Bit by dog

[Medic!]

I gave a simple answer to a complex problem.
I know my dog. And he'd have to have Rabies to bite if not released to do so.

Now if my dog makes you uncomfortable. And you think he's gona bite.
Then you just don't know dogs. Have no Alpha in you. Or your just a Wussy.

In any case I will kennel my dog so you [The human] feels comfortable.
The dog won't mind.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

I love animals but if a large dog bit me (unprovoked) and drew blood, Id have it on its back and by the throat so fast the dog wouldnt know what happened.

I would have been pissed the whole time too. Once a dog does something like that I wouldnt let my child anywhere near it. Dogs have to be conditioned to fear biting humans.. Sadly because its been passed around like Kim Kardashian its probably never been taught that biting a person is a huge no-no.

Im very surprised the rest of the family wasnt more concerned.
From dog owners I hate hearing
"Oh, he/she doesnt bite"
Those are always famous last words before it does. After all dogs are still just animals and often scenarios play out differently in their heads than in ours.

 

[erudne]

Having dealt w/a lot of 4 legged critters I had to learn animal behavior for both predators and herbivores.
Australian Shepard's are bred to bite live stock that do not respond to herding, they are very territorial and need a strong Alpha master to direct them.
I 'm spit ballin here but from my understanding the dog sees you as a threat to it's alpha position in the pack, your wife is probably not a threat to it due to her body language, yes dogs can read human body language. The dog is trying to drive you out of the family pack and this aggressive behavior can be transferred to your child as a means of establishing dominance through extortion. This behavior is not the dog's fault, the home is probably lacking an alpha male, the dog, insecure due to it's past history, has been forced to fill the gap in the only way it knows how. A sad situation all round as the dog is as much a victim as Perp.

 

[Velzey]

I love dogs! Have always had one.

As a 10 year old boy I was bit by a family dog. It was poo pooed that oh she won't ever do it again! Well she tried several times over the years to do it again.. Terrorizing me in the process..

I would make it perfectly clear. No visits with that dog around!

Small kids around, a biting dog? No way! .22 magnum behind the ear and problem solved.

 

[Jamie6.5]

I would tell Nana and Papa that you and the family won't be stopping by, until the dog is locked up or gone..

^^This^^ Cesar is right, and so is filson. Currently the dog is the pack leader.
Somebody human needs to be the pack leader, and that goes for the humans as well as the dogs in the family.
No more visits to Nana and Papa's house until the dog is gone, or you're assured it will not have any contact with the family. And the gramps need too know this is an absolute.
Keep the dog, lose the grandkid. No middle ground.

Oh, and if the gramps haven't offered to pay for the Doctor visit and the tetanus shot, you need to make sure they do. Don't take dog bites lightly, especially when they are severe enough to cause bleeding and swelling.

PS: I love dogs, especially Shepherds. I'd love to have one like Medic's. The kind of dog that if it seriously bites you, you're going to the hospital. I just have no use for an unpredictable dog of any size.
So don't get the idea I'm a dog hater, cuz I love them critters.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

well, after a long talk with my wife last night...talked with my inlaws this morning. long story short... dogs staying outside away from my son or we're not coming over. my wife is the one who stepped up before me and addressed our sons safety and that BY NO MEANS is that damn dog more important than our son. she actually told my father in law that if it were our dog that I (me the husband) would have shot it. no questions asked.

anyway, im off to work now and i may have to go to the Dr. now due to a swollen finger and a burning/itching in my arm.

 

[DuneHopper]

I see this version often...
Too many parents want to be the child's friend and not the child's parent. There is a difference. The child can love you, can respect you and can still have fun. If you are not the pack parent, guess whos gunning for that job?

