gizmo Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 My daughter, the sensitive one, went to a friend's house today for a few hours. She came home in tears. It seems as though her friend and the friend's 5 year old brother were teasing the pet Chihuahua, and the damn dog bit my daughter several times on the leg (my daughter loves dogs, and wasn't throwing pillow at the dog). Now, my daughter is porcelain fair, but these dog bites left red marks AND BRUISES! Thankfully, no skin was broken. But WTF? The mother of these two children not only did not call us when this occurred, she didn't tell my husband when he picked up my daughter. Then she tried to cover it up. Then she tried to make it like it was no big deal. Well, let the friggin dog bite your kids and draw bruises, you cow! Then, my daughter said that the kids went to McD's, and not one of them were in a car seat. Now, my daughter and her friend are 8, but the law states that children need to be 4'9" tall (my daughter is 4'4") to stop sitting in a booster seat. But the five year old not only wasn't in a booster seat, he sat in the front seat! Thankfully, they all wore seat belts. My daughter said the seat belt latches were buried deep in the seat, so it's likely these kids weren't wearing seat belts before. I mean, it was only 3 blocks to McD's, but I had a major car accident in a town of 8,000 two blocks from my in-laws house, so anything can happen, you know? I mean, is it just me that I require my children to be safe and respectful of pets and other people and the property in my home and in others' homes, or am I some outdated relic? Or is this woman really as stupid as I think she is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatty Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Is this the same woman I saw at walmart holding a family reunion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SashaSue Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Car seats = must absolutely do as required by law. In the backseat. Poorly trained animal that's allowed to bite = dog should be separated from humans until it can behave. She's a total fucking moron. With that said, your daughter may well have gotten into the fray with the dog (even though she loves dogs and says she didn't), so if nothing else it will reinforce how to properly approach and play with dogs, even small cute ones. I don't know that I'd have my kid back over there anytime soon. OK, this is totally tangential, but this is so not the dog's fault. There's nothing in dog training about teaching a dog to tolerate having stuff thrown at him, with lots of scary noises to boot, odds are. The best trained dog could freak out under those circumstances, especially with a new person around. It's totally the parents' fault, for having a dog with children, yet not bothering to teach the children how to behave towards him. The children should not be allowed near animals until they can learn to interact with them respectfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamp56 Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 This woman should not have children due her total disregard for safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wondernut Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 First of all it is sick and sad those kids were teasing that poor dog! second I know here where I live all dog bites big or small MUST be reported to the health dept ..by law ..they even have a 24 hour msg line for reporting bites.. you are not a picky mom or an old relic ..you are a sweet concerned person who loves her kids and wants them to have safe healthy and fun time when they visit friends ..as you would give her kids (obviously) if they were visiting you.. not sure how close you are with these people but you could do one of two things as I see it ..just X them off your list of places your kids will ever go with out you or second you could talk to the mom and see what she thinks happened and why it is ok that her kids torment a tiny dog until it bites? good luck to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olga Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 The animal shelter in this area won't adopt out puppies and kittens to people with children age 5 and under just because of this kind of situation. An adult, bigger animal can get away from the kids, but a small dog or a puppy is stuck with the teasing and badgering. The woman is a total jerk. No child rides in my car unless it's in second seat and with a car seat for the little ones. Period. It's the law in this state. I wouldn't let my daughter go there again. Suppose it was her face and eyes that got scratched? How long will this poor little dog put up with this teasing before it goes postal? Personally, I'd be reporting this woman to the SPCA, but that's me. olga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpuppy Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I disagree with the sentiment that the dog was tormented into biting. If the dog's temperment lends itself to being tormented into biting small children, the dog should not be permitted to be NEAR small children. Crates exist for a reason. On the flip side, these children, should be seperated from dogs, as they have zero respect. Sadly, the law doesn't permit placing children in crates. I wouldn't let my kid go back to that house. Period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix_Rising Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I'm with olga and mp; I wouldn't let my kid go over there again. The mom obviously hasn't trained the kids how to play nice with the dog and I doubt she has plans to. Almost any dog being treated that way is going to get pissed and bite. I'm sorry your little girl got bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celestia Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 That's horrifying. You are not picky, not in the least bit. I would have been outraged and I'm impressed with your restraint toward that woman (stretch to call her a *mom*) I'm militant about restraint in cars and everyone knows bad accidents happen closer to home than we might realize. Mandatory sterilization for stupid people. Why do these people even have kids? