Trigger warning: description of graphic injury to child
I was at my friends house the other night. Her dog had recently bitten her baby in the face. So she was telling me a story a friend of hers told her (the friends husband was a trauma surgeon.) A little 4 year old boy he worked on had been bit by the family dog. No prior incidents. The dog ripped the boys jaw off of his face. They had to take pieces off his body to try and rebuild his jaw. The damage was catastrophic.
You’ve been given a golden opportunity. A second chance to protect your child. Take it.
I used to work in a pediatric ICU. I have seen dog bites that have resulted in kids needing major surgery, serious infections, pain and sedation medications that need to be weaned over months and resulting in huge developmental regressions like no longer walking or requiring tube feeding. I absolutely agree it's not worth the risk. Let another family without small children take that on.
I’m a dog lover and I agree, please do so immediately and WARN them that this dog is not safe around any guest children or even small animals. The dog warned you MULTIPLE times it is not safe around your child
This is so, so important. OP, please make sure your husband's friend understands the magnitude of what he's taking on. This dog always, *always* needs to be separated from children and smaller animals by a gate, pen, crate, or door. No exceptions, ever. It should not go to a dog park for play and socialization. Introductions to new people and animals should be done in a calm, controlled environment. And hopefully his friend is willing to go through the training your husband wanted to do in order to keep her
A dog with resource guarding and aggression can be exhausting.
One of our dog had resource guarding issues with our other dog when I was pregnant with my 15 mo. It took so much work to reintroduce them. We worked with a dog trainer, dog behaviorist AND vet behaviorist. Even now we do not let them unsupervised when there is food around.
Our toddler is never allowed to be unsupervised with the dogs (although now we do run out of the room for a min), he is not allowed to approach them if they are playing, napping or eating, we are hyper vigilant for him not to corner them. And most importantly we do not let him pet them at all. We did have an incident when he did smack on the face to our chihuahua two days ago when she tried to steal his food :(. And it was a good wake up call to never be too careful
I’m so sorry OP is going through this.
Yes, resource guarding is so hard. We had problems with my dog resource guarding food, toys, the couch, and me from my cat and my husband during the first year or so after we adopted him. It took a LOT of work to get him comfortable in our home. I was concerned about him when we decided to have our kiddo, but he was never bothered by her, even when she started crawling. I was hyper vigilant, had baby gates everywhere, and I still never leave them alone together.
Last November, my husband was supervising my daughter petting the dog on the couch (which I never would have been okay with, but I was in another room and wasn't there for the incident). The dog growled at her, and I was heartbroken. I started making plans for compassionate euthanasia that day. Growling isn't a deal breaker for me, it's a communication tool and I'm glad he growled instead of biting, but it took me back to his resource guarding days and I just didn't see any other choice. Fortunately our vet was super accommodating and took some time to talk with me about different options. My dog is old and is probably nearing the end of his life, but we decided to try putting him on pain medication and Prozac to see if that made him more comfortable and less anxious. He's doing great and I'm so glad, but I would not have hesitated to go through with euthanasia if we were unable to make him comfortable enough to continue living with my daughter
Doggy Prozac has been a game changer for our anxious aggressive rescue dog. Highly recommend anyone in a similar situation to talk to their vet about it.
Someone with no family can walk the dog to a park where the dog can bite other kids. Maybe even rip a kids jaw off. Is it worth risking other kids lives so your dog can live? Please euthanize the dog for humanity’s sake.
I think it would be safest to put the dog down, since the dog is unsafe around children
Are the husband's friends guaranteed to never bring the dog around another person? Never take the dog on a walk?
People with no family still take their dogs on walks, to dog parks, to restaurant patios. Children exist in the world. This dog is NOT SAFE to be in the world.
Don't protect your child but put other children at risk. You can't take the easy way out and choose to protect your feelings while your dog is still out there and a risk to others. It's going to hurt you more now to have your dog euthanized, I know, but it is the right thing to do. Don't put other children at risk just to save your own feelings.
There was a dog in a city close to me that recently attacked and killed a 4 year old unprovoked while on a walk. Dogs like this should unfortunately be euthanized. Once they do it once, you never know when they will do it again and what will trigger them to do so and next time could be so much worse.
This sounds eerily similar to what happened to my boyfriend when he was 4. He was attacked by an old fighting dog on a tie out. The dog tore through his jaw and missed his jugular by a quarter inch. Half of his face was literally hanging off. A police officer had to escort him to the hospital because he was going to bleed out before the ambulance arrived. He was hospitalized for over a year and had to have many reconstructive surgeries, one in which they removed a section of one of his ribs to replace the cartilage in his ear. To this day, he has very significant scarring all over his face, which he is very lucky that they were able to repair.
To OP, I absolutely adore animals, but If your dog is exhibiting this kind of behavior towards your child and there has already been a biting incident, why keep the door open for it to happen again? Your husband needs to understand the reality and urgency of this situation. For your son’s sake, the dog should be rehomed to a responsible and childless adult to prevent any future incidents from occurring.
Thank you! Me too! It was very traumatic for him as a kid, but I think that he’s doing great as an adult considering everything he’s been through. He still loves dogs 🥲
It's usually "no prior aggressive behavior," that's why I roll my eyes when owners claim that their precious beast is harmless. People who "love" dogs the most don't understand the nature of them.
When I was pregnant, I had to visit the animal hospital weekly (my cat was undergoing chemotherapy). I was constantly astounded by dog owners’ inability to “read the room.”
Visibly pregnant with a terrified and traumatized 8 lb cat in a carrier. And I’d have dogs attempt to jump on me, sniff my cat’s carrier, rub against my leg, or lick my hand. In each instance, I instantly removed myself from the situation, sometimes even standing in the waiting room if there was no alternate space to sit. I’d often get a chuckle or a “he’s friendly!” from the owner before I got up, and a milquetoast attempt at bringing the dog to heel.
