Bit by my own dog?

[Inga]

i guess i just figure that if i live and work with dogs, there's a chance that i'm going to get bitten. my dogs have never threatened me in any aggressive manner, but i've gotten bitten nonetheless. broken skin, bruises, blood. it just doesn't seem report-worthy to me. it's just... life.

i often think that a big part of the reason there's so much hysteria surrounding dog bites is because there needs to be a big freaking deal made out of things that didn't used to be big freaking deals. now it seems that more and more we expect dogs to be disney characters and not living, breathing, feeling, reacting animals. we're losing touch with what our dogs really are.

i think it's extremely telling that despite the huge increase in media drama about dog bites, dog attacks, vicious killer pit bulls on rampages, there hasn't been a significant increase in the number of fatal dog attacks (which is, incidentally, the only kind of dog attacks about which there are accurate statistics kept).

Good Point! I think with as many dogs as there are out there (also combined with the fact there are so many ignorant people) that there would be far more bites then there are. Not to mention the fact that people really do expect their dogs to handle very very unnatural things. From silly coats, boots jewelry to riding in bags, to living in junkyards, living on chains or small cages all the time etc... so many things that we do and then act shocked when a dog has a momentary Wiggins.

As sad as it is when people do get killed by dogs it is sort of strange that it is such a big deal to the masses. I mean, far more people are killed by bees/wasps every year. I think it is the fact that we see dogs as "mans best friend" and that we feel somehow wronged by the fact that they would kill us. (a human) What do you all think about that?

 

[Beanie]

Is it common, do you think, to make excuses for our own dogs when things like this happen?

I don't think it's necessarily making excuses... dogs are still animals (just like we are) and they don't ALWAYS act and react rationally or predictably. No matter how much training goes into things, there's still always that one part there that will be "unpredictable" if you really want to call it that.
So I think a lot of us (as dog people) look for the EXPLANATION to the behaviour. What was different in this instance that caused that reaction? It's not an excuse that a reactive dog turns around and nails it's owner at the end of the leash because they can't nail another dog or another person; it's not an excuse that a dog turns to mouth a brush because the person grooming them has caught a small mat or knot and it's pulled a little; it's an explanation for the behaviour - and it happens all the time.

I think it's important to look for the explanation when you're evaluating a dog... there's a difference between dogs who resource guard and bites because somebody has mistakingly gotten too close, or dogs that chase kids throughout the neighbourhood and bite/maul them.


Now, I think there ARE people who DO make excuses for their dog's behaviour... but it's the same people we're talking about who own small breed dogs and don't think the normal training expectations apply to them, IMO.
I also think a majority of bite incidents, even when it's not your own dog (say it's the neighbour's dog or a friend's dog), probably do indeed go unreported - likely because there's an explanation that doesn't involve a dog actually being "vicious" or acting in a manner that suggests there's just something really wrong with the dog that may or may not warrant it being put down...
Does that make sense..?

 

[elegy]

True elegy.. and why is it only dogs that get reported? Horses hurt and kill more people than dogs do.. but there are no reports. Nor are there with cats.

cows are more deadly than dogs as well. i remember once a number of years ago it was reported on yahoo's headlines that there'd be a death by pit bull somewhere local to me. if you clicked on the story, it was actually about a farmer being trampled by a BULL. i wish i had screen-capped it and saved it because it was ever so ironic.

i got bitten by a horse once when i was sixteen. it was a jerk of a tb that i was exercising for a woman who'd had surgery. i forget the circumstances, but he whipped around and nailed me on the leg. i had a lemon-sized bruise despite jeans and chaps.

 

[smkie]

Never by my own, not even when coming out of surgery.

