In shock - Dog just "nipped" DS

secretif

I agree with meritaten. Also tel the vet what happened, it's highly unlikely he'll suggest pts. It happened once in my family, rightly or wrongly the vet said generally dogs are given the benefit of the doubt one time, but only one time, unless it was an obviously nasty attack then no second chances. It was good advice, we learned from it, were more careful and the dog never did it again.

spacey2012

Check, if not
The child needs to be taken to casualty for a tetanus injection if the dog has drawn blood, it can not wait until tomorrow, it needs to be within a few hours.
Play Smart, take a trip and get the child checked out at casualty.

Worry about the dog once the child is out of danger.

minimoneysaver

OP you sound very unsure of your dog. I intentionally got my dog as a puppy at just 8 weeks old. She has been trained, neutered and worming & flea treatments are always up to date. I love her dearly. The only time she has growled, my daughter tried to pull her bone away from her. Saying that I rarely leave my dog & daughter together, even though she is 7. My daughter and my dog are my responsibility.

GlasweJen

I think it's cruel to get rid of a dog when you don't even know what happened, if a toddler came fleeing across a room and into me I'd react so you can't expect the dog not to - maybe your boys will be a bit less boisterous round the dog now?

coinxoperated

Bit of an over reaction.

My dog is sweet and calm, but if a 3yr old ran in squealing and running towards him he would probably get pretty freaked out too. So would I!

Teach your child NOT to behave so silly around a dog, he's lucky he didn't get a proper bite. One day, if he runs across a park towards a much larger dog, you might find that he would get much worse than a nip.

If anything, it's probably frightened him a bit, which will make him more careful in the future. Use it as an educational tool. Keep an eye on the dog. Don't leave them alone together.

I would also back up the suggestion of a vet trip, just to make sure the dog isn't suffering any underlying pain.

fluffnutter

GlasweJen wrote: »

I think it's cruel to get rid of a dog when you don't even know what happened, if a toddler came fleeing across a room and into me I'd react so you can't expect the dog not to - maybe your boys will be a bit less boisterous round the dog now?

So you'd bite the toddler would you?

fluffnutter

coinxoperated wrote: »

Teach your child NOT to behave so silly around a dog, he's lucky he didn't get a proper bite.

How about teaching the dog NOT to behave so silly around a child?

Typical reactions on this thread so far... I'm not necessarily advocating PTS, but it doesn't surprise me to hear that most people seem to blame the kid and not the dog.

quietheart

I think it would be a bit hasty to get rid of the hound.
My little boy was biten by our guide dog puppy, a dog bred to be placid and calm. I was alarmed at the time but didn't go on to have any further problems and she is now a fabulous guide dog.
We couldn't work out why she did it but it was just a snap.
Hope things work out and your child is ok and not too upset.

Takeaway_Addict

nottslass wrote: »

I don't think DS was actually teasing the dog - he was running about excitedly,I can only assume he ran into the dog and startled him.

I have always taught my children to respect animals and would never tolerate them teasing,but even if that was the case child safety has to come first.

Do i hope that it was a one off and take the risk,I really don't know......................

Because children always listen don't they

System

Here is some info from the nhs about animal bites:

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Bites-human-and-animal/Pages/Introduction.aspx

It is difficult to know what to advise with regard to getting rid of the dog or not. When I was about 4 or 5 I was bitten by my grandmother's west highland terrier. I think I must have been playing and annoying him! He wasn't a vicious dog, but he was a bit snappy on occasions. They didn't get rid of him, and he lived to be 17!