reinforced by owners who love their dogs but just don't know how to train them correctly. A dog who knows the owner is the boss and that the kids are his superiors is less likely to become uncontrollable and dangerous. Now, if the dog actually attacks a child with little provocation, that would be another URL1 may be that the dog just needs to be rehomed with a family without children, or at least with a family with calmer, older children.

Of course the family should be aware of the potential problem and be willing to deal with it. If the first owner is pretty well convinced the dog is dangerous, then perhaps putting the dog down would be the best option, because they certainly wouldn't want to give the dog to a family and have someone else severly injured. Also, they might consider giving the dog to a dog rescue agency where dog professionals may be able to retrain the dog so he can be placed in another home.

I really hate to see a dog put down because he's been raised wrong, but some dogs are truly psychotic and leave little choice in the matter.

No I wouldn't. If my dog bit my -or any- child, I would certainly try to figure out what happened, but unless the dog is particularly vicious, no dog will bite without being challenged. Young children think they can play with a dog like they can play with any toy.

They will poke its eyes, pull its tail or hairs, anything to get a reaction. If they try hard enough, they will get that reaction, but it will be usually be a growl, or worse. So, the trick is to never let this happen, and I will definitely teach my child that a dog is NOT a toy, and not to be 'played' with, without asking me first.

I'll teach my child that a dog likes to be stroked gently on the back, but that the head and tail are no-go areas. That way, I'll be able to greatly lower the chance of anything serious happening. When other children visit our house, I always ask whether their child is accustomed to dogs, and I never leave the two of them in a room alone.So far, nothing ever happened, and I tend to keep it that way, if I can help.

If it was a vicious attack, regardless of what caused it, yes, I would. My Pastor's grandson was attack at four years old by their dalmatian. One minute he and his younger brother were playing with the dog, the next minute he was viciously ripping the boy to shreds.

The doctors gave them no hope that he would survive. That boy is eighteen now. He had a stroke while in the hospital, a few days after the attack.

The number of surgeries he's had number in the twenties or thirties. That dog was put to sleep. It doesn't matter what caused the dog to attack.

I would not want a dog capable of doing this around my own kids or other kids. If was a case of the child pulling on the dog's ear a little too hard that resulted in a little 'nip' that stopped there, then that's different. Children need to be watched around all animals, not just dogs.

Children who are constantly supervised around animals can then be taught how to properly handle them. When kids understand not to touch their dog while they are sleeping or eating, potential dog bites can be avoided.

It would depend on the circumstances and the history of the dog. If the child was obviously taunting the animal, and the bite was not extreme, I would probably chalk it up to a learning experience for all parties, including myself as the parent/dog owner. If, however, this was only the most recent in a string of behavioral issues by the dog OR if the attack was more extreme than the circumstances warranted, then I would have to consider alternative solutions.

I would probably start by trying to find the dog a new, child-free, home, especially if the behavioral problems paralleled the arrival of the child. Failing that, I would have to consider having the dog put down or given to a shelter. I have to say, though, that this would be an absolute last option.

I love my dog like a child, and the situation would have to be extremely tenuous for me to consider destroying him.

Nope. I would kill the dog myself. Guess I'm just old fashioned that way.

Don't get me wrong, I have two great dogs, and they are wonderful with my little girl. They play together, and they are very protective. But one slip is all it would take.

Unlike what many people think, dogs will sometimes turn. To defy that, is to defy evolution. Dogs are domesticated, but they do still have their base carnivore instincts.

If your dog does turn on it's family, then it is your responsibility to ensure the dog never does it again. Unfortunately, that means putting the dog down. What amazes me are people who would keep the dog around.

If it was a rat, you would kill it. If it was a raccoon, you would kill it. If it was a monkey, you would kill it.

Now, when I say kill it, I mean to do it yourself, or have somebody else do it. Why not the dog? No, it is because you tell yourself it was your fault, and not his.

You say he needs to be at a farm, because dogs on farms don't bite. It simply is not true. If they begin biting, they will continue.

Because they revert to a more feral set of instinct, where teeth make the rules.

What I can tell you is this. I wish I didn't have the knowledge that a dog was killed for biting me. I was so young that I have no memory whatsoever of the bite, or even of the dog for that matter.

The only physical evidence is a small scar on my cheek. I was told that I had approached the dog while it was eating and put my hands on it, so I'm guessing it felt threatened or I startled it. This still crosses my mind from time to time, and it fills me with discomfort and sadness that an animal lost its life over something that apparently was not a vicious attack or part of any disturbing pattern of aggression.To this day I wish my family members had never specifically told me where my little scar came from or what happened to the dog, and I sure do wish it had been given a chance at life and love somewhere else, perhaps with a childless couple.

Yes of course I would. If your dog bit once it will bite again. Next time if could be deathly.

I would not want that to happen to any other child either.

If it was an "Attack" as opposed to a nip possibly brought on by the child doing something to the dog, then yes. The dog would die but probably from me shooting it myself.

Honestly a good dog won't bite a child no matter what the child does to the dog. The same way in a pack if a lower member attacks an alpha member the lower member is punished no matter what the alpha did to incite the attack I would punish the dog. Depending on severity: Didn't break the skin, scared the kid- a good whack on the rump a stern word or two and sent outside for a day with no play time.

Dogs crave attention, ignoring a dog is considered punishment. Broke the skin, minor bite, showed fear afterward as if knowing it slipped up and was in BIG trouble. More than a whack or two, no more indoor privileges for some time.

Broke the skin, showed no remorse. Re-home, find a child free environment and warn them the dog doesn't do well with children. Attack, savage.

I'd shoot the damn dog in the head. Attacking a child in a violent way no matter what was done shows mental instability and indicates a dangerous dog. The only instance a dog should attack this way is if an intruder has entered the house or you are being attacked by someone.By allowing it to live you only risk it hurting someone else.