Good additional points MT, my kids are in their 20's and why I was not perfect in parenting
I made sure they always knew that me and the Mrs were in charge. I do such things as laugh at them when they tried to enforce their own authority like them saying no, Id laugh and then enforce my rules. But I also taught my kids to learn by giving choices on certain aspects even on chore day there was the option of cleaning the bathrooms or the bedrooms and living room. I knew they would never want to clean the toilet "EVER" so that was the tools we used at times.
Today my kids respect me and my wife and other adults. They are polite and respectful yet stand up for themselves. Its the same as dogs we have and the ferret we have also have two cats too. Guess what know one bugs the little 1.5 lb ferret cause they all know we are in charge. If only the liberal mind set was not such an infection to the way of life today.

I forgot to add my in laws have a new rescue dog that must have been abused I guess is the excuse they give it . One day I was there minding my own business walking about three feet from the dog and and it jumped up and bit me in the leg. I hit the dog hard as it was still within reach and told them I would deal with it if they didnt, it if it ever tried again. They thought I was aggressive and I said would you tolerate it if I let my kids come to your house and hit you ?
I get along with my inlaws and they are gun owners, but liberals when it comes to animals.
They do not donate their dead horses to Wild Life Safari like 99% of everyone does when one dies. They instead spend a few hours with a backhoe burring it in the the fields geees. Maybe I am insensitive but I think feeding a lion is a better choice then burying it and let it rott. Sorry long rant.

 

[clearconscience]

I agree with those saying that if a dog bites someone out of anger/aggression then it needs to be dealt with.
I've been bit by dogs a few times.
The last time was by my step brothers dog. Wasn't his fault though. I got between his dog and mine when it lunged. I put my arm up to block it and it sunk it's teeth it good! Twisted around. F me that hurt. Had a nice puncture wound with a little flesh hanging out. But my dog was the aggressor, we had her locked in a room and one of the younger kids accidentally let it out. I played it off like no big deal, but I was sweating it hurt so bad.

But in your case I would tell them either lock you dog up or my child isn't coming over period. To hell with your wife.
Your one and only job is to protect your child.

Either that or open carry over there and let them know if the dog bites again the two of you are going on a walk and only you are coming back.

 

[B5Ben]

Any sort of aggressive behavior pattern should be dealt with quickly and appropriately. Hopefully you are not the only one that sees the pattern (and ideally your wife would have noticed it as well) but since it's not your dog your actions are somewhat limited. My first would be to eliminate the dog. If he can't see where he falls in the pack, then that's his problem. I'm assuming that probably isn't an option and if they refuse to do anything about it, I would buy a crate and require the dog to be in the crate while your family is at nana and papas house. Outside isnt good enough. What if junior wants to go out to the yard and play with a ball this summer? Where will the dog be/go? If they don't seem to think that is a fair and appropriate action to safeguard your son, don't go over to nana and papas. Have them come to you without the dog.

Im sure it's a much more delicate situation than I present here, but a none the less a very serious one. I love dogs and have had them most of my life, but it only takes a few seconds to leave a lifelong devastation on your family.

 

[Joe13]

well, after a long talk with my wife last night...talked with my inlaws this morning. long story short... dogs staying outside away from my son or we're not coming over. my wife is the one who stepped up before me and addressed our sons safety and that BY NO MEANS is that damn dog more important than our son. she actually told my father in law that if it were our dog that I (me the husband) would have shot it. no questions asked.

anyway, im off to work now and i may have to go to the Dr. now due to a swollen finger and a burning/itching in my arm.

Yea, go get some antibiotics before you get an infection.

hose are always famous last words before it does. After all dogs are still just animals and often scenarios play out differently in their heads than in ours.

My dog is very obvious with his body language- Everyone that askes to pet him , I say ok BUT IF he growls at you then he will bite you so reach at your own risk. Thankfully he is only 25lbs and has never drawn blood but has bit 2 people (nipped is more appropriate) that were acting funny around him and ignored my warnings about him biting if he growls.

He is ALWAYS challenging for alpha of the pack, less with me and my wife now that he is older but the first couple years he would growl/bluff my daughter into getting off the couch so he could spread out.

Had to have HER break that habit by scolding him and showing no fear of his behavior. Only took about 2 weeks of staying on top of him to have it be 180 degree change in his behavior.

