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should I contact CPS?  

post #1 of 51
6/29/03 at 4:39pm
Thread Starter 
I bet y'all remember my thread about my niece who had her eyelid ripped off by the family dog, right?
Well, my mother just told me that the dog is back in the house!
I am so disgusted and angry at my sister. This dog has bitten her daughter, who is 5, four times, in the face. How she can justify returning this dog to their home is completely beyond me. Her child had to undergo reconstructive surgery and may have 2-3 more. And she chose to have the dog come back.
So, I feel like I need to let some outside force come to her and knock some sense into her. Is my niece going to actually have to lose an eye or a finger or be permanently disfigured before she will let the dog go? And why haven't her in-laws, who live 2 miles away, done anthing about this situation? and what about her husband? Doesn't he care about his daughter enough to remove the dog from the home? Where is the concern for this child?
Why is it that I am the only one who feels it necessary to step in here? I live almost 2000 miles away. WTF?
So, knowing what you know, would you call CPS on your own sister in this situation? And can anyone get me the correct number to call for Plano/Collin County TX?
post #2 of 51
6/29/03 at 4:45pm
I'm not a big "reporter", but I really would in this situation. Poor little girl

Here's contact info for TX:

CPS
post #3 of 51
6/29/03 at 7:35pm
you need to call. like, now. this is a truly awful situation and i am disgusted by your poor neice's parents
post #4 of 51
6/29/03 at 7:49pm
I agree that the situation requires some outside help. But instead of calling CPS, why not start with the SPCA? If there is already documented evidence that the dog has hurt the child (I'm assuming she went to the ER for her eyelid?) then they can and will remove the dog.

This is better than CPS, IMHO, b/c removing a child from a home is much much more stressful than removing the dog.
post #5 of 51
6/29/03 at 9:11pm
Have you tried to sit down and have a heart to heart with your sister? Maybe get your mother in on it depending on how you all relate to one another?

I would call CPS as a last resort only. What might happen to your niece might well be far worse than you'd imagine. It will also probably destroy family relationships permanently.
post #6 of 51
6/29/03 at 9:42pm
I think you must do something. I am surprised that there isn't a law about chronic biters in your state. I am also surprised that the hospital hasn't reported it to any authority.

I guess you have two options here:

1> Report the dog as a chronic biter to the local animal protection agency. You prolly can't do this without giving them your name and your sister will know it was you that reported them. They will prolly call CPS.

2> Report the family to CPS. This you could do without your sister knowing it was you. I doubt if CPS will remove her from the home unless the mom refuses to remedy the situation.

In either case, be prepared for either agency to ask a court for permission to take the dog and destroy it.
post #7 of 51
6/29/03 at 9:48pm
Thread Starter 
i can't talk to her face to face. she's 1000 miles away, as are all my family members. she won't speak to my mom because my mother said she would not visit as long as the dog was in the house and she won't answer my messages because she knows my opinion.
i thought the surgeon and ER docs had noted that it was a dog bite and reported that but either they dropped the ball, or more likely, my sister lied to authorities about the dog being removed.
so i guess i will try the spca first.
i did send her a final blistering email letting her know exactly what i think of her actions and how irresponsible she is.
thanks for the input. i have seriously hateful thought toward my sister right now. i wish i was there to kick her a$$.
post #8 of 51
6/29/03 at 9:49pm
I think I might go the SPCA route too...before CPS, anyway. This seems ridiculously irresponsible on the parents' part. I cannot imagine being more attached to my pet than my own child. And it seems that's what it will come down to.
post #9 of 51
6/29/03 at 10:01pm
No. This is a CPS issue. The dog comes before the kid?! What is THAT?!!! That is child abuse. That's what that is. I would report and report this instant. That child could DIE!!! That child will be disfigured for life because of a dog her mother would not get rid of. That's wrong and it makes my blood boil.

Denny!!!!!!
post #10 of 51
6/29/03 at 11:57pm
If the dog is removed, there is nothing to stop the mother from getting another one, maybe one that is even worse.

The mother should be punished somehow. It's too bad that removing a child from the home punishes the child and not the parent.
post #11 of 51
6/30/03 at 1:20am

Bad dog!

My vote is with the CPS peeps. Since this has happened before (and in the face no less), your sister is obviously the problem, not the dog.

