Should my dog be put to sleep?
katbeek asked:
I have a 6month old lab/ chow mix. He was playing with my 8 year old and bit her under the face and drew blood. Should he be put to sleep? He has never bitten anyone before.
Maybe before everyone jumps to it being my daughters fault I should add, My husband and I were watching her play. My daughter was raised around dogs and knows how to treat them, she is 8 not 2. I am assuming it was just rough play, but wanted others imput. I am not a fan of euthanization either. We rescued the dog from a shelter, she was 5 weeks old and they were going to put the litter down, saying they wouldn’t be able to thrive without the mother. We purchased all 4 puppies and found homes for them ourselves. Our dog has proper vet care, just as if he was our child. He has been neutered and is up to date on all of his shots and also been microchipped. He has also been seen for an ear infection, so vet care is the least of my worries. He is a big dog and we are not 100% positive on his breed.
Adela
I have a 6month old lab/ chow mix. He was playing with my 8 year old and bit her under the face and drew blood. Should he be put to sleep? He has never bitten anyone before.
Maybe before everyone jumps to it being my daughters fault I should add, My husband and I were watching her play. My daughter was raised around dogs and knows how to treat them, she is 8 not 2. I am assuming it was just rough play, but wanted others imput. I am not a fan of euthanization either. We rescued the dog from a shelter, she was 5 weeks old and they were going to put the litter down, saying they wouldn’t be able to thrive without the mother. We purchased all 4 puppies and found homes for them ourselves. Our dog has proper vet care, just as if he was our child. He has been neutered and is up to date on all of his shots and also been microchipped. He has also been seen for an ear infection, so vet care is the least of my worries. He is a big dog and we are not 100% positive on his breed.
Adela
January 23rd, 2010 at 3:26 pm
Leighann
noooo don’t kill it, it’s just a puppy.
January 23rd, 2010 at 8:19 pm
Dyan
No it’s not his fault. Kids often do things that hurt dogs which can cause them to bite in self defense. Train your child to properly handle the dog before taking such drastic action. If it comes down to it, take the puppy to the ASPCA, but don’t murder him.
January 25th, 2010 at 8:44 am
Laurine
This dog would be fine with obedience training and a home with NO CHILDREN
Chows have a bad reputation with kids. Please consider letting the humane society find a new home for this pet.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:54 am
Eboni
No, give him to a family with no little kids or have him evaluated.
January 28th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Hosea
NO THE DOG IS FINE IT WAS PROBERLY SELF DEFENCE THE KID MUST OF DONE SOMETHING TO PUT IT IN DISCOMPFORT. TEACH THE KID TO ACT CORRECTLY AROUND THE DOG IT WAS NOT THE DOGS FAULT. AND PEOPLE WHO PUT DOGS TO SLEEP AFTER THAT ARE SAD AND DESCUSTING!!!!!
olly
January 31st, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Jacob
were they playing roughly? did your child corner her and grab at her? were there warning signs (growling, ears back) before the dog bit???
i wouldnt put him down. it was probably more of the child’s fault. you need to teach your child what to look out for and how to treat the dog. and bring your dog to a trainer and be sure it doesnt happen again. i was bit once by my dog, she ripped my hand open. the only time she ever bit anyone (well, she bit me twice, but i’m the only one she ever bit) and my mom wanted to put her down. but she (the dog) knew she shouldnt have bit me, she was sorry, but i knew i should have known better, i should have recognized the warning signs- they were all there
February 2nd, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Arline
It sounds like the dog was just playing alittle hard, we all just need to remember that dogs were wild at one point. he’s a young dog too, if he reacted by hiding it’s a good sign that he knows what he did is wrong and he might not ever do it again. Give him a chance and don’t let your 8 year old’s face get to close to the dogs face, the dog might see it as a threat.
February 5th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Eulalia
Since the puppy is still a puppy, I would give him a chance. He sounds like he is just needs to be trained.
February 6th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Silvana
I would not put him to sleep. But watch the amount of time you allow this dog to be around kids…Perhaps get a gentle leader or a muzzle for him. He’s a pup..needs to learn you dont’ bite people…
February 9th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Eddy
nooo. if they were just playing it was probably an accident. sometimes puppies dont realize how sharp their teeth are….. dont put him to sleep!
February 12th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Genoveva
No, but it should be given to someone that doesnt have children and tell them what happened.
February 15th, 2010 at 11:45 am
Carmen
No, but you need to pay close attention to them when they are alone in the room together. When my daughter was young she said one of our dogs was mean to her for no reason, but I found out she was teasing the dog with treats. The dog was a little maltese and my daughter would be sitting on the floor watching TV and the dog would run by grab a mouthful of hair and take off the other way, jerking her back and of course pulling her hair. It was funny to watch, but I watched them one day and as my daughter would eat she would tease the dog and pretend she was going to give it some of her food for a treat. Needless to say it was time to have a serious talk with my daughter. From that day to this she’ll tell you I love dogs more than her, but she is now a very responsible pet owner and takes care of her dogs.
February 16th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Bev
back in the 80′s a friend of mine got married and they had a baby, all was well she had her dog for years and it was well behaved. She took the garbage out one day and the baby was laying on the floor on a blanket. She thought nothing of it when she came back in the baby had been mauled and was dead. If you do not want to put the dog down I think you should at least remove the dog asap and find a home that does not have children, make sure the new owners are aware of the dogs behavior. To protect all keep the dog away from your child.
February 19th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Carlena
The dog that I just had to put to sleep a week ago due to medical reasons was a part lab/chow just like yours . He was the best dog I ever had was very nice.
I had got him when he was 4 months and my son at the time was 3. He bit my son to one time but my son was pulling his tail and ears very roughly. I was upset he bit my son but then I look at the dogs point of view when a child wont leave the dog alone the dog will only take so much and in self defense will bite or nip at kids all dogs are like that no matter what kind of breed of dog you have.
