merrygirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12041
posted
Well I will first say I am a vet tech so I am very knowledgeable about animals and animal behavior.
I have a dog named max who is 10 years old now. He has arthritis and hip displasia.
He never likes his hind end touched. Like if I were to sit near him on the couch he kinda gives a complaint like a grumble. It is like he worries it is going to hurt. He has always been that way. He has never bitten anyone.
Well today my neighbors kid came over she is 7 and quite a handful. My daughter tells me how she has a baby guinea pig and makes him jump off of shelves etc...
My dog max was on his couch. I just said (like I always do) don't annoy/tease the animals. I turned around to get something and I hear one of out halloween decorations a skull on a platter that sings real loud and moves around. I turn around and the neighbor girl is practically laying on my dog and has the halloween toy in his face.
I yelled get away from max as I could tell he was ****ed. Before I could get over to them, max went to her face like he was going to bite her. I thought he did bite her. He didn't.
I was so mad. I am also so sad. I believe dogs that bite need to be placed in a different home or even euthanized. I grew up with pitbulls and I have never had a pitbull do things like this.
I have 2 kids and he never did anything to them.
I feel like this kid was teasing him by putting this obnoxiuos yelling skull in her face and jumping on his bad legs.
Am I just making excuses for my old dog? Hell I would have bit her too. I have told her not to bother the animals.
Another example is that I have a bulldog who has a kennel. When this kid came over she stand near the cage and just stare at them which dogs don't like. My bulldog growls at her too now. My bulldog is the goofiest dog ever. I think they know she is trouble.
I just don't need this BS right now. I feel like crap. I don't want to put my buddy to sleep because of a bratty kid. I have had this dog since I rescued him from being put to sleep as a puppy because he was hit by a car.
I will give him more pain medicine as maybe he is still sore....
any thoughts??????
Melissa Posts: 3905 | From USA | Registered: May 2007
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Itsy_bitsyone
Unregistered
posted
He DIDN'T bite her. We warned her. Had he wanted to bite her, he could have taken her face off. This is natural for an old dog, tired of the girl's crap. All he did was what comes natural to a dog in communication...he gave a warning. My reply would have been "SEE? NOW QUIT IT!!"
All is not lost. Had he been interested in biting her, he would have.
I'm nicer than you. I would have bit the kid myself.
OK, maybe not. But I would have come close.
My child KNOWS, like your's do. Once a neighbor's kid teased my dog...I told him that if it EVER happened again, he would never come to the house again, not would he touch the dog again. I added a little "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" to the end.
He nodded and we had an agreement.
My old dog...springer/cocker mix, wouldn't hurt a fly. HOWEVER, he used to warn the cat all the time about stuff...never took it further than that. He'd even put his mouth on the cat and slober on him to make his point and show his disgust...but NEVER bit him.
You doing rimadyl for him (or however that is spelled?)
Sorry this happened, but I don't think its the dog's fault. I am mean when it comes to protecting my animals.
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merrygirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12041
posted
Thanks for your reply. I feel just like you do. He does get rimadyl but not constantly because he has elevated liver enzymes etc. I may have to use Tramadol now. He could have bit her face off but didn't.
I think this girl also throws off bad vibes to the animals as I think she is very mean to them and they know.
She just can't come here anymore. Melissa
Posts: 3905 | From USA | Registered: May 2007
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LabRat
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Member # 78
posted
Your dog, your house, your rules!
Posts: 1887 | From Corpus Christi, Texas | Registered: Oct 2000
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Itsy_bitsyone
Unregistered
posted
Melissa,
Dogs know. I've met ones that didn't like kids at all, others will pick and choose the ones they like from the one's they don't.
Now, we had to have a blue heeler mix euthanized for trying to take off the back of my stepfather's leg...but he never went after my daughter. However, after the incident, it was only a matter of time. So, you DO have to protect the humans. That being said, sometimes, in reality, it IS the kid's fault. Not all the time, but sometimes. Only once did my dog ever growl at my kid...and that was because she was one and a half and fell on him when she tripped...but it was because he was startled...and he jumped up and moved away. Any other growling has been while playing...you know...the happy: gimme the ball! gimme the ball! growl.
We have him and a young, 1 1/2 year old jack russel/mutt mix. She is a little taller and slimmer than a JR, she seems to be mixed with some sort of hound. Actually, she looks a little like a miniture greyhound. Good little dog with GREAT temperment. Mom was a JR...dad was an amish farm dog....the dad was a mix himself with no particluar breed showing. Very smart. You can do ANYTHING to her and she just eats it up. She WORSHIPS kids, especially my daughter, and its great.
My dog has never been a kissy dog. I get little bitty licks and nuzzles, but he doesn't do submissive licking. He also doesn't posture for dominance except...he will hump kids he doesn't know if he gets overly excited (he has been fixed since I got him 10 years ago, but he was already an adult) (kind of embarassing) , and with dogs bigger than him he will get agressive, though with little dogs he is disinterested. He's OK with cats...though if they touch his stuff he will warn them to step off.
