Tucker bit my dad
- Thread starter Maxy24
- Start date
I think we just need to accept that everyone thinks of thier pets differently. I don't agree with killing a dog over one bite, but I guess I can understand it.
As for me, the animals that I share my home with are my entire world. Some of them, I love more than I love any of my friends or family. If I killed one of them for something like that, I would absolutely lose it. Just thinking about that makes me feel physically ill.
But, most people don't think of their pets the same way I do, and I don't hate them for it. It's just I, personally, have such an intense emotional bond with my pets, I would never, ever be able to live with myself.
As for me, the animals that I share my home with are my entire world. Some of them, I love more than I love any of my friends or family. If I killed one of them for something like that, I would absolutely lose it. Just thinking about that makes me feel physically ill.
But, most people don't think of their pets the same way I do, and I don't hate them for it. It's just I, personally, have such an intense emotional bond with my pets, I would never, ever be able to live with myself.
Nor do I. I stepped on Batman's foot once, and as a reaction he bit my ankle. 
I guess he should have been put down as he's a dangerous dog now.
I guess he should have been put down as he's a dangerous dog now.
So the implication then is that if someone would put their human aggressive dog down that they could not possibley love their dogs as much as you? That's awfully presumptuous, don't you think? My dogs ARE a part of my family and our lives pretty much revolve around them and our other pets. I cannot imagine having to put a dog down due to aggression, but I do know people who have had to make that choice and I can assure that it wasn't because they didn't love their enough.
Yeah exactly.. the tones of some of these posts are somewhat "If you would put your dog down that bit you, you don't love it".. really? I don't love my dogs? My life revolves around them, and dogs in general seeing as I photograph shelter dogs.. but yeah, I must not love them enough because I would PTS if one ever bit me.
Erin, I hope that -- with the help of the wonderful posters here -- you're able to come up with solutions that your family can implement to (at least) manage Tucker. I know well that we can't always control our family members.
And, sorry, this is off point from the OP, but do people think this is really "human aggression"? I don't profess to be an expert (and my dog is really the furthest one can be from aggressive in any regard), but I'm not sure I see this as aggression per se.
And, sorry, this is off point from the OP, but do people think this is really "human aggression"? I don't profess to be an expert (and my dog is really the furthest one can be from aggressive in any regard), but I'm not sure I see this as aggression per se.
Hmmm. All dogs have the ability to bite. I know of a rescue here who had a cattle dog bought in by it's family to be PTS because it bit their child. They had lived with the dog for years without incident but felt they couldn't trust the dog anymore so took it to the pound to be euthanised.
After the shelter's vet had euthanised the dog he found a crayon stuffed in it's ear.
Had I been the dog I would have bitten the kid too.
There are so many reasons a dog could bite someone, I couldn't possibly have a blanket 'bite me and you get PTS' rule. I also know far too many dogs who have bitten people (some very badly) and have never done so again after behaviour modification and training that I couldn't bring myself to PTS any of my dogs without, at the very least, understanding why and having a behaviourial assessment done first.
After the shelter's vet had euthanised the dog he found a crayon stuffed in it's ear.
Had I been the dog I would have bitten the kid too.
There are so many reasons a dog could bite someone, I couldn't possibly have a blanket 'bite me and you get PTS' rule. I also know far too many dogs who have bitten people (some very badly) and have never done so again after behaviour modification and training that I couldn't bring myself to PTS any of my dogs without, at the very least, understanding why and having a behaviourial assessment done first.
I love my pets very much and would not tolerate biting.
If my dog was stressed/scared/anxious/etc enough that they felt the need to bite, and myself and others had the potential to be injured because of it.... it would be very selfish of me to let it continue.
IMO the decision to have an aggressive dog PTS is BECAUSE you love them.
(I don't follow a "one bite, you're out" policy, the entire picture needs to be looked at--but there is a line somewhere.)
If my dog was stressed/scared/anxious/etc enough that they felt the need to bite, and myself and others had the potential to be injured because of it.... it would be very selfish of me to let it continue.
IMO the decision to have an aggressive dog PTS is BECAUSE you love them.
(I don't follow a "one bite, you're out" policy, the entire picture needs to be looked at--but there is a line somewhere.)
The majority of people in this thread (I think I may be the exception, as I did say I would go into management mode if training mode wasn't an option) aren't talking about letting it continue. Preventing a behavior and desensitization&training isn't really letting it continue.
