Why Our Dog isn't Going Anywhere

For once having to watch as my dog was quarantined [even after showing the up-to-date rabies/tag information] after a biting incident. I remember a former neighbor tryingto kick down my door "because I would not get rid of my dog" after afterward. So, I know what you must be going through. My dog was young at the time. He just died July 2, 2007, a few days before his fourteen birthday. That dog gave me complete undying loyalty and unconditional love. The wonderful memories of Blue, far outweigh a few that, yea--should be flushed down the toilet. You'll grow from the experience. And the dog, may in time, be a true friend for life.

Andrea, I applaud your devotion, but I'd get rid of the dog. You see, my oldest son had a third of his lower lip bitten off by a dog when he was nine. One a dog starts biting people, especially family, they usually don't stop.

Hopefully after some time with you and extra love and care, he will be okay... maybe he'll be less skittish... Is there some type of specialist in the area that could work with you and the dog to help him to be a little more friendly and trusting?

My animals are lifers also.
No one in my family understands that.
I do understand why the lady whose kid's lip was bitten off wouldn't want you to keep the dog.
I had a dog who was abused by neighborhood kids and after that never liked kids. If he knew the kids before, like my roommates nieces, it was ok with them. But around any other kids I had to hold him by the harness really close until the kids were gone. He was a wonderful dog, loving and friendly and never met a stranger he didn't like until those kids hurt him.
He continued being a wonderful dog to us until he died.
I hope you can help your dog with the biting problem but I really have no clue as to how to do it.

Another person here who thinks animals are for life.

I agree and I disagree. We get our animals for life. I believe that. I also believe kids come first.

My former father-in-law had a dog that attacked his grandkids every time they came over for no reason. He refused to even put the dog in another room so the kids could come see him. End result? He died miserable and lonely. The dog died many years before he did, but the kids knew which one he really preferred. They stayed away.

My daughter has an Akita/Boxer mix that is volatile. He's bitten two little girls already, but allows my grandkids to jump all over him. Because he's so huge and strong, I'm exceedingly nervous to have the kids run amok on him as they do. He could easily kill any one of them.

There certainly isn't an easy answer. If my dog bit ME, she would stay. If she bit one of the kids, I'd have a different dilemma on my hands.

I do applaud your devotion, however.

I've met Dogbert. For the most part, Dogbert is a well-behaved, lovable animal. He has known me since Andrea inherited him, and every time I sit down, I can be assured his big ol head is in my lap wanting some love. The kindest animal can only be pushed so far. They can't yell out their frustration or leave like humans can. Other than Andrea, the only person the dog has nipped was my son, after continually riling the dog up against my admonitions and then grabbing an injury on Dogbert's ear. While I regret that my son was injured, however minor, frankly, he deserved it. He learned the hard way, but he should hopefully know better than to mess with an injured animal in the future. If Dogbert wasn't so restrained it could have been much worse. I don't think he is a threat to anybody, he just has his buttons like anyone else. I might feel differently if D's face had been bitten off, but then, so would Andrea.

You are absolutely correct. Great points.

I'm with the few that say get rid of the dog. I wouldn't put him down but allow someone without kids to adopt him. I don't think it's right to have people follow certain rules, especially expect kids to always behave (because no matter how well behaved a child is, they are still kids and do sometimes get rough or cranky) because there is worry that the dog will attack. Ellyn - your son was very lucky that the dog was well restrained. The fact that you worry what would have happened if the dog wasn't restrained worries me a bit. Would you still say your son deserved it if the dog wripped his arm apart or put part of his face like what happened to Frightening Icon's son? Doubtful.

Angela, I agree with you if I bring a cat here it has a home for life. I wouldn't get rid of him if he were my dog either. I would check with the vet maybe and see if they know a solution for you. It never hurts to ask. Good Luck : )

Keep him! Animals do not have hands to push us away when they have had enough. They respond with what mother nature gave them~teeth. I had a rottie that bit a man who was later accused of abusing children. They can sense things They are smart. Any animal under stress will revert to there only defense and I most say I am srry to hear that you were bit. I applaude that you are willing to keep him and think that training is needed. I have a cat that is very aggressive and would not part with her for a billion dollars.
I hope you get medical attention for the wounds but from the sound of things the wound would go far deeper into your soul if you put him down. keep him.

we may have to get rid of Tom Burke

ps A restrained dog will bite more often then a non restrained one.

I agree with james sF.

It sounds like you have taken responsibility for your dog. You keep him in a different room when others are in the house. You plan on taking him for training.

I agree about teaching children to be aware of the signs.

I wish you, your family and your dog the best.

There are a few people in this world that NEED put down, and I was absolutely overjoyed when my ex-husband's sister was spayed. Yes, I will to this day insist that woman was spayed, and it was a blessing to any other litters she may have spawned...

Merri bear has snapped, though not connected, at people when she has been extremely stressed. One time was when someone reached to pet her at the tornado shelter during a storm warning (I suspect almost everyone in that room had enough anxiety vibes to put any sensitive animal into alert zone). When someone approaches my house when I am not home or unaware, she will raise her hackles and bark deeply. Most people find her very frightening - until I come out, tell her to quit being silly and she immediately calms down and greets them like a friendly dog.

