dog has bit my son

vl2588

It might be worth pointing out that wikipedia is written en masse by whoever has a log in.

willing2learn_3

Scanning through this thread again i don't agree with anyone who has the feeling that a child should be re-homed, even if it's a joke! That is appalling! I only wrote in defence of dogs in general because i've had so much prejudice from parents and children when merely walking my dog....children making comments 'your dog is going to sh*t on the pavement and it's disgusting!' etc....and the dog was doing no such thing and in any case i would have had a bag with me.

My dog is a jack russell....it's also the nicest dog i've ever had and the only one i would trust around children - that said i wouldn't trust any animal around a child unsupervised. Dog owners should be responsible...and equally parents should encourage their children to enjoy animals, not hate them and their owners and also to behave in a respectful manner around animals. Screaming and skateboarding close to a dog is going to cause problems, if nothing else a loud bark which may startle a child and cause them to fall. Climbing on a dog is just unacceptable, but it's not the child's fault it's the parent that is allowing it.

Re the jack russell, there is a stereotype. Mine is the softest dog i've ever known, loves people and has a very high tolerance level - actually i still don't know where his tolerance limit is....he's never annoyed at anyone, only other dogs that look like the breed that attacked him when he was a pup. It's just a bit unfair that people propagate prejudice because i am on the receiving end of it and yet my dog is innocent in all this.

davsidipp

willingtolearn your jrt is like one of mine she loves people will not go upto them unless she knows them though but will not tolerate other dogs who pester her and wont take no for an answer then shes like a mini rottie which is a shame as she looks the bad guy but some dogs dont get it she gives them a warning they dont heed then off she flies,but is the complete opposite with my grandson good as gold although i never trust any dog whatever breed 100% they can all turn.

fleagle21

WolfSong2000 wrote: »

At the other end of the spectrum from the above story, I know a family who have a gorgeous, gorgeous golden retriever !!!!!. She's an absolute sweetie, but has had to endure years of torture (and I mean torture - physical abuse) from the family's kids who I swear to God are evil, and although she's become slightly nuts as a result, she has never, ever so much as growled at the kids, let alone snap at them. The dog has the patience of a saint, and quite frankly I am in awe of her. lol.

Reading things like this (especially about goldens!) makes me SO angry! You can bet your bottom dollar that should the day come and the dog does snap, it'll be "oh, that wicked dog, biting those poor children, get it put down..."

I know there are genuine cases of totally unprovoked attacks, but as mummy to dogs and not kids myself, I always can't help but wonder if it was completely the dogs fault. And as horrible as that may sound I believe that there are evil kids as well as evil dogs - quoted post proves my point!

vl2588

Dogs have no concept of good or evil, so however much we may judge something as 'unprovoked' there is really no such thing.

fleagle21

vl2588 wrote: »

Dogs have no concept of good or evil, so however much we may judge something as 'unprovoked' there is really no such thing.

Dogs do however vary greatly in personality and temperament, just like humans. So maybe evil isn't the right word for me to use, but the point I was making is that children and dogs can behave in equally awful ways.

vl2588

Sorry I didn't mean to make your post sound wrong, just generally voicing thoughts!

fleagle21

vl2588 wrote: »

Sorry I didn't mean to make your post sound wrong, just generally voicing thoughts!

No worries love a good debate! As you can guess, I'm firmly on 'team dog' lol!

ladymarmalade1970

I am on team dog too and feel a bit sorry for anyone reading this that owns a JRT. I have a rottie and a staffy X so know what prejudice feels like. It's not nice.
Too many people get JRT's without realizing what they are taking on and it's such a shame. It's the same with Staffies but it's worse with JRT's i "think" because they are small and look cute.
My JRT much as i loved him was harder work than my Staffy X and my Staffy X is much harder work than my rottie.
I think anyone getting a dog should at least learn about the breed they are getting. There are many dogs i would love, such as Dalmatians, but i wouldn't touch them with a barge pole because i know i would find it difficult to meet their needs.

fleagle21

ladymarmalade1970 wrote: »

I think anyone getting a dog should at least learn about the breed they are getting. There are many dogs i would love, such as Dalmatians, but i wouldn't touch them with a barge pole because i know i would find it difficult to meet their needs.

This is exactly it. A lot of it boils down to irresponsibility, whether referring to dog owners (poor training, leaving dogs to their own devices, choosing the wrong type of dog for their situation) or referring to parents (poor discipline, leaving kids to their own devices, not teaching appropriate behaviour around dogs).

If you choose to have dogs, you are responsible for them. If you choose to have kids, you are responsible for them. If you have both, you are responsible for both and it is down to you to manage the situation and do the best you can in meeting the needs of both. Nothing annoys me more than those who have a dog for years, then as soon as baby arrives the dog is out of the door. When you take on a dog, it's for life. They aren't disposable commodities in my eyes.