You need to teach the child not to get his face that close to the pup especially puppies they nip and bite all the time in playfullness the puppy didnt know what he was doing.
When the puppy starts to nip at the face you swat him on the nose with your hand or newspaper and say bad dog keep doing that.
He is a puppy and you have to train him not to do that just like a child you train your child not to touch certain things or do certain things its the same thing you have a another child in the house.
Sit down with your child and teach him he needs to becareful when he plays with the puppy and watch his face because when the puppy gets into “playful mode” they can get a little out of hand sometimes. And in return you need to teach the pup that is not allowed .
Like I said swat him on the nose and tell him bad dog and he will learn.
You have a great breed of dog they are very people friendly and a good watch dog also if you bring the pup up right !!!
February 20th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Argelia
No, I do not think you should put him to sleep, he’s a baby, I think you should just watch real close & determine if you should give him away or put him in training for discipline & try to communicate with your 8 yr old as far as what type of playing should be done with him being that at this age he is still a baby and can tend to play & get serious because of probably defending itself or just don’t know any better.
February 23rd, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Criselda
NO….it was probly just self-defense on the dogs part….Kids sometimes just don’t know how far they can go…and they only learn that by getting knipped…work with you child on how to properly play and handle the dog….Know if this happened when they were not playing then that might be bad…but playing you kid just probly pulled hair or accidently got an eye or something….I remember when my dog was about that old we were playing and I reaced for the ball and she moved her head and I got her eye…she nipped ate me and drew blood…not her fault just hurt…she’s 3 know and had no problems since…
February 25th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Holley
Was it and accident as in to rough play? I would send dog to and adult home before I would ever put a strong healthy dog down for what could be and accident, or a defensive gesture. But as you know chow blood is a little aggressive. Excellent protective dogs I don’t think its a real kids family dog even mixed with Lab. I would not have a dog around that ever put tooth to one of my children though. EVEN IF THE KID WAS TO BLAME. Dogs are smart animals they do not bite just for fun!!! Have a serious talk with the child while your about this business.
February 28th, 2010 at 8:17 am
Carlton
Although its hard to admit and there are a lot of anger when a dog bites a child, it is usually a matter of fact it is the child’s fault or the parent’s fault for not supervising their playing time. Give the dog a chance. Give him to the SPCA so they can assess his temperament and choose a home that is suitable for him. Its fine if you decide to keep him. You can get a dog behavioural expert to assess his temperament and do not let them play together in future if you can’t supervise. When a dog is being hurt, it will snap/bite. This is the reason why dogs wounded in accidents have to be muzzled because it will bite even the owner.
February 28th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Lauri
you need to get your dog into obedience classes..this can help w/behavior. if his behavior gets worse then i would see an animal behaviorist. putting your dog to sleep should be your last resort. every dog should be supervised w/children.
i had a 2 yr old lab mix with aggression problems. she was the best dog in the world but hated ppl she didnt know and would bite. we tried everything possible to change her behavior…and in the end did have to put her to sleep after she went after our 15mnth old at the time.
good luck to you.
February 28th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
Effie
No
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Miles
Everyone is saying, nnnnnoooooo. But, have you figured out what stemmed the biting? Did your child scare the dog? Were they playing? Did the child hurt the dog?
You need to find out what caused the reaction before you start thinking of euthanizing.
You also need to find out the genetics behind the dog. Do you know the owners of your dogs parents? Have they ever had episodes like this with the parents? Dogs have traits genetically bred into them and you can’t break that.
Before you think about killing the animal, do some research. While you’re researching, take the dog to the vet, get a physical done on him, ensuring no genetic disorders. That might sound costly, or over doing it. But isn’t a fifty or hundred dollar trip to the vet worth your childs life?
Keep a very close eye on child and dog, and DO THE RESEARCH RIGHT AWAY.
March 4th, 2010 at 1:25 am
Judson
let me tell u a story. my parents had a family dog and everything was fine even when i had my son he seemed okay but one day out of the blue when my son was a year me and my son were walking in the yard not even bothering or touching the dog in any way when it ran out towars my son by the time i pulled the dog off my son , and it didnt want to let go!!!, it was too late!! my son had blood dripping down his face. we went straight to the hospital , my son was bitten in the side of his head , behind the ear, and right above his eye. the dog was put to sleep. he is now 6 and hes okay u can barely see the scares but i know they are there!! my parents say they cant believe the dog did that ,and maybe there was signs of his aggretions towards children i just didnt see them or maybe i chose to ignore them!!!
March 4th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Laurel
No he is a baby, there are tons of other options. Get him neutered if he is not, it cuts down on aggression. Monitor their play time, sometimes dog play too rough and do not mean to cause injury. Your last option should be to put him to sleep, if your really concerned find him home without children.
March 7th, 2010 at 3:08 am
Lecia
Without hesitation.
Not because of the breed. The dog has already proven itself to be a potential danger. We are trainers and breeders and even with our dogs there is a zero tolerance for attacks such as these.
It would be unfortunate to keep the dog and loose a child because of this behavior.
March 7th, 2010 at 6:26 am
Evette
NO!!! There is no reason to put an innocent animal to sleep over something stupid. Dogs play rough. I had a dog almost take my finger off because we were playing rough….and he was a puppy. Maybe you just need to find a different breed of dog to fit the role of FAMILY PET. Chows are not the best family pets. They have been know to turn on their owners. But still no reason to put him down unless he is doing it constantly and tearing limbs. So my option is NO. A puppy is a puppy, the same as a child is a child. They will do stupid things no matter how many times you tell them not to or even try and teach them. They have to learn and let everything run it’s course….