Question about my dog and snapping at my 2 year old son...do we have to put her down?

First of all - please do not post your dog on Freecycle. That's disgusting and should not have even been suggested.

Secondly, I've worked in animal rescue for many years and have never heard of any shelter automatically euthanizing owner surrendered dogs. The shelter I directed certainly did no such thing. Owner surrendered animals usually come in with enough information regarding health, disposition, likes and dislikes, etc., that they are much easier to place. A good shelter employee wants to place animals in permanent loving homes - not euthanize every animal who walks through the door.

(By the way, shelter employees have a higher suicide rate than postal employees and can only bear shelter work for an average of 3.5 years with euthanasia cited as the main reason for leaving this field of work. So try to show some compassion for those who must perform the necessary evil of euthanasia.)

On the occasion that someone brought a dog in because it tried to or did attack someone we had no choice but to euthanize. As one person already said it would be irresponsible of a shelter to adopt out an aggressive dog. On that same note, it would be irresponsible of YOU to place an aggressive dog in another home. You stated that she has never snapped at anyone over the age of ten which strongly suggests that she has shown signs of aggression in the past. Even if you found a childless, grandchildless, visitorless home the dog could get out and hurt someone in the neighborhood. I've seen and heard of many cases involving dogs who simply growled at children and were severely beaten (some to death) by irate and obviously mentally unstable parents. Sometimes a dog's growl is simply the equivalent of a human saying "No!" or "Leave me alone." and they have no intention of biting. If your dog truly is aggressive, you may be putting her (as well as other humans) in a risky situation by rehoming her.

Your local shelter may have employees or volunteers who can evaluate the dog's temperament. I think that most people realize that children sometimes do things that will cause a dog to behave in an unbecoming manner or to become aggressive. It is up to the adults in the home to teach children to be gentle and kind with animals and to show them respect as fellow living creatures. It is quite possible that the dog was simply warning the child for some reason to stay away from her and your husband misread her message. It's easy to do when you fear for your child's welfare. You should check with your shelter, but in any case I would remove the dog from the home as soon as possible. Unfortunately your dog is part Sharpei - a breed that many rescue organizations avoid like the plague (along with Pits and Chows).

If you do decide to rehome your dog DO NOT list her as "Free to a good home". There are people who are licensed to sell animals for research and it increases their profit margin everytime they are able to snatch up a free animal. For a medium dog I would ask for $30, $40 for a large. If she is not already spayed please do it before she goes to her new home (your shelter may have a low-cost program) or have her new guardian sign a contract which requires them to provide for her basic and medical needs as well as spaying her within a month of receiving her.

I mean absolutely no offense by my next comments (unlike some other answerers), so please know that I speak them with great understanding. God blesses us all with different talents [that way we have all the bases covered :)] and some people have a gift with animals while others do not. I believe based on the very fact that you and your husband are in this situation and are unaware of how to handle it that you two were not blessed with animal related talent. If that is the case, you will be unable to keep this dog and protect your child at the same time. It's not a weakness or a fault on your part, it's just how it is. I do believe that you would be at great fault, however, if you decided to keep this dog and your child ended up injured or killed by the dog.

If you decide that the most loving and responsible thing to do for your dog would be to euthanize her, check with your local shelter to see if they will allow you to hold her and love on her as they do the euthanasia. This was common practice at my shelter. Shelter workers should be sensitive and compassionate in this type of situation. If they are not, they shouldn't be working with animals or the public.

If you do decide to euthanize, don't beat yourself up for coming to this decision. Let her go knowing that your dog was loved and cared for. There are dogs dying everyday who never knew the love of a human family or the security of a home. You gave her the best that you were able to give her. Now do the best that you are able for your child.

I don't believe the dog tried to attack the child, I'm sure the dog was warning the child. If a dog such as yours wanted to attack, a baby gate would not have stopped it. Growling is the dog's way of asking the child to back off.

