I came across a Facebook post this morning and the woman that wrote it is asking folks to share it so that’s why it’s being duplicated here. This woman is to be commended for being so courageous and open with her experience.
I do not have a blog. If I did I would post this there, as this will be lengthy. I keep things here on Facebook pretty light and post about my crazy, funny family life. I am posting this for 2 reasons. First, I see more and more pictures of babies with their pups. I am absolutely not saying there is anything wrong with that… I do it, too. Second, I am noticing my son being more and more aggressive with Daphne, our amazing white lab.
Putting together these pictures and writing this post brings up so many emotions that I really never wanted to feel again. I have realized, that when faced with it, the pain never goes away, ever. I can put myself in that hospital again in my mind like it was happening now. It’s a horrible, heart wrenching feeling.
Our gorgeous Scrappy suffered constantly from ear infections. This we knew. We have a pool and there was no way to keep him out, he loves to swim. Oftentimes I would come home and he would be alone just doing laps… So funny!! He was on meds for his ear infections but I became lazy on taking him to the vet which seemed like constantly. I started splitting his pills in half so they would last longer. Why? To save a buck? Shame, shame, shame on me!! I assumed he learned to live with the pain… I mean, why keep swimming? He was a smart dog!
THIS WAS/IS THE SWEETEST DOG ON THE PLANET!!
Hey, I consider myself pretty sweet too but I snap on occasion.
I was not home when this happened, I was on a shoot. I got a call from Tom saying he was on his way to the hospital, he told me what happened. I could not understand? I got in my car and drove. I don’t think I said a word to Britt, who was with me. My mind was numb. When we got to the hospital Brittany was ahead of me when walking into the room. She tried to stop me from entering. I have never felt that kind of pain in my heart, never. It is a different kind of pain when it is your child. The pain was crippling, hurt me to the core. When they stitched up Zach I had to leave the room because they had 2 nurses holding him down and the doctor straddled over him. I seriously thought I was going to faint. Daddy was with him, Zach was not alone.
Zach was playing with Scrappy… Sitting on him and reached forward and grabbed both of his ears, hard. Scrappy snapped. In about 5 seconds he ripped my son’s face to shreds. It was knee jerk. Kind of like when someone steps on your broken foot, you lash out.
Dogs can’t yell, they can’t curse you out or say ‘OUCH!!’ It was a knee jerk reaction from the sweetest Golden Retriever that would actually die for Zach. It just happened.
When we came home from the hospital I went to the backyard and looked at him and just cried… He cried, too. He felt awful, I know he did.
Because the hospital considered this a mauling, it was reported and he was to be put down. Within 24 hours animal control was at our door for quarantine. He did his 14 days. In the meantime my mom, who happened to own property in Texas at the time (but lives here), made a massive plea and campaign to keep him alive and she would take him to Texas (he is with her still). This was granted.
I can’t tell you enough how this was such a blow to our family because Scrappy was family, he was not just our ‘family dog.’
I am sharing these pictures after all of these years because if your animal is trying to tell you something, please listen. If your dog swims regularly there is a good chance they will have ear infections. Be proactive, listen to their eyes… They really want to tell you.
I LOVE my pets so much and I have learned so much by this experience. I ask, no I beg, that you share this because I wish I would have paid closer attention. Please, take your pets to the vet, the clinic. Anywhere where they can get the help they need because they do love you so much.
Thank you for having the courage to share your story. You are a remarkable person.
[…] Mother tells courageous story about dog bite, responsibility … […]
I’d like to thank you for sharing your story. I think you are saving children by telling your story. I have a very wild and normal little boy toddler (most tots are not gentle) he’s 19 months old.
I honestly can say I’m ashamed to say that I had not even thought for a second that our loving dog could hurt my child.
It really does make sense to me now. The dog can’t say please stop. I don’t want to play, and a toddler doesn’t know how rough they are being.
Thank you. I will be sure to keep an eye on them closely while playing with the dog. I think of animals like kids but your story really has helped me rethink how I need to be keeping a closer eye on things.
NEVER EVER leave a child alone with a dog!! Every time I see an “adult” who doesn’t have time or is too busy or too lazy to CONSTANTLY monitor their children when they are with a dog I want to scream and slap them. “Closer eye” doesn’t cut it. Both eyes, WIDE open, every moment! The things most dog owners don’t know about dogs would fill a football field.