Yes, it's selfish to keep a dog who is so fearful of people that he submissively urinates and snaps at all people, including his caregivers, and is genuinely miserable.
No, it is not selfish to crate a dog in a separate room who is fearful of strangers in the home.
No, it is not selfish to seek out a behaviorist and work with a dog who fearfully snaps at men.
I agree with your last line, although I would be more hesitant to euthanize then some.
Yes, it's selfish to keep a dog who is so fearful of people that he submissively urinates and snaps at all people, including his caregivers, and is genuinely miserable.
No, it is not selfish to crate a dog in a separate room who is fearful of strangers in the home.
No, it is not selfish to seek out a behaviorist and work with a dog who fearfully snaps at men.
I agree with your last line, although I would be more hesitant to euthanize then some.
You know, Mushroom bit me once. He was drugged for a medical procedure and I was doing his nails and cut one too short. He bit me HARD for my efforts and I was absolutely devastated not because he'd bitten me, but because I knew that due to the fact that he was a pit bull and now he had bitten me, he must die.
Thankfully there were people around me with more sense than that.
None of them were pit bull people.
So many pit bull people seem to think that pit bulls are somehow uber-dogs, that there is no room for them to ever be dogs. But they're not. They're still, at the end of the day, dogs. Animals. Who react as dogs. Even if it's inconvenient and we don't like it.
Luce has bitten me, too. In her case, it was redirected aggression. If you can't bite the one you want, bite the one you're with. I was very upset then, too. Thankfully, her trainer thought I was insane for being so upset about her being human aggressive.
I stopped spending so much time on the pit bull boards after that.
It gave me much more perspective.
Thankfully there were people around me with more sense than that.
None of them were pit bull people.
So many pit bull people seem to think that pit bulls are somehow uber-dogs, that there is no room for them to ever be dogs. But they're not. They're still, at the end of the day, dogs. Animals. Who react as dogs. Even if it's inconvenient and we don't like it.
Luce has bitten me, too. In her case, it was redirected aggression. If you can't bite the one you want, bite the one you're with. I was very upset then, too. Thankfully, her trainer thought I was insane for being so upset about her being human aggressive.
I stopped spending so much time on the pit bull boards after that.
It gave me much more perspective.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2006
- Messages
- 15,349
- Likes
- 0
- Points
- 36
I just wanted to say, Erin, you came here for advice, but I want to give you ((hugs)). Personally, I agree that dogs SHOULD be comfortable being lifted by their owners, but it's not necessary in day-to-day life and your best bet is to stop lifting him to move him and work on making being picked up The Best Thing Ever so that it's better than being on furniture or food or whatever.
But, having a dog with human aggression problems, I know how hard it is. Milo has never bitten anyone in my immediate family (or attempted to bite anyone in my family). But I know how stressful and scary it is when he growls, or acts aggressive towards extended family and such, so I wanted to let you know you can PM me whenever if you just want to talk about loving a "problem dog" or whatever....
But, having a dog with human aggression problems, I know how hard it is. Milo has never bitten anyone in my immediate family (or attempted to bite anyone in my family). But I know how stressful and scary it is when he growls, or acts aggressive towards extended family and such, so I wanted to let you know you can PM me whenever if you just want to talk about loving a "problem dog" or whatever....
My youngest dog bit me, and meant it, when she was about five months old. I was trying to get her off the lounge and she kept growling at me. Someone told me not to "accept that" and to grab her and growl at her to get off. I did that, and she took me up on the challenge and bit me.
Fast forward four years and she's never bitten me, or anyone else for that matter, again, because I got professional help after that incident and learnt why using confrontational methods like that are dangerous. She's still a pretty hard dog and I don't doubt that in the 'wrong' home she would use aggression again if it meant she could get her own way.
There are SO many reasons why dogs bite, PTS would really be the last resort if I felt the dog was beyond saving or beyond my capabilities as a handler or that we'd be miserable living together. IMO - there is no such thing as a dog who bites for no reason.
Fast forward four years and she's never bitten me, or anyone else for that matter, again, because I got professional help after that incident and learnt why using confrontational methods like that are dangerous. She's still a pretty hard dog and I don't doubt that in the 'wrong' home she would use aggression again if it meant she could get her own way.
There are SO many reasons why dogs bite, PTS would really be the last resort if I felt the dog was beyond saving or beyond my capabilities as a handler or that we'd be miserable living together. IMO - there is no such thing as a dog who bites for no reason.