Happy

[Southpaw]

Happy bit my nephew today.
Nailed him in a couple different spots on both legs.
I wasn't there - my mom and brother-in-law were and apparently nothing really happened beforehand. Happy was standing there, my nephew turned around and *maybe* brushed against her, and she just lost her crap on him.

This is not the first bite. This was just maybe the worst, and the one that drove the issue home I guess. I've never witnessed any of these issues and I can do whatever I want to her and I've never been worried about how she'll react. But apparently she's rather unpredictable and will go off at the slightest touch.

She's had bloodwork done twice in the past 8 months. She's been examined. She's old, she's deaf, she has heartworms... "otherwise" she's fine.

My mom does daycare. There are always kids in this house. It sucks that it was my nephew that got bit, but thank God it was my nephew - what if that was one of the daycare kids?? She can't be trusted and I don't know what to do. I don't know when to make the hard decision.
How many dogs can I fail this week.

 

[SpringerLover]

Can you just not let her be around the children? They just might be way too much for her. Even though my dogs are tolerant, they certainly haven't ever enjoyed children.

 

[Julee]

Can you crate her or stick her in a different part of the house while you're gone?

 

[Laurelin]

That's horrible. I'm sorry about all of that. Is your nephew okay?

With a daycare, I would worry about liability issues keeping a dog that has landed bites before (especially on kids) I would be very careful legally speaking when dealing with other peoples' kids. It could go very badly.

The only way I could see it working would be if she never got anywhere near any of the kids but imo you'd have to be extra vigilant and not make any mistakes. At this point she just cannot be able to access the kids at all and the kids cannot access her.

 

[AdrianneIsabel]

Poor kid, I would not put a dog in that situation unless they expressly enjoyed children. :/

 

[sassafras]

Oh, crap. Is there a safe place for her to be away from the kids?

 

[Southpaw]

Kids are here M-F, 7am-6pm. Weekends the nephews/nieces are here a lot but there's quite a bit more leeway there. She would have to be put in a room though, if she is just gated to a separate part of the house she is very relentless when she doesn't want to be there anymore - barking, whining, pacing. It just.... sounds like a lot of time to be locked up.

It's not just that she doesn't like kids, she's bit my mom/brother/brother-in-law. It's just a whole lot more unacceptable if kids are going to be included.
She did snap at a daycare kid once, in front of the parent. The kid stepped on her or something. The parent was very understanding. But holy crap, Happy.

I've just never had to deal with this before. I'm used to having the most tolerant dogs on the planet. I have no idea what is fair to the dog, what is safe and what is risky, is there something causing it... for all I know she's been this way her whole life, but I only have the last 12 months to look back on. =/

Is your nephew okay?

He is, thanks. Really surprised and shaken up, he likes Happy... but he's a resilient kiddo.

 

[SpringerLover]

I mean, if she gets out to pee... being put away from 7-6, or while you're gone, really isn't extreme.

 

[Southpaw]

I can certainly try it and see what she thinks.

 

[Laurelin]

A lot of dogs are confined for a whole work day and are fine. Mine aren't confined quite that long but almost. They hang in the kitchen. Doesn't seem to bother them.

 

[teacuptiger]

I'm glad to hear that your nephew is okay!

Could it be that Happy wasn't aware of where he was, and was surprised when he brushed up against her? Like you said, she's old and deaf... if she was achy that day in the spot he brushed up against, that could be a factor in what caused the bite.

If at all possible, I would put her up when you're gone, and perhaps have someone give her a lot of breaks (walks, playtime, etc) in between so the hours she's by herself aren't so bad.

I'm really sorry that you're in this situation, but I hope it's one that ends well.

 

[Julee]

I mean, if she gets out to pee... being put away from 7-6, or while you're gone, really isn't extreme.

Agreed. You can always have your mom (or whoever) poke in every couple of hours and give her something to do if she's getting restless - stuffed kong, bully stick, what have you.

 

[*blackrose]

It never hurts to try and see how she does with being kept separate from the kids. Then go from there.

We've had to deal with similar issues with Chloe...and honestly, there is no good answer. Luckily for us, we don't have a lot of traffic in and out of the house and when we do, we confine her.
One of the reasons she is currently living with my mom is because she cannot be trusted around kids...and Michael and I want kids and Chloe doesn't do well when confined. If she had to live gated off from part of the house/family...she would have an anxiety attack. So, she'll be with mom as long as it remains a good fit...if that changes, well...we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

 

[Southpaw]

And I don't mean to be so dramatic.... I've just always had a zero tolerance policy when it comes to biting. To now have a biter, it's making my head spin a little.

 

[Beanie]

I think she'll be fine being confined for that long, but like you said, you don't know her whole history... but nothing to do but try it IMO. She definitely can't be out around the daycare kids ever again. I think everybody needs to be completely clear and in agreement on that, and I mean can't even have a "whoops, Happy got past me and is out with the kids" or "a kid opened the door to where Happy is" moment. I'm sure your mom has liability insurance, it's required in most states, but holy disaster if something happened - it's best to just do everything possible to prevent it from ever getting close to happening again.
I predict she will handle it just fine. Keeping her confined in another room is the least offensive and easiest option though so definitely the one to try first.

Being that she is deaf and presumably she's also losing her vision, he could have startled her... he didn't even need to touch her to startle her. I'm glad he's okay and still likes her.

I'm sorry. Don't look at it as failing her. You gave her a home when a lot of other people wouldn't. She's had a happy time with you. Even if it comes down to an ultimately sad decision, she's gotten a lot more than she would have if you hadn't brought her into your life. I just don't see how that's failing her.

 

[AdrianneIsabel]

Shamoo is crated for 10 hours 3 days of the week. It's totally not ideal but she's fine. My malinois are crated for most of that as well, they come to work with me though so they get out in the morning and at lunch. Shamoo would, too, but she stresses too much.

Honestly, if it keeps the kids and Happy safe I would totally crate her that long. If you aren't comfortable with that consider an outside kennel run or an xpen?

 

[AdrianneIsabel]

Could it be that Happy wasn't aware of where he was, and was surprised when he brushed up against her? Like you said, she's old and deaf... if she was achy that day in the spot he brushed up against, that could be a factor in what caused the bite.

Totally, I have a 15 year old pit bull and malinois. Combine the lack of awareness of my old girl and the reactivity of my herder brains and this is totally plausible.

 

[Laurelin]

Yep, mine are 4.5 hours in the morning, 5.5 hours after lunch on 4 days a week. 20-30 minute lunch break between so they can potty/get worked/stretch their legs and I give Mia a new puzzle food toy and Summer some treats. With the whole kitchen, they are fine and have beds to snuggle in, chews to eat, toys to play with, and a full wall sized window to look out of. As long as they get exercise before and after work and a potty break at lunch, it works well. I think it's harder on me (feeling guilty) than it is on them.

ETA: Trey bit me really bad when he was older and losing sight and hearing. I think that's something that could totally have happened. But it's still not safe to have a dog like that around daycare kids at all. I definitely agree with Beanie in that there can be no mishaps whatsoever because the ramifications if something were to happen would be absolutely awful.

 

[porchpotty]

Sorry to hear that. I hope your nephew's fine now. I would suggest that you keep your dog from kids by placing him in a crate while you're away.

 

[Grab]

Brooks and Aesop are crated while I'm at work, with a quick pee run at lunch most days.

ETA that I don't think I'd let any dog around daycare kids. I'm well aware of how my own dogs react to my own kid, but every child is different