I completely understand ..I have three golden’s and they are the best family pets ever.. This was no ones fault but sharing your story is so important .i happy to hear that your family pets life was saved ..God bless all of you
I think this is a very sad story and it is true that you can often see pain in an animals eyes, it is also true to state, that dogs are animals and people too often, treat them as humans. Dogs do not think like humans and they can’t tell someone to get off, if a kid is climbing on them and they are getting fed up. Everyone has bad days, even animals. It is always best to err on the side of caution and whilst having your children around your animals, it is best for them not to climb on them or pull them or be left unsupervised. It isn’t only sick animals that bite. Best not to take chances. You can still love your dog and let them love your family without your children needing to climb all over them and pull their ears, etc. This is not an attack on the poster of this article. This was horrible for all of them. A little care from all of us pet owners and parents, can ensure that there is less chance of this happening again.
Something that we “humans” tend to forget is that we too are “animals”.
No different that the ones with fur, domesticated or wild.
The only difference is we can communicate in our own understandable language.
We can teach other animals the basics of our language and they understand and pick up on it.
However they cannot teach us thus we figure things out on abnormal behaviour and speech via their eyes.
I cannot say whether dogs think like us humans (who are animals too) but I cannot say they don’t either.
All I know is they do not suffer from the ailments which we do, such as greed, anger, hatred, or racism.
Who are the better species, that is still up to debate however we seem to be the only ones destroying everything so guess who I side with more =)
Cheers for this story and I too would have done the same thing.
I love my dogs dearly and would sell everything I own to save them.
Life vs material gain is a no brainer.
We are mammals, but not animals. I love my dogs and they “are like” family and get treated as such but they are not human no matter how much I, or you, or anyone else wants them to be human. Pets aren’t people too, but if we decide to domesticate and possess them we have a responsibility to care for them and not mistreat them. I have to laugh at the misguided people who start cursing and name calling the second someone disagrees with them…that’s a sure way to discredit yourself right from the get go.
I beg to differ with you. While we are mammals we animals first.
All living things are divided into 2 kingdoms: plant and animals.
Guess what? Mammal falls within the animal kingddom. Both humans and canines fall under mammals.
Therefore while we are as you say “mammals”, dogs are mammals too as are cats, horses, snakes,squid, dolphins and whales are mammals.
Which brings me too update myself.
The scientific community has changed the classification system recently. There are now 5 per 6 kingdoms. But guess what! Humans and canines are still ANIMALS. 🙂
“The two kingdoms were expanded into five kingdoms: Protista (the single-celled eukaryotes); Fungi (fungus and related organisms); Plantae (the plants); Animalia (the animals); Monera (the prokaryotes). Many biologists now recognize six distinct kingdoms, dividing Monera into the Eubacteria and Archeobacteria.” http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/studies/invertebrates/kingdoms.html
Snakes are reptiles and squids are invertebrates not mammals.
Wow, I like what you wrote!
Thank you so much for sharing your story. So many more people need to realize how big a part humans play in the behavior of our pets. When I was 3 years old, I too was viciously attacked and badly injured from a dog attack. It was slightly different, I was attacked by an american pit bull terrier. But to this day they are still my favorite breed, and I have had manythat are the most loyal, protective parts of my family. People should realize that it is all hpw you raise a dog, and the signs they give us that we often don’t pay attention to. You are a very brave woman to share and admit, I admire you. I can speak from experience, your son will atill always be just as loving as always to sweet pups 🙂
Please rally to get your family back together
I’m sorry, but this is not about recognizing the signs of ear infections in dogs. This is about teaching your kids how to respect and treat an animal. He was sitting on your dog and pulled his ears. What makes anyone think this is ok? Would you do this to a cat, or even another kid? If this was a cat, the cat would have attacked by scratching and possibly biting your child (like your dog). If he had done this to a kid, the kid would have also fought back. Why would anyone think it’s ok to do this to a dog if they wouldn’t do it to anyone/anything else?
Most important point of this whole thing. Thanks!
I agree,well said.