She's part Great Pyrenees, and as such, is a guardian animal. She can be incredibly formidable, given the right circumstances. I understand that who she is is a mix of upbringing and breed temperment. It would depend on the circumstances if I would be asked to get rid of her. If she mauled a child for no good reason, she would probably be put down. If she snapped when she was over-excited and over-stressed, I would probably forgive her and find ways to avoid exciting her that much again.

Andrea is totally right. Pets are family, and deserve the acceptance that we give any family member. At the same time, I am of the opinion it is cruel to keep an animal continuously confined if its life previous was not that way, so if an animal became too dangerous I would euthanize it before possibly passing it on to someone else or constantly locking it up and making it miserable.

Andrea, congrats on being featured... James, maybe if we just neuter him we'll reduce his agressive behavior?

So he will go from that Happy Bob face,
to the Bueler.....Bueler....Bueler face?

This one is easy = walk him. Whenever a loud car or truck is approaching kneel on one knee quickly and command "Down Now" and tug him down by his leash. After the truck has passed by, praise him in soothing tones and continue walking. Eventually don't kneel or force his leash, just give the command. He learns that you are protecting him from danger. Then the command can be used at anytime to immediately get him down on his belly, a non aggressive posture.
When he nips, always yelp "Ow ow ow!" He will be sorry, soon if he even snaps at you give that yelp and he will learn it is not a good move on his part.
When he growls do the "down now" command, and if he continues to growl, command speak, shake, sit, want a cookie? Trust me he will forget what he was worried about.
This really works to rewire him.

p.s. the above is meant for your dog, not Tom Burke.

however....

(sound of hands clapping).....I am right with you Andrea! I have had my share of snapping at people too and no one ever talks of getting rid of me (at least not where I can hear it!) Our schnauzer snapped at the neighbor boy last spring, I thought it was because he was too close and I removed her to the bathroom to wait until little man left.

I came to find out later, she had broken off a dew claw back into her foot and was in pain! Poor dog couldn't tell us so she tried to show us....this is also the same dog that wouldn't leave my side when I was hurt and in bed for almost two weeks...she only left under great duress and many times had to be carried outside to "do her duty"! She is not just my dog but my companion too and she is a good dog!

Keep loving that child of yours.....just becasue he has four legs doesn't make him any less of a child than one with two! God Bless!

Great advice, James. Congrats on being featured Andrea!

James, I have noticed that dogs are more obedient than people most the time...

I applaud your devotion, as dogs are NOT disposable. As a matter of fact, we dropped some friends of ours because they kept adopting puppies, then giving them up when the dogs didn't behave like they wanted. But of course, they never exercised or trained them properly either.

Unfortunately, you are setting yourself up for problems by allowing the biting. You MUST get this dog into some training, first to find out the root cause of the biting, and secondly, to get it STOPPED.

Getting rid of the dog solves nothing.

I agree with Shannon.

Have you ever watched Cesar Millan? He's a WONDERFUL start for training.

And if you continue to let your dog bite, you're allowing him to call the shots, whereas it should be YOU telling your dog that his behavior is unacceptable. He also could be taken away if the bite is severe enough and someone complains.

I totally agree. We have a wonderful dog. Hewas given to us by people that were tired of him. He is a great dog and very protective of me and my children. I agree if you bring a animal home you bring it home for life. Ours is a pit and he has never shown any aggression toward us. Strangers yes. But isn't that why you have a big dog? For protection? I feel totally safe and secure with this animal and no one can tell me different.

I'm totally agree with you, so sorry that you have wound, hope it will heal soon.

Cesar Millan is actually NOT approved by ASPCA... his tactics are only approved for severely aggressive problem animals where normal training procedures have not worked. He is AMAZING to watch with the really difficult dogs though....

First, congrats on the feature! Way to go! (sound of eardrum shattering applause)

Next, let me say that Tom Burke must be stopped. I bet he wouldn't even appreciate a blank article that made #1.

Some people just don't get what this site is all about. Sheesh.

First, I'm totally in agreement with James s F. and Carmel. Someone needs to go, but it's not anyone's dog.

Second, Andrea, I already liked you but now I think you're terrific. Your dog, your house, your rules, and it sounds like if they're followed it's not a problem. An animal that's been abused needs some special training, but it doesn't make them disposable any more than it makes humans disposable. He's your family. Ellynn had a really good take on what happened with her son, too, which is to be applauded because it's bound to be rare.

My cat was once an outdoor, neighborhood-roving, kitten-daddying, fight-picking tomcat who lived from day to day and meal to meal before he was mine, and now because of his injury he's indoors all the time. When I play with him, sometimes he forgets and plays rough, and I'm sure lots of people look at my arms and hands and think pityingly that I'm into self-cutting. It's part of the deal you make when you take in an animal with a history, and that's also worthy of applause, since so many people want puppies and kittens that millions of terrific older pets are euthanized.

