Is there anyone out there that is a devoted animal lover?
Here's our deal. We have a shih-tzu just turned 7 january 28th. We've had him sinse he was a pup.
He is house broke, loves to play with toys, will cuddle by your side and watch tv, or on the foot rest of recliner. He sleeps in bed with you and whoever is in bed he is there with them don't matter for how long.
This is the problem.
As good of a dog as he is. We have a soon to be 3 year old. Austin loves the dog. So much he hugs him tight! Sometimes too tight. Gizmo puts up with some but not all.
Friday austin came up behind gizmo to hug him and it must have startled giz cause he whipped around and bit austin on the cheek. Didn't make gashes but welted up and bruised his little face. My husband was bound and determine to take him to paws the next day. It really in essense wasn't gizmos fault but we can't take the chance of him doing more damage. Hubby was determined to take him to paws saturday. I talked him out of it because i didn't find it a proper thing to do on valentines. They said they would try to adopt him out but, as cute as he is i don't think he would be adoptible through them. They'll put him to sleep.
This is not the first time he has biten. And maybe putting him to sleep might be the thing to do. I don't want him biting anyone else. You can't get him groomed with out getting him a knock out shot. I think he's bit just about every groomer here in ne arkansas. Not to mention every memember of our family for one reason or another. He bit my foot cause i accidently stepped on his tail, my daughter for same reason. My hubby cause he was trying to hold him while being groomed. Our son has been nipped and bit a few times. Never really drawing blood but enough that it hurts.
He would be a good dog for an older couple or person without rowdy kids. But the grooming issue is still there. Should i go ahead and put him in paws (paragould animal welfare) they say they'll try to adopt him out if unable they will put down. It's so hard of a decission. I love the dog but i love my kids 100 times more. Would i be doing the right thing?
First let me say that I'm so glad your son is okay!
Wow, do I feel your pain!!!! I too am an avid animal lover.
Our dog Gus bit my youngest daughter who was 1 yrs. old. I was in the kitchen cooking dinner and I heard Gus snap and then my daughter cry. He bit her on the face above the eye. She had 3 punctures. There was quite a bit of blood and I first thought he had gotten her eye. Thank goodness not!
We still have Gus. He doesn't have have any history of biting/nipping others. He has always been very loving, very affectionate, etc. He would play with my kids and let them love on him.
I'm not sure if my daughter hit him or what but something made him snap where he felt threatened. Don't get me wrong, I don't condone what he did to my child. My children's welfare comes before Gus.
After he bit my daughter he became an outside dog. We only let him in right before we go to bed and he's back outside before our kids get up.
My husband and I couldn't bear to give him to the animal shelter because we knew that he would be put down. Even though Gus doesn't have a history of biting/nipping, it was still a very difficult decision for us.
If your dog has a history of biting/nipping at people, adopting him out might be the best option for you. However, only you and your husband will know what's right for your household. Good luck! It's a very tough thing to go through.
oh no! what a tough spot you're in. If hes a biter, Im afraid your husband is right, pup has to go. Is there no family with a quiet life - so hes not startled much, and no kids to worry about? Hopefully he can be adopted out, but unless you have friends or family who already love him the way you do, it will be hard to adopt out a biter. They have to inform. You could opt to put him to sleep and be there with him at his time.
We've been there, it shouldnt be a hard decision you would think from the outside, but it really is
Let me start by saying that I love animals. I used to work in a pet store, assisted with dog training, grooming, and puppy daycare. That having been said if you cannot get your dog adopted he needs to be put down. Your human family comes first. This doesn't sound like a one time incident, there is precedence here. Please don't wait until the dog draws blood, that is really not the issue. This dog has an aggression problem and at seven years old that is not likely to change. If you do try to get him adopted please inform any interested parties that this dog should not be around children. You need to get your dog out of the house and away from your children. I know it's a very emotional issue, but the kids need to come first.
