Urgent Advice Needed - Dog Attack

[AnnSa]

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My sister took a JRT in about 18 months ago, he has been the perfect dog in every way.

Brilliant with her other little terrier and the kids. But tonight she moved him over so she

could sit down and he flew for her, he got on top of her and bit her 5 or 6 times, she had

to get down on the floor and crawl away from him. She has wounds to her face, mouth

and ear. She's devastated about it but and has just rang me sobbing because she doesn't

want him PTS.......i can see any other other option.....what do you think..

 

[Lal]

Nightmare situation!! After 18 months it seems odd that he has suddenly behaved like this, could there be any underlying cause, a pain issue maybe? If she'd only had him a couple of months then it would be more likely that it was a behavioural trait but I'm sure, in the last 18 months, she has probably had to move him to sit down without any reaction. I hope she is ok because it does sound nasty, how old are the kids?

 

[eve]

Your poor sister, she must be so upset.

He needs to be firmly put in his place. He should not be allowed on the sofa or any human furniture at any time.

It can take a while for rescue dogs to assert their authority. Tell your sister not to give up on him.

She does however need to make sure that he knows his place in the pack especially if she has young children

Toddy started doing this (my husband spoils him) and we banned him from the sofa. It has worked wonders.

He sometimes gets invited up but any nonsense and he is thrown off and ignored.

It does work, it just requires disipline.

Hope things work out OK

 

[jinnyfizz]

Firstly, has she attended casualty for IV antibiotics? It's essential with any dog, cat or human bite.

If she has, then it is possible that the police would be called because of the injury to her.

How old are the children, Ann? It's very dodgy to keep the little chap with kids in the house

 

[meddling]

it sounds like a dominance thing, if not pain related

Needs to be taught he is the bottom of the pile again, not allowed on furniture, fed last, never allowed upstairs, humans throough doors, gates etc first...

...very hard one though, really feel for your sister though, especialy with the kids, she definately needs to use a crate I think for peace of mind...

...sorry not to help much, really hope she can get something sorted out

 

[AnnSa]

She rang me on her way back from the hospital Jane, she was so upset i didn't

actually find out what treatment she had been given :b

She has a son of 5 and she babysits most weekdays for her grand-children who

are 10 and 2.

We think he has been beaten in the past as he cowers if you put your hand out

to him too quickly, he is about 3ish according to the vet who gave him the once

over for my sister when she got him.

He dosen't appear to be in pain or anything. He hasn't been acting any different

to any other day.

 

[jinnyfizz]

It can be a one off, but you could never trust him again

Was he asleep when she moved him? The old saying "let sleeping dogs lie" holds alot of truth :blink:

I have always felt that terriers can be fairly unpredictable, but, having said that, an awful lot of them are fantastic family pets. It's a real dilemma.

Can she keep the children apart from him?

 

[~Annie~]

I think she knows the answer ... would you keep a dog that has done this once and might again where there are small children ... I know I couldn't. I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean he has to be pts if she can find the right alternative home for him, but that's a very tall order.

A word of caution too ... we can all advise on the basis of our experience but none of us are experts and none of us have actually seen the dog. What I can tell you is that once when he was 5 my son was messing about on the floor and disturbed a dachshund who was asleep in a chair with his head hanging down in front of the seat, as they do. Digby, the dachshund, snapped at Phil and caught him just below the eye ... he still has the scar but thankfully it's faded over the years. We were told at the time that a snap/bite or two is equivalent to the punishment dogs inflict on each other when they transgress, but that a sustained attack such as you describe is aggression (fear induced or otherwise) not dominance. It was so nearly Phil's eye ... and my other son is only sighted in one eye so I know how limiting that can be ... does your sister want to risk something like this happening to her son or grandchildren?

Sorry that I can't be more positive Ann

 

[FeeFee]

Your poor sister, what a horrible situation, she must be in shock as well as upset

Definitely get him vet-checked, it is extremely unusual for something like this to happen out of the blue so there could be some medical cause. Things like thyroid imbalance, for instance, can cause sudden aggression.

This wasn't a defensive nip or single bite by the sound of it, it was a sustained attack/mauling which is extremely worrying, especially in a household with children around. Personally I think this is much more serious than a 'dominance' or pack-order issue. It possibly sounds as though something triggered some bad experience from his past causing an extreme reaction - but really this is too serious an issue to speculate about over the internet without seeing the dog in question.

If he problem isn't medical then a chat with a good behaviourist might help, they may be able to identify triggers and advise on managing him safely, but I think she has to question how far she's willing to go with him or if she can trust him again after this

Sending her lots of good wishes, I hope she's OK :luck:

 

[lalena]

get him vet checked asap. on a staffy forum im on, a man was asking advice as his 8mth old staffy was suddenly getting out of hand, aggressive, really dangerous and out of sorts. he'd been to trainers, exhausted every possibility to help this character change. later on it turned out he had a brain tumour, which was what had altered his behaviour, and rocky had to be pts. heartbreaking, it really was

 

[Hula]

Unless your sister is able to rehome with someone who knows fully what has happened and is prepared to work with him knowing that then the best thing would be to have him PTS .

I really don't think you can ever trust a dog who has done this especially around young children .