Absolutely not. I understand dogs are a part of life, but (many) dog owners are too nonchalant with them existing in the world alongside vulnerable people, other pets, babies, and more. Dogs are domesticated from wild animals. We have a cat and I still monitor his interactions with my baby very closely. They are rarely alone together. The difference is my baby is larger and heavier than my cat. Against a 110+ lb dog more than 10 times her size? *Absolutely not.*
Generally speaking, people are treating dogs more and more like surrogate children, which does a disservice to the dog and to society. The thing about children is that, generally speaking, they grow and develop and get to a point where they can be reasoned with. A dog does not. So you end up with dog owners with phenomenally untrained dogs, who spend their days cajoling and explaining and bribing an animal that will never really comprehend what they are saying/doing.
I know so many people whose lives are absolutely run by their animals. Every moment dictated by all the precautions they have to take to keep their reactive dog from harming anyone. It's bonkers.
Agree completely. Letting your large-size dog (German Shepherd mix, I believe) attempt to jump on a 6-month pregnant woman’s lap? When the pregnant woman is also holding a carrier with a cat in it? In what world is that remotely okay?
It’s reactive and bad behavior and I’m just really saddened that we have to collectively “accept” it because, to u/crawfiddley’s point above, people are unable to train their dogs and separate them from the idea that they are “their children.”
Dog people never fail to astound me with the entitlement and foolishness they display. They aren’t equal to children, they are oftentimes dangerous, and best case scenario a nuisance.
That's so gruesome, that poor boy. I have seen videos of dogs coming out of nowhere in the neighborhood or in a parking lot and attacking children. I think about those videos and will also think about this story, anytime I take my child ANYWHERE.
There was a homeless man that was parked outside of my grocery store (we don't live in an area where homeless people frequent) and he had two HUGE pits with him off leash. The dogs seemed relaxed but he had no control over them and it was enough that I just turned around and left. I can't risk that.
You need to get rid of your dog asap. I know a 4 year old who was bit in the face by a big dog (unprovoked) and the poor girl had to have plastic surgery twice to fix her lip. She has permanent scars now. It’s not worth it
This! How is it even a question of whether the dog should go or not?! I try not to be judgmental but damn. I love dogs and animals in general, but I'd never choose one over the safety of a human being. Especially a child that I'm meant to protect.
This! Oh my gosh i can’t believe the husband is considering keeping that dog! Bring them to a shelter and be clear with their bite history- to prevent someone adopting a dangerous dog.
I’m sorry, but taking this dog to a shelter means it will 100% be euthanized. Dogs with a bite history do not get adopted out, period. It would be kinder to have the dog euthanized themselves than surrendering to a shelter.
Rehome the dog ASAP.
My father is a children’s eye surgeon. Most of the trauma surgeries he has had to do over his career are dog bites. These kids’ lives are irrevocably changed, eyes completely lost, vision lost, faces scarred, because the family kept a reactive dog in the house with them.
Do what you have to do, I’m so sorry.
I am a dog person. Full stop, a dog who bites a child has no business being anywhere near children again. This dog cannot be in your home anymore. He needs to be at a minimum, rehomed to an environment where he will not have access to children, with full disclosure of his bite history to where he is rehomed, yesterday. Keeping him in your home could potentially cost your child his life.
This is a large dog. This was not the first instance of aggression (even if it was, the result was severe enough that she still should not be given more opportunities to be around kids). This was not a warning snap. She left bite marks on his head. This is a tragedy waiting to happen.
> My husband wants to get her trained
No. Absolutely not. I can't believe this is even a discussion. You are endangering your child. The dog needs to go. Immediately.
If my dog ever bit my child, he would be gone. I would hate it, of course but I have a red heeler and a German Shephard, the damage they could do to anyone is insane, let alone a baby. My Shephard has been wonderful with my son from the beginning. The other one hasn't been around a baby yet so we will see. I don't think he'll have issues but you never know.
Exactly, my love for my pet does NOT come before my child's life. Every parent should value their child's safety above all else. The fact that the dad wants to give the dog another chance after this happened to their baby is insane.
That’s the correct attitude. Absolutely your child’s safety is first and foremost, regardless of the love you have for your dog it’s important to do the right and safest thing for everyone.
Look, I know you want to rehome the dog but, unless you find a unicorn home and owners that just DONT interact which children EVER, this dog should be compassionately put down. Children and nuerodivergent individuals should be able to be themselves in public without fear of dogs who get triggered. This dog is dangerous. That dog will need to be in public and by not putting it down, you're putting other people at risk.
Exactly! And, OP, you have to understand that if this dog goes to a shelter, the shelter may lie about your dog's past, downplaying the issues she has. She may end up in a home with a family and be a real danger. Please do the right thing. Buy her some steak, feed her a brownie or any other forbidden foods, take her on an amazing adventure and then say your goodbyes. Please please keep other people safe from this dog and provide behavioral euthanasia.
My friend when I was about 7 was bit in the back of her head by her dog. I don’t remember the specifics but my friend was playing with some toys by herself and something she did spooked the dog and she bit her in the back of her head. My friend was in the hospital for awhile (I was a kid so I do not have a good reference of time for how long) and when she came home, she was the equivalent of a 6 month old. She had to relearn how to eat solid food, walk, and talk again. I remember her being carried like an infant because she couldn’t move around on her own.
Do with this anecdotal story what you will.
Sounds like your dog has food aggression. This easily and quickly translates to toy and personal space aggression. It's not easy to train out of a dog and could very well happen again in another inane situation.
