Mum's dog bit my LO

Mojisola

Solsol wrote: »

I was at my mum's the other day with two year old DS. Mum has two dogs - one of which she usually keeps locked in the spare room when we visit as she can be quite aggressive. Anyway, my mum is currently recovering from illness so the dog wasn't locked away and to cut a long story short, the dog bit my son on the arm without any provocation.

Did the dog bite your son as soon as you went into the house? Wasn't there time for you to shut the dog away in the spare room?

I'd be caught between wanting to help my Mum and keeping my child safe - wanting to do both. Can't your son stay with someone else while you go to help your Mum? Could you make sure the dog was locked away before you bring your son into the house?

It's probably not a good time to have a row with your Mum about this because she's not well but you have to protect your son - and yourself - from attack.

If she won't do anything - dog checked by vet, having some sessions with an animal behaviourist and/or rehoming the dog - then she will be putting her pet above her grandchild's safety and will have to accept that they won't be visiting her any more.

Most rescue centres won't rehome a dog that has a history of biting so, if she can't find someone to take the dog on privately, she may be facing having it put down.

Top_Girl

Sorry, I'd report it straight away.

It has a history of biting her own grandchildren.

If she can't keep it shut away when she's ill, what's to stop it getting out and mauling someone else's poor child or doing so whilst out walking, they might not be as lucky.

Solsol

We had been there for around half an hour before he was bitten and she knew we were on our way so had plenty of time to shut the dog away. Surely it can't be fair on the dog to keep it locked away all day though?
I think the reason she is resisting having it rehomed even just temporarily is that she knows that it will possibly be put down because of it's history.
She only has herself to blame as she took the dog in while both my sister and I were pregnant and she was aware that it "didn't like" young children when she took it in. Honestly who would do that?

Money_maker

Have the dogs ever been walked or are they just kept in the house/garden?

Top_Girl

Solsol wrote: »

We had been there for around half an hour before he was bitten and she knew we were on our way so had plenty of time to shut the dog away. Surely it can't be fair on the dog to keep it locked away all day though?
I think the reason she is resisting having it rehomed even just temporarily is that she knows that it will possibly be put down because of it's history.
She only has herself to blame as she took the dog in while both my sister and I were pregnant and she was aware that it "didn't like" young children when she took it in. Honestly who would do that?

In all fairness, if I knew anyone who had adopted an animal known not to be good with children, I would refuse to take my child there from day one.

Tropez

Difficult situation. Is the dog insured? Some insurers will pay out for behavioural training for dogs (generally because they've also covered liability should the dog bite someone) so if it insured it might be worth looking over the policy and seeing if your mum would at least consent to the dog being handled by a behavioural expert for a while.

Perhaps if you explain it to her that if that dog somehow gets loose (and it isn't beyond the realms of possibility if your mother is currently very limited in her mobility) and bites some kid, it'll be put down and she'll face prosecution. If you approach it this way, perhaps it might look less like you're trying to have her dog killed and more that you're looking out for both of them.

Kim_kim

I'm normally quite hard on dog owners & I'm not a dog lover.
But your mother doesn't have children, I presume the dogs are not running free in public areas?
Why don't you lock the dog away the moment you go there?
I don't think locking the dog away when your children visit is going to make the dog vicious, it doesn't like children anyway!
Your mum has the dog 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I bet the length of time you visit is quite small in relation to that, it's no hardship on anyone to lock it away.

Lioness_Twinkletoes

I love dogs and I adore my two BUT if they bit my grandchild I'd have to rehome the animal. The safety of my human family come first and also I don't have the time or patience to train an aggressive dog.

sulphate

I wouldn't be going over with my LO again until the dog is not in the house.

Even when she's better and you go with your LO and the dog is locked away, eventually someone will make a mistake and the dog will get out again. After all it obviously happens on a regular enough basis if your sister's child has been attacked twice, what's to say it won't happen again to your son?

If the dog has a habit of attacking children unprovoked she has bigger issues than just when children come to the house, what happens when it goes out for a walk, ie is it muzzled and kept on a short lead all the time?

As for whether or not you stop going there altogether when she is ill or leave your son with someone else, your decision but I understand why you don't want to.

How old is the dog?

Mojisola

Solsol wrote: »

We had been there for around half an hour before he was bitten and she knew we were on our way so had plenty of time to shut the dog away.

It doesn't solve the problem but couldn't you have put the dog away and kept your son safe?