I'm also the former owner of a Rhodesian ridgeback -- not a small dog, if you're not familiar with the breed -- who bit two people. One was a local troublemaking redneck who threatened to call the police, to which my dad said Fine, and tell them why you were sneaking onto our property when we were away. The other was my grandfather, a Navy man, pretty tough, and when he approached the dog he got in its space too soon. He shook it off. "Dog's doing what he's supposed to do," he said, and we agreed. We eventually gave him to a relative who had moved to the country, but it was so he could lead a better life, not be kept in a small area. He was one of the best animals I've ever known, and to judge him by his protectiveness would have been a poor choice.

Andrea, at least establish yourself as the dominant. I *do* understand animals. He's confused and that's a very dangerous situation, and letting him get away with snapping and biting is only going to make him more insecure.
If you're keeping him, you owe it to him and your children to have him trained.

I wish that more people took pet ownership seriously like you do.

It sounds like both times he bit it was for a reason. I would get some training for him and perhaps a muzzle in the meantime for certain situations.

Good luck and congratulations on being featured.

Great article, Andrea, about a serious topic.

I received my first dog bite a few years ago on the day I adopted Mikey. I bled, and it was painful. And for about ten seconds I thought maybe I should take him back. I'm glad I didn't. They warned me that he had been abused and needed constant companionship. I was newly disabled and guess I did too, although I didn't realize it at the time. We became best friends, and I never thought I would say that about an animal.

I told everyone he would bite, and I was careful with him around children. He never bit me again, not even when I had to tend to him when he was dying, and I know what I did caused him pain.

I hope you make a decision that works for you, and is safe for those around you.

Frightening Icon, there are too many people here to answer everyone. What happened?

I do want to take a moment to respond to you since I consider you a friend and would hate it if you thought I'd decided not to like you because we disagree on this.

We've had the dog for a long time and this is a very rare issue. It's just that it's happened twice rather close together recently.

When I have workers coming to the house like the AC guys, I always just put him in my bedroom. There's no point in making introductions when they won't be here ever again anyway.

The dog is completely fine with most people that come here. There are exceptions (like my BIL) and nothing is changing his mind about those exceptions. I have to wonder if the dog knows something I don't about these few people that he won't let into the house. One of the exceptions is the little neighbor boy. The dog has always hated that kid. Nevertheless, that kid was here yesterday to play and guess what? He punched my daughter so hard in the stomach that it left a bruise. If the dog had not been in my bedroom there would have been an unpleasant situation. I've always thought the dog didn't like this neighbor boy for good reason. Granted, he can't be biting kids but I think this particular kid just needs to not come over again.

I never said that the dog would never bite me. I already knew he would. He bit me for spanking my son soon after we took him in. That's okay since I don't really believe in spanking and if I have to take the time to shut the dog up before I do it then I've had time to consider if it's really the best choice. There is not a doubt in my mind that if my husband ever raised a hand to me he'd get bit too.

I am sure that this dog will never bite one of my children or harm the cats in any way. If I was not sure of that I would probably be looking for a more suitable home for him. I would not take him to the pound or have him put down though. For biting me, he needs training. Or I need to keep the stress level down a bit around here. Having the AC guys and the out of town visitor all in one week was just too much.

would one get rid of their child or spouse because they bite them?

I would absolutely get rid of my spouse if he bit me. Maybe I need to reconsider my position on this topic now.

I like the muzzle idea for times when a child is visiting or we have workers in the house. the vet muzzled him when he had to clean the wound on his ear. It actually seemed to soothe the dog.

Sandy - I almost took this post into adult content! ROFL

Carol has reminded me of the ordeal I went through when I foolishly went to the ER to get stitches after my pet rat bit me. Who'd have though I'd end up fighting for my rat's life because he had no rabies vaccine? Exactly where was the rat supposed to have gotten rabies?

He was old and didn't see very well. He mistook me for a chicken nugget. I ended up having to hide him at a friend's house until the hullabaloo died down.

I think it's wonderful too ... not only that you are committed to keeping the dog, but also that you are willing to take responsibility for training, etc....

You recognize the risks and take precautions... seems pretty responsible to me

I agree 100%, Andrea.

We have three big dogs, and though they've never bitten anyone I have "beware of dog" signs up on all sides of their fence, because they are so large. We also built their fence away back from a property line and eventually plan to put up a second fence on it, so no one gets too close.
Many times I've heard them barking, and gone out to see neighborhood children approaching the fence, several times as their parents watch!
I finally convince the little ones that the smallest of the dogs would climb the fence and chase them if they got too close. (I'm pretty sure a couple of the parents believe it too.)

F'con brought up a good point -- if you do some training and your dog knows you're its pack leader, it can cut down on a lot of situations that might otherwise invite a bite.

Great article! I, too, had a dog that liked to bite when he had food. He had obviously been abused and then dumped out. I had to take my girls out of town for a weekend to a wedding, and my brother had very strict instructions not to let his girlgriend's kids around the dog when he food. No one seemed to believe me, and the kid got bit in the face. When I got back, my brother was going to shoot my dog, but since I had left those instructions and my parents knew the rules as well, he couldn't do a thing about it. I had the dog's shot all up to date, etc., so I knew that there was not problem there. Needless to say, that dog lived until he died of natural causes.