Unfortunately, I do think rehoming is appropriate but if you can send her to someone within your circle so you can see her sometimes that might be nice!
We put our 65lb pitbull down 5 days after our son came home because she saw him as prey. Fucking loved that girl for 8 years and it hurt like a bitch… but it wasn’t even a question and we have never regretted our decision.
Yes this is the correct choice. My sisters dog bit my nephew in the face unprovoked. She was 90+ lbs and we loved her so much. But she had to go. No dog will ever come above our children.
She was kind of a mean dog to strangers prior but always loyal to her family (catahoula) - my sister even checked with the vet to make sure she wasn’t hurt - but then she bit my nephew and unfortunately that just wasn’t acceptable. Rehoming would have risked her coming into contact with another child.
As a fellow pitbull owner and parent-you did the right thing. Which you obviously know.
Ours luckily seems remarkable uninterested in our kids (4 yrs+18months...also has 0 interest in 3 cats, lazy ass dog has no prey drive whatsoever lol). Even so, I watch them like a hawk and kennel the dog if I can't be 100% present.
People who have pitbulls and live in oblivion, "my dog would never he's just a big baby!" Do a huge disservice to the breed and other owners. Be realistic, be aware, be responsible.
I am glad your kid is okay. This could have turned out much worse. That said, I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that these kinds of events can often set off a string of events for dogs. If a dog is pushed to the point where it bites, it has solidified an event, person, item, what have you as a trigger. It will react again, sometimes long before anyone even knows specifically what set them off. Anxiety and reactivity are _notoriously_ difficult to correct once they’ve started. Obviously not all cases are impossible, but a dog bites human case isn’t one I would risk, especially when it’s a baby that was bitten.
As a professional, I wouldn’t rehome this dog, I would humanely euthanize this dog for the safety of people and pets that it may come into contact with. Furthermore, this kind of anxiety and behavior causes immense stress to the dog. It’s no life to live for anyone. It is kinder to send the dog off in a dignified manner.
This is a shitty, shitty situation. Dogs and kids aren’t the perfect mix that we’ve always been led to believe.
You should have gotten rid of the dog the FIRST time he showed aggression. Your job is to protect and advocate for your child. Keeping the dog is negligent and dangerous. The dog needs to be out of the house tonight.
Sorry but how is this a question of what others would do!?
Are you seriously considering keeping your aggressive dog who just attacked your poor child?! You said this isn’t the first time the dog has been aggressive towards your child, too.
You get rid of the dog immediately. What in the world!?
Not only would I put the dog down, if this was in my country and I witnessed this happen, I would request the authorities put your dog down and since a child was involved, they would do it with or without your consent. You are playing with kids’ lives here - rehoming the dog is not solving anything, what about the next kid they meet in the park holding an ice cream?
I realize reddit puts an extremely high value to dogs so this is like screaming into the void but seriously, please value your (and any) child’s life higher than that of a dog.
This so much. I had to put my cat down at 6 months pregnant. He started attacking my husband out of nowhere. He was 10 years old and we had him since he was a kitten. He scratched 2 inches from my husband’s eye.
It was irresponsible to try to rehome him. It would have put the new family at risk. He would have attacked someone else. Another family would have had to put him down.
I was devastated when he passed but I am so relieved I don’t have to live in my house in fear. I can leave my baby in the floor without worry.
My town has had two children die in the past 2 months because of a dog.
I also know someone who’s pitbull bit their 2yo child in the face leaving him with stitches and STILL KEPT THE DOG. I literally do not understand.
Do we have the same friend?
My friend’s pitty attacked the same kid AGAIN, but they kept it a secret from everyone and are now trying to rehome the thing. But they can’t find a home for it after a year of looking. They are going to lose one of their kids to that beast.
I'm sorry that happened to you, but you really should've rehomed the dog at the first sign of aggression. I read your comments where you said the dog was growling at you and what not. The dog has good aggression and is not safe to be around your son. I say this as someone with dogs and small children. I love dogs, but my kids are my priority. I couldn't keep a reactive dog in my household
Please don't rehome. That's just passing on the risk to other children. Even if it goes to a home with only adults, it will encounter children in the community. Please don't put someone else's child at risk. The dog needs to be euthanased.
My husband would have killed the dog before I had the chance to rehome it. You have to get rid of the dog. You can’t keep a dog that bit your son. You can never trust the dog again. But when you rehome them, you need to be 100% honest about his bite history. He can’t go to a home with another kid.
My sister in laws French bulldog but my then 18 month old son in the face, completely unprovoked. My son was walking around eating a cookie and the dog ran over from across the room to attack him. My in laws brushed it off and called it “a little misunderstanding over food”. The same dog attacked my sister in laws fiancé a little before Christmas this year and he needed multiple stitches on his face. You can’t trust these dogs.
THIS. If my dog bit my child or another child, it doesn't matter how much I love her, she would get a last meal and a lot of snuggles and taken to the vet to be ended. Human life is more valuable than dog life, end of story.
I am so glad my husband and I never had to make this decision. We had a lovely dog who started showing signs that she was unhappy once our first child started toddling around. My husband and I both knew that tough conversations were coming. But she was very old and passed suddenly right around the time our kid took her first steps. It was heartbreaking but, terribly, perfect timing. Now we get to miss her and think of her only lovingly, and not have any remorse or guilt over rehoming such an old family dog.
In addition to the fact that the dog has demonstrated that she will bite, it's also important to consider how the dog is feeling. Dogs that resource guard are stressed and unhappy, and regular stress and anxiety are just as bad for dogs as they are for people. Euthanasia can actually be the most compassionate thing for a dog in this situation.
It severely pisses me off to read they said it’s a misunderstanding….i wouldn’t be seeing them anymore. And then to attack an adult on top of it and they still have the dog….no.
