My dogs killed 2 chicks today...

[MeatKing]

Just wanted to say, that even though your dog bit your child he may still be of sound mind.. One of my friends dogs bit her daughter, they brought it the the vet... The vet, would not put the animal down, he said the dog was sound and questions what the little girl was doing to him. He recommended the dog, get a new home, with no children.. Its been over 5 years, dog is doing great, never bit again, but has never been left alone with children, to have the chance..
I would never keep a dog, that bit my kids.. It is only a matter of time, before he does it again.. what if he bite your boy, just the right way, so he lost an eye.. sounds far fetched, but it could happen.. Depending on the circumstance he may be put down..
As for the chickens, I was kind've hoping that my dog will eventually get used to them...Its been 4 weeks and he's only gotten more excited by them.. I would never leave them alone yet.. Although depending on dogs mood, I won't leave hime alone with the kids ( 1 year old german shepered) He's not aggrisive towards them in anyway.. Baby can go play in his food dish while he's trying to eat and he will walk away... But if I give him a bone it's outside (just in case) And when he's full of it, I take him away from the kids ie: running around the house like a mad man.. At this point a very long walk, in the bush is in order... or fetch for a long time.. He's got so much engery, he will run, or jump over the kids, without second thought..

Anyways hugs to you, what a hard spot to be in.. Sending some postive engery your way. All the best

 

[BorderKelpie]

That comment about your Shih tzu being a gentle pile of fur tickled me, juliawitt. I thought the same thing about what I thought was a harmless pile of fur, until he killed a few birds. OUt of all my dogs, he is the most aggressive toward the chickens. He's good now, but I will always keep an eye on him now.
hijack question for you: How did you deal with the smelly face issue that Shih tzu suffer with? My poor little SicPuppy has the stinkiest face ever. Yech!!!

 

[chicksrcool]

Thank you for all the posts/responses...I read each and every one of them. This is the first time I've felt good enough to come back here. I never realized how much I would fall in love with the chicks, and how I feel like I lost 4 best friends (dogs & deceased chicks) within moments.
You all are completely correct about the Schnauzer...I should have not tolerated her biting my son. He was only trying to carry her out to the backyard for a bathroom break. She was being stubborn and resistant because she has developed a dislike for the boys as she's aged. They have not been mean or condescending towards her; and they've all grown up together. I think it is just her personality. My husband and I have decided to rehome her to my mother in law's. I do not want to take a chance if she did bite them in a place that would be life threatening (like their jugular vein or something!) I've had visions, believe me. I know it would be just as easy to just expire her, but my mother in law could use the company and she does not have young children around. I don't know when this dog developed an aversion to my kids but it has reared its ugly head on several occasions, this time being the worst.
Regarding the involvement of the other dog in the chicken killing: I think the Shih Tzu was a willing accomplice. One of them fueled the fire and they went into some type of crazy frenzy! Thank God we saved the remaining 3.

This is my son's puncture bite. It faciliated a trip to the Dr. for antibiotics and monitoring. He has a scar on the bottom cheek puncture--there is a round ball scar there now that will hopefully fade.

And yes my Shih Tzu has the horrible odor also! Even more reasons to only keep pet chickens from here on out...

Thank you for listening, and for the advice, condolences, and some reprimands. I really needed to talk to my chicken friends and this is the first place I ran when tragedy struck.
Thank you again and hopefully I can be here for any of you if the need should arise.

-Healing in CA-

 

[BarnyardPunch]

My response won't be the most popular one here, but I really can't not post.

First, I'm sorry you lost your chickens. I am lucky in a sense that I know my dogs would eat mine if only they had the chance. There's no question.

People don't understand that dogs are dogs. You see that on this forum daily. Unless you're a highly skilled dog person with a trainable dog, they will always, and I mean ALWAYS behave as dogs. Sure there are people on here who will tell you about their perfect pooch who would never harm a feather on their chicken, but those dogs are few and far in between.

On the other topic. Bites to the face are serious, but automatic death sentence? The dog is living in a household where it's not being understood or trained as a dog. I'm not picking on the poster--It's a VERY common situation and I see animals turned into the shelter I work at every day because they weren't socialized, trained or understood as the dogs they are. They act out and get dumped.

Thank you for rehoming your dog. Please make sure both the dog and your mother-in-law get the training they need to ensure the dog both knows its place and is well understood. Some dogs shouldn't be with kids ever, it's true. But more often than not it's a communication breakdown between owner and companion that gets them in those situations in the first place. A dog doesn't just get crabby one day and decide to bite someone in the face. Having said all that, if the dog's behavior persists, she should be put down. But with training, I suspect it won't.

My only other piece of advice (that I know no one asked for!) is that if you get a new dog in the future, sign up for basic obedience training with a professional, through your shelter or through 4-H or similar. It's well worth every penny to just establish that baseline of communication and respect.

 

[juliawitt]

Yes, my shih tzu was smelly. He got a weekly bath and went to the groomers. He went way down hill at 14 years old and the groomer became an ordeal for him, so he continued to get monthly baths until he died. When I finally gave in and put him down, I had to take him to a different vet. That vet thought that he had a parathyroid problem. I did not have him do any posthumous testing. "Charman" also had some eye issues. I just wet a tissue and would gently wipe his little face. He was a very sweet little boy but on hind sight, he bossed his friends ( 2 wiemereimers) around all the time. They just ignored him. We are on our farm now.......so I won't be getting another; it wouldn't be a good "fit" on the farm.

 

[BorderKelpie]

My little Shih tzu is a lousy fit here. He doesn't like other dogs and the hair thing in mud, chicken poo, etc - egads!
He was more or less (I hate to say dumped on me, but) an urgent rehome issue. I swear, I love the little guy, but if a sweet little old lady showed up one day (with references, etc lol) and wanted a pooch to spoil rotten, I would have to let him go to her. He deserves so much more than I can give him. Makes me feel badly for him. He was bred to be a cuddled and adored companion, what is is in actuality, is struggling to maintain his sanity in a pack of working bred farm dogs. Hence the nickname 'Sic Puppy.'