Merri Grayce (aka Big Chicken) is incredibly fierce when strangers approach my house. Her hackles come up and she has this big booming bark... Then I go and tell her she's a silly goose and she switches to the "Hi, I'm the dog, can I help you remove anything from the house?" mode. Everyone is scared to death of her until they meet her with me. It's fine with me, though. I'd rather have them stay off my lawn anyhow...

i feel bad to this day because a dog who was not even mine bit a girl because she thought i was being threatened. the authorities ordered the dog destroyed and i felt so guilty even though all i was doing was trying to calm the girl during an altercation with another girl. the girl flung her arms up at me and the dog read this as aggression and defended me. i scolded the dog immediately but had no control over what the other humans did. because the girl had to go to the hospital and be checked for rabies...the authorities deemed it neccesary to put the dog down. i really liked the dog and she obviously liked me so that made me feel responsible for her actions. animals will automatically do that kind of thing for me even when they belong to others if they spend time with me. she was living there with her owner at the time. to this day i wish it hadn't happened the way it did.

congrats on being featured. i wouldnt get rid of him either. he is just like any other dog, protective of his property and his master. i would bite too. lol. but i strongly disagre with lera, a dog will only become more agressive if muzzled, as that is a sign of being frieghtened. i would say call your vet to find out what kind of class to get him into without having to take him to a well populated place like petsmart. good luck.

I agree with you 100%. My dog has not "bitten" but attacked me and my parents a couple of times each. I have a long terrible looking scar on my arm right now from his last bout that was about three months ago. All I hear is either to get rid of him (and by vets and trainers none the less) OR my FAVORITE "Id show that dog whos boss and he wouldnt do that again! you just have to give them a good kick" Sorry but you havent met my dog. I would never hurt an animal but when he is comming at me at biting me I sure have kicked him off and he just fightsback harder!
The dog is freakin adorable and has the funniest personality ever, I love him like a child. Getting rid of him is not an option, I have told many people that I would rather keep the dog in the house all the time and never let anyone else in it than get rid of him.
My dog bentley has been on a leash 24/7for the last few years. Hes use to it and it really doesnt bother anyone, butits the only thing that has saved us many times. He now is always either tethered to something or someone. He also takes anxiety pills and has VERY strict rules. He is hand fed every meal by one person alone in a room. He is allowed no meat or animal product based treats (raw hides). He is kept in constant eye sight by one of my parents.
I could tell you a million things to try. I find it very important to keep the dog as active as possible, letting his energy build up makes everything worse.
Watch the dog wisperer. He has amazing insight and can totally change the way you think about your dogs problems.


Ps my dog has only bit one person out side of me and my parents and it was a groomer who decided to try and hold him down when he was trying to get to us after not seeing us for 3 weeks. To say the least she dropped any charges and apoligized after she thought about what happened.

There is absolutely no question in my mind whatsoever as to why this article was featured.

Beautifully written, beautifully said.

+10 as always. :)

good for you lady... connection request coming your way.

I'd have died without my dog last couple years.

Congratulation on the featured article Andrea.
I haven't read every single comment made, but I did read one person's advice, which was great.

"When he nips, always yelp "Ow ow ow!" He will be sorry, soon if he even snaps at you give that yelp and he will learn it is not a good move on his part."~James s F

I agree with his advice, and I know that it works. I like to play-fight with my dog. We have a little ritual set up; little signals where she knows exactly when our playtime is. Yes, I encourage her to attack me with paws, and even bite me. I'm well protected, but sometimes her bites hurt. When she does hurt me, or I think she's being overly rough I say "ow!" several times, and she backs off me. I don't know how or why she understands the "ow," but it works everytime. I'm thinking the dogs understand our higher pitched "ows" as similar to their own distressed yelp, like the sound they make when you've accidently tread on their paw.

Andrea, I think you have the right idea toward responsibility, by not giving up on Dogbert. I also encourage you, along with others here, to seek some help for Dogbert. You've already proven that you are willing comply with Dogbert's wishes; he needs some help to play the "good dog." Good luck!

I have a sign in my house that says:

If you don't like the way my dogs behave
or the fact they leave fur on the furniture
Remember, they live here, you don't.

I prefer my dogs to most people and yes I have been bitten but I stepped into the middle of a dog fight so I consider it to be my own fault.

You will not tolerate anybody being mean to your kids but you tolerate a dog that will bite your kids. Unbelievable. In my opinion you are unfit to be a parent.

Blessings to you for your understanding of this particular dog's problems and for your understanding of companion animals. I sometimes feel like biting the people who "have to move and no pets are allowed, just aren't home enough, or had a baby" and toss their pets out of their home to the care of strangers or worse. Just please be careful to disinfect and treat any bites you receive to prevent a nasty infection. Hope Dogbert improves and finds his limits.

I am surprised people are worried what would happen to the dog if they gave it away after it is a known biter. If it were me that dog would be in the triple nut chicken cashew at Mings Garden the very next day!