I just want to say how much your story touched me! We had a similar thing happen to us when my youngest daughter was 14 months old. We had the sweetest male Collie ever, awsome with both of our kids, so gentle. My brother was visiting with his dog and although we kept them separated in the backyard, it still put our dog on guard because, afterall, someone else was in his territory. I made the mistake of feeding Jedi in side to separate him from the other dog. Not even thinking once about the safety of our children. My youngest crawled around the crouch and he instinctively jumped at her, mauled her and managed to mangle her face, too. I honestly believe Jedi thought it was the other dog coming to get his food. Anyway, several hours later and 10 stitches later, we were back home but her face was black and blue for several week and she still has a small scar. Did we give our dog away? No! My husband was furious and didn’t have anything to do with him for a year which was hard but in the long run, I finally got him to see the whole picture. Our animals have feelings just like us and can’t speak, etc to give warnings, etc. Jedi had never nipped, lashed out, barked or anything to our children before that day. He loved them, was so protective of them, would keep an eye on them while when we were camping, hiking, etc. He just snapped at a moment’s notice when he felt his food was in jeopardy by what he thought was another dog. Thanks for sharing your story!
[…] Lesson…. Mother tells courageous story about dog bite, responsibility | SwayLove.org I don't know if this was shared here, but absolutely is terribly important – particularly since a […]
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?!!?? a DOG ripped YOUR CHILDS face to shreds and all you talkin about is how sweet it was but not at all about the physical and emotional damage YOUR own baby experienced! SMDH I HATE people like you. humans are extremely more important and valuable than ANY animal. ITS JUST A FREAKING ANIMAL! God put them here for us to eat. I’ve never owned a dog, any pet actually, I’m terrified of and despise dogs!!! and I can tell you right now if a dog ever brought the slightest harm, let alone MAULING my baby’s face, upon my child I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to out a bullet in its head that very second! you’re a bad mother and a psychotic person.
Shame on you Bethany, the woman who said this woman was a bad mother. She is absolutely correct!! We had a similar situation, our family dog nipped at my daughter when she grabbed a hold of Ripley’s tail and hung on to it. My daughter was only 5 months old sitting in her Bumbo seat. RIght next to me. Luckily Ripley was just warning her and didnt actually make contact but she was serious. You have a big heart.
And crazy lady who would put a bullet in the dogs head…I hope someone sticks their finger in an open wound of yours and see what happens…and if they’re anything like you make sure they dont have a weapon on them or you’d get shot. Heartless hag.
Harley,
So you eat dog’s and cat’s also, people’s pet’s ? Apparently you have never had a pet or loved one or been loved by one. Shame on you, this mother wrote this from her heart and she has many regrets for the rest of her life, she open her heart to share knowing there was people like you in this world. Remember don’t judge, what goes around comes around sooner or later . It was a mistake, she is human like you.
Please no more hate comments, ,you are talking about God loving animal’s. So be a Christian, dont’t judge.
So sorry Hatley, means Bethany! !!!!!!
Oh , my word, Harley, ,tablet keeps changing, I tried to delete your name and can’t
Just because you are afraid of dogs or incapable of caring for any animal does not give you the right to call someone a bad mom . comments like that is seriously ignorant. Pets have been proven to help their owners in many aspects of their lives.my dad is a diabetic and one night while my mom was sleeping he went into an insulin reaction. The dog woke my mom to help my dad. I hope that one day you will realize that animals are a blessing not something that was put on this earth to be killed.
I cannot help but feel terribly sorry for you.
You realize you too are an animal, right?
Who said animals are here for us to eat, exactly?
If so, are you OK with being eaten as well?
Anyone who has never enjoyed a dogs unconditional love and would not hesitate to kill one with a bullet…well I would not my children near you, that is for sure.
No love, anger, judgement, and guns all in the same post, yikes.
I had a beautiful “growing up dog”… Brandy. He was so gentle and sweet. you could pull on his ears and he didn’t care too much. Maybe he did , but he didn’t let anyone know it. He was friendly to kids and to everyone. My true childhood friend. And if that dog, had ever bitten anyone that I loved, like my kid???!!! DEAD!
So you didn’t love your dog then?
Apparently the dog was only there for the kids to maul. He didn’t SAY anything or call the cops when his ears were yanked, so he “didn’t care too much” and it’s a good thing, or they’d have killed him.
*shudders*
Laura, I hope there’s a special hell where your ears are pulled for years and you can’t retaliate.