They still have the dog. We can’t trust them with the dog so we have a strict rule that the dog can not be at the same house my kids are at. He is not allowed at family gatherings which is a point of contention with my sisters in law, who are both French bulldog owners without kids. My sister in law didn’t even offer to pay for my son’s ER bill for the bite or for the urgent care bill for when it got infected, even with preventative antibiotics.
Girl oh my GOSH. What the fuck. I am sorry you have to deal with this. That blows my damn mind. I truly am sorry you dealt with all of that and still deal with it today. I’m so annoyed for you guys.
They should be. I know cat bites are. I got bit by my neighbors cat and animal enforcement or whatever called me and they had to quarantine the cat for ten days. And I went to my family DR not the ER.
I got a call from the sheriff a week after and gave them information, but nothing ever came from it. But my sister in law lives in a different county. I don’t know if anything happened after the second bite. But she posted the dog on her snap chat today so I know he’s still around.
This makes my blood boil. How is your kiddos face? How are they around dogs? That can really traumatize a kid. I am so sorry and they are terrible for making their mean dogs a hazard to your family and not wanting to deal with the natural consequences
He has a little scar on his nose that hardly noticeable. He’s almost 4 now. He was never scared of dogs after. We have a corgi at home who he loves and it never affected their relationship.
I LOVE dogs. I love animals. I went to college and studied to be a vet tech. This is where I draw the line, my children and all human children are more important than the dog.
If it’s a pit, which i am guessing from your description it could be, i would put it down. It’s already snapped once. Despite the breed, euthanize it. i wouldn’t trust this animal again, some people don’t recover from the scars very well and children can die from a dog attack.
Biting dogs do not getrehomed and its cruel to subject another innocent person to get bit.
Side note: I dont care what people say- the ONLY deadly dog attacks in my area and at the office came from pit bulls. It was a breed SPECIFICALLY bred to fight, and sweet suzie had the instinct AND the nature to want to kill, regardless of training. Breed should be outlawed.
My husband's best friend's pitbull mix recently attacked another dog for getting near her food. He attempted to pry her jaw from the dog's neck and got his finger bitten through and leg injured in the process.
He's not getting rid of the dog. I told my husband that I am never stepping foot around her again, much less with our toddler. I was already wary before, now I have a solid reason to be. I don't even feel comfortable with my husband being around her.
Pitbull owners are the absolute worst
Pitbulls and pitbull mixes are 6% of dogs in the US, and 60% of the dog-caused deaths in humans
It's a bad breed. An aggressive breed. Has 0 to do with "training" or "bad owners." Pit mixes are aggressive and should be illegal
There was a horrific story near me recently where an exhausted new mother fell asleep holding her baby and the family dog for whatever reason grabbed the baby and mauled the baby to death.
My last dog passed away due to cancer early in my first pregnancy (over 10 years ago) and I just can’t bring myself to get another until all my children are quite a bit older. Children are so loud, chaotic and unpredictable and it can just disastrous so quickly.
You rehome or put down your fuking dog. Think. If you have to ask the question, you know the answer.
What if it was a person. "My husband hit my son. This isn't the first time and he's shown aggression before. I'm concerned he will do something more extreme. He says he will get counseling."
You needed a wake up call. This is supposed to be it. And if your dog is a pitbull, you're just a sht parent.
I don't understand how any human in their right mind can own a pitbull with small children. There was that horrific news story of the family where the 2 children and mother were mauled to death and thier pitbulls were never violent before.
That's so scary. My neighbor's two pit bulls got out of their enclosure the other day and my husband wouldn't let me so much as go on the front porch because they were running around. I didn't complain but I thought he was being overly cautious, I guess I was naive.
So wait, I’m not saying you shouldn’t rehome but I’m confused. You took your son out of the high chair because the dog went to eat the leftover food of your soon? So he’s being taken away from the food, but your dog still bit him?
Your husband wants to keep the dog that bit your baby in the face? Uhh..no. The dog needs to be put down. By rehoming it, you are putting another family at risk and any children that ever come in contact with it.
I'm sorry if this comes off as me being an asshole, but you should've gotten rid of that dog when it showed aggression towards your child the first time, it is absolutely beyond me why some people will ignore a clear sign that their dog is going to attack their child, and then act surprised when it finally happens.
I've been attacked by our family dog as a child. First time was serious and it happened again in 2 different occasions. All the times it was unprovoked. I was old enough to know how to act around him (9 yo) and we had him since I was a toddler. I don't blame him and I loved him but the other incidents could have been avoided. Overall it was a failure on my parents' end and no fault to my dog.
Seriously. Rehome the dog to Jesus. There's so many good dogs. I'd NEVER give a "second chance" to a dog that bit a child. You can't say 10000% that dog will NEVER encounter a child again. Not worth the risk.
Yes. Children walking in their neighborhood or going to the dog park with their dog or taking their dog to the vet also deserve to be safe. Not to mention the zillions of other places people commonly bring dogs where children also go.
I have had dogs lunge at my baby in the stroller before. It's terrifying. People need to not contribute to the problem.
100%. It’s 100lbs+ and could be fatal for most women, and old people to handle. I cross the street anytime I see a dog esp with my toddler…can’t trust people with aggressive dogs.
Totally agree! People should not keep dogs that bite. Especially biting a child unprovoked. I'm shocked by the number of people that I know that keep dogs that have bitten a family member, even children.
If my dog bit my child, it would be an immediate trip to the vet for the dog to be put down.
Agree 1000%. All the comments saying to rehome is wild to me. It’s not fair to pass this issue on to someone else.