If the dog isn't removed soon I'd go for it. What have you got to lose?
post #12 of 51
6/30/03 at 1:39am

just fyi

bathrobe goddess we do have a bite law here in Tx
It just doesn't always get implented. Unfortunately in many areas down here the mentality is the dog comes before the kids especially in hunting areas. Sad but true..
Three bites and the dog is to be destroyed..
post #13 of 51
6/30/03 at 1:47am
We used to live in Texas (Brownsville) and still have friends who live there. They were going through a similar situation, but in this case, it was neighbours who were doing it, not family thankfully.

They attempted to report it to the SPCA, however, they told our friends that the cops had to actually have *been called* each bite incident and a report filed or NOTHING would go to getting the dog put down. : So if the idiots aren't calling the cops to report that they are too stupid to get rid of a dangerous dog, the SPCA can't classify it as dangerous.

This dog at the very least needs to be in a non children house with someone well versed in animal behaviour who can see if the dog can live in a non child household.

I'd be calling CPS, personally and not wait for something worse to happen. I'd feel really guilty if I knew of a situation like that and something worse DID happen and I had taken no action.
post #14 of 51
6/30/03 at 4:23am
4
post #15 of 51
6/30/03 at 7:30am
Elphaba, what a truly crappy situation. I know that this is your sister, but I would call for help. Personally, I would call SPCA and see if they react quickly. If they don't, then call CPS. What a tough situation, but if this dog continues to stay in her home, will you really have a decent relationship with her anyway? Please let us know how things are going.
post #16 of 51
6/30/03 at 9:44am
Thread Starter 
apparently the SPCA helps dogs who are being abused, not dogs who bite children.
as for the bite law, i know for certain that on at least one prior occasion my sister lied about the injuries because she didn't want the dog taken from her. this last time, i don't think she was able to conceal the fact, and the dog was quarantined, but she brought him straight home from the vet when his 10 days were up. i would have thought that the doctors would have reported it, but either they didn't or no one actually physically investigated her house and she just told them he was gone.
i cannot believe i am in this situation. i've just emailed my father about it, because he was unaware of what my sister had done. if he can't get through to her, then we have no choice but to call CPS. that's really what it comes down to.
post #17 of 51
6/30/03 at 11:22am
Sorry you have to go through this. Keep us informed, and I hope your sis realizes why you are acting this way and come to agree with you, or atleast, forgive you. You are doing the right thing.
post #18 of 51
6/30/03 at 12:01pm
Maybe, as they are so resistant to removing the dog, they can have some help training the dog. Few dogs will be aggressive given the right training - and the people need some as well. For one thing, no child should ever be left alone with a dog - no matter how well you know the dog. A child's fast movements and loud noises can be interpreted as aggression by a dog. Also, children need to know not to get in the dogs face. I see so many people letting their kids pull on the dogs ears, pet the face, get in the face, etc. That's not safe, even with a gentle dog.

Perhaps, since it seems removing the dog is out of the question, you can send some info on aggression and training or encourage someone else to help them find a behavioralist in their area. Their vet can also make some suggestions.

I love my dog - he was my first "baby." It is MY responsibility to make sure the dog knows his place in the new pack order (below child) and understand the limits. It is MY responsibility to ensure that the child does not antagonize the dog. The dog doesn't need to be put down or punished because the owners are irresponsible and uneducated about dog/child interaction.
post #19 of 51
6/30/03 at 1:10pm
I'm in the "call CFS" camp- your call will simply prompt an investigation. It does not guarantee that your neice will be removed from her home, it simply opens an investigation (at least here in FL) from which it can then be determined whether or not the environment is suitable for her. I do think that this will probably damage your relationship with your sister, but if it is a matter of your neice's physical well-being or your sister's feelings, I'd make the call. I'm so sorry that you are in this difficult situation, and I wish the best for you and your family, and for whatever choice you make.
post #20 of 51
6/30/03 at 1:13pm
I would call, especially if the Humane Society wont remove the dog (or whatever agency takes care of animal control). It is abuse to have a child repeatedly bitten by a dog.

You can call CPS anonomously, and you being 2000 miles away, i doubt she would figure it out. She might think that a neighbor called, kwim? she doesnt sound like the brightest bulb in the box, so i would call, and soon!

I am so sorry you are in such a spot and that your niece has been bitten. I am still scratching my head about why your sister is not ballistic over the dog ripping her eyelid off....i myself would have had a hard time restraining myself against the dog, never mind what my husband would have done!
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