Help! Our dog bit our friend's child tonight....unsure what to do?

[mykdsmomy]

Here's the background. We rescued Belle nearly three years ago from the pound. We were told she was 5 months old. (We think she's older). She is a spaniel mix (but looks just like a black lab mix).
She has ALWAYS been very very timid. When you walk up to her, she lays down and puts her leg up (extremely submissive). We assumed she was badly abused She never barks, always potties outside, very gentle with the kids, etc.
Last year she began growling at our kids when they would tell her to go outside or tried to assert authority over her. She even snapped at my son a few months ago but she has problems with her back so we thought she was in pain. The vet told us to give her aspirin (baby) for the pain. She has some deformities in her hind legs that are causing back pain.
Anyway....tonight, our friend brought his little boy over (he's 6). Belle was under the table laying down and our friend's son bent down to pet her and she turned and snapped/bit his face (scraped the skin, not puncture wound but it did mildly bleed for a second). I FREAKED OUT. She is up to date on her Rabies shot. My friend took her son home and I called to check on him. She said he's fine and sleeping. They put antibiotic ointment on it after they cleaned it off really good. He was more traumatized than hurt but still. I feel HORRIBLE. My husband is adamant that we need to rehome her to a house with no other children. I don't know what to do. I think we should rehome her (he wanted to do this a few months ago when she started snapping and growling at our children). This was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Please no flaming. I just want opinions on what to do here. My friend is leaving tomorrow morning for their family vacation too. I feel like I ruined their vacation and traumatized their child. Any opinions/suggestions? Thanks

[an_aurora]

: I would rehome her. It sounds like a warning (knock with the eyeteeth vs. a real bite) but it sounds like she's escalating and I wouldn't chance my kids (or someone else's kids) safety.

[mykdsmomy]

Thank you It's so hard because when we first got her, we could tell that she had been abused. She was so sad and so submissive. She has always been so good with the kids, I just don't understand it. I think it could be PTSD? I don't know

I'm wondering if it will be responsible to rehome her after this? Would we be responsible if someone took her and then she bit them? Ughhh this sucks.

[Dar]

I'd have the vet give her a thorough exam before doing anything. It sounds like she didn;t have any problems like this for the first two years you had her, so it seems like something has changed. If she is in serious pain, maybe the baby aspirin aren't cutting it anymore.

After that, you'll have a better picture of what's going on with her...

[Nicole915]

I'm so sorry for what you're going through.

They say that every dog will bite, most dogs just have a much much higher threshold than dangerous ones. Your dog sounds like a tragic example of how awful people can mess up a dogs life, and how kind people such as yourself are left holding the bag.

The willingness of an animal to bite the face is a signalment that you just do not want to mess with. The ONLY home this animal should ever be in is one where there is zero chance that she will ever come into contact with a child. I suspect that type of home is very difficult to find, and the chance that a situation could arise where a child would be bitten would probably lead me to seriously consider euthanasia. I would not want to be responsible for the life long facial deformity of any child.

If you chose to go with stronger pain management, please make sure that the dog is either muzzled (cage muzzles can be a good option, the dog can drink through those) or physically separated from children.

Sending you good vibes and many sympathies.

[mykdsmomy]

Thank you, Dar and An_Aurora.
Dar, our vet (and the vet at the pound where we got her) told us that baby Aspirin is all we could give her for pain (long term). The other thing is I don't think she's doing this all because of pain. I think she's having some serious mental issues
My dh says she's been growling at him too at times
I'll call the vet tomorrow and ask if there's something more we can try but I'm worried they will advise us to find her another home as well (or euthanize) which I can't even BEGIN to think about.

[greenmagick]

If she is starting to act out in other ways, rehoming is not a good idea. Its not fair to the new family or to her. She may be very sick right now if this is all fairly new. Also, there are many pain meds out there for long term if its that bad. I have lately heard great things about and herbal product called DGP. A lady who runs a huge amimal refuge uses it for a lot of hip dysplasia cases and loves the way it works.

[Bitter Green]

I would have her put to sleep. Sorry, you probably don't want to hear that

I wish you the best in making this hard decision :

[thismama]

Yes I would probably have her put to sleep also. Sorry.

[mykdsmomy]

Thank you all. I called Animal Services and they wanted to take a bite report. Now I'm scared. She has her rabies shot so I'm not worried about that but geez...I feel like we're criminals

I'm trying to call around and see if I can get her in to see a vet today but not sure if we can afford hundreds of dollars worth of Vet bills today. I swear this is such a nightmare. She's been a great dog and now I feel like I'm dealing with a feral animal (she's asleep under my feet right now too...)

[mykdsmomy]

Greenmagick~ Sorry, I didn't see your post. I'll look into other pain meds or herbal remedies (for now) but I was told there was no other meds for her....(by two vets). (These were both low cost vets so I'm not sure if they just didn't offer anything more expensive?)