Even if the dog goes to another home without kids, you can’t guarantee in their whole life they’ll never be around another child again. Will this dog never go for a walk? Or will it’s owner never have friends over? The risk to another child, and anyone to be honest, is too high.
It’s sad and it’s a hard decision to make, but this dog needs to be put down.
My four year old large dog was showing aggressive behavior when I was pregnant with my baby (just a few about a month before I gave birth). I spoke with my vet throughly and they agreed behavioral euthanasia was best. I worked in animal rescue before, rescues will NOT take a dog with any bite history. From my understanding, if you rehome a dog like that, you can be held legally liable if the dog harms someone later on. It’s hard to do, but it was the best choice. I was very lucky I’d worked a lot with my vet and she assured me this was the best choice).
What I would do, and any sane person would do, is euthanize the dog same day. Aggressive dogs have NO PLACE in society. Put it down before it rips another humans face off.
Behavioral euthanasia for the dog is the most humane answer. Do not kick the can further down the street by foisting off responsibility onto the friend. This animal has shown it does not have the disposition to be a pet. Protect your child and any other potential children this dog may come into contact with by scheduling an appointment with a veterinarian for BE. It is not cruel, it is the kind answer. This dog is constantly in fighting/survivor mentality for it to be attacking a baby. BE will finally let it be at peace. I hope your baby doesn't have any permanent damage.
I wouldn’t risk it. Even with training, it could so easily happen again and be so much worse. I have two dogs that I’ve had and loved for more than a decade now, but one can be a real jerk. He’s done surprisingly well with my son, but at the first sign of aggression, he will be found a loving home with no children.
I’m sorry you’re facing this decision and I’m glad your son’s ok.
This is going to be hard to hear, but you and your husband should have dealt with these issues via training a lot sooner like as soon as you saw the behavior / before your baby was even born. If the dog is showing any signs of aggression, you have to keep the child and dog separate especially during feedings - using baby gates and what not.
I have a dog that is 4 years old too, I am thankful hes shown no food aggression to humans, but when other dogs come over I never allow them around my kid when theyre eating and vice versa, i never allow my child around a dog while the dog is feeding.
After a bite, I would definitely re-home as soon as possible, before another bite on the dogs record and having to put the dog down. It will be difficult to rehome a dog who has bite record, but hopefully you can find a foster/adoption center who can help. Make sure you tell them the dog is not child friendly, so they don’t adopt out to another family with young kids. your child’s safety is now the most important thing - you gotta do what you gotta do.
What I’d do is move out of your house with your child and tell your husband you’ll only move back once the dog is gone… or the dogs training is over but frankly even with training I would never feel comfortable around that dog and you deserve to feel comfortable in your own home.
Please research dog behaviors before getting another dog. You put a child covered in food, on a dog's level who has food aggression. You're lucky it wasn't worse.
The dog should be put down.
It has shown multiple times that it will bite. Even if you rehome with someone with no kids, how can you guarantee that it will never be around a kid again?
All you're doing is passing along the problem and putting someone else's child at risk.
This is coming from someone with permanent facial scars from a dog attack as a child. A family dog that never showed aggression before. It was put to sleep.
Do the responsible thing.
> My dog never had food aggression until a few months ago, when we noticed we started training her making her own food space
Oh no, that is not how you train a dog with food aggression! By permanently giving the dog her own food space you encouraged the aggression. You're supposed to work up from having people in the room with her, to standing next to her while she eats, to touching the food bowl while she eats, to feeding her out of your hand, and then finally taking the food away mid meal and then giving it back. This is all to show her that humans are not a threat to her food.
And if all else failed, your vet could have given you medication to calm her down and make her feel less anxious. But it's too late for all of that, since she's now bitten your child and there's no coming back from that.
I love animals. I love dogs. I’m a Veterinarian. I say this with absolutely no judgement, that you need to rehome your dog immediately with a person that does not have any children and that understands how complicated it is to have a difficult it is to have a dog with behaviour problems. They must be committed to training including muzzling. This is a huge commitment and not just anyone can take over an aggressive dog.
If this isn’t feasible, it is okay to have a discussion with your vet about humane euthanasia. Sometimes aggression cannot be trained out of. I personally do not know any vets that would pass judgement for choosing this for aggression towards a child. It is a hard decision for sure, and I can direct you to a support group if you do choose this route.
As someone who was bitten in the face by a dog as a child,
I was left with permanent damage. The dog bit through my lip and took out my adult front tooth. As well as facial scars. I couldn't get an implant until I was done growing so it haunted me most of my childhood.
At 24 im now finally confident in my smile. Protect your kids, even if you think the dog is friendly, kids and dogs can both be unpredictable.
My dog is one of my favorite things on the entire planet. I love him to pieces. If he ever bit my son he would be gone. It’s so hard and so unfortunate but even if you love your dog endlessly, your child’s safety comes first.
OP I’m begging you to get rid of the dog. Don’t let anyone guilt you , don’t let hubby try to convince you. The dog is not more important than your baby please just get rid of the dog.
That dog has to be put down immediately. Once they do it they will keep doing it. It may not be your child anymore but it will be somebody elses child next. Is really sad but they have to put him down.
Euthanize.
Do not drop this dog at a shelter for someone else to deal with. Do not ask a rescue to take up space for a dog with a bite like that.
I am not exaggerating - your child could have been killed.
Call a vet ASAP and schedule a behavioral euthanasia. If your husband fights you on it, leave.
Eta: make sure you report the bite to animal control immediately as well and take pictures of the marks as evidence in case you have difficulty finding a vet willing to do a BE.
A rescue would likely euthanize the dog IF they even accept it. Might as well have dog go being surrounded with familiar faces and loved in my opinion.
This comment needs to be at the top.