I come from a family of dog owners and we currently have a timid Puerto Rican rescue dog (a "SATO" or "street dog") that was rescued from a junkyard. She behaves best when she has been allowed to run and doesn't feel threatened by strangers, trucks, our old cat, or any other "demon" she can imagine. She is, underneath, a love and someday may feel comfortable enough to relax. I can't blame her if she sometimes reacts badly to people - why should she trust them?

A story for you: My grandmother had a dog named Mr. Smith. He took a nap in the parlor at the family farm every afternoon. One afternoon, a very proper cousin walked through the parlor and Mr. Smith lunged at her. When she complained to my grandmother, the response was: "Well, it IS his parlor and it IS his nap time!" The cousin gave up and Mr. Smith napped happily for years. We all need our naps in places we can feel secure. We also need to be able to post stories that warm our hearts, as well as the hearts of others.

Good luck with your rescued pooch!

Thank you for saving one of my friends!

I have worked with a lot of dogs and have shared my home with several "bad" dogs. Your poor puppy's unfortunate choices of what to chew on is a problem that can be fixed, and I urge you to put some work into it before he gets himself and you into serious trouble. Find a good trainer, one who believes in positive reinforcement only, one who can do some one-on-one with you, one who will not give up. A manners or obedience class probably will not do the trick. It will cost some money and plenty of time and effort, but will make him a happier dog and much safer and more pleasant to be around.

Good luck!

Good article. Whenever I hear or read that a dog has bitten someone, I wonder what the human did to the dog. My dog is incredibly patient, but even he has his moments when he's pushed. He was staying at friend's house over a weekend and her dog kept trying to steal his food. Finally, my dog had enough and got into it with the other dog. Unthinkingly my friend tried to break it up and put her hand in the middle of it all. Needless to say she ran into some teeth. She knew she was responsible for her injury so that was that. I felt bad that my dog bit her, but I also know he didn't do it on purpose and it was the very first time he made contact like that. More often than not, as Andrea and many of you have said, there is a reason for the bite.

Andrea - We also have a dog that we "inherited" from one of our kids that was abused and is very skittish and sometimes aggressive with strangers. We have found that the only strangers that the dog does not like are those that we have reasons not to like either - people are not always what they appear to be. Dogs will express their distress in the only way that they know so showing them a different way to express it can really help. Our dog now runs into our bedroom and jumps on the bed when she sees that we are greeting a stranger at the door after she has alerted us to the presence of the person. If we do not open the door she stays right next to me to make sure that I am not in trouble.

While our granddaughters were visiting the dog put up with alot from three little girls who have never had a dog of their own but you could tell that the dog was much relieved when the visit was over and the house was quiet again.

Good luck.

Well I applaud your devotion to the animal, however, I would be concerned about my children around an animal that has been abused. Now that he has displayed blatant aggression toward you I would be even more concerned. I suppose you have already dealt with some of those considerations since you knew he was abused when you got him but for the sake of my children, after such an incident, I know I would give this some further thought.

Andrea,
As a fellow animal lover, I have to say you're nuts and I feel sorry for your children. The moment you know a dog is capable of biting its people, if you keep that dog in the house, you are jeopardizing your children. Hopefully Dogbert never will lash out at one of them and cause serious injury; if he does, it WILL be your fault, and you WILL have to live with that.
For insurance purposes, you should have anyone entering the house sign a notice that they know your dog is capable of biting and they waive any right to sue for damages. After all, they deserve to know what they're getting into.
Maybe you should ask your children if they'd be OK with Dogbert biting them, causing them to need medical care, etc. and see how they feel.

Bravo!!! My sentiments exactly! My 4 dogs and 1 cat are with us until the end. They have their "forever home" with us, no matter what. If people don't like it, or if they don't like the way we live--they don't need to come visit.

Julie K.

You're playing with fire. You dog is known to bite and so is a danger to everyone around. If he gets lose and bites, mauls or kills a kid you will could lose big time in court. Be sure your homeowners insurance is paid up and have a lawyer on retainer...you may need one.

The second thing I'd say is that you seem to think a dog can reason the way you can. They can't, they think through conditioned response and your dog needs someone, with no kids, who can properly socialize him and keep him in a non-threatening environment. The fact that he bit you means that he doesn't see you as the Alpha member of his pack, he's challenging you for that position.

I cannot agree with you more.

I've got two rescued Great Danes. One was put into a shelter because he was 'testing his limits' and growled at his original owner's 2 year old child. While I'm thrilled to have him, I just want to grab his original owners and shake the snot out of them. The answer to a growling or biting dog is training, for both the dog and the child. I'm sure we've all seen how very young kids can, out of simple ignorance, whack pets, pull ears and tails, etc. If not appropriately trained or socialized, any dog (or cat), regardless of breed, is likely to bite.

Humans are responsible for taking care of animals. That's what 'dominion' means to me. They are not ours to dispose of at will. My Recycled Great Danes (and indeed, any pets I take on in the future) have forever homes.

