Unsupervised children and dogs!

[Arch]

How does a dog determine one child from another?

Presumably the same way it distinguishes any human from any other.

It's all speculation, if the dog jumped out of the way of the drawer and caught the child's face with his mouth leaving a red mark then the child may have been upset and thought the dog bit him.

That was the sort of thing I was envisioning.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Presumably the same way it distinguishes any human from any other.

To presume anything about an animal which has bitten a child imho places children it comes into contact with at risk. Do we know if the dog can distinguish differences between one child or another or does it just interpret the action which could mean that another child wanting to play with the nice doggy is attacked?

It's all speculation, if the dog jumped out of the way of the drawer and caught the child's face with his mouth leaving a red mark then the child may have been upset and thought the dog bit him.

What is not speculation is that the family which had the longest exposure to this animal and know its character while also permitting it to roam the family home now no longer trust it enough to allow it to be near the family. This alone makes me think and believe it is not the first concerns raised over this animal, or at the very least the dog has shown aggression and it is not out of character. Even the origional post states "He's not perfect" and that he would be best suited "as an only dog, or with a calm female"... Why is the dog not perfect, what characteristics make the dog best suited for a calm female rather than a single male or a family with a teenage boy diagnosed with ADHD who has as much energy as this dog.

 

[Tommy2]

To presume anything about an animal which has bitten a child imho places children it comes into contact with at risk. Do we know if the dog can distinguish differences between one child or another or does it just interpret the action which could mean that another child wanting to play with the nice doggy is attacked?



What is not speculation is that the family which had the longest exposure to this animal and know its character while also permitting it to roam the family home now no longer trust it enough to allow it to be near the family. This alone makes me think and believe it is not the first concerns raised over this animal, or at the very least the dog has shown aggression and it is not out of character. Even the origional post states "He's not perfect" and that he would be best suited "as an only dog, or with a calm female"... Why is the dog not perfect, what characteristics make the dog best suited for a calm female rather than a single male or a family with a teenage boy diagnosed with ADHD who has as much energy as this dog.

Sounds to me like the dog is very happy and energetic, possible the family don't have time to walk him as much as they should which has meant he gets giddy which can be interpreted as aggression, it was said by the opt that now he is getting long walks he is much happier and better behaved.

 

[Manonabike]

Reading the last posts of Arch and Tommy2 I cant help it but come to the view these guys will never see the danger this dog represents. Furthermore, their views are typical of people whose love for dogs is such that are blind to accept that some dogs are actually dangerous animals. Any person that is responsible for children can't afford to be blind and not see the danger this dog represents.

 

[Sara_H]

Reading the last posts of Arch and Tommy2 I cant help it but come to the view these guys will never see the danger this dog represents. Furthermore, their views are typical of people whose love for dogs is such that are blind to accept that some dogs are actually dangerous animals. Any person that is responsible for children can't afford to be blind and not see the danger this dog represents.

My sentiments exactly. When I worked voluntarily for a rescue I found that probably half were completely out of touch with reality with regards to dogs.
I knew of one woman who ran a local rescue who would lie about a dogs previous behaviour to secure a new home, then would be vitriolic to leafed the new owners when the placement broke down.
Unfortunately my experiences were so bad that I wouldn't touch a rescue dog with a barge pole now, I just don't trust those that run them.
At the end of the day, this dog has been reported to have bitten by those who know it best, it's owners. Anything the vet, the rehoming centre, you or I or any other cycle chatter have to say on the matter is pure speculation. The only people who know what happened are the owners.
I find the down playing of the bite and insinuation that is fabricated very worrying.

 

[Milo]

This thread is growing increasingly ruff I feel...

 

[Crackle]

Blimey what an emotive thread.

I got bitten as a child by our family dog. When I went blarting to my mom (unknowing to me she'd witnessed it), I had slap on the backside for teasing the dog and a 'serves you right'.

I wouldn't leave my dog with any sprog - I've witnessed the way some of them can slyly pinch, pull, grab at the tail.

I wouldn't leave mine with any either, he'd rob all the sweets out their pockets, like he used to do outside school when all the pre-school kids came out and formed a huddle over him, pulling his ears, tail, leaning on him etc.. I though he was being patient, it took me a while to realize he was rifling their pockets under the cover of his forebearance. It was when a whole ice cream disappeared from one kids hands that my eyes were opened to his pilfering.