My dog bit Reece!!! (ish)

[hearts81]

Sorry not sure what section to put this in

Ever since Reece has been able to move about he has always been dead touchy feely with the dog. Now that he's getting rougher with his strokes (slight hair pulling etc) I've been trying my hardest to keep Reece away from Hartly. But today, when Reece crawled up behind him and gave him a fright, Harts finally snapped. He growled then did a sharp bark then Reece started screaming. I'm not sure what happened then as I was running round the couch to get to them.

Reece was lying on his back and Harts slunk off quickly (i gave him a kick as walked past which I feel sooo guilty about now as I've never done that before). After I'd calmed Reece down these marks appeared on his head which I'm assuming are teeth marks.

The skin isn't broken just badly grazed.

This is the stage where I would get rid of my dog but OH refuses point blank and says its Reece's fault too!!? So since this morning OH has had an estate agent round to value the house and it is going on the market on thurs Happened too quick for me but Carl wants to move ASAP into a bigger house with a garden to give them both their own space.

My head is in a mess today

 

[Urchin]

Sorry but if that dog was mine it would be gone already.

What if next time he needs stitches and is scarred for life?

He was very lucky THIS TIME.

In my opinion your OH needs to put your son first, the dog has to go.

EDIT are you ok? what a lot for you to deal with

 

[hearts81]

Sorry but if that dog was mine it would be gone already.

What if next time he needs stitches and is scarred for life?

He was very lucky THIS TIME.

In my opinion your OH needs to put your son first, the dog has to go.

EDIT are you ok? what a lot for you to deal with

Yeah I'm ok thanks for asking. Still a bit shakey but Reece is fine, a bit fed up with getting loads of cuddles of his mam though I haven't put him down much today.

OH is arguing that as I never saw what happened then Hartly could've just been playing... blah blah blah... It wont happen again if you dont let Reece near him....

I have just taken Carls word for it as I cant be done with an argument as I NEVER EVER win them. I dont have anyone close to me that could back me up either.

 

[beanie]

I love dogs and I don't believe the dog was being nasty or mean but he did react to Reece grabbing at him. It was a natural reaction from the dog but it is clear that he needs to have more space away from Reece. Your OH needs to wake up, its not fair you are having to deal with this as you seem to be the one who is looking after the dog, and Reece. If he wants the dog so much then he should be more responsible. It is all very well saying he wants to get a bigger house but he needs to be realistic. That was a warning baite from your dog, the nexyt bite could possibly be worse and you do not need the added worry of this. Sorry but I think your OH needs to get his priorities straight as at the moment he is being unfair on tyou, Reece and the dog. to you both xxxx

 

[hearts81]

thanks for your reply too Beanie.

You've both mentioned the next time the dog bites. Thats what I wanted to know from people who read this- would he do it again? I'm totally naive when it comes to babies and animals and pretty much everything else really So it is more than likely to happen again if we're not 100% careful?

As for more space, the estate agent said that we'll have probably sold the house in less than 8 weeks as my area is very sought after. Then hopefully we'll be straight into a rented house with a big garden and extra rooms. I know things hardly ever go to plan though

Thanks again girls I'm gonna get off to bed now and no doubt spend all night stressing about it all xxx

 

[Jo]

I would say that is was a warning 'snap' from the dog, Bella once did this with emily cos she messed with here whilst Bella was trying to eat!!! I said if Bella so muched as growled at her in the wrong way she would go, but Em was older so could understand more than Reece will

As Reece is so mobile now you gotta be extra aware, not blaming you as these things happen but i really agree with Beanie and Urchin about your OH as i have said before he needs to take more responsibility for this dog, he won't have any idea how hard it is for you with a very mobile baby and a dog to watch as well.

I'd put him in Doggie nursery see if OH wants to pay for that!!!

and as for him saying you didn't see it, remind him you are human and do not have eyes inthe back of your head

Hope you are feeling ok now and just don't have them in same room together

 

[Urchin]

Thats what I wanted to know from people who read this- would he do it again?

Maybe, maybe not, but is it a risk worth taking?

 

[Amanda]

Aww hun, this is exactly what I am afraid of too. OH had a dog when we met (I've never really been an animal person), so now I've inherited an alsation. He's lovely, but causes nothing but mess, DH never walks him, and he is untrainable too. I am so scared about how he is going to react with a baby in the house,and this would be my worse nightmare.

I have to say though, that Reece should come first, and I personally think your OH is burying his head in the sand. This could easily have been much much worse, and little Reece could have been scarred for life. In my personal opinion, the dog needs to go. A bigger house is not the answer. Oh, and on that front, have you ever tried to rent a house with a dog?? Not easy I'm telling you!

I hope Reece is okay today.

 

[Yvanne]

ha the dog maybe just scratched him? it looks like scratch marks rather than teeth marks hope ur both ok

 

I have to agree with Beanie, Urchin and the others, I would get rid of Hartley just incase. Reece is t0o young to understand now and probably will be for a fair few months yet, so just telling him and the dog to stay away from eachother might not always be easy. A bigger house probably won't solve anything, and besides, that can take months to find one and go through, what will happen in the mean time with Hartley? Sorry babe I don't like to say it as I know you must feel awful about this, but what if there is a next time?

Hope you're alright babe xxx

 

[Vicki83]

This is something i'm worried about as i have 2 dogs at home, a springer spaniel (who i know will be fine with the baby as he loves babies & kids) and a lhaso ahpso. It;s the wee one i'm worried about though as she is so jealous of anything or anyone i give attention to other than her. If i'm petting the big one then she's run from wherever she is and attack him, it is quite funny to see this wee thing about 10 inches high hanging off this big lumps ear but won't be so funny if it's my LO.