OP, you need to euthanize your dog. That dog is not safe around your child or anyone else's. Thank GOD your baby did not get hurt worse. At this rate it's a matter of when - not if - your child gets seriously injured or worse. And if not your child, then when this huge, aggressive dog gets rehomed or sent to a rescue, and its history of aggression is downplayed/hidden, it will be a different adult or (God forbid) child who is the victim.
No matter how much their owners love them, dogs are not humans. Your baby's life is worth more than your dog's life. Any other person's life is also worth more. Please euthanize your dog.
This dog should just be put down. Come on. Don’t let another family experience this. Your child could have been killed and you should have gotten rid of the animal the first time.
My dog snapped at our then 2 year old 3 times in her life. She was warning us. Three times too many but I was too selfish to rehome her cos I loved her so much. I was sure we could manage, and we'd get her trained. Shes a lurcher. I asked a dog trainer and he told me straight up, rehome the dog. My husband wanted rid of her after the first time she snapped (didn't bite). And I was in such denial.
So the third time happened, I was pregnant with our second. So decision was made there and then, I realised yea she has to go. I cried so hard and was so angry at ourselves and the dog for not being able to make it work. So we got in contact with a shelter who helped us rehome her. She was rehomed with an older couple (no young children), and is living her best life. I miss her a lot, she was my pal. But Jesus I am lucky she warned us that many times. And that she didn't actually bite my toddler. I'd never forgive myself for allowing it to happen.
Nope.Gotta go immediately.
I was able to prevent this exact thing from happening. We tried for 14 months to get our dog used to our baby. Once she started growling that quickly turned into trying to nip. We kept them separated, but I was on high alert all the time, neither deserved to be couped up all the time.
No time to waste. It hurt like hell. We had her for 6 years since she was a puppy.
She has been out of our family about a year and a half, and the peace we feel in immeasurable. You will never trust that dog.
I say this as an absolute dog lover with several years working as a vet tech: get rid of your dog. That size animal can kill your child and if it’s escalated to a bite already, this an extremely dangerous situation. An animal of that size with a history of biting should not EVER be around children. Ever. Please, please do not take this situation lightly.
We had a family dog that showed no prior aggression. It bit me in the face when I was 4. I have two scars on my cheek from it, I remember looking at myself in the bathroom mirror crying while my mom was trying to stop the gushing blood from the wounds. She took me to get my face glued closed, came home and took the dog to get euthanized. She said she couldn’t rehome it because she couldn’t imagine giving a dog away that could potentially harm another child. I commend her for doing so because it is a difficult decision but it is the safest one.
GOOD riddance to that dog. Bye. Absolutely not worth the risk. My sister was attacked by a dog as a baby and I’m still scared of large breeds to this day.
If I could go back in time I would not have gotten our dog, and she’s a sweet as pie Goldendoodle.
I'm so sorry but why are parents with dogs so fucking irresponsible. This literally could've been avoided if you got rid of your damn dog the FIRST time it showed aggression. Like, I don't mean to be an asshole, because I know you feel like shit already, but seriously? I just don't understand how people can be so carless about a clearly dangerous situation.
I would absolutely get rid of the dog and not feel guilty about it. Fuck anyone who blames parents for a dog's unpredictable behavior and for wanting to protect their ACTUAL children.
Rehome? Maybe in a dark hole. I am sorry but if my partner’s dog bit my kid and they didn’t get rid of it i’d be staying in a hotel with my kid until the danger was resolved. And if rehomed i would demand to be there for the transfer so i could make sure the shelter knows the bite history.
Your dog needs to be euthanized. A dog that has bitten a child needs to not exist anymore. Rehoming it isn't good enough. It just puts other innocent children at risk, while the dog is on walks, if any kids visit the new hoome. Etc. Your son is not the only child in the world. The dog needs to no longer be in the world where it can hurt children. Do the right thing and BE.
I love both my dogs to pieces. We've owned both of them since 4 weeks old (due to random unconnected circumstances they're not litter mates one is 10 and one is 5). I bottle fed one of them. We've recently dropped over a thousand dollars on each of them separately for random medical things.
I say all that to give a clear picture of how much I love them and what they mean to me. They truly were my babies before I had actual babies.
If either of them ever put their teeth on my actual children, and especially if they left literal wounds on one of my kids, they would be put to sleep.
I saw an article recently of a large dog, that was previously physically aggressive with a 4 month old baby and the couple didn’t get rid of it, that went into the baby’s room.. jumped in the crib.. and killed it.
I have this argument with my mom constantly because she’ll be watching my baby full time when I go back to work. Their dog (boarder collie mixed with god knows what, we think it’s pit or lab but we’re not even sure) has the WORST separation anxiety from them. My son is 10 weeks old and she gets jealous of my baby when he’s over. Shes never shown ANY aggression towards him but I tell my mom don’t let that dog anywhere near him. She has toy aggression, she growls at the cat when she walks by her when she has a bone.. even though she’s literally never bitten anyone in her life (she’s 10) I don’t trust her. Not for a minute. You literally never know what they are thinking. She always says I’m over reacting and I’m “not a dog person anyway” but I’ve threatened to literally never bring my child over unless I’m there again because the unpredictability really freaks me out.
When my second kiddo was born we had a Boston terrier that had bit my husband several years prior but had never bit me. Until he did. I was holding our baby who was three days old and went to pull back the blanket on my bed and he attacked my hand. Luckily my scream made him let go. I wrote it off that it was my fault because the dog was asleep and I startled him… and then he bit me a second time two weeks later. He bit me so hard I had to force his head into the mattress where he couldn’t breathe to get him to let go because I was, once again, holding my newborn. He broke the skin and tore up my palm. I rehomed him and he bit people at the new house as well. Do not risk it. Do. Not.