I always know when I have not paid enough attention to him (life, busy whatever) because those alpha male tendencies creep back in slowly until I get on him.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Yea, go get some antibiotics before you get an infection.





My dog is very obvious with his body language- Everyone that askes to pet him , I say ok BUT IF he growls at you then he will bite you so reach at your own risk. Thankfully he is only 25lbs and has never drawn blood but has bit 2 people (nipped is more appropriate) that were acting funny around him and ignored my warnings about him biting if he growls.

He is ALWAYS challenging for alpha of the pack, less with me and my wife now that he is older but the first couple years he would growl/bluff my daughter into getting off the couch so he could spread out.

Had to have HER break that habit by scolding him and showing no fear of his behavior. Only took about 2 weeks of staying on top of him to have it be 180 degree change in his behavior.

I always know when I have not paid enough attention to him (life, busy whatever) because those alpha male tendencies creep back in slowly until I get on him.

+ This ^

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

Literally, it took every bit of restraint in me last night for me not to either A: eliminate the dog with my EDC and B: let my emotions get away from me too much infront of my son. he doesn't need to see that nor would he understand yet. Im sure my frustration/anger was seen perfectly clear by my inlaws judging by the looks on their face when i said "SOB! your F'n POS dog bit me" (maybe my emotions got away from me a little more than i thought) I just want to be a good Dad and in doing so i'll do whatever it takes to protect my son. That being said, i think this situation is now under control. Thanks guys for your input i deeply appreciate every response here.

 

[AMT]

"Your dog bit me, I'm afraid my son is next, we will not be back to your house until the dog is in the yard for the whole visit."

Of course, if your wife is like mine, she will go anyway and take your son too just to piss you off if for no other reason...

Yah, on second thought... Good luck.

Exactly what I've done.

As suggested, maybe in a calm voice, "I will not put my child in that environment. The dog will be outside the entire time we are visiting. If it comes in, I take my child and leave. It already bit me, I will not allow it to bit my son - your grandson."

Then again, it appears that no one has Alpha'd that dog, and the dog knows it is Alpha right now.

Got 2 neighborhood dogs that pee when the see me. They still come up and get their pets and lovin' - and the occasional treat. But they KNOW I am Alpha. They also listen to me better than they listen to their owners. Even with hand signals and "looks" they know better than to ignore me.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

These type of stories are told all to often. Sorry about the bite. Here's where I'd be not To happy. The in laws don't care and the wife was mad at your "tone"..?? I'd get a new wife, snap out he dogs neck, and feel good about it.

But this all works for me, cause my wife would tell me to kill that type of dog, and the in laws hate dogs and would never have one.
Good luck!

 

[Joe13]

Literally, it took every bit of restraint in me last night for me not to either A: eliminate the dog with my EDC and B: let my emotions get away from me too much infront of my son. he doesn't need to see that nor would he understand yet. Im sure my frustration/anger was seen perfectly clear by my inlaws judging by the looks on their face when i said "SOB! your F'n POS dog bit me" (maybe my emotions got away from me a little more than i thought) I just want to be a good Dad and in doing so i'll do whatever it takes to protect my son. That being said, i think this situation is now under control. Thanks guys for your input i deeply appreciate every response here.

Commendable goals sir!

If I didn't already know so, this thread shows your good people

 

[shootnscoot]

The first thing I'd do is make sure the dogs rabies vaccination is up to date.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

well, after a long talk with my wife last night...talked with my inlaws this morning. long story short... dogs staying outside away from my son or we're not coming over. my wife is the one who stepped up before me and addressed our sons safety and that BY NO MEANS is that damn dog more important than our son. she actually told my father in law that if it were our dog that I (me the husband) would have shot it. no questions asked.

anyway, im off to work now and i may have to go to the Dr. now due to a swollen finger and a burning/itching in my arm.

Do go to the doctor!!!

Also, make sure the doctor knows it's a dog bite. If your county is similar to Clackamas County they are required to report it to animal control. Animal control will have a serious talk with the owners and will want to quarantine the dog. The situation WILL get taken care of one way or another.

