Neighbours dog attacked my son, what to do next

milliemonster

I'll talk to them again tonight to see what they say, but I can't stress enough how they consider this dog their child, that's the reason they won't muzzle it

iammumtoone

I would advise against the agreeing of the use of a muzzle as the neighbours don't seem very prepared to do this. Not because I want to see an animal put to sleep, it is a very sad situation all round.

The thing is you are in a position to do something about this now, which you need to do for the sake of your son and family. At present the police will take notice, you have evidence that the dog has attacked. If you agree to see how things go with a muzzle your neighbours might use if for a few months, then what if they stop? you wont be in a very strong position to do anything about the dog then as it won't have recently attacked. The situation would be different if the neighbours had suggested the muzzle and were fully on board and committed to it.

Also your neigbours are elderly, the dog has attacked, I don't know much about dogs but don't dogs that have attacked need to be 'managed' the right way, are you sure your neigbours will be able to cope with this. You only have their word the dog hasn't been aggressive before of course they would deny this if you hadn't witnessed it as they admit the dog is like their child.

Person_one

milliemonster wrote: »

I'll talk to them again tonight to see what they say, but I can't stress enough how they consider this dog their child, that's the reason they won't muzzle it

It just doesn't make any sense! Good luck reasoning with them.

moneyistooshorttomention

milliemonster wrote: »

Yes the whole situation is extremely sad, I am devastated for my neighbours, and part of me feels guilty for essentially causing them added distress, I feel guilty for not 'allowing' them to keep this dog, and I have no doubt that there will be some tensions between us and our neighbours moving forward as I am sure they will blame us for putting them in this position and causing them this upset.

If they do blame you - then they are being thoroughly unreasonable. A reasonable person would be upset at losing their dog - but understand you have no option but to do this and are only having to because they arent doing it themselves.

Don't feel guilty. You have absolutely no cause to. Just think how guilty you would feel if the dog had a chance for a "second bite" (be it at your son or at someone else). I would be feeling really bad myself if I were letting the dog have a second (third/fourth/fifth) chance to injure someone. You are doing the right thing.

missbiggles1

milliemonster wrote: »

I'll talk to them again tonight to see what they say, but I can't stress enough how they consider this dog their child, that's the reason they won't muzzle it

Better a child with a mask on than a dead child!

milliemonster

Well it seems they aren't prepare to talk to us, just gone round to speak to them but they've put a padlock on the gate so we can't get in. Oh well, I don't think the dog is there now as I haven't seen it.

Fosterdog

I really hope your son will be OK, I really hate hearing stories like this when I do so much with rescue dogs.

What size or breed of dog is it? Nothing to do with blaming a breed in any way more to get an idea of the size and strength of the dog for ongoing management.

You say you have a shared path with your neighbours but do you also have your own enclosed gardens? Is their dog ever off lead in an area it can access your property? From a management point of view while this all gets dealt with as long as the dog is not off lead at all and the owners are strong enough to control it and stop it getting anywhere near another person the short term risk of another bite is very remote, and if measures are put in place the long term risk can also be eliminated.

The police told you they would destroy the dog but it may not be up to them, a judge would decide the final outcome of the owners didn't agree to the dog being destroyed. Sometimes a judge will rule that a dog has to have restrictions placed on them which can include things like never allowed out of the owners grounds without a muzzle, never let off lead in public. Not all judges will automatically rule that a dog that has bitten will be destroyed.

Do you usually see this dog on or off a lead? It is quite common for dogs to show aggression when on a lead but be perfectly fine off lead (not suggestion you experiment with this one though under the circumstances)

Has the dog seen a vet for a fully exam and run blood tests, if he is an older dog as you say there are a number of conditions that can develop and cause behaviour changes but once diagnosed and treated no longer pose a threat. It could be a thyroid problem, the dogs eyesight or hearing could be failing and he possibly couldn't see or hear properly and suddenly got spooked by something, he could be getting stiff and sore joints especially if he had just been for a walk and may have been in a lot of pain while sat there.

I hope I don't come across as making excuses, I'm really not trying to and it's not at all acceptable what has happened and something needs to be done to prevent it from happening again but it doesn't have to end with the dog being destroyed or the owners losing their pet if it is a simple issue to fix and to prevent in the future. If they do refuse to even consider measures such as a muzzle then the dog may well be better off with someone else who would take it more seriously and take action to prevent it happening again.

marlot

milliemonster wrote: »

Well it seems they aren't prepare to talk to us, just gone round to speak to them but they've put a padlock on the gate so we can't get in. Oh well, I don't think the dog is there now as I haven't seen it.

They might just be starting to take sensible precautions?

Perhaps locking it to make sure that nobody can leave the gate open and the dog escape?

marlot

milliemonster wrote: »

..neighbour said he was going to get the dog destroyed, however son was upset about that, I don't particularly feel comfortable with it myself ...

I hope your son had a better night last night.

I think without meaning to, you've probably sent some mixed messages (above) in your early dealings. Fully understandable in the initial shock.

If your son had done something to provoke the dog, then I'd be (at least partially) fighting the dog's corner. But an attack without provocation or warning is deeply concerning and my instinct would be to put the dog down.

I've (successfully) rescued aggressive dogs before - but I'd pass on this one - mostly because it didn't warn of the attack. Four previous rehomings means that the dog may have history. It's certainly had a mixed life. But I would expect it to be settling down after 8 months.

I hate it when owners treat a dog as a child, and I'm sure that doesn't help. A dog needs to know its place. My current (previous aggressive) dog will let an 18-month old take the dog's favorite toy out of her mouth without complaint - she knows that as soon as even a child touches it, she must let go. (She'll move her head out of the child's way, and make it hard for the child to get to the toy, but I consider that OK!)

Edited to add: I'm not surprised that DT are little help. In my experience, the rescues are very well intentioned, but are very little help to someone who is facing issues getting the dog settled.

One final thought. Are the couple next door the legal owners of the dog, or are DT? I know that with my current dog, I'm not the legal owner - the charity have the right to repossess her if they feel the need.

Person_one

marlot wrote: »

My current (previous aggressive) dog will let an 18-month old take the dog's favorite toy out of her mouth without complaint - she knows that as soon as even a child touches it, she must let go.

That's all well and good, but I hope you are also training the 18 month old that they mustn't try to take things a dog is holding in its mouth.