That’s worrying. I hope you don’t get another dog. How would you like your ears pulled?
well, let’s understand the dog’s motives, bethanny…. these people are nutballs 100%
I cant believe a lot of what Im reading. This crap is like the twilight zone.None of you dog people should breed yourselves. Just get a dog and be on your merry way.
Bethany how dare you make such a judgement like, especially on something you are absolutely not qualified to say anything about if you have never even had a pet.This woman is trying to help others and have something positive come out of a bad experience and you just basically spit in her face. I dont know who you think you are but you should be incredibly ashamed of yourself and maybe make an attempt to figure out what has made you such a miserable and angry human being. Keep enjoying your judgement and pathetic behavior while hiding behind your laptop sweetheart, but it would be more beneficial if you would just stay secluded from the rest of us.
Bethany your ugly worthless kids are gonna grow up to be skanks like their momma. You shouldn’t be bringing kids into the world.
Kate if you had half the sense Betheny has youd be twice as smart as you are now. Keep aborting your kids , or stay on birth control. We don’t need anymore like you !
And you are how psychopaths and sociopaths are made. I suggest that you seek psychiatric help with your issues. Please don’t EVER get any pet, not even a pet rock coz you obviously have no conscience or moral compass. This lady is admirable and is a well adjusted and excellent mother who is very responsible and mature enough to look for a reason rather than just react without reason. If my dog had to bite someone, the first thing I’d ask if what that person did to provoke my dog! My horse has bitten me and thrown me off and I don’t try eat her or put a bullet in her head. And before you “attack” anyone else verbally about something you CLEARLY are not able to understand, sit down until the feeling passes or go play on a busy highway and do the world a favour. We need more people like her and definitely less of people like YOU!
Kristen your so CONFUSED. And a joke.
You obviously don’t know your Bible very well. God did NOT put animals on the planet for us to eat. In Genesis God put Adam and Eve in the garden with instruction to eat of the fruit of every tree and plant. AFTER they were banished from the garden they started to eat meat and God gave VERY SPECIFIC instructions on what meats were to be allowed and what were not. Our original diet was PLANT BASED. And before you go off on another tangent, I do eat meat in a restricted manner. (about once a month and no factory farmed anything!), so I am not attacking those who eat meat, just pointing out a flaw in your argument. I surely hope that you have never had pain from ear infections. . . or perhaps you should, so you can know what the dog felt like. This mother is so brave for sharing her story so that others may share in the lesson she had to learn the hard way.
you a a miserable cunt you know that? You bring up God in your statement but u
Are most certainly un-godly. You have never owned an animal which is a shame and a blessing. A shame
That u haven’t experienced the bond/love you and a pet can share. A blessing because u wouldn’t be worthy of said
Animal.
You are a disgusting psychopath Bethany. I would happily put a bullet in your head if you ever land a hand on any of my animals! I would happily put a bullet in your head for free you heartless c*#t!!
Like you said Bethany, You have never owned a dog. So shut ya face. More often than not it is the actions of the child that causes dog bites. Kids need to be supervised at all times around pets even ones they are used to and kids need to be taught manners around a pet’s Imagine if someone jumped on you and started pulling your ears?? I would bite their face too!!
Someone needs mental help, but its not this mother.
This poor family, my heart goes out to them.
we had a chocolate lab, she was always nervious but so sweet, however she was in my partners car when he had a head on car collision, we think this caused damage to most of her joints which resulted in arthritis. We had her xrayed and started on numerous medication, but with the best will in the world, there was times that the medication did not control the pain she was in.
As she got older she became more anxious when children was about, so we would keep her behind a child gate when the grandkids came to visit, just in case, the kids were never allowed to play with her or ideally be in the same room as i was never sure. This particular day she was having a ‘good day’ the grandkids were playing on the sofa with all the adults so she was allowed in the room, our grandson was sat on his dads knee and only reached out to stroke her, she turned and snapped at him, catching his arm causing a red mark on his arm, (she didnt break the skin) i know she was just warning him not to touch but she still should not have done that. Equally we should not have put her in that position.
