Mum's dog bit my LO

pipkin71

peachyprice wrote: »

Why the hell didn't she just do that in the first place, as she knew the dog didn't like children?

If she'd taken responsibility herself the entire episode need never have happened, to leave a dog that has been proven to not like children running around for half an hour is plain irresponsible.

But it's easier to blame the sick mother than blame herself.

We have two dogs and one can bite. As much as I love her, I have to take responsibility when visitors come to my home - either she is muzzled or not kept in the same room.

Friends with little ones who visit are also asked to be on their guard so it is a joint effort of keeping everyone safe. I agree the mother should also accept responsibility, knowing that the dog had a history, along with the grandmother.

pipkin71

Solsol wrote: »

I agree but I wasn't aware that it didn't like children until after it had bitten my son. I also didn't know about the times it had bitten my niece either as I assume the family had chosen not to tell me in case I decided to keep my son away from my mum's house.

You knew the dog was aggressive though, prior to the day it bit your son so, I'm sorry to say, you also neglected your son's welfare by leaving the dog loose for half hour.

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.

You both need to accept responsibility and in future, either not go there with your son, ensure the dog is muzzled or locked away or you can report the incident. It doesn't mean the dog will automatically be put to sleep, although that is a possibility.

The most important thing is keeping your child safe, something you both should have done the day he was bitten.

pipkin71

Solsol wrote: »

Even if it was locked away I would now feel uncomfortable just being there. After my son was bitten the other day, the dog was then locked away and it kept scratching at the door and banging into it trying to escape and it just left me on edge the entire time and I couldn't wait to leave

Solsol wrote: »

I would possibly consider that if she gets approriate restraints put in place. When I say she locks the dog away, it is actually a piece of card wedged into the door because the door doesn't actually close properly.

I just don't feel comfortable there and it was distressing my son hearing the dog trying to escape from the room.

I just don't want him there at all now if I'm honest

How was the dog banging into, and scratching, the door, if the door doesn't shut?

pipkin71

Rev wrote: »

No. I saw that too. She did say though that she wasn't aware of these attacks before the dog bit her LO. And sadly you can't protect against a threat when you don't know there is one. It wasn't until after the dog bit the child that OP's family told her it had happens before. Not knowing the dog was aggressive with kids meant she had no reason to think to get the dog in the other room and away from her child.


Whilst I don't think her mum is remiss getting a dog, grand kids or not. I do think she's very out of order not telling the OP that the dog was aggressive and had shown aggression to children before. There's absolutely no excuse for not telling her.

The OP's story changes after post 1 however, although she stated later she didn't know the dog was aggressive, didn't know it had bitten the niece, she said she was aware it was locked away because it was not good around children.

As a mother, even knowing a dog was not good around children (did OP ever wonder what that meant?) I wouldn't be happy leaving both dog and child in the same room together and would have locked the dog away if the owner could not as the child must come first..

GlamGirlie

The dog should be put down. Immediately.

tesuhoha

Here's a grandmother who put the dog first. No doubt she regrets it now.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2780528/BREAKING-NEWS-Six-month-old-baby-girl-dies-dog-attack.html

krlyr

tesuhoha wrote: »

Here's a grandmother who put the dog first. No doubt she regrets it now.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2780528/BREAKING-NEWS-Six-month-old-baby-girl-dies-dog-attack.html

A brief snippet on circumstances we don't know the full picture of. They may not have been the grandmothers dog, it sounds like there may have been issues with the dogs fighting each other, we don't know that the bites were directly at the baby or whether the baby got between the two dogs fighting, lots of blanks in the story making it impossible to compare this to OP's situation.

Any dog that is mixed with a young child has the potential to bite, they own a set of teeth and their own mind to make that decision. It doesn't mean it'll necessarily happen or not - bites to people can have a whole multitude of circumstances behind them, we need to be aware and take precautions, whether the dog has a history or not.

tesuhoha

krlyr wrote: »

A brief snippet on circumstances we don't know the full picture of. They may not have been the grandmothers dog, it sounds like there may have been issues with the dogs fighting each other, we don't know that the bites were directly at the baby or whether the baby got between the two dogs fighting, lots of blanks in the story making it impossible to compare this to OP's situation.

Any dog that is mixed with a young child has the potential to bite, they own a set of teeth and their own mind to make that decision. It doesn't mean it'll necessarily happen or not - bites to people can have a whole multitude of circumstances behind them, we need to be aware and take precautions, whether the dog has a history or not.

But the grandmother did not remove the child from the situation of being in close proximity to two bull terrier type dogs. The child should not have been there. Why take the smallest risk? If she is the one who was responsible for the care of the child then she is at fault. The neighbours had complained to the council about these dogs because they were always barking and fighting. The warning signs were there. Its irrelevant whether it was deliberate or not, the child is still dead and the dog is too.

In her mind maybe she had the same kind of thoughts as the grandmother in this thread. Perhaps they were locked up and she thought that the child was safe. But dogs get out and these tragedies continue to happen.. The trouble is people think 'its never going to happen to me.' like the dog owner on this thread.

The woman in the story will never get over this yet I bet if someone had told her to get rid of the dogs a week ago she would have told them where to go.

summerspring

pipkin71 wrote: »

How was the dog banging into, and scratching, the door, if the door doesn't shut?

It might have opened inwards I suppose?

Pollycat

A really tragic story.

krlyr wrote: »

A brief snippet on circumstances we don't know the full picture of. They may not have been the grandmothers dog, it sounds like there may have been issues with the dogs fighting each other, we don't know that the bites were directly at the baby or whether the baby got between the two dogs fighting, lots of blanks in the story making it impossible to compare this to OP's situation.

I agree that the full circumstances are not known but I can't see how a 6 month old baby could have 'got between the two dogs fighting'.

Although it seems that there were 2 dogs in the house, the article only referred to one dog and only one dog was put down.

Strange (or maybe not ) that some residents say there had been complaints about the dogs but councillors say they hadn't received any complaints:

A couple that live on the same street say neighbours had reported the dogs to Daventry District Council on multiple occasions but nothing had been done.

The residents, who did not want to be named, said the dogs were walked with muzzles.
They added: 'The neighbours whose homes back on to the side of the house have been complaining to the district council and dog wardens since May.

They have complained multiple times but nothing has been done. They were even recording sound levels.

One of the ladies who complained said she was worried her two young children would be killed if they escaped.

But at the end of the day if something had been done and the complaints were listened to then that little girl might still be alive.

But councillors who represent the ward which covers Morning Star Road said they were unaware of any complaints about the dogs in the past.

Tory Councillor Chris Long, who has served in the area for over eight years, said: 'Nothing has been brought to my attention in eight-and-a-half years with respect to problems with dogs in that location or anywhere else in Daventry.
'If it had been I can assure you we would have done something about it very quickly.

Cllr Long went on to say that any complaints by residents could have been directed to officers at Daventry District Council rather than towards the councillors.
Nigel Carr, UKIP Councillor for Abbey North, added: 'I have heard about the attack but it wasn't brought to my attention about the dogs in the past.

Surely if complaints had been made to the wrong place, those complaints would have (should have) been passed on to the relevant department?
Or the people making those complaints would have been told to get in touch with the right people?

If these dogs were really as bad as the people quoted in the article, something would have been done about it and this baby just might still be alive.

Finally, I hate those bloody 'file' pictures that papers use of aggressive dogs.