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpuppy Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 [as an aside, and it's ultimately irrelevant to the discussion at hand but: Unless the dog was actually LOCKED in the room with the children, and had no avenue of escape, no. There is NO excuse for the dog having bitten a human. Properly trained and socialized dogs, with solid pack structure, do not bite humans unless absolutely backed into a corner- literally- with no method of escape. Properly socialized dogs will simply remove themselves from a situation where they are being tormented by children. Again- this is why dog's need crates. Among the many uses, is the additional benefit of the dog being able to escape stressful stimulus by chosing to remove itself to it's crate.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 I also agree that it's not the dog's fault-- it's the lousy owners' fault. Which isn't a surprise-- a shitty parent to kids can't really be expected to be a good parent to dogs. I think, mainly, that it's the "humans" fault. My daughter said the children were throwing pillows at the dog. If they were doing that this time, and it provoked such an extreme response in the dog, chances are they children have done this, and worse, before. It makes me feel sad that this dog has been repeatedly treated like this. While I am not a huge fan of dogs, especially small dogs (though I helped raise championship Rottweilers most of my childhood, go figure), I treat all animals with kindness and respect. I taught my children from a very early age to do so as well. My daughter ADORES dogs, and despite many of your doubts, I know she was as likely to throw a pillow to tease a dog as she would be to cut her hair that runs most of the way down her back. I feel that in cases like these, that the animal should be removed from the household. But where would you put it? Shelters are overfilled, especially in the no-kills shelters. I think people who treat their pets with unkindness and indifference and abject cruelty really show their true character - and it ain't pretty. /gizmo steps off her soapbox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SashaSue Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 [as an aside, and it's ultimately irrelevant to the discussion at hand but: Unless the dog was actually LOCKED in the room with the children, and had no avenue of escape, no. There is NO excuse for the dog having bitten a human. Properly trained and socialized dogs, with solid pack structure, do not bite humans unless absolutely backed into a corner- literally- with no method of escape. Properly socialized dogs will simply remove themselves from a situation where they are being tormented by children. Again- this is why dog's need crates. Among the many uses, is the additional benefit of the dog being able to escape stressful stimulus by chosing to remove itself to it's crate.] And I still say this is the parents' fault, for failing to provide the dog with adequate training, socialization, or a solid pack structure. It's not like the dog can make those things happen for himself. Given the dog's size, I would think he could pretty easily be trapped by three kids, even if unintentionally. In general, I think it is the owners' responsibility to provide a dog with training, socializiation, and a solid pack structure. Should they fail to do so, they are responsible for the dog's behavior. If a dog is a rescue, maybe, or for some other reason a work in progress, training wise, he should only be allowed around kids with direct adult supervision, for everyone's safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpuppy Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Absolutely- the adults in the home were 100% responsible for this situation. I'm honestly a firm believer that dogs, until proven to be 100% reliable, should NOT be alone with children. With my German Shepherd, I was not convinced of this fact until she was over a year old. I had to see repeated evidence of her ability to tolerate obnoxious behavior (which I stopped whenever I witnessed it), evidence of my son's ability to respect the dog's space and rights, and the dog's willingness to simply avoid/leave situations which stressed her. Again, I don't blame the dog- it's the adult's fault. I just find myself feeling the need to correct the idea that "the dog was tormented into biting" is a defense for that sort of behavior from a dog. That dog should never have been left alone with children, and those children should never have been permitted to treat a dog (especially a breed known for having such thin nerves) into that state of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SashaSue Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Totally agreed, especially about supervising all kid/dog time until both have demonstrated the ability to interact appropriately. One of my Siberians was terrified of kids when I first got her. She never growled or snapped at them, just kind of cowered behind me, but with a scared dog, you never know. I was amazed by how many parents let their little kids come right up to her without asking me if it was ok. An 8 month old Siberian is a pretty big dog, and toddlers are pretty small, so you'd think parents might have the good sense to ask if she was kid friendly. Happily, she got over the kid fear as she grew more confident overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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