My Dog Bit a Kid Again..?

Yesterday, I had my dog in my garage. A mom and two of her daughter was walking on the side walk, then I heard screaming and when I looked, I saw my dog managed to push the garage door and got out (it's an old garage) and went after the daughter, I didn't see exactly what happened but I went out grab my dog and put him back in, I asked if they were ok and they said yes... 45 minutes later, they came back and they said my dog bit their daughter on the leg and they asked for the Rabies shots documents, I gave it to them and they head to the hospital. I also gave them my name and phone number and told them to bring in the receipt and I will pay for the medical bill and I sincerely apologized to the mom.

I was so worried that I didn't get to ask for her number and address, they haven't called me yet so I'm assuming everything is ok (I hope)

I don't know how serious the injury because I didn't see the girl, the mom said she was bitten but that's it.

I still can't believe how my dog got out the garage, I've been putting him there for a long time and this is the first time he got out. This is also the 2nd time he bit a kid, the first time the mom said my dog bit her kid but my grandpa said the kid just fell off the bike that's why I kept my dog.

I would do anything to correct his behavior, obedience school? What should I do? Put him to sleep? I love that dog so much, he just doesn't like children. I don't want to get sued either, I'm a full time college student who only depends on financial aid for money.

As for the garage, it will never open again because I locked it up.

Thanks guys!

The first incident wasn't reported, because I paid the medical bills and everything.. thank you all for the advice. God Bless!

I am a MAJOR dog lover, so I would never advise you to put your dog down. You do however have to keep a VERY close eye on him. I'm not sure where you are from, but standard laws with dogs are that if they bite three times, animal control will take the dog away and put it down whether you like it or not. My mom has a dog that is not great with kids or strangers, he has bitten before, luckily it was never bad enough to be reported, but the way that we handle him is to keep him away from people that he could possibly turn on. It's funny how resourceful dogs can be when they want to be! You tried to keep him in so that he didn't do anything wrong, and he found his way out anyway. Another choice would be to muzzle him when he is outside. It doesn't seem like a very nice thing to do to him, but it's what is best for him in the long run. No one ever wants to lose their dog!! Kudos for stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility for what your dog did. That was most definately the right thing to do!! Good luck!

My first thought is to put the dog to sleep. This is the second offense. You have a dangerous dog, and could you really live with yourself if this happened again?

Or

Find a trainer. A trainer specialized in aggressive dog behavior. Have them evaluate the dog and see where you stand after that.

Hopefully this is not going to turn into a mess and your dog has to be quarantined. You need to talk to a professional trainer who can work with your dog. You also have to make sure the dog never gets out. If you take him out he should always be muzzled.

Why is your dog living in the garage? That's inappropriate.

My dog hates kids and I go to great lengths to make sure he does not come into contact with any.

I would not put this dog to sleep. Pay for the child's treatment, and try to do better at keeping kids away.

I think he should be put down. Two times biting a child is two too many. If he is kept alive, a third victim is sure to follow

Its your responsibility as an dog owner and a member of the community to have the dog put to sleep.

Generally, after a first bite, a dog owner takes its dog to training and behavioral evaluations, since you didn't and waited for a SECOND attack, you have NO options.

By now, had you of been reported to the police BOTH times, your dog would have been taken and put to sleep for you, so now you have to do the responsible thing and do it for him. He can't lead a full life if he's a danger to society. Children are everywhere, you're being unfair to him.

And if you don't have the money to pay for a settlement, you don't have the money to pay for the training he'd need.

It's obvious how much you love your dog, and I'm sorry this happened. But a dog that will go after a child is a serious threat. You can call a behaviorist to get an opinion, but in the end you may have to face euthanizing him, as the next time it could be a child's face that gets disfigured, or worse.

is it at all possible to get a part time job on the weekends or every other weekend??? i understand that college is a loooot a work and i understand if a job is just not something you can handle right now so i dont blame you.... if you can come up with the money then i really reccomend you get a dog house that is fenced around it... you can get a hose that is completely furnished so your dog will be comfy. it will be like his own house and it will take the place of the garage.

these are truely amazing houses but a bit unrealistic for the average dog owner- http://www.doggydreamhomes.com/Home__Sty...



if this will be a full time home or if the dog will be there a lot even if its a small dog i reccomend this one-http://www.hitechbuildingsystems.com/dup... in size large to mastiff

these are more realistic-
http://www.hitechbuildingsystems.com/

http://www.glamourdog.com/houses.html


really nice for furnishing the home- http://www.glamourdog.com/furniture.html



i also reccomend you talk to a trainer and see what they think (if you can correct him or not)

if you decide to give him up or put him down and get a new pup i still strongly reccomend you get a dog house

best answer is get the invisible fence. it is the best thing we invested in and we have 2 german shepherds who hate other dogs and are stubborn, bbut i works! If you get one with actual wire, its really easy to put in. you just get an edger and go along the grass with it where you want the cord and it will dig a little trench in your grass JUST big enough to fit the cord. then, to train your dog, put the flags up where the collar just begins beeping, and take your dog around, ON A LEASH, and make her get zapped, to show her what it will do if she goes there.