The baby gate is an excellent idea, by the way. Kids and dogs need to be separated until the child is old enough to respect the dog's capabilities (probably at least 6 years old). ANY dog's only defense from a child is it's growl, and sometimes a nip or all out bite. All children need to be taught to respect dogs and to stay away from the dog unless there is an adult present to supervise interactions.

Your son was running by the gate, so that probably just startled the dog (or, since she has a herding breed in her, she may have been trying to tell your son to settle down and get back in line-they have a tendency to try to herd children, as well).

Seriously, I think you should contact a behaviorist (your vet may be able to help with a recommendation) to evaluate your dog first. From your story, I don't think that there was any harm intended for your son, only (perhaps) a correction.

As far as the pound, yes, I do think she would be put down, just because of her breed, and because she is an adult. If it were my home, I would just continue to keep the dog and child separated unless supervised. A growl is not an attack, and dogs don't "try" to bite-they do or they don't...no baby gate would stop a dog the size of yours if an attack was truly in her mind. If the dog had actually meant the child harm-you would be at the hospital with your son right now, as well.

My advice: continue to keep them separate, and consult a competent behaviorist for an evaluation of your dog's temperament. If the behaviorist agrees with me that the dog is most likely stable, you can put your mind at ease. If not-that is the time to look at finding a new home for your dog.

Sharpee Dog

You don't have to have the dog put down, probably. There are many times when dogs are up for adoption they post in the ad: "no children" or "no children under 10". So if your dog is okay with adults, then she can be placed in an adult home.

Give up the dog. She may be jealous or she just may not like kids.

I would not take a chance. You are talking a child's life over an animal, the animal has to go. Some people may say get the dog trained but why take a chance? Even a well-trained dog can turn suddenly if it previously had an aggression issue.

It's a bit overdramatic to say you have to get rid of it just because it snapped once at your son. If your son isn't at all hurt that's a big of overreaction.

It definitely sounds like the problem is that your dog thinks it comes somewhere between the rest of the family and your youngest.

It's hard with a two year old, but firstly you shouldn't leave the dog alone with your son anyway, and secondly when your son is around the dog you need to teach him to be confident with it and to make it clear that your dog is at the bottom of the pile as far as the family goes. Get a book or DVD on dog behaviour (such as the ones by the dog whisperer) and persist.

Hire a dog trainer or go see a dog therapist.... a least try something before throwing in the towel and saying its hopeless. this is why so many shelters are over crowded and dogs are being put to sleep for no reason. because people see this and are like i have a mean dog have to kill it. no!! a dog can be trained and shown that growling and snapping is bad. you just have to put effort into it.

No need to put the dog down, however, if you take her to the pound/shelter she will most likely be pts. Like a previous poster said, it would be kinder to her for you to take her to the vet and have her pts than to make her suffer alone in the pound. Then again, most people like you don't have the balls to do what is right in the first place - hence the situation.

Had you bothered with early training for her and setting appropriate boundaries once you knew you were going to have a kid, it would never have come to this. Had you bothered to consult a behaviorist when she first snapped at your child, it would have never come to this.

First, I would have her checked out at the vets to be sure she does not have a medical reason for her behavior. If she gets a clean bill of health, then I think you probably already know the correct thing to do in this situation: the dog should be put down. It is a danger, and a liability. No responsible shelter would ever adopt her out given her history.

Any child under the age of 10 shouldn't been left alone with a dog in the first place. Any responsible owner AND parent should know that. Supervise at all times!!!

How can you be certain your child didn't pull the dogs ear or upset her in anyway?

As a responsible dog owner you should have trained her better and taken her to obedience school, especially with young children around.

I would talk to a local shelter and ask them to find someone else who can take care of your dog.

unfortunately some dogs just don't like kids. try to find her a child free home. most shelters will advertise for c/f homes but if your shelter isn't a no kill she could be there too long and be put down. maybe you could keep her away from the child and try to find a home on your own? try your local craigslist or freecycle.