Let me give you some information from another perspective. I work in the insurance industry. We see dog bite claims all the time. There is strict liability with your dog, so it doesn't matter the reason the dog bit, you are still responsible. I have even seen where a neighbor was abusing a dog and the dog bit the neighbor. We still paid for the claim, even though the dog was provoked. Of course, the neighbor was sent to jail for animal abuse, but he still got a check.
You have a dog who has a history of biting. Sure, the bites haven't been too bad, but that doesn't mean the next time won't be. If someone were to get bit and sue you, they would win and they would win big. Your homeowners insurance might not be enough to cover the costs, especially if the company wasn't told you have a dog that bites, as they might void your policy for misrepresentation. I love animals as well, but you need to look at this from a practical standpoint. You have a young child that the dog has bit, along with every other member of your family. It doesn't seem like the dog is getting any better about not biting, in fact, it sounds like a problem that is not going to go away. I would try to adopt the dog out, but be sure to disclose the biting history, otherwise, that can be another lawsuit. Your children should always come first. If it was me, the first time the dog bit my child, the dog would be gone. I've just seen too much damage a dog can do and I wouldn't want that kind of danger near my child.
I was a vet tech for 15 years, so I know a little bit about dogs. I have three of my own.
When my dughter was about 3, the dog I had bit her, He liked to play fetch with his toys, and she liked to throw them for him to retrieve. One day, he was chewing on one, and she wanted to play fetch and tried to take it ouot of his mouth. He did what any dog would do - he bit her, alos near the eye. Fortunately, he just nipped her brow ridge. I took her to her pediatrician just to be usre there was no serious dmage, and he told her to never take anything out of the puppy's mouth again. I replied that the dog was going to be making a one way trip to the vet. He advised me to give him another chance, since she HAD tried to take something out of his mouth, and snapping was a natural response to that. So I gave him another chance. About two weeks later, she was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal when the phone rang. I went into the living room to answer it, and a couple of minutes later, I heard her scream. I ran back to the kitchen, and the dog was ON the table, standing over her bowl, with his teeth bared, and she was holding her hand, which was covered in dog saliva. The skin wasn't broken, but he had blown his second chance. This dog had never had a history of biting before the first time he had bitten her, and I had had him since before she was born. In fact, he had always been very protective of her before.
I had him put down, even though it broke my heart to do so, especially since when I was pregnant with her, he had run a prowler away from my house. I know this because I heard voices (yes, plural) outside my bedroom window, then heard the dog barking and snarling, and when I went outside, the gate was open and the dog was gone. When he came home several hours later, he had denim fibers stuck between his teeth.
Most animal welfare agencies will not attempt to adopt out a dog with a history of biting. Most no kill shelters will not take a dog with a history of biting.
It sounds to me like the best thing, hard as it would be, would be to have him euthanized.
Good gosh this is a hard one. Because its a little dog, my natural reaction is NO!. You son is old enough to be taught not to scare the dog.
But, things aren't always as cut and dried as they appear on Mamasource. When my son was born we had a crazy female german shepherd. We couldn't keep the dog and the kid in the same room at first and we installed all these dog gates. Then when he was old enough to crawl, we had to be extra careful...and so on. By the time our other son was born four yrs later, she was starting to mellow out. But we had two other big dogs to keep an eye on. It was constant watch but it didn't take long to establish a safe routine. We never left them alone with a dog. Now those dogs are gone and we got a standard poodle last year. He is a big dog with a bigger mouth. He likes to use his mouth and even nipped when we first got him. We started working on the biting issue immediately. We say 'no bite' if he puts his mouth on anyone. But one day my son decided to take him for a walk without my permission. Totally stupid. The dog got his foot caught in a street grate and couldn't get out. When my son tried to pull his leg out, he got bitten pretty bad. So what did we do? He was bleeding pretty bad and now has several bad scars on his arm and wrist. We didn't get rid of the dog, we just became more cautious and bumped up the training. That was a year and a half ago. I tried to desensitize him to all the places on his body that he didn't want touched, especially his face. Now we have a puppy that mauls him, bites his ears, cleans his eyes and generally jumps on his back. He is totally mellow and lets me do anything I want now to his ears and face when he used to try to bite.