If your OH is determined not to get rid of Hortly have you not got a safety gate that you could put up as a kind of barrier between Hortley & Reece, keep them in seperate parts of the house? It;s about the only thing i can think of!

I tihnk it looks more like scratch marks too rather than bite, if it was a bite mark there would probably be little teeth marks where the teeth had grazed him rather than just scratches.

My god i just realised how long this post is, sorry ladies!

 

[Xena]

If it were me in that situation, the dog would have to go.
It's all very well your OH saying that the dog didn't mean it, and it was Reece's fault, but that's totally irrelevant.
Okay, maybe he's right, maybe the dog was only doing what came naturally to it, and maybe Reece DID antagonise him, but NONE of that matters. It comes down to the simple fact that your dog hurt your baby. The safety of your child is absolutely 100% the most important thing. If Reece annoys the dog another time, is it worth taking the risk that the dog might do something worse?
There are so many stories on the news about dogs seriously hurting or killing babies, and the families say "wow we never thought that would happen. The dog has always been a placid family pet".

I'm not saying it's Hartley's fault, but clearly he's not a good pet to have around a baby. If that's the kind of reaction you're getting from him when Reece winds him up, then he would be better off in a baby-free-home.

I hope you're alright and that little Reece is alright too.

Seriously...get rid of the dog!

 

[Hypnorm]

I appologise now as these comment come from a Veterinary nurse who has seen this situation time and time again.

The first thing i would say is never leave a baby/kid with a dog alone - even if it is docile.

I must say that the marks look more like nail scratches from the dog.
Teeth marks would have had deeper canine teeth scratches on the outside.

What breed of dog is Hartley?

Does he have any space of his own? that he can go to to get respite from a crawling kid, As i would REALLY recommend a cage that you could put in the corner of the room or under a table or utility room that you can put the dogs bed in, this way he will know that the cage is for his peace.

Moving house will not solve the problem and to find a rented house with a dog will be very difficult in its self.

Kid need to learn that animals should be treated gently and with respect, its a shame you didn't see what happened - it probable that baby pulled his hair, bit his tail, or something like that and may well be a one off.

I have had dogs brought in to the surgery to be put to sleep because it growled at the owner - and we have to euthanase the animal at the owners request. Believe me its not nice when you have to euthanase something that has been given no chance.
Or we've had them dumped locally.

Try and think about the situation rationally - and monitor their contact together - if you do want to 'get rid' of the dog please make sure you tell the rescue centre/vets that you don't want it to go to anyone with kids.
As how would you feel if it did the same to another.

Hopefully it was a one off and a warning bark/scratch.

A dog is for life.

 

[Rosieroo]

Oh dear I worry about my two yorkies with Ella as she loves watching them and will go to grab them when they're near. Now I've put a stairgate on the front room to stop the dogs from coming in there with her, maybe something like that would help temporarily?

 

[Duds]

oh Hearts... poor you, you must be feeling terrible. I really can sympathise as I am feeling the same, in fact I was thinking the excat same thing today as I have a rescue dog that is very dominant & a bit messed up & although he is loving etc I do not trust him one bit with Aimee. He got all silly earlier and scratched her because he wanted attention - completly different & not as bad as what happened to Reece obiously.
I agree that moving wont help & think that Hypnorm words are very right. No dog can be trusted with a child.
Like us all dogs have a breaking point where they wont take anymore...
I think it was just a warning & it does look nasty but babies do mark very easily. Its really wether you can keep them apart from now on & if not then maybe he will be better off with someone that doesnt have kids as it could happen again & like urchin said might not be a warning...
What is his temperment>? have you had him since a pup?

I really feel for you, let us know what you decide. Hope Reece is ok now
xx

 

[skatty]

I agree with Hyponorm that a cage where the dog can have its own space is a good idea. I can absolutely see why you are worried though. I have a german shepherd and she also loves kids and babies but she likes to have somewhere to hide when she's had enough of being poked and grabbed. Its a hard situation, I don't know what I'll do if this happens to me

 

[*saulino*]

Hi

Hun thats terrible i hope you find a way to fix this problem

I have a labx border collie which are great family dogs and i have no worries with him when Kiara tugs at his ears and hair he looks at her and gives her a big sloppy kiss then she giggles.
Katrina

 

[hearts81]

Hiya gosh thank you all for replying

Hartly is a golden retriever. He's massive so there's no way I could fit a cage big enough for him in our house. The only space he gets is the middle of the stairs where he sleeps. He was a rescue dog so not sure if its being shut in the kennel for weeks or what but he hates being shut into anywhere. I cant even shut the door into the kitchen without him panicking.

It has been so hard keeping them apart and I'm exhausted lol I even have to take Reece to the toilet with me. He loves unravelling the toilet roll and putting it in the bath so I cant reach it

Our house went on the market yesterday and the woman recons we'll have sold it next week so it wont be long til we can move. It IS a lot harder renting with a dog but the agents say that if you offer the landlords an extra £50 a month most will let you have one. I've never sold a house before I feel dead grown up now lol

I know I probably should've got rid of Hartly straight away but its hard when my OH refuses to listen to me about it. Its causing loads of arguements and tearing us apart. Hopefully a new house will bring us back to being close to each other.

Thanks all

 

[emilia]

Glad you're getting sorted out. It might take a wee while with all the stresses of packing up and moving, but stay strong. That extra little space might make all the difference.

Emilia xx

 

[*saulino*]

Hi

I hope things get better for yu hun
Golden Retrievers are friendly dogs as well wierd that he would do that?
Katrina