[randloar]

After posting our happy smily photos updating our kiddos, I have to admit that we are in a bit of turmoil right now as we have a problem......

On Friday evening, I was home alone with the kiddos and we were all playing in the living room, along with the family doggies. All was well all day long, I was there to ensure everyones safety during interactions b/t kids and dogs, and there was not a problem in the world. Well eventually, one doggie was sleeping peacefully (probably why I didn't realize he was really there with our boy), and I left the room (around the corner) to work on dinner. I am guessing many of you know what is next.........

Little boy, we think, fell over onto the sleeping dog, who in turn bit him on the face. No bark, no growl, just a screaming little boy and lots of blood. Well and ER visit, 6 stitches and two cuts later, he is back to his old sweet, tempermental self. The dog, well, he has never done anything like this and has tried to avoid the kids when he gets 'nervous' around them so its tough to know how to handle this situation for us.

SO, my question, for both the dog lovers and not so muchers........what would you do at this point? I don't want to lead by saying what we are considering till I hear suggestions from you here........but do know we are taking this very seriously and I can't believe I have to live with myself knowing it was caused by my leaving the room......

Thanks for your input!

[mcanvasback]

I am not a dog person so can't advise on that. But I do have a toddler - I can only imagine what a horrible experience this was but please don't be hard on your self. You cannot be everywhere at once! Stuff happens to kids, sometimes when we are right there with them! Your little guy will be ok. I know it will be a hard decision but whatever one you make will be the right one.

[lonni]

We had this happen with my Mom's dog and dd.The dog never bit again and we made sure no dogs were ever alone with the kids.The dog bit from pain, it sounds like.That is not aggressive IMO.

[MamaS]

What breed of dogs, what age of dogs and what age of children?

[MamaS]

What breed of dogs, what age of dogs and what age of children? Is adoption finalized or does agency still have input?

[randloar]

MamaS.......They are the doggies in my avatar..........a little like me......unknown ancestry really, we were told australian shep, german shep mix, but by the people we meet are told more likely australian shep, husky mix.....no idea really. Dogs are 4, kid is 3.......

And the adoption finalized in Russia, 6 months ago.....I am confused, what do you mean by that?

[Kellster]

Dog AND kid lover here. I agree with the other poster who said that in this case, the dog was startled and hurt by being fallen on (if that is what happened) and not a case of an aggressive or temperamental animal. Close supervision is, of course, always key- even with the most docile pets. But, we all turns our backs every now and then and accidents happen. I'm sure you'll be more alert than ever now and it is unlikely to happen again. Of course, if it does, you'll have to re- assess...

Kelly

[Amysue1112]

Well, I am a big dog lover too...but...I am also an RN and have worked in pediatrics...

It is incredibly hard for me or anyone to know how you feel about your dogs..i am sure they are like your children too...however, I don't know that I would keep the dog knowing he has bitten your child. Like others said, it is likely it was not from aggression..HOWEVER...he still bit your child...and could have really hurt him. You babies must come first, but like I said, IMHO..and with the things I have seen in my work..
If you do keep the dog, maybe some training on how to deal with kids? There is just no way you can be there every second of every day...especially as busy and as quick as dogs and toddlers are.

Also, just something to keep in mind..If your child is bit again, or any other child for that matter, and the dog bit hard enough to warrant stiches in the ER...well, that could turn into a really ugly situation.

I am sure that is very hard to hear, and not what you wanted to hear, but I just wanted to be honest...you have to keep your children safe. And like I said, I LOVE dogs..we grew up with all kinds, all sizes and all ages...but when one bit..my parents gave him to someone that did not have children. it was better for him and for us.

[hopeful_in_Wi]

I am a volunteer with a local animal placement/adoption group and I couldn't even begin to tell you how many families call me with a bite. In almost every situation, its what you described: the child and the dog were left unsupervised together.

Whether by accident or not, they were unsupervised together and that can only spell disaster. I know how I react when I'm startled awake ... imagine the reaction if I wasn't able to use my voice to express my displeasure at being woken up.

Dogs don't have hands and they can't tell your son to get away (in theory a growl would have been nice but often these things happen SOOO fast, there isn't time for that). Dogs have teeth ... they use them to eat, to defend, to interact, to discipline, for affection ...

My advice:

You need to dog-proof your child and child-proof your dog. There is a great book called "Childproofing your Dog" by Brian Kilcommons -- I highly suggest it.