It depends on the age of the dog. A puppy will often bite because it is unsure of it's position in the pack. This is pretty normal, especially right after the puppy has moved in with you.

The dog might have risen in the ranks in his liter and feels it's his right to correct others in the pack when he thinks they are acting out of line. As long as the dog is a puppy, this behavior can be easily stripped away. An adult dog that bites is a different question.It will bite because it feels it is the leader of the pack.

If this happens it probably means that 'play biting' when the dog was young has not been corrected. What seems like play bites is actually the dogs way of establishing dominance.An adult dog that bites can be trained to stop, but it will probably require the help of a professional dog trainer. Giving away a dog tat has bitten a child to a childless couple is handing over a problem to someone else.

The dog will still perceive itself as the pack leader and will still dish out punishment when it thinks pack members are acting up. I would have an adult dog that bit a child euthanized immediately. While the cause of the problem will (almost) always be that the dog has not been socialized properly and ultimately the owners responsibility, a biting dog is a great liability that you can not risk having around.

No I wouldn't. I may sell the dog to other people or send him to dog training center.

It really depends on the dog and the circumstances. If you're harboring a vicious animal, you have a responsibility to the community to protect everyone from it. If the dog has no social value as a pet, putting it down is the best choice.

On the other hand, it should be the last choice if the dog has social value as a companion animal or pet. If the dog is otherwise a compatible breed, size, age, and has no health problems that prevent it from being a valuable addition to a family, then you should consult a veterinarian to determine the cause of your pet's behavior, and the best course of action to retrain it. If the dog has social valuable as a companion animal or pet, but is otherwise not suitable for your family, you should seek to find a new home for it rather than put it down.

Yes. We love our dogs but we once put a dog down for biting our small child even though we suspected she had been naughty to him (years later she admitted to pulling his tail). My husband and I believe that a dog should recognize a small child and realize that they are of no real danger to them.

Much like an adult dog recognizes a puppy and plays differently with them than with another adult dog. Thankfully, she was only bitten on the arm and not seriously. But he could no longer be trusted and the next time it could have been much worse.

We weren't willing to take that chance.

It would depend first and foremost on the degree of the bite and attack. Was the child viciously attacked for no reason? Then yes.

But if it was provoked by pulling its tail, shoving fingers in eyes, yanking its ears or something that would make the dog defensive then no. Sometimes children are too rough with animals and its not the animals fault if it defends itself, that is its nature. Sometimes children aren't watched by their parents, and blame the dog when it is the child that did something they shouldn't have.

I wouldn't put my dog down over one non serious bite to a child. I would have to investigate the circumstances behind it. My dog bit me once, never bit anyone before, Ihave had her for six years now, and the reason she bit me was because she had a stomach problem that I wasn't aware of until days later that made her not want to be picked up by me.

She only drew blood, and it hurt like crazy but I didn't need stitches and it left a small scar so there could be a health issue with the dog, a sore, a tumor, a bad spot on their legs, stomach problems, something maybe you just don't see but could cause a dog to be miserable just for not feeling good that could cause the dog to bite a child. I would check every avenue before I would do anything. Children should not be left alone with animals without supervision.

Yes. I will not keep/let someone else keep my dog if she bit my child. If a dogs tempremant turns, it does not turn back.

You really haven't given us enough information to answer intelligently. How old is the child? Was the child injured?

Did the child provoke the dog? What kind of dog? Has the dog been aggressive before?

Is the dog trained? Is he otherwise well behaved? Has he been altered(assuming he is male) All the above are critical to making a good decision.

You don't just put an animal down because he bites someone, many times it is the fault of the owner or person handling the dog. Can you give us anymore info? Without additional info I'd have to say no, I would not put the dog down.

If the dog is attacking, there is no question, it must be put to sleep. The dog just nibbled my kid to make him stop the pulling of the dog ears, then, I will just be careful when the kids play with the dog. I will teach my kid how to play with the dog without hurting him The dog just show one sign of aggressive attack, I will put him to sleep.

I won't take chances .

I would search for a new home for the dog first. If you can't find a suitable new owner, then I guess you would have to put it to sleep. The dog biting a child does not mean it is vicious, it just needs a home without children.

No just beacuse my dod bit my child I wouldnt I love animals and I don't like animal curilty.

No. Killing should always be the last option in any case. I would adopt the dog out if need be.

Call around to various vet offices. Many times they have programs where you give them a description of the dog and someone will come in looking for a dog similar to that and they give them your contact info and you go from there. It's very easy.In the meantime while you are waiting for someone to adopt the dog, I would observe the child's behavior around the dog.

Does he treat the animal in a cruel manner? Pulling the ears, making it do things it doesn't want to do? Poking at it with a stick or anything else?

If so, the child needs to be taught how to treat an animal with respect. Some dogs handle being around children well, but other dogs don't, but nine times out of ten in these types of cases it is not the dog's fault.By nature, unless the dog is rabid, dogs won't attack unless provoked or backed into a corner. So, simply teaching the child what he or she did to provoke the dog will usually remedy the situation and create a win/win situation; the child learns and the dog gets to keep his home.

I was bitten as a child and it was treated as no big deal. I was shown that the reason the dog bit me was because I backed it into a corner. I learned my lesson and was more careful from then on.

I have since always had dogs in my life. The whole experience helped me to become a better person.

In a heartbeat. I was bitten by a dog when I was 9, and he hadn't had shots, so they had to put him down to test him for rabies. The man said he missed his dog, but he would have put him down anyway.

No I would not have the dog put to sleep if its the first time it has happened, but would take great care to keep the dog away from the child in future.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.