When watching the training shows on Animal Planet, they try to teach the dog that its a good thing to have your tail pulled, body squeezed...whatever the thing is that the dog doesn't like. Reward him when he has it done and doesn't react. My opinion is to keep the dog and bump up the training. Also, are his teeth OK? Is his spine hurting? Sometimes dogs just hurt! Especially little dogs that are allowed to jump on and off the bed. They get spinal injuries quite frequently.
good luck. Just try not to make a hasty decision because he probably will get euthenized.
just a ps after reading others': I have quite a bit of experience with dogs too from both the perspective of insurance and as a vet tech. But also I train dogs. But there is one thing I never waver on...NEVER leave a child alone with any dog. You are asking for trouble.
Janet,
First off a dog is a good pet for little boys. Second off, maybe the dog doesn't like being hugged so tightly maybe it has a sore or tender point where your son hugged him/her. You must try to see if you can get it to do the same thing by hugging it the way the little one did and if it does it again have it checked as it may have a sore spot where no one can see an apparent reason and only a vet can figure it out.
But as a precaution teach your sons to hug gently and tenderly. Let him know that the puppy/dog loves to be hugged but the key is GENTLY.
I have four grown sons and 11 grandchildren and five great grandchildren and am only 58. So I have gone through this before myself.
So I hope this will help you somewhat with your problem.
BB
Gramma Dolly
Well as cute as he sounds cant have a dog biting the kids, and the longer you keep him in the house..the higher the chance is. I would say send him to PAWS and make sure to tell them everything..the prolly would not put him to sleep before trying to find im a home without children in it. Some animals just arent good with kids. We have a harrier beagle mix..there more kid dogs..but i think it really just has to do with their personality like with people. But thats my suggestion, were an animal loveing fam of 6..myself and my fiance our 4 kids and we have a dog, a cat whom just passed :(...2 red eared sliders and anoles and whatever the heck else we find so we have a regular little zoo :). Good luck
i would put him down. once a dog bites a kid, he will always bite kids. little dogs are biters. he sounds as if he is a pretty angry little dog, as snuggly as he can be. i would do some serious research into patient breeds of dogs, if i got another one. goldens, labs and std poodles spring to mind. it is a hard decision, but you have to put your son--and other people's kids-- first.
I think at this point you really have to take him some place where they can try to adopt him out. My sister was mauled by a neighbors dog that had the very same temperament. You cant chance that happening to your little one or anyone else's little ones that might come to visit.
Find out if there is a shih-tzu rescue in your area. These lovers of the breed will do everything they can to find your dog a compatible home. Also any breeders in the area might be willing to take it,even if he is not breedable. You do need to get rid of him. Any animal that harms your children shouldn't be around. I had a dog that almost bit one of my children, and it was gone within the week,to a couple without children.
My husband and I got a puppy and treated him like our baby for several years and then we had our little boy. Within the 1st year, our dog started nipping and by the time our son was also about 2 or 3 we had no choice to give him away. It sounds like you know in your mind what you need to do, it's just your heart is very attached to the dog. Email everyone you know and ask if there's a family without children who might take the dog for free. Give it a week and then move on with the dog. Our 1st priority is to our children and you definitely don't want the nipping/biting to eventually lead to a serious bite that will require stitches and leave a permanent scar. It's hard and we hated it too. But we both knew it was the right thing to do. We had to protect our son.
Okay this is a very difficult situation. First of all I am a mom that has four kids and I have always had dogs. We have four dogs. I have been in a situation where I had to have a dog put down. She actually attacked my other dog very viciously because she thought the new pup we got was hers. I had her put down because I was afraid she would attack my kids for getting too close to this new puppy. Any way, do you have TV with the National Geographic channel. If you do you need to watch The Dog Whisperer. He is an amazing man who can do anything with dogs. He will tell you that you have to have the right dog for your family but he has taken dogs that freak out at the groomers and end up doing fine. YOu really need to watch his show. It is very informative and he has worked with dogs just like yours and changed their whole attitudes. Try it first!!!