 

[Phoenixangelwyngs]

I've been nipped by Shye twice on accident. He is a toy hog and will then pick fights with any dog who tries to get one of the ten identical things he's hoarding. Once was in telling him he couldn't bite at River so he went to go take his frustrations out on Ransom who had just jumped on him and my hand happened to be what he caught barely instead of Ransom. The other time was in pulling apart a brawl that started over rawhides when I stupidly left the room for 5 minutes or less to pee. I apparently can't hold a pair of 45 pound dogs out away from my body enough.... he nipped my hip.
There's also an elaborate amount of puppy bites before they get a handle on their mouths.
Both were my fault. I know my dog. I now am very vigilant of Shye's signs. He's a fairly nervous dog... and takes a bit of building up every day to let him know that things are still good today like they were yesterday and I still have it all covered. He's a good dog... and very good with the other dogs... just not if food's involved and not with resources if not carefully monitored.
It is entirely possible for me to have all four dogs draped over some part of me all chewing rawhides and have no one get even slightly upset. It's all in knowing your dogs.

 

[jesirose]

Sadie bit me because I grabbed her scruff in a parking lot. She got spooked really bad by me pushing a cart (she's fine with OTHER people pushing them, for some reason) and slipped her collar. I had to grab her and practically alpha-roll her to control her. She bit my arm. Didn't break the skin, which I think considering how freaked out she was, was great.

Anything with teeth can and WILL bite.

 

[Tazwell]

I've been bitten by Gina a TON, because I was a stupid kid (got her when I was 9), and she was the poor victimized dog. My parents left me alone with her all the time, I was awful to her at times.

Archie bit me once the day after I got him from the shelter. He was extremely food aggressive, and dog aggressive, so he was totally seperate from the other dogs AND on a leash. My yorkie slipped through the gate while I was making a sandwich at the stove, and Archie went after her before I even knew she was there. Instinctively I grabbed him by the collar (Don't tell me, I know-- but you don't think when it's that unexpected and there's a 40lb dog on on top of your 12lb yorkie!) and he turned around and bit my arm. I had 4 small tooth-sized bruises, but no skin-breakage

Now he's my non-food aggressive, lives with 5 other dogs AND foster dogs, CGC Guy

 

[corgipower]

Obviously people don't report a bite on themselves by their own dog (or I wouldn't think they would) but what about bites to family?

No, I wouldn't report a bite by my own dog. But if my own dog bit seriously enough to warrant a report - whether my self or someone else - I would address it as such with an immediate vet check and if needed I would euthanize.

Is it common, do you think, to make excuses for our own dogs when things like this happen?

I do, but I don't make excuses for myself and my management of the dog and the situation. Many bites are the fault of the people involved - either the dog's owner or the person who got bitten or both.

I still get bitten by my dogs, and each time it's preventable, but I tend to not take those precautions around my own dogs - for example, I grab a brush and some treats and begin grooming. The dog gets some treats for allowing me to groom. Then I get impatient and I stop rewarding and I brush harder and faster because it's shedding season. The dog bites me because his hair is getting pulled. My fault, totally preventable.

As for Nyx, she is the one I'm watching. She is a very sweet dog. She also has the potential to be a dangerous dog. She doesn't have sufficient self control, she doesn't have sufficient bite inhibition and she has a ton of prey, play and fight drives.

IMO, it is the people who should get blamed for bites and not the dogs. But not in terms of excusing the dog's behavior. The owner could excuse the behavior by admitting that they have done an inadequate job of training, socializing and containing the dog. The bite victim could excuse the dog by admitting that they had no business approaching the dog in the first place. The parents of the kid that got bitten could excuse the dog by admitting that they left their child with inadequate supervision and hadn't taught the child to not approach dogs unsupervised.

As an example of how bites can be prevented ~ When I had my GSD's, I took them to a park where there were a lot of kids around. The kids always wanted to come pet the dogs. Then the kids wanted to run around with each other, shrieking and waving their arms. An easy way to trigger prey drive. The first time they did that, I told them to move further away from my dogs. I explained to them how their play could result in a dog bite. They understood, they complied, and everyone was happy and safe. The kids later were explaining it to a friend of theirs who showed up afterwards .

 

[puppydog]

Do people here feel that small dogs are more likely to bite than big dogs ???

No, stupid owner of little dogs who allow obnoxious behaviour because they think it is cute are more likely to have biters.