You are dealing with a problem dog. There's a reason he was at the shelter in the first place. I had a hound once that I rescued from a shelter. With our teenage kids she was one of the best dogs I ever owned. Her only problem was she didn't like small kids. I expect it was because small kids were once allowed to abuse her. When my wife got pregnant again we sent her to a rancher who had no kids or grandkids. She lived out the rest of her days there. If we hadn't found that home for her she'd have gone for a one way walk in the woods.

I also once had a big male bluetick hound that bit me. He was about 100 pounds and a good bear dog. He had become more and more dominant toward my other hounds, and after he was bred the first time he tried to assert his dominance with me. I tried the routine of pinning him to the ground on his back with my hand on his throat a few times when he showed food aggression with me, just growling, never offering to bite. Then one day he was unwilling to get off the couch and I reached for his collar, and he snapped at my hand and drew blood. I was going to put him down on the spot, but my wife wanted me to go get stitches first. I told them at the ER that it was a dog bite and that initiated a whole process with Clackamas dog services. They called that afternoon and wanted to quarantine the dog. I said I'd rather put him down and they said no, he needed to be observed for 10 days (even though his rabies vaccination was up to date). They wanted to put him in their facility at about $25 per day, but I said look, I have an 8' chain link, cement slab, 24x6 kennel run that he lives in. I can padlock it and there's no way he's going anywhere. So they let me quarantine him at my place. I was all set to shoot him on day 11, but in the meantime another bear hunter who had coveted that dog for a long time proposed that we make a trade for a dog out of a bloodline I had always wanted, but is tough to find for sale. I warned him that the dog had dominance issues and really should be put down, but he swore up and down he could handle the dog's issues. About a year after the trade the guy's wife went out to feed the dog and it lunged and snapped at her without any warning. The dog didn't live to see another sunrise.

I suspect the dog you're dealing with has the same issues as my ex-father-in-law's akita. He raised it from a puppy and spoiled it rotten. He allowed it to run the household. Everything revolved around the dog and it's needs and desires. When it was about 3 years old it attacked his 4 year old grandson just out of the blue with absolutely no warning, grabbing him by the back of the neck, taking him to the ground, and shaking him. The grandfather brushed off the attack and made excuses for the dog saying the grandson MUST have done something to provoke him. I witnessed the whole thing and there was no warning at all. I think the kid was simply seen as a stranger encroaching on the dog's territory. This was a dominance issue. The dog was the leader of that pack and "owned" the territory around the house. I found him running loose in the woods one day and when I tried to put a rope on his collar he snapped at me, only getting air though. It wasn't long after that that the dog was found shot by someone. Good riddance.

The dog you're dealing with either has dominance issues or it has been abused by someone who you resemble. Either way, it's not safe for your small child to be anywhere near that dog. I'm not even sure being locked in the back yard is enough. Doors get left open and dogs are adept at slipping between people's legs. Even if the dog is in the back yard, you need to keep an eagle eye on your child at all times when he's there to make sure he doesn't get into the back yard with the dog. This dog is bad news.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

^^^^ great story and info.
My aunt has a dog like this. I call them phantom biters. Cause they are all normal acting, then bam.
She's convinced she loves that dog. One day she asked me what might be his problem. I said, it might be the owners.
She has always been lacking in common sense.

 

[Sstrand]

If you don't like the dog don't go there. After all, you are invading the dog's territory.

Sheldon

 

[Medic!]

You guys know I love dogs. Especially Shepard's.

But I have a dark secret for you all.

I was attacked buy a Big White German Shepard once.
And I took some abuse trying to calm him down. But he wasn't having any of that!

Even when I started beating him with the rifle I was carrying. He wouldn't stop!
So finally. I shot that dog right between the eyes. Killed it instantly.

I did not want to do that. But that dog needed shot. Or I was looking at a long hospital visit. With about 1000 stitches. Or maybe even a funeral.