I agree with most of the others in that if your dog has a history of biting, he's not a good match for such young kids. But as his owner you have the responsibility of finding a suitable home for him. Putting him down or turning him over to an agency that will put him down is that the only answer! I had a stray dog at my home that I couldnt keep (with two dogs and two kids we couldn't take on another dog...). So I listed him on Craigslist and within a few days I has several people interested. Your dog is a popular breed and will do great in a family without small kids!!! So take a photo of him and list him Free to a Good home on Craigslist, make flyers to post at vets offices and area businesses and screen interested parties until you find a suitable home for him! Good luck - you'll be in my prayers. I can imagine that this is a VERY tough situation for you!
I know how important family pets can be and I'm sorry you are having to go through this. If the dog is biting for no reason you may want to consider placing him elsewhere but you gave good reasons to why he was biting. @ people stepped on his tail which made him bite, totally understandable! Also, your son may be too young for this little dog. If he's allowed to pick him up and squeeze him he could really be hurting the dog. You may want to try setting limits with the dog and only have your son pet him not pick him up and have hime learn there are consequences if he hurts the dog. As far as him biting when he's groomed lots of dogs do that and groomers are used to it. We have several animals and have since the day my son was born but he was never allowed to mistreat any of them. He learned immediately that you never hit an animal or pull its tail or take its food. He is 4 now and is best friends with our two big dogs. Good luck in whatever you decide to do!!
Janet,
There is no question here. This is not an isolated issue--he's done it before, and he'll do it again. Are you willing to take the chance on him disfiguring your child? Or worse? What if he went for the throat? I would never keep an animal that might hurt my children, as you say--you love your children 100 times more. What message does that send to the kids? A child has to live in the environment their parents choose for them. They have no choice. YOU must keep them safe--they depend on you for that. Your children MUST KNOW that you would NEVER choose an animal over their safety and wellbeing. I'm SO with your husband on that. I had a cat that took a swipe at my daughter's face when she was a baby. I'd had that cat for 10 years. He was gone the next day--took him to the vet and told them to either find a home for him or put him to sleep and send me the bill. This might sound cold to you, but you can't take a chance with your child's life or their happiness. It all depends on you to take care of them. Get rid of Gizmo, and don't look back. You can get another dog that is more child-friendly.
Cheryl
Well, first of all, your son should not be allowed to handle the dog on his own. That includes any and all interaction, only because he is still too young to realize he can do damage to the dog...would you want to be squished like that, or get stepped on? If you were the dog, what would you do to defend yourself?
As an owner of a chihuahua, the kings of snappy tempers, we use a pet muzzle. We know how our dog will react in certain situations, and we let others know. We will even muzzle him to go to the vet. It may seem overly cautious, but I'd rather that than to be responsible for someone's medical bill for a dog bite or give him away.
Also, maybe you can try a little obedience training. Just like with a child, if you put the dog in a routine so that they know unprovoked behavior has a consequence, you might find that the dog will actually be happier. The same should go for the people in the house. Sometimes people need a little training too. Everyone should be mindful of the dog, who is handling the dog, etc. to avoid problems before they start. There are some really informative shows on Animal Planet, like "It's Me Or The Dog" that have good tips on situations like this. After all, 99% of the time, it's not the dogs fault.
Are you serious about this question. We ar5e talking about your child or your dog. I love animals to but you are taking it a little to far. The dog would have been out of my house that day, as a matter of fact i've had this issue before with one of my outside dogs and I gave him away the same day. He did even bite my daughter he just jumped at her. Your talking about your kids. Your dog is getting old and it will get worse especially with a shih-tzu, polmeranian, or even a chihuha. They get very snappy with age. GIVE THE DOG AWAY!!!! It could have been so much worse.