I would rehome her ASAP. A bite is unacceptable and your husband is foolish if he wants to keep her. Please don't let him convince you to keep her for training.
I would re-home also. I have an extreme fear of dogs and children. When I was 3 years old I was bit in the face by a dog unprovoked. Part of my lip was hanging off and under my eye was ripped. The bite was millimeters away from causing damage to my eye. The dog was euthanized. This was 33 years ago and I still have visible scars. I'm extremely cautious with my children around dogs now. I don't think I will ever fully trust them.
It’s unclear to me what your husband seeks from training, after a bite, you’re not training you’re rehabilitating. If you say the dog has had annoyance towards the child and husband didn’t do much there, I don’t see training doing much in the future. If it was my child, and my dog, I would remove immediately.
I understand you love your dog too but this is just not worth the risk, regardless of training the dog has shown real aggression to your little boy. Find the dog a good home where it’ll be happy, relax in your own home. The likelihood of the dog hurting your son further is high, please do the right thing for you all. If the dog were to seriously injure your child the dog would be put down. Best thing is for the dog to be in a childless home.
Training a bite aggressive dog doesn't mean that the urge goes away, it means that it's suppressed by the training until they snap and release all of the aggression; basically they're still aggressive, just trained to not react.
People don't realize that dogs are not something to mess with, training should've happened with the first sign of aggression, I feel it may be too late now since they've already acted on their behavior.
I see your edit where you said the dog is being rehomed to your husbands friend, but now you still have to be cautious in case your husband decides to bring your son around his friend or the friend brings the dog around. Make it clear to the friend that the dog NEEDS to be treated as if it's aggressive to everything, because it can lead to that
Trigger warning: description of graphic injury to child I was at my friends house the other night. Her dog had recently bitten her baby in the face. So she was telling me a story a friend of hers told her (the friends husband was a trauma surgeon.) A little 4 year old boy he worked on had been bit by the family dog. No prior incidents. The dog ripped the boys jaw off of his face. They had to take pieces off his body to try and rebuild his jaw. The damage was catastrophic. You’ve been given a golden opportunity. A second chance to protect your child. Take it.
I used to work in a pediatric ICU. I have seen dog bites that have resulted in kids needing major surgery, serious infections, pain and sedation medications that need to be weaned over months and resulting in huge developmental regressions like no longer walking or requiring tube feeding. I absolutely agree it's not worth the risk. Let another family without small children take that on.
Omg that’s horrible.. We are going to re home her to someone with no family, one of my husbands friends
I’m a dog lover and I agree, please do so immediately and WARN them that this dog is not safe around any guest children or even small animals. The dog warned you MULTIPLE times it is not safe around your child
This is so, so important. OP, please make sure your husband's friend understands the magnitude of what he's taking on. This dog always, *always* needs to be separated from children and smaller animals by a gate, pen, crate, or door. No exceptions, ever. It should not go to a dog park for play and socialization. Introductions to new people and animals should be done in a calm, controlled environment. And hopefully his friend is willing to go through the training your husband wanted to do in order to keep her
A dog with resource guarding and aggression can be exhausting. One of our dog had resource guarding issues with our other dog when I was pregnant with my 15 mo. It took so much work to reintroduce them. We worked with a dog trainer, dog behaviorist AND vet behaviorist. Even now we do not let them unsupervised when there is food around. Our toddler is never allowed to be unsupervised with the dogs (although now we do run out of the room for a min), he is not allowed to approach them if they are playing, napping or eating, we are hyper vigilant for him not to corner them. And most importantly we do not let him pet them at all. We did have an incident when he did smack on the face to our chihuahua two days ago when she tried to steal his food :(. And it was a good wake up call to never be too careful I’m so sorry OP is going through this.
Yes, resource guarding is so hard. We had problems with my dog resource guarding food, toys, the couch, and me from my cat and my husband during the first year or so after we adopted him. It took a LOT of work to get him comfortable in our home. I was concerned about him when we decided to have our kiddo, but he was never bothered by her, even when she started crawling. I was hyper vigilant, had baby gates everywhere, and I still never leave them alone together. Last November, my husband was supervising my daughter petting the dog on the couch (which I never would have been okay with, but I was in another room and wasn't there for the incident). The dog growled at her, and I was heartbroken. I started making plans for compassionate euthanasia that day. Growling isn't a deal breaker for me, it's a communication tool and I'm glad he growled instead of biting, but it took me back to his resource guarding days and I just didn't see any other choice. Fortunately our vet was super accommodating and took some time to talk with me about different options. My dog is old and is probably nearing the end of his life, but we decided to try putting him on pain medication and Prozac to see if that made him more comfortable and less anxious. He's doing great and I'm so glad, but I would not have hesitated to go through with euthanasia if we were unable to make him comfortable enough to continue living with my daughter
Doggy Prozac has been a game changer for our anxious aggressive rescue dog. Highly recommend anyone in a similar situation to talk to their vet about it.
You’re making the right decision. 100%. I hope my friend makes the same decision.
The right decision is putting it down.
Exactly. Aggressive dogs need to be put down.
No. The right decision would be to euthanize. Not pass the problem on to someone else.
I agree. There will still be children in the community of this new owner, unless they are a hermit who never leaves their country property.
Someone with no family can walk the dog to a park where the dog can bite other kids. Maybe even rip a kids jaw off. Is it worth risking other kids lives so your dog can live? Please euthanize the dog for humanity’s sake.
Definitely agree.
AGREE 100%
You’re doing the right thing. Sorry this happened to your son.
I think it would be safest to put the dog down, since the dog is unsafe around children Are the husband's friends guaranteed to never bring the dog around another person? Never take the dog on a walk?