He's not real smart, not real dumb. He went after our old rottie we had once (he died of cancer), which just goes to show his, um, sometimes lack of judgement. But he loves me completely and is a great buddy. I am very protective of him. He's old now...somewhere between 13 and 15...not in pain that I can tell but his colitis is getting worse as he ages, he has some lumps and bumps, slowly going blind...face partially paralyzed from an old accident he had years ago...but he is always happy to see me. And that's always worth it, isn't it?
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posted
Sorry you're having this trouble. If it were me I'd keep the girl off my place, sounds like she's no good for dogs or your children either--especially a child who can't listen to directions.
merrygirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12041
posted
There is something about this kid my animals don't like.My bulldog growls at her. She never has done that before or again. I think they know she is an animal "abuser". My daughter just told me that she was throwing her guinea pig on the ground for fun....
I want to make it clear that if my dog really injured someone the dog would be euthanized. Say he bit her in the face and eye, I would have had to do it... I would be so heart broken...
poor maxy- He is a lumpy bumpy grumpy old man.
This girl will not be allowed in our house again.
Actually the girls mom was really mad at her kid saying why would you do that to a strange dog? How many times have I told you about doing that to animals?
I did tell her mom about the guinea pig abuse before, and I warned the girl that the animal police will come if she hurts the pig.
Posts: 3905 | From USA | Registered: May 2007
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Cobweb
Unregistered
posted
"This girl will not be allowed in our house again."
Good- stick to it, and don't believe her if she says she is going to be "good" next time and not bother the animals.
It's too bad if she has problems-but don't let them become your problems,too.
The mother seems to recognize that she has problems-so let them work it out, and make sure she knows what her limits are-and your house is "off limits"!
Just Julie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1119
posted
Good to see twice that you responded by saying the little girl would not be allowed back in the house. Very proactive. I am one that believes that once you know the consequences, and you do it again, you deserve what you get. This is pretty much for EVERYTHING. Because, what's the use of lessons learned without abiding by the consequences?
That said, I've got a 15 yr old son who's teen crap might very well be the undoing of my creed for living. I have never been put thru the trials that I am now living with, with his behavior. It is unnerving, yet he was like this when he was 2, and you know the old saying, you get back in the teen years what you got during the "terrible two" years. Very true.
Anyway, I'm an animal lover, dog lover, having had german shepherds for 15 yrs total. My oldest son, when he was about 2 (not the terrible 2 son) once had one of those cow bones that you used to be able to get? The real ones? this was in the 90's, don't know if you can get them anymore, anyway, I was in the shower, I heard a "ripeee!!!" from my youngest dog, Abby, and came out of the shower to find my son holding this cow bone up high, over his head, my Abby dog, lying on the floor in front of him, and he had a gauge out of his forehead, no broken skin, more like a scrape.
I had to think this through very carefully-it appeared that my son bopped my dog on the nose with this bone from all that I could see, and my dog could have RIPPED HIS FACE OFF, yet she chose to "warn" him.
I couuld not have lived with myself if I had chosen to ignore this lesson. I chose instead to let this be "MY LESSON" I am the adult, and what could I take from this? I knew that I would not get rid of my dog(s) over something like this, but I knew I had to act.
I chose to never let my son be alone in the room (at least at that age) with either one of my german shepherds again. If he hurt them, and they reacted to warn him, and he moved wrong, it could have a bad outcome.
You live and you learn, and to me, what I took from your description, is that this girl should never NEVER be let alone with either of your dogs again. . . so simple, yet I 'll bet you come up against a challenge with this issue some time in the near future. It just has to be something you know in your mind to be the way it has to be, and it sounds like you have already done this.
I would never EVER consider euthanasia for this type scenario. I know, human's human's, etc. Just a dog, well, I'm sorry, but those of us that take on the responsibility of owning a dog, and caring for it, and seeing that dog into old age has to come up against the issue of something like this happening, anytime, any reason, but you must, YOU MUST consider that you got a warning, and use this to your advantage to change the future.
Not saying a bite couldn't happen, but if you do everything in your power to prevent another chance from happening, then you can live with peace of mind.
I just wouldn't slack off on the decision to not let this girl back into or onto, your property. Go to the park, meet at a play place, but while your dogs are still alive, not at your house. Cut and dried, plain and simple. Don't waffle!
-------------------- Julie Posts: 1027 | From Northern CA | Registered: May 2001
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I agree with everyone else, the dog knows she is bad news.
I watch my boss's dog when she goes on trips and this is the sweetest dog you could ever meet. She gets along with our 3 cats and 3 kids great.
One day one of my son's friends came over. We have had issues with **thinking** this kid has stolen money other small items from us, but we can't prove anything.
Well when he came in and the dog came down the hall she went off on him. Barking and growling and backed him into a coner, i mean i have never heard this dog do this and she just wouldn't leave him.