I knew we could never have her and any kids in the same house after that, and like others have said, i knew that this incident was as much my fault as the dogs, so she went to stay with a friend that had no children. Even so after 6 months she was put to sleep at the grand age of only 7. we could not control the pain for her and her only way of voicing the pain was to snap at people. (i am sat her rubbing my hand as she bit me whilst trying to give her tablets) she knew she shouldnt bite but could not voice her pain in any other way.
wow you are amazing lady to write this story, every dog have the ability to bite, as adults we see the signs that the dog is not happy for what ever reason children just don’t nor does the dog understand a childs body langue, I have sat and cried over this and I am in awe of your coming forward to write your story, we should never judge the dog and jump to the conclusion that the dog is at fault, just like you havent please don’t blame yourself we all at some point in our lifes cut corners. I am glad the dog didnt have to be put to sleep but sad as well that he is still not with your family kindest regards pawfection DT
This is for Bethany (very opinionated woman above) You are exactly what this world doesn’t need; heartless assholes. Do everyone a favor and keep your opinions to yourself. You’re a fucking bitch and I would love to put a bullet in your head. Hope you choke on your food and die cunt
Well that wasn’t much better lol.
I know she is upsetting but don’t stoop to her ignorant level.
She lacks both knowledge and understanding and clearly presented that.
yeah , what a dummy! choosing people in front of her dogs… you guys are insane!
are insane
There has to be a “choice”?
If you child committed a murder, would you still love them but not agree with their actions or would you “unchoose” them afterwards?
It is called compassion, get some.
Choosing animals over people makes sense Bitch. Animals are never fake friends. They show unconditional love, and animals don’t do fucked up shit to others for the hell of it like people do. Yeah, I will take animals over people any day…
Agreed. Bethany is a worthless excuse for a human. Thinks cuz she is human, she’s more important than an animal. They are just as important as we humans are.
Thank you for sharing your story!
Dear pet owner,
I am so sorry that your vet had not educated you about goldens. They love water and love to swim however, their ears have very long canals and they easily get yeast infections in them if they are not dried out after being bathed or swimming. I used to periodically smell my dogs ears, because I recognize that yeast smell. Clotrimazole I had to inject whenever WE FAILED TO PROPERLY DRY THE DOGS EARS. i am glad that you understood the cause and result of the situation, but I am very sorry that you were not educated about your dog in order to prevent what happened.
I love my dog but my SON COMES FIRST period. All of you are sick. Recognize what’s real. A dog bit your son in the face …. Get rid of it. Don’t put y
Humans are not more important than animals. We all living breathing creatures and their lives are just as fucking important as yours or mine. Get over yourself Bitch
Your son in anymore danger .. He’s a baby and he’s going to continue to pull it’s ears!!!
Humans are not more important than animals. We all living breathing creatures and their lives are just as fucking important as yours or mine. Get over yourself Bitch.
Really ? A dogs life as important
a humans? Get a grip.
Clearly the people that think human life is more important than an animals life have never seen animal abuse. Have never seen dogs that have had acid thrown over them, been burned alive, raped, had a fire cracker taped into their mouth, been dragged behind a vehicle on a piece of rope for the fun of it!!!! Spend time with those dogs, see how terrified they are of a human being then tell me that the humans that did that are more important than those dogs… I feel sorry for you people because you are the ones teaching your children that animals are nothing and that’s where abuse starts. Here’s an idea, start teaching your kids from the cradle how to respect an animal, not climbing all over them and pulling its painful ears. Not keeping dogs in yards that are too small for them, not having a dog that you don’t understand. People go out and get Pit Bulls, leave them in tiny yards and don’t train them properly. Then the kids pull on the already irritated dogs and it snaps. Then Pit Bulls have to be banned because they are dangerous dogs. Bull Shit! My pit bull is the biggest softy that I know, because I have spent time on training her and loving her. I am sorry for the child that this happend to, and I am not bashing the parents, but perhaps more attention to teaching the child NO when it comes to pulling ears and hurting a dog may have prevented this. And those of you who may wanna bash me for this, it’s fine, atleast I’m sticking to a real subject instead of name calling and attention seeking!
Hi Tanya, I just wanted to let you know I absolutely agree with your post and really couldn’t have said it better myself!! I really wish more parents would be better about teaching their kids to treat animals with respect. We wouldn’t want our ears/hair pulled or our eyes poked. Why do people think it’s okay to let their kids do it to their pets? And these same people are the ones to blame the dog when the dog has had enough and nips or bites. And on another note, people who think humans are the superior species should take a look at the horrible things some people do to animals and even other humans. Would I rather be around a sweet, loving dog or cat than most humans? Absolutely. As for Bethany above, she sounds absolutely dreadful and judgmental and I’ll take my cats over her hateful self any day of the week. People like her are the reason I prefer animals to most people.