It's just not worth the risk

 

[AnnSa]

I had a chat earlier with my sister, she was waiting to get a vets app when they opened. She has stitches around her mouth, they said as a rule they dont stitch dog bites but they couldn't leave it like it was. They have put the strips over her nose to hold that closed and glued up her ear and head.

 

Toby was laying awake on the bedroom floor near the bed, she was on her sons bed, they were having a story and a sing song before he went to sleep. She leaned over and nudged Toby onto his dog bed so he could get settled at well. He always sleeps on his bed next to the boy. So this was

all the normal routine.

 

He jumped straight up and bit her face twice, she rolled over on the bed and down onto the floor, face down. Toby was by this time on her back biting her head, her little boy screamed at him to stop. She was in shock my this time and doesnt know if that made him stop or not.

He was acting perfectly normal before this and after. She is now scared of him but he is still as friendly as ever and wanting her to make a fuss of him.

 

[eve]

Oh your poor sister.

The circumstances of the attack are horiffic.

It sounds like a sustained attack, not a warning bite because he had been surprised or received a fright.

Whatever caused the dog to do this, it is not safe to have around, especially around children.

It is not a suitable candidate for rehoming either. In the circumstances, the kindest and safest thing for everyone is for the dog to be PTS.

I do not say that lightly but have worked with rescue whippets (different temperament from JR) and I have found that even the most traumatised dogs settle to become normal balanced dogs within 12 - 18 months.

Wishing your sister a some comfort and a quick recovery from her injuries.

 

[Juley]

So very sorry Ann, your poor sister. It does sound out of character for him to do this so maybe he does have a tumour or something that made him behave to terribly. I do agree that he has to be PTS, it is a shame but if this happened again it could be even worse. Your sister has given him a lovely home for 18 months, if it is a tumour or illness then he has known happiness for this time and he will leave this world in a kind manner.

 

[~Sarah~]

I am so very sorry to hear about your sister's traumatic experience with her dog. It is so sad and she must be really distressed, particularly as he has been a good pet and has had a lovely home since she took him on.

It may well be a one-off triggered by a past memory, but I personally would not feel able to keep him with young children/grandchildren in the house. I don't think she would ever be able to trust him again.

As sad as it is, I too agree that the only real option is to have him PTS - I don't think rehoming him is really a safe or viable option. At least he has known love and affection while he has been with your sister. :huggles:

I do hope your sister's injuries heal well. :luck: :luck:

 

[Nicola]

I feel so sorry for your sister. :unsure: From what you've told us, he wasn't even asleep when she touched him. :blink: Fred gets quite a start when I touch him lightly if he's sleeping, as he's deaf and can't hear me approaching. As startled as he looks, he'd never, ever bite, but terriers are much more feisty and react differently. To think he bit and attacked whilst awake and comprehending what was happening. I'd definitely seek the vet's opinion here to rule out any pain reaction.

 

[Janimal]

Oh Ann Im so sorry this has happened to your poor sister, hope shes ok....as for the dog Im not sure either wether Id want to take

a chance again with children around....what a horrible decision to have to make.

My first whippet Lady did not really like being disturbed when asleep and would sometimes growl and attempt to nip...she was a madam sometimes

but never aggression on this scale...

 

[LM1981]

What a horrible thing to happen and a terrible decision to have to make. But it does sound like your sister has suffered some substantial injuries and as others have said it was a sustained attack not a nip; all things considered my personal feelings would be have him PTS. With kids about it is not a risk worth taking and if I were your sister I don’t know that I would ever trust the dog again. Sad to say it could be the best thing all round, I know it is easy for me to say, not so easy when it is you having to make the final decision, it is not one I envy your sister having to make.

Really hope everything works out for your sister, all the best to you all

 

[peppermint lady]

well done to your sister for giving him a home when he needed it, but i do think if it was me in her position i would have him PTS, this sounded a horrible attack and he has done you sister a good degree of damage, just think if his attack had been aimed at her little boy what state he could of left him in :unsure:

FACT- she will never ever trust him again, so this will empower him further.....please take this as a warning and act on it :luck:

best wishes to your sister Ann :thumbsup:

 

[helsbels16]

This is a horrible story - i really hope your sister is ok. :huggles:

I have been brought up with working terriers and this is a very difficult situation, i have been there myself. If the dog is a rescue then it can take a long time to settle in and even tho they seem settled you still have to be cautious, it can take years for a dog to settle.

If you dont know his back ground you dont know if he has had a bad experiance while being asleep which would make him react like this. My terrier dont like being startled. and if he has had a really bad experiance then you cant blame him really.

I would say not to give up on him or give him away (he has already been given away once) and state your autority in the house, put him in his place and show him who is boss, Grab him by the scruff, pin him to the floor with your hand over his mouth and bit him back....it sounds cruel but it works and it is how a pack would behave.

But if your sister shows she is scared of him then he may well pick up on that and play on it. She must Try not to show she is scared (which is easier said than done i know).

I dont have children so i cant comment there but i was a child when it happened to me and it was not a very nice experiance but my parents were old fashion to the point of saying something like " ahh gis on girl, its only bit blood, you'll live"!! lol (w00t)

Anyway this is my advice that i learnt from old fashion ways of training and it has always worked, with terriers and my lurchers and greyhounds (not that they need it very offten) :thumbsup:

Best of luck and keep us updated ) )