[gumby74]

I just wanted to say that I don't think this is a situation where she should be euthanized. Rather, it is possible to rehome her under these circumstances as long as the person adopting her is aware of what they are getting in to. Just like I wouldn't give up on a person right away, I would never give up on a pet either. Especially one that has gone a significant amount of time without previous issues. Hang in there......

[lexapurple]

I am sorry you are going true this and have to make such a decision.
You are getting her evaluated by the vet which is good, I would also recomend you talk to behaviorist about her growling and biting to see if training would help.
If you can not keep a biting dog in your house I don't think it would be fair to ask another family to take a risk. She could bite anybody else, child or adult. Now when you know your dog is a "biter" and it is in the record you might be held liable if she bites anybody in her new home.

[jocelyndale]

I highly recommend getting a doggy shrink (animal behaviorist). Chances are very good that her biting, whether fear or pain, can be prevented and that her behavior can be improved.

[Sailor]

You won't be able to rehome. She will be put to sleep - no rescue or shelter would rehome a dog that has a history of biting.

I strongly urge you to take her to the vet and thoroughly check out her health. If you have had no problems with her in the past, and something has cropped up recently, it could be that she's in more pain than you think. Aspirin may no longer be cutting it. Dogs who are in pain WILL act this way. It's not aggression, it's protecting themselves from more pain. Touching her may hurt her, may cause her discomfort, so she protects herself from this.

There's no reason to rehome or put to sleep just yet. Actually, you won't be able to rehome. You'll only be able to put to sleep.

ETA - ooops, I see that you are taking her to the vet. If you can't afford the vet bills, or if she's in chronic pain where nothing will help - having her put down may be best. Unless you can find someone who doesn't mind taking a sick dog who has a history of snapping due to this.

[starling&diesel]

First of all, a big hug to you and your family ... . This is a horrific thing to be going through.

That said, I would lean toward putting the dog down, were she mine.
It's a terrible position to be in ... I've been there! My dog was 13 and ailing when she bit someone for the second time in her life. We put her down.
I think it's a braver and harder thing to do than 'rehoming' her ... which is just passing the problem along. I do agree that you could bring on a dog behavior specialist ... we did with Keda when she bit the first time. She was four at the time (also a rescued shelter dog) and we were told that she had fear aggression and that we'd have to take on the responsibility for her behavior at all times. We did, for almost ten years. It was an incredible responsibility, 24/7, which we were only able to do because we were childless and lived rurally. And still, she bit again. Albeit nearly a decade later ... but I tell you with sincere honesty, it was a decade full of nerves and trepidation when it came to taking her anywhere. And she was a lovely dog, 90% of the time. I still miss her.

As it happens, we just put down our other older dog this evening because of cancer. It's never easy, but rest assured that if you do go this route, you can arrange to have it done in your home, as an option. It's quick, and very peaceful, or so it seems to me. We're still bawling our eyes out, and are very sad, but at least we can lend mercy to the animals that we can't lend to ourselves.

[gumby74]

I just need to mention that our shelter has successfully rehomed several dogs with a history of biting. Givent the right situation.....it can work.

[angie7]

She sounds like she is in pain. Dogs don't just turn aggressive over nite. The key to your story is she was fine for years then started growling so my guess is she's in pain. Have you ever taken her to the vet and asked for pain meds?

As far as what to do with her. I would start with pain meds and see if that helps her attitude. If not, then I would likely try to rehome her myself (I have experience with rehoming rescue dogs and this is the only reason *I* would do this) or I would put her down. Since you are not familiar with rehoming dogs and rescues/shelters are unlikely to work with a biter, perhaps your best choice is to put her down.

I put down a completely healthy 4 year old Great Dane for aggression. Let me tell you that was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. He was severely abused by a woman and went after me several times. Lunging at my face, arms, etc. The last straw was he went after my pregnant belly. We tried for 2 years to help him in every way we knew how. We could not in good conscience rehome him with this aggression even if we made the new owners aware of it (he was suppose to be a rescue to be rehomed but we couldn't). He was truly aggressive from day one. His was from years of a abuse that made him mentally sick. Your dog doesn't sound like this.

GL in your decision but definately get her checked out by a vet first

[Ola_]

I don't understand why the vets are telling you that baby aspirin is the only thing you can use for pain relief. There is a whole lot more out there, including holistic medication and supplements to support whatever issues she is having (i.e. joint problems?).

[Mama2Jesse]

Either in pain, or has an issue with children who are around the age of the child she bit, perhaps.

Either way, I would *not* be comfortable having her around children ever again. I am so sorry, I would hurt over it too, but if she ever hurt a child or made them scared of dogs, I wouldn't forgive myself.

Were she mine, she'd go to another home without children or I would put her down.