WE ARE ANIMALS…ALL OF US!
Stop thinking Humans are a different classification, that is just ego speaking.
We are all the same.
A Dog and a Cat are different species however they still are animals.
Just because we talk doesn’t make us more important.
Animals, as you see them, have been here and earned their right for life far before we showed up 300K years ago…or perhaps 2000 years ago if you believe that garbage.
My words come first had, my face was mauled and I lost a tooth from it when I was four years old, yes I remember the event clearly and that was 50 years ago! Bottom line is dogs are animals!!! Also signs of “innocent” nips or bites are warnings. We fought to have the dog that bite me put down, so he wouldn’t do it again! He had “nipped” people before… so what would he do next? Two different types of dogs for sure, just hurts me personally to hear your story
“brave for writing this story”? More like admitting to abusing the dog.
“He was family, and not only a dog”
Really? Still you didn’t care enough about him to take him to the vet so he could get his ear infection fixed.
YOU fucked up. I have no sympathy for you or your heartache from loosing your “loved family member”. He’s much better off with someone who actually prioritize him instead of theirselves.
Tired of taking him to the vet? TOUGH SHIT!
If you get a dog then you care for it no matter what. If you can’t be assed to do that, then you give it to someone who can.
You can be as crossed as you want to with me for writing this. I don’t care one second what you feel. Just like you didn’t care about your dogs feelings. Only difference is I’m not responsible for your wellbeing. You were responsible for his.
I’m GLAD you’re no longer a dog owner.
I think everyone is losing what this story is about this child had an amazing recovery and they are happy for that. If it hasn’t happened to you than you can’t say nothing cause you don’t know how it feels. Eight months ago my dog bit my well she was my best friend but she is no longer a part of my life her son and it was horrifying. So if you don’t know what goes on than I think all the negative comments should be kept to yourself. This family has been through enough without reading some of these comments.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Wow…this woman bared her heart and soul for good and now the ugliness in this thread is unbelievable. I was bitten by a dog and the owner was a nurse and stitched me up right then and their. I was playing with the dog the next day – supervised from then on. I had more grief with violence from other kids than dogs. Where is the common sense here? I learned from a youg age ALL ANIMALS AND KIDS SHOULD BE SUPERVISED. ALL KIDS WITH KIDS SHOULD BE SUPERVISED. Leave hate at the door, forgive, and work on loving all things/people and work toward the prevention of vioence. Only uneducated people advocate violence as a response to tragedy. People hate what they are too stupid to understand. Let’s all grow up and stop acting like 10 year olds…everyone is MUCH BETTER THAN THIS.
[…] heartbreaking story of another mother who was sure her dog wouldn’t bite her […]
[…] http://www.swaylove.org/mother-tells-courageous-story-about-dog-bite-responsibility […]
It’s very unclear to me why so many people are commending this woman. No one knows what truly happened to make this dog maul the child because NO ONE was supervising him. There’s no proof that the dog mauled the child because of a painful ear infection. Also, there’s no proof that the child was being rough with the dog causing it to snap because NO ONE was there supervising him!!! That’s simply what the author wants everyone to believe. I think it’s incredibly unfortunate for the child that the dog had to maul him before the mother started accepting responsibly.
When was the last time a Golden Retriever mauled a child? Pit Bull advocates all over the world are cheering that this little boy was mauled by a Golden Retriever and not a Pit Bull. Doesn’t surprise me. No one should be cheering when a child gets attacked. That’s unreal to me. It seems that the Pit advocacy will throw anything under the bus for “their breed”. In addition, “Pit Bulls” still holds the number one spot for dangerous attacks. The Golden Retriever should’ve been put to sleep. That’s why we have laws. It should not be on a case to case basis whether or not these laws are applicable. If the law states that any dog that attacks should be euthanized then that’s exactly what should’ve happened and the parents should be held accountable for their irresponsibility.
Post it again next year, Pit advocates. Maybe you all will have better luck.
Why is the white lab talked about in the story a Golden retriever in the pictures?
