dharmagrl

Join Date 02/2004

I know what I think

It's your opinion I'm interested in.

I have a theoretical situation for you, and I'd like you to give me your opinion on it....

A family (man, woman and 2 little girls aged about 6 and 3) have 2 dogs. Both dogs are decent sized, weighing about 60 lbs each. They got both the dogs from an adoption agency.

One of the dogs is disruptive, chewing up drapes and furniture and running away. He's fitted with a shock collar, which helps to start with but after a while has little to no effect on him.

One of the girls (the three year old) is mean to the dogs, hitting them with things, pulling their ears and tails and even biting them. She's been reprimanded numerous times about her actions, but she still continues to abuse the dogs.

One day, she bites the disruptive dog and he snaps at her hand, grazing her. The parents reprimand both dog and child. The matter ends there (or so they think).

A few months later, the disruptive dog bites the same child in the head, breaking the skin and causing enough damage to warrant a trip to the ER. The father of the family is also attacked as he tries to get the dog away from the child.

At the ER the parents ask the child what happened to cause the dog to bite her. She says that she hit him with a dumb-bell and that right after she did it her turned around and bit her.

The next day the parents take the dog that bit back to the society they adopted him from, where he'll probably be euthanized because he has a history of biting.

On the way home, they stop by ANOTHER humane society and decide to adopt a 4 month old German Shepherd puppy. 4 days after getting rid of the destructive, biting dog, they introduce yet another dog into their home.

Am I the only person who sees the sheer madness, the insanity of that decision? They have kids who have a history of abusing animals, yet they bring another dog home? A bigger dog, one that's capable of not just delivering a nip to the kids head but of literally ripping that child's face off when he's bigger? They never even gave it a few months to make sure their kids could treat the remaining dog with respect, they just went ahead and got another one! It's not just that that i have an issue with....the dog that bit has given very clear warning signs in the past that he wouldn't tolerate being abused like that, yet they failed to take appropriate action (like giving him to a home that didn't have little kids).

I'm just wondering how long it's going to be before this new dog bites. I give it less than 6 months...

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KarmaGirl

Join Date 03/2001

+118

Those people shouldn't have animals. *And* the humane society that let them adopt the second one didn't do the home study as they should.

Kids are hard on animals, and it's natural for an animal to lash out when they are hurt. If the children can't treat the animals well, then they shouldn't have them. It's not fair to any part of the family, especially the animal involved.

We had to be *really* careful with my daughter when she was young. One of our dogs gets scared really easily and would act aggressive. We had to make sure that she was careful around the dog and watched the dog at all times in case he started showing aggression. Due to a careful watch, nothing ever happened, and they now leave peacefully with each other.

Once a dog bites, they have crossed a line. You can't keep them, no matter how much you love them. That's why responsible pet owners have to protect both the child and the dog.

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Maybe they should try the shock collar on the kid. Or, every time the kid hits the dog, the kid gets hit. Perhaps harsh, but the Good Book says "spare not the rod and spoil not the child," so that's good enough for me.

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you can keep a dog that bites, it's a matter of patience and training -- you might not let that dog play with small children, but a dog that has bitten someone isn't the end of the world...

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Maybe they should try the shock collar on the kid.

There's a thought....

Those people shouldn't have animals.

I don't think it's a wise idea of bring another dog into a home with abusive kids. In fact, I think it's insanity and it's asking for trouble. What's going to happen when the new dog bites because it's been abused? What's it going to take for them to see that having dogs, especially big dogs, is a bad idea? Does one of those girls have to be pernamently disfigured?

Some people don't seem to have ANY common sense.

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They are total idiots....that's all I have to say about that.

~Zoo

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Ooops, I stand corrected....the dog did not bite the child because she hit him, he bit her because SHE bit HIM on the tail. Either way you look at it, she abused the dog and he retailiated the only way he knew how.

They are total idiots....

Their actions aren't those of smart people, that's for sure.

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you might not let that dog play with small children, but a dog that has bitten someone isn't the end of the world...

I think that the dog that bit their child did so as retaliation. I wouldn't trust him in a home with little kids, but I think that he might do okay in a home with adults and lots of room to run...

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KarmaGirl

Join Date 03/2001

+118

you can keep a dog that bites, it's a matter of patience and training

*legally* you have to either surrender them or quarantine them. If you keep the dog even though it bit your child and the dog does it again, do you have any idea what the law will do? They will take your child away for abuse and you could end up in jail (and have the dog removed). If it bites somebody else, you could end up in a mighty lawsuit.

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I think people should have to have a license to have kids. And I'll be the one who makes the decision on who gets the license. Every third tuesday from 9 to 11 a.m...........bring cash.

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think people should have to have a license to have kids

It makes me wonder what's more inpoirtant to these folks...their pet or their kids. You can't replace a child's face....

If you keep the dog even though it bit your child and the dog does it again, do you have any idea what the law will do? They will take your child away for abuse and you could end up in jail (and have the dog removed).

If they hadn't got rid of the dog that bit the base would have told them to either get rid of it or would have invited them to vacate military housing...

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Ignorant. They have no business getting a second dog until the child learns how to treat the one they have. Why risk it?

It's sad that the dog might be euthanized. He probably would do quite well in a home where he wasn't constantly provoked.

at putting the shock collar on the kid.

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literally ripping that child's face off when he's bigger?

Good.

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This is a case for child welfare reporting if ever I saw one. Although technically the situation may not be overtly abusive or neglectful of the three-year-old, the parents are setting up a potentially volatile and dangerous situation. In Canada, child welfare has educational and therapeutic roles as well as the usual legal one. I would pose this theoretical situation to them. Not to further complicate the issue, violence is often learned, although not necessarily so. This would add to my perception of risk.

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I agree, but I'm not going to be the one to do it. I may, however, make my feelings on the matter perfectly plain the next time I speak with them and ask them just what in the hell they were thinking...

literally ripping that child's face off when he's bigger?

Good.

I wouldn't have said quite that, but sometimes people need tragic events to occur before they see sense.

Ignorant. They have no business getting a second dog until the child learns how to treat the one they have. Why risk it?

I've been asking myself 'why' all week. I simply cannot fathom their reasoning...

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Ignorant. They have no business getting a second dog until the child learns how to treat the one they have. Why risk it?

I've been asking myself 'why' all week. I simply cannot fathom their reasoning...

There is no reason behind it Karen. Except maybe ignorance.

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There is no reason behind it Karen. Except maybe ignorance.

Yep. Sheer ignorance and stupidity. It's not so much the kids I feel sorry for, it's the dog. That poor animal is in a house with kids that have no respect for animals and don't know how to treat them, and he will be teased and tortured and mauled around and hit until he can't take it anymore and he bites. Then he'll be kicked out, and maybe even euthanized.

I can't take this anymore. I'm going to go talk to them.

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I can't take this anymore. I'm going to go talk to them.

Talking won't work. Just shoot the damn fools!

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Talking won't work. Just shoot the damn fools!

hahah! No, I'll just wait for their dog to bite them.

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Talking won't work. Just shoot the damn fools!

hahah! No, I'll just wait for their dog to bite them.

That ain't cool. Because then it'll be the dogs fault! At least in the eyes of the law, anyway.

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That ain't cool. Because then it'll be the dogs fault! At least in the eyes of the law, anyway

I meant I'll wait for the dog to bite the adults, not the kids.

I know it'll be the dog's fault, but what else am I supposed to do?

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