My dog just bit someone!

[WalkingWolf]

Horse I don't want to speak for the OP, but I agree that some steps may need to be taken to secure the gate. I would suggest a double gate. But the dog clearly is a loving animal to the family that is loved and reacted properly, the OP is the one who made the mistake with the postman, not the dog. Training is always good even if the dog has never nipped.

But what I take from the OP is that this is a loving obediant animal in her presence and in the childrens presence. And I have to wonder what the neighbors intentions in a rural setting was especially since there may have been issues. All dogs may bite no matter how much training, both instances the dog was reacting to a percieved threat. I see no reason for the OP to rehome or put down the animal.

I think she has aready stated she intends to wire the fence, if it was me I would invest in a perimiter wireless fence system and make the boundary smaller than the actual yard, but still that requires training.

As for myself I refuse never to live my life in fear of someone suing me. The amount of things that you could be sued for is immense. But I trust the common sense of most americans to do the right thing. And in the majority of court cases they do. She should also consult an attorney it would be well worth the money, for a opinion in her locality.

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
I never said that the dog should be put to sleep. I said a court may order it. I'm glad the OP is taking steps to keep the dog and visitors away from the gate. No, we shouldn't live in fear of being sued, but we should limit our liability by taking steps to ensure our dogs don't bite. I'm glad the OP is a responsible person and is rectifying the situation.

 

[TriciaHowe]

Quote:
Wow. Never once did I EVER say that I didn't feel bad for the people that were bit. I don't want my dog(s) to bite anyone. I am taking steps to keep this from happening again. I have contacted the power company, I removed the bin from the side of the fence for packages, I already had "beware of dog" signs up which I will upgrade to a more forcefull sign like DO NOT ENTER or something to that effect. I am also putting up a hotwire on the fence to prevent him from jumping again. My gate is a good 15' off the road.
I really had no reason to think he would jump up and bite the mailman putting a box in the bin or the bin would not have been there. I would have put it on the other side where access from the dogs is easily blocked.
I also offered to pay for any medical expenses should there be any.
We are not sue happy people - as in the case with my neighbor. Like I had said before her stallion killed my pony and nearly killed my other horse. They did pay for all the vet bills and bought my daughter a new pony. Not that it would replace the one that she had but at least they tried. They also had the stallion gelded - I didn't ask them to do it, they did it on their own. I also had a couple of run ins with their chow mix being on the road and their Jack Russel comes under our fence and plays with our dogs all the time. I don't mind that, she's cute and sweet.
If the mailman had reported it then I would have dealt with it. There is nothing I could do about it after the fact. I can only hope to avoid any future problems at the gate which is where it all seems to be happening.
I'm sorry that people think they weren't socialized enough. I can't take 4 kids and 2 80# dogs with me everywhere I go in my van. It's just not practical. I have introduced them to anybody who comes here and they have never had a problem with anyone before.
I live in the sticks, I have a completely fenced property, I have signs up, my dogs don't leave my yard and my gate is ALWAYS closed. I feel like I have done everything right here. They are never chained up, are crate and leash trained as well as completely house broken. They stay inside at night when it's cold out. They prefer to be outside. They are spayed/neutered, udt with all vaccinations and heartworm preventative every month. I do consider myself to be a responsible dog owner.
These were the 1st puppies that we have had since our current old dog was a puppy and she is 14 now. I researched for about a year and made sure that we were ready for puppies when we adopted these. I didn't go to the grocery store and just snag some random puppies out of a box on a whim. I knew which breeds I was interested in and which ones I wanted to avoid. I did specifically pick pups as apposed to older dogs so they would be protective of the chickens - which they are - I haven't had a raccoon or possum in the coop in about 1.5 yrs. But they would never dream of touching one of the cats. They also play every day with the next door neighbors little tiny chihuahua that comes over. She is the same size as Sonny's head! He loves her to death and he plays so gentle with her. Yes, we have 2 dogs that come over regularly - used to be 3 but I had to put a stop to the pug because he was a PITA.
They have been a part of this family since day 1 that they got here. They weren't just thrown in the back yard or forgotten about. They are with us every day. They know all their basic commands and follow them.

 

[gabrielle1976]

Sorry if you took that personally I said IF ,,,, I didnt say you felt bad or did not feel bad , I jsut knwo some people make exscuses and are so concernd about there animals welfare they dotn reall feel bad about whoever was bitten , It wasnt a damning satement it simply was a well if you dont see it well this way look at it this way..
I have little tolerance for dogs that bite and if one bites my son in my home you better bealve it woudnt bite again. But I also have feelings for animals and know that sometimes the situation is caused by the person bitten , more often then not though thats not the case its simply an exscuse.

I wish you well , and hope everything goes well for the best intrest of all involved bitten and biter alike.

On a side note I would never trust a dog that had bitten mulitple people around my children even if it was my own dog , my childs life is more important to me then a dogs and not worth the risk that at some point that agression will be dierected at my child instead of a stranger.

 

[Oblio13]

If nothing else, all this is making me feel good about our "pupperoni". He was only about 4 months old in these pics, but I could already tell him "down" and feed even chicks between his feet. He's going to be an exceptional dog.

 

[TriciaHowe]

Quote:
Awwww! Look how cute he is! I love his name too

Love your hen and chicks too.

 

[SarahBeth9394]

cute dog, what breed?

 

[The Chicken Lady]

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[Oblio13]

Quote:
His name's "Ajax". He spends hours watching the chickens.

Quote:
Great Dane.


We like big dogs. But when a dog outweighs most people, manners are critical. We spend a great deal of time on training and socialization. They don't barge through doors, pull on leashes or ever put their paws or teeth on people. When we meet another dog or person, they are "downed" while we make the initial contact, and they stay that way until they're told it's okay. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it.

Dogs are large carnivores. They have certain characteristics. And then different breeds have different general traits. Finally, individual dogs have personalities. But temperament is inherited, so you can make a good guess about how a pup will turn out from knowing the parents. After all that, a dog is what you make it. If a pet dog bites anyone, ever, without a fantastically good reason, someone made it something it shouldn't be, and there's a lawsuit and/or tragedy looking for a place to happen. A lot of work is required to retrain such dogs and also their owners. Sometimes it's not possible or not worth it.


.

 

[WriterofWords]

You have a good dog, you are a good person. There will always be those who insist if a dog looks at you cross-eyed you should kill it, don't. There are those who insist that a dog who bites strangers trespassing on your property it will eventually maul your children, doubtful. You are handling it, taking care of all involved, don't sweat it, you'll be fine. I'm sorry some feel they have to attack over anything and everything, and more than likely they aren't realizing what they are doing to you in an already stressful situation. I'm sure they would apologize to you if they did come to their senses and realize they are outside of the situation and really have no idea as to what is going on other than what you've posted. I've learned it's not in my best interest to post a "rant", you will be crucified by some, but loved by others.

Go have a cup of tea and enjoy your wonderful guard dog!