Never mind that’s the writer’s dog…
Daphne was the white lab that the mother said her son was getting more and more aggressive with each day. She didn’t say anything about the child’s behavior with Scrappy. The mother also said that the grandmother owned property in Texas but lives here. So who has the dog? The problem doesn’t disappear simply by moving him out of state. My dog is also prone to ear infections and loves to swim but regardless I know better than to let him go swimming with an ear infection no matter how cute he looks or how much he loves it, especially if I’m not going to treat him for it which will never happen. He also has never had an ear infection longer than 2 weeks. Sounds like Scrappy had chronic ear infections which would lead me to believe she should have experience with ear infections. I’ve never heard anyone say that a person or animal has probably just “learned to deal with the pain”. The dog will be much safer anywhere other than with this family and hopefully she has learned to care for her children a bit better. If not I hope someone will report these parents.
The fact that this poor fool thinks the lesson to be learned is “dogs want to tell you when they have an ear infection,” coupled by her own admission that her son is getting rough with their other dog are enough to know that she’s setting herself up for another incident like this. The lesson is not about dogs and ear infections. The lesson is about supervising your children when they’re with a dog, and teaching them how to interact with dogs with respect and gentleness. In another year we’re going to read about her having to send off another dog because her son got bit after he grabbed its feet, with the lesson being that “dogs want to tell you when they have a broken toenail.”
Just learn about dogs. Good authors are:
Turid Rugaas-calming signals
Patricia McConnell-other end of the leash, for love of a dog
Stanley Coren-intelligence of dogs, how to speak dog
Alexandra Horowitz-inside of a dog
Brian Hare-the genius of dogs
follow National Association of Dog Trainers or other respected groups on facebook.
If you must believe in dominance theory then read Mech’s definition (more like a dad than a boss or king).
Great brave article. Breed is irrelevant and here’s a question, this was my predicament yesterday, what do you do when your neighbours toddler is tormenting your 2 gsds staring and barking at them no adults about if I hadn’t been there and one or both my dogs jumped the fence and bit the child it would be my dogs fault. People need to take responsibility for their children’s actions and raise them to respect animals it also pisses me off when I see kids chasing and kicking birds. I really admire the fact she knew her dog wasn’t at fault and he didn’t get euthanized.
Were those antibiotics she was splitting in half “to make them last longer”? Because it would be a waste of this public education opportunity if nobody pointed out that that’s not a good idea, ever. For humans or for dogs.
If you or your dog are prescribed antibiotics, they should be taken as prescribed and until the whole prescription is complete. To do otherwise increases the risk of developing antibiotic-resistant infections, which puts all of us at risk.
I think the ” ripped his face to shreds” is a bit exaggerated. he had multiple puncture wounds and a lot of tissue swelling. I do love how she takes credit for not getting her dog the proper medical attention. ONE, can’t afford a dog don’t get one. TWO, the kid got bit because he grabbed the dogs infected ears. THREE, your child should have been told not to treat a dog that way because of this very reason. Children need to be taught proper behavior when around dogs.FINALLY, this was preventable. bottom line. It is a frustrating situation and i hope people really think about how much money an animal can cost before ever getting one, it is a long commitment. I hope her son recovers.
Thank you!
Thank you for your honesty.
First of all, I did not read all of these responses, but I did read this mothers story. It is heartbreaking when something like this happens. I have been around dogs all my life and I myself was mauled by a German Shepherd when I was 8 years old. To save his life I lied and told everyone that I had been teasing him. He was just a desperately lonely dog chained in my neighbors back yard and I got too close.
I have been in pet therapy for 8 years with my little Maltese, Faye. I cannot tell you how many times parents will say to their children “This dog won’t bite.” I wait for a quiet moment, in calm voice, and tell them that all dogs can and will bite depending on the trigger. Are you hurting the dog, is the dog scared, do you have the dog cornered and he thinks you are going to hurt him?
We must stop the knee-jerk reaction of killing dogs that bite. Let’s access them and see if there are circumstances that could have prevented the bite. Otherwise its just murder and the child will have to live with the loss, and guilt, of losing a beloved pet.
Thank you for telling your story so honestly. There are lessons here. First is to be a responsible pet owner. Know your dog. Make sure he/she is properly socialized and trained. Give him nutrition, attention, guidance and exercise to keep him from becoming bored. Learn his body language. It is not just his eyes you are looking at. He communicates with his ears, tail, eyes, mouth and body stance…learn the signs of how he is feeling/thinking. Make sure he is healthy by having regular vet exams and vacinations.