Wow, awesome article! I love your spirit - I wish more people would recognize a dog as a commitment and do the right thing for their dogs.

On a training note, I'd like to help you. It sounds like your dog would be much happier and more secure if you took a gentle, respectful approach to establishing your alpha position in the home. I'm talking simple things, like making him sit before his meal, etc. The very best book I've found on developing a deep, meaningful, respectful relationship with a dog is "If a Dog's Dreams Came True, Bones Would Rain from the Sky," by Suzanne Clothier. It's a beautiful powerful book that may save your dog's life. Be wary of traditional trainers - many of them will shove your dog in a corner and expect him to submit. When he bites (as is his right), they will tell you to put him down. Suzanne breeds German Shepherds and adopts everything that wanders across her farm, and knows how to get dogs to submit because they love you so much. I hope someday all trainers adopt this philosophy.

Andrea, I totally completely 100% agree with you. I have a doberman and a saint bernard, have ahd a great dane and a pit here all at the same time. If you have the nerve to walk into my house uninvited and you get bit, tough s**t. My dogs are not mean dogs but like us as people, we will only put up with so much crap before we lose the temper. Pull Sammy's tail more then twice, you're apt to get bit. Yell in Javas face just to tease her, you're apt to get bit. It's common sense and I agree with if you tell me to get rid of my dogs, it is a hard place to recover from. ALL i heard from my mom for the first year of getting the doberman and the great dane and the pit...... you better get rid of them before somebody comes in your house and they get bit and then you get sued. What if they bite the kids? Welp, sue me, I have nothing anyways and IT'S MY HOUSE! If my kids get bit, they shouldn't have been messing with them anyways! Now a mauling is different then a snapping, give me some credit mom.

Now I'm going through and reading comments. I'm glad you're getting so much support. Personally, I disagree with this advice "When he nips, always yelp "Ow ow ow!" He will be sorry, soon if he even snaps at you give that yelp and he will learn it is not a good move on his part."~James s F (I do like the rest of his advice though)

In my opinion that is still encouraging your dog to be Alpha. A pack leader will bite a pack member to correct, but doesn't want to hurt, so it will back off when the pack member is hurt.

I do lots of training with dogs. You don't want your dog to protect you - you want to protect your dog. Partially because we are the more rational species, but also because of his abused past, his leadership would be dysfunctional at best. So you really need to use gentle methods to have him feel protected and to know that the safest thing he can do is to respect you. These methods take longer, but they are well worth it and you'll have a prized companion that will leave an imprint on your heart in the end. Purely gentle, positive reinforcement, resource control methods will make a huge difference.

Also, I don't like "The Dog Whisperer" and I think the show is poorly named. His method may be what's necessary for an extremely aggressive dog, but I think (and some of my trainer friends) that his methods would terrify a scared dog and make matters worse. The book I'm recommending is MUCH more gentle than Mr. Milan.

So many comments. Andrea, I applaud and support you for not giving up on Dogbert. I wholly agree that training is much needed, and it should include the kids. As for those who would get rid of the dog, I think they should never be pet owners, since they clearly cannot appreciate or understand what that entails. Pets are family, not toys. Bravo for your article and treats to dogbert. Tammy T. , will check out this book! thanks !

Andrea, Brilliantly written article and I agree with every word. We have three dogs, two of whom were rescued and who'd been abused. Tommy, the oldest, has been with me for 10 years now. He has a huge problem with any threatening-appearing man in a uniform (from what I know of his past, he was abused by a man who wore a uniform to work), and he will bark loudly up the leg of any such person. He has never bitten but his barking is at such close range that the barkee is usually sure he's going to be bitten. He's never displayed this behavior with women.
All of my pets are with me for life, as are yours, and I completely agree with your rationale. Your story about the little boy who punched your daughter completely makes sense -- dogs have a great sense of abusive people and will try to protect their humans from them.
I suggest working with Dogbert to try to get him to understand that there may be better ways to express his concern than Bite First, Ask Questions Later, and I'm sure there are gentle trainers who might be able to help. I have no opinions on Cesar Milan as I have never watched The Dog Whisperer.
Once again, fabulous article and I agree 100 percent!

I see from the comments you got featured Andrea and wanted to say congrats!!!
I love your writing!

Certainly dogs react to the unfair reference in their opinion with them. Once, when to my puppy (the American bulldog) there were only 7 months, I have left from the house for 1 month. When I have returned, I Lissi barked at me more than 20 minutes, not admitting me to itself, did not accept from me a delicacy. So it stated the indignation of my treachery. And only having stated about me everything, that it thought of my behaviour, it has forgiven me and now we with it shall not leave. I apologize-translation àâòîìàòè÷åñêèé.ïðèâåò from Russia

Samantha passed away at nineteen years. I am an artist, so I painted several portraits of her over the years. She has been gone for two years and I still miss her every day. Recently, I put one of the portraits in her basket.
We have to reach out to other species and give them some dignity and comfort. they are brutalized by our fellow humans in the name of consumerism. Sorry for the rant, you sort of touched a nerve. Your sense of responsibility and compassion is rippled through the subconsiousness of others. I applaud you.

