Serious question: answers urgent please

[woolybanana]

Can you trust a dog after it has bitten its owner or a human????? What should one do when one has?

(not my dogs I must add)

[Bugsy]

I'm no expert but it would, for me, depend on the circumstances that caused the dog to bite.

A reaction due to causing it pain (accidently treading on it, a child poking it etc) is one thing. (provoked)

Biting to defend or similar is a different situation. (unprovoked)

I've was badly bitten by a Rottweiler (I suffered bone & muscle damage) for no apparent reason apart from being close to and talking to its owner,  has made me very wary of that breed. (Rotty owners please don't jump on me over this comment, its just how I personally feel about them after what happened)

Gary.

[Callie]

I agree with Bugsy. If an animal has been provoked into biting, it doesn't mean the dog is dangerous. Same thing if the dog was playing.

There are several questions : Did the dog give any warning before it bit the person - did it growl, were its hackles up ? Did it bite a person it knew ? Are there small children around?

There could be several reasons if the dog has bitten someone out of the blue for no apparent reason. If the dog is older, it could be a health problem (for example a tumour).

A dog will not normally bite someone for no reason. If there isn't an obvious reason, then it may have something to do with the dog's health and the owner shjould see his vet.

[JohnRoss]

I would want to know if the dog was in all other respects well and behaving normally as well as the circumstances in which the bite occurred. A close friend of mine had this happen and it turned out the dog had a brain tumor but there were other symptoms in evidence. I would also want to know of the dog's history. Was it raised from a pup or aquired after maturity, if the latter what experiences might it have had. Not necessarily a reason to get rid of it, might not be the dog's fault. In most cases it is not the dog's fault!......................JR

[tenniswitch]

I agree that you need to evaluate the circumstances.

That being said, I've never owned an animal that bit me, even under trying circumstances (giving them pills, holding them when injured, being given injections, etc.).

 

[wallifer]

It would depend on the circumstances, I've had dogs all my life and never been bitten, but had a one bite and they are gone attitude until my old girl sank her teeth into my head one evening, I soon realised she had done this because of pain, I had moved her leg, now I will always consider the situation before making the terrible decision to have the dog pts.