My two have never bitten me in anger. We play a lot and Lills has slightly less control then Ben who just gums a person. Lills nips by mistake and is instantly sorry, she does the whole, ears back, big sad shelter dog eyes thing. :rofl1:

My two often get comments on not being typical little dogs, that is because they are treated like dogs, much loved and spoiled, but get on with your own crap because mommy ain't bailing you out!

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Never by my own dog.

 

[Laurelin]

My two often get comments on not being typical little dogs, that is because they are treated like dogs, much loved and spoiled, but get on with your own crap because mommy ain't bailing you out!

I get that ALL the time. I guess it's a compliment, but it always strikes me as weird. People watch Summer heeling and observing people around (I guess without snapping or yapping) and they will come up in amazement and ask why she doesn't act like a 'little dog'. I think she acts like a little dog- just a good one.

One of my favorite questions is when people ask me why Summer is not shaking like little dogs are 'supposed to'.

 

[puppydog]

Yeah, I hear you!
People always tell me that my two are very well behaved and why that is. I just tell them that if they want to live with me they have to tow the same line as everyone else does. That is to behave and entertain themselves.
My two are spectacular at that. I take them to friends houses and the two of them spend the entire time getting on with their own thing. I won't pander to them just because they are small.

I get so angry when I see people fussing over small dogs and not allowing them to just be dogs!

 

[Dekka]

I get asked if Dekka is drugged... cause you know thats the only way JRTs ever behave Small dogs I think are often under socialized (cause they are cute and small.. who thinks of a tiny puppy biting?), They are often treated like stuffed toys by children cause they are small (and small = harmless right?) so the dogs feel the need to protect themselves more. And puppy mills pump out more small dogs than any other kind.. so temperament issues are more prevalent.

 

[Laurelin]

I get asked if Dekka is drugged... cause you know thats the only way JRTs ever behave Small dogs I think are often under socialized (cause they are cute and small.. who thinks of a tiny puppy biting?), They are often treated like stuffed toys by children cause they are small (and small = harmless right?) so the dogs feel the need to protect themselves more. And puppy mills pump out more small dogs than any other kind.. so temperament issues are more prevalent.

I think those are the main reasons. So many small dogs are bred with absolutely NO reason past the fact that they are cute and trendy. Mills and pet stores love them and they mass produce them, which leads to dogs with less than stable temperaments.

You would not believe some of the things kids (and even adults) try to do with my dogs simply because they're small. I really think people dont' see them as real animals. People come up without asking and try to grab the dog. I will not let anyone I don't know pick them up but believe me people try all the freaking time. Luckily my dogs are cool with whatever comes their way but I think it's just crazy to come up to a random person's dog and hover over them and grab at them to try to pick them up. No wonder small dogs bite because people become idiots when around them! I have to be really really aware especially with kids around that no one tries that with my dogs. I'm often the mean dog owner I guess because I will let kids pet the dogs but any grabbing at them and the kid is told firmly that's not how you treat a stranger's dog.

 

[Doberluv]

I've never ever been bitten by my own dogs in the 50 years I've had dogs.

I was badly bitten though by a random dog I was trying to save that was caught on top of a fence. The dog really tried to kill me... went for my neck, throat and face first, then my hands, wrists and forearms when I got hold of his collar to get him detached from my face. This dog left me with puncture wounds all over the place and a big chunk out of my chin. I needed re-constructive surgery. I still have a scar on my chin, but it's not too bad. I tell you, those puncture wounds from a dog bite are soooooo painful. And very dirty and prone to infection.

This was several years ago and I knew better than to rush up to a dog in such trouble, but my reflex to save the dog was just too strong. I mean, this dog was hopelessly hanging from the top of the fence.

The dog also went after the animal control officer who went to their house to check on the dog days later, as she was required to be quaranteened for 10 days in case of rabies.

I also haven't been bitten by any of the dogs I've worked with that have or have had aggression issues. Knock on wood.

Nature's gift. That must have been so scary when you were a kid with that big dog on you. Thank God you had your snow suit on and someone was around to help.

