dog has bit my son

ariba10

If it bites the hand that feeds it.

Its time it went. (And I would not want it to have the opportunity to do it to others)

elliesmemory1

A through vet check should be the first step, Ive heard of dogs being put down for biting and afterwards found to have something like a bad ear infection or the like.
Im well aware that children come first, but how many dogs get pts because they have reacted when having their ears pulled etc.
Jrts are really working dogs and imo not really suitable pets for familys with small children.
I would say get a full vet check and then think of trying to rehome with adults only. you might be best to speak to dogs trust rather than rspca as they will at least consider trying to rehome rspca wll pts.
its always the dog that pays with its life in these situations and its not always the fault of the dog.

ljs1977

thank you for all your replies we have a local blue cross i think will be my next stop it does seem from talking to a few people male jack russells do seem to turn into grumpy old men i think he may have been dozing at the time, and has snapped at my older son when he walked by and woke him but that time we thought he had been startled and never even got close to a bite,sadly he is going to have to go

ali-t

ljs1977 wrote: »

i have had my jack russell aged 6 since he was 8 weeks old yesterday my 4 year old was sat next to him stroking him when he bit him quite badly,he gave no warning.my daughte rwas there and is still very upset by it all soI feel i have to try and re home him but am going to be honest why as the children are upset i need him re homed asap if i take him to rspca or blue cross will they have him put down as iwould not want this

I am sorry your son was bitten by the dog but I find your attitude towards this unbelievable. You don't want the dog as you feel it may be a risk to your children (that is fair enough) but you want to rehome it where it could bite someone else!!! Why?

If the dog is a danger, the situation needs to be assessed and managed and perhaps if the liklihood on ongoing biting is there - the dog is not suitable to live in a family home. It is extremely unlikely that the RSPCA or Blue Cross have lots of farmers needing ratters who are just waiting for an unpredictable family pet to be handed in. The chances of anyone actively seeking an unpredictable biter is pretty slim.

The dog is either a danger and not fit for living in a family home (therefore it should be PTS) or your children and the dog don't mix (either due to lack of tolerance from the dog or poor animal management by family members). If it is down to the children approaching the dog when he is asleep the children need to be taught how to behave when around animals.

Your OP really smacks of wanting to put the problem onto someone else rather than taking responsibility yourself, either via training (children and dog!) or by getting the dog PTS. I really don't think rehoming is the answer.

gettingready

OK - you are assuming that a rescue will take the dog, you may be wrong here as they are mostly absolutely full of unwanted dogs and may refuse to take your dog on.

Even if the do - what are his chances of being rehomed?

Do you know/have you seen yourself what led to the dog biting your son? How can you be sure it was not provoked/caused (unintentionally perhaps but still) by your son's behaviour towards the dog?

You had this dog for 6 years and you are ready to give up on him?

Poor dog

tango

The OP's post seems a bit odd to me ...:think:

jazzyman01

My aunt's dog had bitten a child on the hand which required stitches. It was assumed that the dog had bitten the child because he was teasing him.

Six weeks later the same dog attacked me (I was 9 at the time). I was playing with my sister on the floor away from the dog when it launched at my face. I almost lost my eye and cheek bone and had to undergo plastic surgery to replace part of my face that he had bitten off.

You really cannot keep the dog with small children - you would never forgive yourself if something happened.

Zooxanthelle

99% of rescues will not take a dog who has bitten a person, especially a child. It's too much of a liability for them to rehome.
I personally would not want to take that risk again if my own child had been bitten and needed stitches after the incident.

lorietta

OP, I sympathise with you situation as it must be very difficult. JRTs are very unpredictable dogs, and if it has bitten someone that badly then sadly it is probably not safe to keep unless you have experience training dogs.

HOWEVER if you take it to a rescue, you must be truthful with them, and they may say that the dog is not safe to rehome and will have to be PTS. Perhaps an option to try will be a breed specific rescue, who may know of someone willing to take on a known biter, or have an environment where one could even be useful doing work such as killing rats/rabbits, but this may not be the case.

So please be aware you will have to prepare your children for the possibility of him being PTS

vl2588

What evidence does anyone have for all this 'JRTs always bite' and 'once a biter always a biter' rubbish?

Rescues such as the Blue Cross undertake professional behavioural analysis and therapy if needed and would never rehome a dog thought to be a risk. They will PTS if it cannot be rehomed as (they are of the opinion that) dogs are better off dead than in kennels for life. Dogs almost never bite without cause (especially if you have known the dog since 8 weeks and have brought it up well) and there are usually signs that may not be visible e.g. due to breeding floppy ears in etc.

I hope you find a solution that works for your family and the dog.