Second, the old adage "Leave the Sleeping Dog Lie" doesn't exist because its a fictional nonsense saying ... if you leave the room and you are not taking your kid(s), call the dog to come with you. If you're cooking or doing some other thing that keeps you from being able to give the kid/dog your 100% attention, use a baby gate to separate them.

Also, when the kids are old enough, they should participate in the dog's universe by helping with grooming, feeding, etc.

I've done probably 150 dog adoptions with families that have kids. I'd say 70% of them have a bite at some point ... almost none are severe (or even break the skin) and almost all of them work out just fine.

Bottom line: be careful; separate if you can't supervise; and pick up a read on dog/kid interactions.

Tons and tons of families go though this successfully You can, too

[jaime1976]

What breed is the dog? If it is noncharicteristic of this breed, I would probably just move the dog to the out doors until the kids get older. The boy scared the dog.... it was sleeping. If it is a pitbull, husky, etc... get rid of it!

[jaime1976]

Originally Posted by randloar

MamaS.......They are the doggies in my avatar..........a little like me......unknown ancestry really, we were told australian shep, german shep mix, but by the people we meet are told more likely australian shep, husky mix.....no idea really. Dogs are 4, kid is 3.......

And the adoption finalized in Russia, 6 months ago.....I am confused, what do you mean by that?

Aussies are the best friends for kids... they are gentle and I am guessing that he was reacting out of being startled. We have an Aussie and I know when she gets startled (especially now that she is old) she reacts differently than she did when she was younger but she would never do anything to purposely her the little ones. She is very protective and gentle with them. Now my gold retriever/husky mix..... that is a different story :-) We don't let him out of sight with the kids. He would do anything thinking he was hurting them but he is too hyper, rough, etc when he is playing.

[leeinmemphis]

Dogs are dogs and kids are kids... our boys are home three years now and are 7 years old as well as our Great Dane Dixie is 7 years old also.

Dixie has never been a biter and if the boys accuse her of biting them there is always a reason that she has nipped at them (they were trying to ride her, pull her tail, do all of the annoying things that kids to to pets) and I always ask them "what did you do to Dixie to make her bite at you".......

I believe that your child did suprise the dog who bit from reflex... now if it happens again and you witness aggression then thats another story but I wouldnt do anything with the dog at this point.

alli

[momraine]

I would just be very careful and watchful for a while, but if the dog showed any even small sign of aggresion towards the child at all, it would be time for a new home.
Oh and the other poster asked about the agency only because in domestic adoptions it can take a long time to finalize and if you are adopting through the state for example the agency has to be told of anything and could tell you something like get rid of the dog or you will not be able to finalize. Since yours if final it's none of their business.

[DianeS]

Jumping in from another board, because I also spent several years working in dog rescue.

In my opinion, the situation you describe does not require any drastic choice to be made. The reflex the dog had was no worse than a child being fallen on and kicking the one who did the falling. The injury was much worse, of course, but the reflex that caused it was not. What you described is not "aggression", it's a startle reflex.

Assuming that what you think happened is truly what happened, it is possible that if the child falls on the dog again, he would be bitten again. But it is extremely unlikely that the dog's startle reaction would progress to choosing to approach the child with an intent to bite. They take two different personality types in dogs just like they do in people.

There are some things you can do don't require you to "remember" where the dogs are in order to keep the kids and dogs separated.
--One is to always call the dogs when you change rooms. You could make it as much of a habit as opening and shutting doors when you pass through them is. If the dogs have been called to go with you, then you can keep an eye on them and where they go.
--Another involves training the dogs and kids - training the dogs that the only place they are permitted to lay down is in their crates, and training the kids that they may not touch or even speak to the dogs when they are in their crates. It's the dogs' personal time-out spots, and they can put themselves in them any time they like. Once trained to that, you can close the crate doors when you leave the room.

I would caution you against additional separation between the kids and the dogs. There's no way to keep the dogs and kids 100% permanently separated when they are all still on your property, so it's important they figure out how to deal with each other now rather than later, after isolation and lonliness have taken a further toll on the dog's temperment. Your observation will tell whether the dog's nerviousness gets better or worse.

Hang in there. Seeing your child get bitten is traumatic. I'm so glad to hear that he's recovered his normal personality so quickly!

[beckyww]

There's a dog.

There's your child.

They're not equal.

They never will be.

Do you want to spend the rest of your child's young years under the yoke of "constant supervision?"

Becky
The Woodworth Family in Beautiful San Antonio TX