 

[puppydog]

Lilly WILL bite a stranger if they try to pick her up. I allow it too. It is rude to do so without asking me. If they ask I place her in their arms and she is fine.

Ben, a person would have to catch him first!

 

[adojrts]

Lol, I took a girl once to the hospital because she had been bitten by a horse. This horse left a crater about 4 inches wide on the top of her arm, flesh completely gone and it was also deep. The attending doc in emerg. looked at it and said 'that is one nasty horseFLY bite'. I just about fell over lol. I would hate to meet the horsefly that could do that!!

One of the girls (in her 20's) at work years ago, had one of the horses rip her ear off, which was later re-attached with stitches and glue. She was warned to be careful around that horse and didn't heed the warning.........therefore learning the hardway.

 

[Criosphynx]

I've never ever been bitten by my own dogs in the 50 years I've had dogs.

I was badly bitten though by a random dog I was trying to save that was caught on top of a fence. The dog really tried to kill me... went for my neck, throat and face first, then my hands, wrists and forearms when I got hold of his collar to get him detached from my face. This dog left me with puncture wounds all over the place and a big chunk out of my chin. I needed re-constructive surgery. I still have a scar on my chin, but it's not too bad. I tell you, those puncture wounds from a dog bite are soooooo painful. And very dirty and prone to infection.

This was several years ago and I knew better than to rush up to a dog in such trouble, but my reflex to save the dog was just too strong. I mean, this dog was hopelessly hanging from the top of the fence.

The dog also went after the animal control officer who went to their house to check on the dog days later, as she was required to be quaranteened for 10 days in case of rabies.

I also haven't been bitten by any of the dogs I've worked with that have or have had aggression issues. Knock on wood.

Nature's gift. That must have been so scary when you were a kid with that big dog on you. Thank God you had your snow suit on and someone was around to help.

:yikes::yikes::yikes:


wow...I know of a girl who was mauled by a GSD and the following surgery wasn't able to do much good....glad your ok

 

[Doberluv]

Thank you Crio. That is a shame about that girl. GSDs can really do damage. I was lucky considering.

Yeah, when I went to my car to get back in, (I just stopped my car in the middle of the country road I was on when I saw this dog try to jump this tall fence and get stuck by her groin on it) I was bleeding so badly, the outside of the car was splattered like there had been an ax murder. The inside got pretty covered too. I looked for something clean to hold on my chin and all there was was a newspaper. I held it on with one hand and alternatedly shifted the stick and steered with the other hand until I got to my friend's house which wasn't too far. She took me to the hospital. One of the neck bites barely missed my jugular vein.

And you know...the people with this dog never called to see how I was or show any concern that their dog had done this. I figured it was my fault for approaching a dog in trouble, but when the animal control officer told me the dog was unbelievably aggressive anyhow, I was P.O'd. This dog running around loose. What if a child had been going by? The dog was medium sized...not too heavy, so it goes to show it doesn't take a huge dog to cause a lot of damage. This dog was on top of the 5-6' fence when she was ravaging me...right about at my face level.

I settled for medical bills and a little bit more but could have gotten a lot more if I had messed with the legal system. But I was also going through a divorce at the time and more court stuff just didn't appeal to me then. But the jerks didn't have to put the dog down. I saw her after that. But they had put an electric wire on top of the fence, which I don't know how that would work if the dog isn't touching the ground when it hits the wire, which it wouldn't be. So, I don't think that did any good.

 

[Sweet72947]

When we owned Coco, the Chessie, he bit me in the face. He was food aggressive, and I walked by him while he was eating. He was not a nice dog.

Daisy has never bitten me. She snapped at me when I was trying to clip her nails once, but it was a half-hearted I'm terrified go away snap. A few weeks after Benji came to us, I caught him going into the trash in the kitchen (this was at the old house where the can just sat unprotected in the kitchen, not under a cabinet like it is now). I gave him a vocal correction and pulled him away, and he bit me. He was a food-guarder, but he's much better now. I let him mouth my hands all the time for fun and he's pretty gentle about it.