Good article!
I had to "get rid of" my cats after I had the twins... but only because we discovered that my daughter was terribly allergic. I found good homes for them, and get regular updates as to how they are doing. It was hard to do, but they are thriving (and getting much more attention that they did, competing with newborn, premature twins.)

Great article. I wish there were more people like you in this world. I wish I could give you one hundred 10's.

I totally agree with article! I inadvertently ended up with four cats - three of my own and one rescued feral. The feral was badly injured in a fight and needed a home so I took him in "temporarily" - well over a year ago. He was very scared and hostile at first, but then he made himself at home so we don't have the heart to send him to another home and make him start over. After living in a scrap yard all of his former life, he now thinks he's died and gone to heaven.

One of my other cats has heart problems and requires daily medicine, but he is an adored member of the family and isn't going anywhere - I have faithfully given him his medicine for almost 3 years in order to keep him among us as long as I possibly can.

His mother is quite aggressive toward him, picks fights with him and is also on medication, but she is mine and I took responsibility for her when she was a kitten and she ain't going anywhere either, even though it would make my life easier. They're like children and we don't give away our children because they have inconvenient health or behavioral problems.

That being said, I don't have children, so I might think differently if I did. I can see how the children would have to come first, no matter how difficult it would be to lose your animal.

Great article! I just got done watching an episode of E-Vet Interns where a 3-year old dauchaund (mispelled!) had a ruptured disk and had lost use of his hind legs. The owners could not afford the surgery and did not have time for post-op care, so the alternative was to put this loveable animal to sleep. Thank goodness someone stepped forward and saved this animal. It blows my mind that our pets - who are as dear to us as our children (or so we say!) - can be so easily tossed aside. I'm curious if the next time one of their children needs surgery and extensive post-op care if the comment will be . . . "I'm sorry we can't afford that, so put 'em to sleep!" Alternatives need to be found to help people care for these loving members of their family.

How do your kids feel about the fact you prioritize the comfort of your unpredictable violent dog over them having a social life by inviting their friends over?

And how does your home owner's insurance company feel about your housing a dangerous animal that could attack contracted maintenance workers entering your home and at your liability?

And it doesn't take long to find news stories about human children that are indeed allowed to die for lack of funding. It's called having no health insurance.

Great ariticle. I love when people apply common sense to all things in life. I have a wonderful pit/mix who I found in a park in Houston. I'm sure she was being trained to be a fighter, but she is a sweetie (but like yours she does have her issues).

I would suggest getting netflix and watching all of the Dog Whisperer episodes. It has been really helpful with Meimei. You could even join his online blog and email him videos of your dogs behavior and then can suggest ideas for reform. Violent behavior is violent behavior and needs to be corrected, you can't tell people "don't do that", you need to train your dog to not react the way he does. I am sick of people with little dogs who come up to my dog pulling on their leash snarling and when my dog reacts the idiots say I need to get rid of my dog. Violent behavior in dogs should not be tolerated at any size.

Dogs are like kids in that they need boundries, and when they step outside of those boundries they need to be corrected. Unlike kids, you can't explain something to a dog using words you need to treat it like its mother would (most mother dogs correct "unstable" behavior by biting the pup under the chin(can be recreated using a pinch collar). If your dog reacts violently towards other, its because it thinks it is your "pack leader" and is in charge of protection. When you and your kids take over that responsiblity your dog will become more stable and less violent.

The idea that once a dog has tasted blood it has to be put down is an old wives tale. The reason the dog continues to bite is because the owner hasn't changed their behavior.

Keep your dog, but help your dog to be happier by learning to include him in your family don't allow him to lead your family.

This is a very interesting article. I loved my dogs very dearly while they were here.

In my book, as a life-long dog owner, taking responsibility for my dogs includes 1) learning how to train them and training them myself with love, discipline and consistency and 2) making sure that any behavior that could injure others is controlled. Your dog has proven, several times, that he cannot be trusted not to bite people, including you and small children he is familiar with. His biting behavior is unacceptable and it is YOUR responsibility to do something about it. How would you or your friend whose child was bitten by him in your home feel if the dog had bitten the boy's face and caused him to lose an eye? Would the mother still feel her child 'deserved' it? I do not advocate 'getting rid' of your dog, but a responsible owner would muzzle the dog around children and strangers and take steps to teach him restraint and control. Because this dog was abused, he needs even more discipline and consistency than dogs who do not have negative baggage to deal with. Good luck.