Hope this helps!!

After two bites, the responsible thing to do would be to put the dog to sleep. There are millions of dogs in this world. Why have one that bites?

If you must keep him, you absolutely MUST keep him contained. You can't take chances on weak, old garage doors failing to keep him in the building. It's just not fair to the general public to have a biting dog running at large.

Chances are you will be looking at some hefty fines. Hospitals are mandated reporters of dog bites. If she went to the hospital, you will have to deal with animal control.

I'm sorry.

If they sought medical treatment, this was likely reported to animal control. Don't be surprised if animal control contacts you. The decision may be taken out of your hands once they learn this dog may have bitten before. 'Obedience school' will not 'fix' this problem. Your dog needs to be evaluated by a professional animal behaviorist and/or vet behavior specialist (not likely in your financial situation) to determine if this behavior is unprovoked aggression or related to fear or stress or something else. The course of treatment is different depending on the motivation for the behavior.
Good luck (I do not envy you).

Sounds like you have already solved the problem to me. However if the hospital asks about you, you could have a visit from the ASPCA. They may make you quarunteen your dog but I doubt they would make you put the dog to sleep but you never know. Just preparing you in case they do show up. But it seems to me from what you said the only thing wrong was the dog got out of the garage and you corrected that. If you do walk the dog make sure you keep him on a leash also. But I believe you have done everything you can do and no I would not put him to sleep. Good luck.

This is serious.

You should buy him a tie out rope, and keep him on your property in the back yard and not in the garage so its easy for him to slip away. You need a sturdy tie-out, on that wont give if your dog pulls on it. He shouldn't be near any children unsupervised.

You may be able to correct this behavior with more socialization, but no one knows how severe his behavior is, and we can't really tell you if the problem can be fixed without evaluation. Is he agressive toward ALL children? If so, I don;t know if it can be corrected.

Obidience is a must. Make sure you let your instructor know that your dog is sometimes agressive towards children. Its good that you want to try and fix the problem.

You should definitly follow through with this, and try to end the agression. I don't want to say it, but if your dog bites bad enough he will be put to sleep. They call these "vicious and dangerous dogs". I understand that your dog is probably well behaved and just didn't have enough socialization. The classes should help, and a tie-out will keep him out of the street.

i have 14 dogs and one of them is a little devil. he is a westie. he has bitten 8 people. but he was in our yard. and when he is viously barking at them they countinue walking and he bites them. honestly i dont think its a big deal. dogs are dogs and they are inncoent in wut they do. .... but if u had to do something with ur dog NEVER EVER put them to sleep. i mean they shud be given to a rescue or somewhere where the ppl wont kill them after few days. rescues have to give the dog a family. they wont kill them. i wud say ur fine. hope i helped! dont kill ur dog! =]

I have a Mastiff that did the same thing. The first time he "bit" someone(I say it like that because there wasn't even a mark on the kid, and that is coming from the Animal Control Officer) we were allowed to keep him at home on quarantine, no fines. But the second time was different. He bit my stepdaughter and my husband was pi$$ed. So we found a trainer that said he had "confidence" issues. Anyway, we sent both of my dogs to the trainer, she kept them for 5 weeks (very hard on the family, we couldn't visit because it would be distracting to their training) but in the end it was the best thing I ever did. Now we can walk them around the neighborhood and take them anywhere without incident. Both dogs are still protective of the property and family (but that's the reason I got them int the first place). I would say check with a few trainers in your area. Get references! It also can be costly, I spent $1200. Good Luck! If you can't get help then find him a good home! You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

this is my worst fear! my dog isn't that used to kids either and that can be a recipe for disaster. you will have to wait and see if you hear from the mum... obviously you offered to pay the medical costs so she will be back!! if i was you i would try and diplomatically ask to see the injury. if they lay a complaint then you may need to get your dog put down and i know that putting him down will be devastating for you BUT if he has caused harm then thats the way he needs to go. if it doesn't come to that then let this be a lesson to you to keep your dog well away from kids. i am extra cautious about my dog as he is generally very friendly but there are just some people he does not like. i would hate to have to put him down because he hurt someone so i keep him well within our property at all times and tie him up if people he doesn't know come over.