He left and as my husband, boss and sister who has 5 dogs all said, she knew he was bad news, dogs know.
This girl sounds like she has an issue with not knowing how to treat animals.
Just Julie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1119
posted
Forgot to add, that any age, any dog, if provoked by pain (like your dog was) can give a warning, say a bite, a scrape of the skin with teeth, etc.
Your dog chose not to take this girl's face off, but it really could have been something that might have happened---maybe depending on the degree of pain, and how long the girl was tormenting your dog?
See what I'm saying? If a dog is hurt, and the reaction to the pain is to hurt back, by a warning bite, or worse, how can we not accept that this is the reality of a situation, and not do what we can to make sure this situation doesn't come up again.
You know your dog is in pain, is old, and will react to being put in further pain by someone (that little girl) provoking a response.
I am NOT saying that the little girl had it coming, she's only a child, but that's where the mother has to step in also and while I get that she scolded her girl, she should also be one to protect her daughter and see that since this girl is like the way she is, to keep that girl from the situation also. Not entirely up to you, Melissa, the mom has to think this thru too. I for one, if knowing that my son had a predispostion to "provoking" pain in animals at other people's houses, would not let my son go back to that situation.
It's just that simple. I also know that if any of my son's friends have pitbulls at the house (and yes, we do have this situation currently at one of their friends houses) they do not get to go over to that friends house. It's is not worth the pain that might come from a situation that gets out of control. I knwo you said you grew up with pits, but I have seen and heard enough in this area I live in to permanently gray my hair and cause me to go running screaming into the night.
I'm not the only mom who's got this mindset about the pit situation at a friends house, but even if I was, I'd go on record as the "weird mom" about this, because my kids lives are just too precious to mess around with something like this. And also, this pit at their friends has been known to bite people, and has attacked other dogs in the past. The fenced yard he's in is not high enough to prevent jumping, and the parents work all day. The dog is just there temporarily while the oldest son (who owns the pit) finds a place to live where they will allow pits, but my sons will still not be allowed to go up there until the dog is gone. Sad, but that's life. Just another sad tale about dogs and kids, I suppose.
-------------------- Julie Posts: 1027 | From Northern CA | Registered: May 2001
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quote:Originally posted by merrygirl: She just can't come here anymore.
You got it, sister!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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sometimesdilly
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Member # 9982
posted
Merry- that child sounds hugely troubled and perhaps a menace to anyone/anything she perceives as powerless, not just animals.
ok children don't torment/torture animals, period.
i'd stay away from the mother too. i've had friends who unjustifiably lost their dogs and others who came close to that here in Baltimore, based on accusations of bites that never happened.
Owners here are forced to euthanize or to surrender their dogs after x number of "offenses."
dilly
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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merrygirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12041
posted
Thanks for everyones very good responses. I had a family meeting and told everyone it is our duty to protect Max from a situation like this and protect people from him so we don't end up in a bad situation.
I went to this girls house to pick up my daughter (this was months ago) and i was tying her shoes and one of there little yippee dogs came over and bit my hand! I guess these daogs bite this kid all the time.
The hard thing is that she lives one house away and there is practically no escape. We live on a dead end street etc. I we are outside she runs over etc. She was even opening my gate where my dogs go when they go out! I know max would bite someone if they did that if he didn't know them- hence the beware of dog sign. So I had to lock it from the inside.
I really don't want my kid hanging around her anymore. She is trouble, Even before this. I am going to have to cut ties with these people. My daughter can hardly stand her anyway.
I wish I could rescue the Pig! She is going to kill it.
You are all right when you say it is my responsibility to keep this from happening. Believe me I will.
Melissa
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sizzled
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posted
If the kid comes over again, put HER in a pen.
Seriously. Posts: 4258 | From over there | Registered: Jul 2001
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Geneal
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Member # 10375
posted
I am so sorry I missed this thread.
As the mother of two small children and seven dogs I also share your concern.
I have seen my own two children aggravate the dogs until the dogs are nuts.
I keep a very close eye on them all of the time.
Some dogs were before children, and some came after.
One firm rule in my house is that if the dog bites my child they have to go.
However, those are my dogs and my children.
I do not trust the dogs implicitly as I know they are animals who can and do react as oppose to rationalize.
Even saying this, I 100% agree with you.
I would not have my dog removed if someone provoked him/her to responding the only way that dogs can.
He warned her. So did you. She obviously doesn't understand either of you.
I guess the only other option I would consider besides restricting the girls visit is to muzzle
Him or put him in a bedroom if it is necessary she visit.
Don't feel guilty and don't stop loving your dog.
He's an even better boy for not biting.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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Carol in PA
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posted
Someone abused that girl at some point.
Someone hurt her, and now she is hurting animals.
Carol
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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(kind of embarassing) , and with dogs bigger than him he will get agressive, though with little dogs he is disinterested. He's OK with cats...though if they touch his stuff he will warn them to step off. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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