Secondly, teach your children from an early age how to treat and interact with animals, specifically your family pets. Keep them under close observation when in the same area. Never leave a child and dog alone together. Teach your children how to read your dog’s body language from an early age. Do not allow them to sit on, stand on, ride on, pull ears or tails or otherwise treat them in any way except gentleness and kindness. Teach them not to approach dogs outside of the home without asking the owner permission first.
Know i have not read all these replys so dont have ago
I love this story it warmed my heart i love dogs and the fact that you helped him so much and got him out of the death penalty is amazing and beautiful dogs are family and i dont care what any one says.
But to all these people attacking.each other over this have u actually read even.half of these replys
To the guy talking about dogs attacking with out reason. They attack because of these three main things
1.have been trained too
2. They have warned you and you didnt listen.
3. They have been treated badly in the past by a person and they think i.have to get them before.they get me.
There are other reasons like
.They could be deaf and they didnt hear you coming
. They are hurt
. They are telling you this is there place.
And there are many more just because a dog bit you for what you.say is no reason doesnt mean it was a bad dog
Oh and the person that said that dogs.that kill people should be killed. What if it was your dog would you want it dead.
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[…] and went back to sleep as if nothing happened. There are several more similar stories. One more is here. (Golden Retriever – it’s not just Pit […]
Wow, reading everyone’s comments is an eyeopener.
We are all animals, we were all put here by the same creator.
Dogs have intelligence, not like humans, but not like a worm either. As a higher life form (we do like to think of ourselves this way, right?), we have a responsibility to care for beasts that we take it of their natural environment and domesticate for OUR OWN PURPOSES AND ENJOYMENT!
I feel this mother has suffered, her child has suffered and their dog has suffered. My child was bit in the face at the age of 3 1/2 when just reaching down to pet a dog her grandmother was watching temporarily for a friend. We had dogs, she was raised to respect all animals and was disciplined when she didn’t respect their space or needs. I was not present when the incident occurred and feel it would not have happened if I had been. I would have been aware of where my child was, where the dog was and been controlling the situation to prevent an incident. I blame the grandmother the most; I never told her or made a scene, she was a typical pet owner who years earlier had owned a mini poodle. They loved the dog and cared for it well enough, but it was an object to own.
As the pets owner, I have a responsibility to know my pet, know my surroundings and be cognizant of all potential situations that could precipitate an issue. I have dogs, train, breed and show dogs and a responsible owner accepts fI’ll responsibility for any and all potential issues, occurebces, etc.. that could develop and involve their pet. I love my dogs, my daughter has pit bulls, one raised from 6 weeks and one rescue. They are both the best representatives of the breed, calm, patient with kids, (of which there are many crawling around at her house constantly), protective of house and family and yet, there have been occasions where she has removed them from a crowded party because she recognized one of them was stressed, out of sorts, feeling poorly, and she did it as a preventative measure. There are people who should never own an animal, not even a guinea pig. That there are not more incidents is a miracle and testament to the patience of the animals we choose to own.
I hope her child has suffered no serious or longterm neurological effects or phobias. I hope if they ever get a dog again they will be as attentive to the pets’ needs as their own child’s or themselves and not shortchange medications or medical care. I give that mother credit for owning up to their culpability in this tragedy.
If you are not the ‘perfect’ pet owner who has always been perfect, shut up and give thanks this didn’t happen to your family!
[…] Take Care of Your Children. Take Care of Your Dog […]
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I am noticing my son being more and more aggressive with Daphne, our amazing white lab.
Zach was playing with Scrappy… Sitting on him and reached forward and grabbed both of his ears, hard.
I think the most important message is, teach your kid how to treat a dog right.
Aggressive behavior towards the dog has to be stoped, immediately!! Noticing is for sure not enough.
I’m not even sure that the ear infection was the cause that he snaped. To allow a child to sit on a dog is beyond my imagination.
… and by the way to cut pain pills in half is pathetic. Just imagine someone would give you or a member of your family only a half when they are in pain.
I’m glad your mother took the dog and I hope your son is alright and not scared about dogs and learned how to treat animals properly.
[…] Mother tells a courageous story about dog bite responsibility […]