Great story, great pet owner! Before I retired as a cop, I bacame more and moreaware of stranged or abused dogs. One of my primary goals as an officer was to help as many such animals as possible before I left the dept. As a supervisor I was able to travel over half of our city. The last summer I served was very hot here in the deep south. One mid-afternoor I was driving my unit through a bad neighboorhood. I eased by a known, crack house. 17 pit bull dogs were chained to stakes in the yard of this run down shack. The temp. was 101 degrees. I noticed that the dogs were posisitioned in such a manner that reminded me of a mine field. This was an effort to protect the drugs and or cash in the shack. No one was in the house at the time I knocked on the door. I went to the houses next door and accross the street. None of the neighbords would tell the the name of the home / dog owner. At this point I call our city animial controll dept. and requested them meet me at this house and collect the dogs, as none of them hadfood or water. Most were staked out in direct sun light. 30 minutes later I noticed a new animal control truck heading down the street to my location. It was very clear to me that the city employee was not happy to be there, and was not at all motivated in saving the poor dogs. She announced that she would not enter the property and recover the dogs unless she had a court order. I assured her that I would take full responsibility for this action. She hisitated before taking out her poll which had a rubber, rope, loop at its end. We approched the first dog which was a large scared up male. I noticed that he tucked his tail between his rear leggs and bagan to squat down. He wagged the tip of his tail and folded his ears. He lowered his head and directed his eyes to the ground in front of him. The control officer stood as far as possible away from the dog and extended her poll. She had no intention to disconnect the dog from his large rusty chain. I approched the dog and took this action. She led the dog to her new truck and attempted to lift the dog off the ground with the poll and toss him in a screened compartment. The dog weighed over 50 lbs. and she officer was not able to do much more than lift his front legs off the ground, choaking his breathing off, and bumping his head into the left rear wheel of the truck. I reached down and took the dog off the snar so he could breath again. I grabed him by the nap of his leck and the lose skin in front of his tail. I lifted him into the container and closed the door. I did the same with the 16 other dogs. It is clear to me to this day, that the control officer was the wrong person for the job. She wanted a job, one with a check and benifits, she was afraid of dogs, and had I not stayed and took this action, she would have just driven by these poor beings in her new airconditioned truck and clean clothes without any concern for anything other than herself. Just as I loaded the lasted pit into the truck, I noticed a red buick heading quickly in my direction. I noticed the driver was still putting on his clothes. He pulled a silk tank top over his head, and zipped up his pants as he opened his car door and stood up. He began yelling at me right away. He wanted to see my warrant. I broke into his rage and asked him if he was the owner of the dogs. He quickly said he was. I knew then that one of the neighbors called him and told him I was taking his dogs. At this point, I asked him for his drivers licenses. He refused. I told him I was going to write him a ticket for not using his seat belt, and playing music too loud, in addition I was going to issue him tickets for animal neglect. He smiled, folded his arms and leaned against his left front finder, near his gold plated spoke wheel. I pulled out my talkie and called for a patty wagon and a wrecker. I pulled out a can of mace and ordered him to produce his drivers licenses once again. At he asked my what I was doing. I told him I was going to spray him, hand cuff him, put him in the rear of a patty wagon, tow his car in, book him into our jail, make him bond out of jail. He gave me his licenses. I told the wrecker and patty wagon to disregard. I issused him 17 tickets relating to the dogs, one for loud music, one for no seatbelt, one for no inusrance on his card. In the end it was a good day for the dogs. I sure they were all put down and I hate this. I wish to this day I could have taken them all home and cared for them. What a shame! Now I'm retired and hate to think that such things still happen. I know they do. If you know a cop, please tell him to do his/her job as it relates to animals, like I once did. Pat McGaha,
Shreveport Police Sergeant retired.

Your words in this article could have come straight from my heart. Dogs are forever...they are not disposable...never. I snap at people more often than my dogs. They are living beings with feelings. A dog who snaps and bites needs help in the form of behavior modification. I am glad that you are part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

I read with great interest. Thank you.

To add to your comments I would like to say that the same people who tell you to "get rid" of an animal are the same that buy a dog to be a "lawn ornament". Those are the same people who wonder why when they ostracize their dog they don't understand why it gains bad behaviors (digging, constant barking, chewing etc.). Those are the dogs that are given to shelters and rescue organizations. Dogs are pack animals and need to feel that they are part of the pack (read family).

I saw a flyer in the break room where I work a few years back. This flyer was trying to "get rid of" the family cat. They had a toddler and the reasoning was that when the toddler pulls on the cat the cat scratches. Sounds like someone needed to train the toddler not to mess with the cat because cats have claws. Cats don't care if you are two or eighty, if you pull their tail or hurt them, they will retaliate.

About two years ago one of our beloved dogs went to the Rainbow Bridge. He was a beloved member of our family. He lived life with seizures, lupus, and hypo-thyroid. We had to administer medication to him two times a day and the yearly vet bills were sometimes astronomical. I can't tell you how many times I was asked "Why don't you just get rid of him?" As you pointed out, my opinion of that person instantly diminished.

I am a dog/cat owner that believes that if you get an animal, that animal is your responsibility for the remainder of their life. They are with us for such a short period and give us such joy.

Just my two cents worth

Training is what you need. We are going to take our fomerally abused dog to training also, since Maggie is still very submissive.

I really enjoyed your article. As with you, my animals are Home for life at my house. I have 3 dogs. I can't imagine getting rid of any of them. We are joyful to give them a home for the rest of their life as they give us unconditional love and support every day. I admire you for your article. I would look into getting the training that DogBert needs. Once you get him the training, your life will be much easier and things around home will be much happier. Congratulations on your article being featured by the way!!!