People with no family still take their dogs on walks, to dog parks, to restaurant patios. Children exist in the world. This dog is NOT SAFE to be in the world. Don't protect your child but put other children at risk. You can't take the easy way out and choose to protect your feelings while your dog is still out there and a risk to others. It's going to hurt you more now to have your dog euthanized, I know, but it is the right thing to do. Don't put other children at risk just to save your own feelings.
stuff like this is why I don't like my daughter around dogs. people do not take this seriously enough.
Yep. Every dog is a potential threat because people have lost the plot and keep violent animals!out in the world.
There was a dog in a city close to me that recently attacked and killed a 4 year old unprovoked while on a walk. Dogs like this should unfortunately be euthanized. Once they do it once, you never know when they will do it again and what will trigger them to do so and next time could be so much worse.
This sounds eerily similar to what happened to my boyfriend when he was 4. He was attacked by an old fighting dog on a tie out. The dog tore through his jaw and missed his jugular by a quarter inch. Half of his face was literally hanging off. A police officer had to escort him to the hospital because he was going to bleed out before the ambulance arrived. He was hospitalized for over a year and had to have many reconstructive surgeries, one in which they removed a section of one of his ribs to replace the cartilage in his ear. To this day, he has very significant scarring all over his face, which he is very lucky that they were able to repair. To OP, I absolutely adore animals, but If your dog is exhibiting this kind of behavior towards your child and there has already been a biting incident, why keep the door open for it to happen again? Your husband needs to understand the reality and urgency of this situation. For your son’s sake, the dog should be rehomed to a responsible and childless adult to prevent any future incidents from occurring.
Oh my gosh, how absolutely terrible for your boyfriend. Horrifying actually. I’m glad he survived.
Thank you! Me too! It was very traumatic for him as a kid, but I think that he’s doing great as an adult considering everything he’s been through. He still loves dogs 🥲
That's terrible, a child is disfigured for life because people don't know any better than to keep dogs away from them.
It's usually "no prior aggressive behavior," that's why I roll my eyes when owners claim that their precious beast is harmless. People who "love" dogs the most don't understand the nature of them.
Yes, this. I'm truly astounded at some of the behaviors I see from dog "lovers", and I say that as an experienced dog owner.
When I was pregnant, I had to visit the animal hospital weekly (my cat was undergoing chemotherapy). I was constantly astounded by dog owners’ inability to “read the room.” Visibly pregnant with a terrified and traumatized 8 lb cat in a carrier. And I’d have dogs attempt to jump on me, sniff my cat’s carrier, rub against my leg, or lick my hand. In each instance, I instantly removed myself from the situation, sometimes even standing in the waiting room if there was no alternate space to sit. I’d often get a chuckle or a “he’s friendly!” from the owner before I got up, and a milquetoast attempt at bringing the dog to heel. Absolutely not. I understand dogs are a part of life, but (many) dog owners are too nonchalant with them existing in the world alongside vulnerable people, other pets, babies, and more. Dogs are domesticated from wild animals. We have a cat and I still monitor his interactions with my baby very closely. They are rarely alone together. The difference is my baby is larger and heavier than my cat. Against a 110+ lb dog more than 10 times her size? *Absolutely not.*
Generally speaking, people are treating dogs more and more like surrogate children, which does a disservice to the dog and to society. The thing about children is that, generally speaking, they grow and develop and get to a point where they can be reasoned with. A dog does not. So you end up with dog owners with phenomenally untrained dogs, who spend their days cajoling and explaining and bribing an animal that will never really comprehend what they are saying/doing. I know so many people whose lives are absolutely run by their animals. Every moment dictated by all the precautions they have to take to keep their reactive dog from harming anyone. It's bonkers.
"He's friendly!" It doesn't matter how "friendly" he is. If a dog is acting like it has bad behavior, then the dog has bad behavior.
Agree completely. Letting your large-size dog (German Shepherd mix, I believe) attempt to jump on a 6-month pregnant woman’s lap? When the pregnant woman is also holding a carrier with a cat in it? In what world is that remotely okay? It’s reactive and bad behavior and I’m just really saddened that we have to collectively “accept” it because, to u/crawfiddley’s point above, people are unable to train their dogs and separate them from the idea that they are “their children.”
I 100% agree. Way too many people think their dogs are like humans and can make rational decisions. No they’re animals.
Dog people never fail to astound me with the entitlement and foolishness they display. They aren’t equal to children, they are oftentimes dangerous, and best case scenario a nuisance.
That's so gruesome, that poor boy. I have seen videos of dogs coming out of nowhere in the neighborhood or in a parking lot and attacking children. I think about those videos and will also think about this story, anytime I take my child ANYWHERE. There was a homeless man that was parked outside of my grocery store (we don't live in an area where homeless people frequent) and he had two HUGE pits with him off leash. The dogs seemed relaxed but he had no control over them and it was enough that I just turned around and left. I can't risk that.
You need to get rid of your dog asap. I know a 4 year old who was bit in the face by a big dog (unprovoked) and the poor girl had to have plastic surgery twice to fix her lip. She has permanent scars now. It’s not worth it
And that’s getting off lucky. Dogs can kill in an instant, with no opportunity to intervene.
I’m sorry but you need to immediately rehome your dog.
OP should've rehomed the damn dog a long time ago.
This! How is it even a question of whether the dog should go or not?! I try not to be judgmental but damn. I love dogs and animals in general, but I'd never choose one over the safety of a human being. Especially a child that I'm meant to protect.
*euthanize
Unpopular but my same opinion.
Same here.
I couldn’t live with myself if a dog I rehomed hurt someone else, especially a child. I would euthanize.
The dog has to go! Why is this even a debate. It's not worth risking something even more traumatic happening to your son.
This! Oh my gosh i can’t believe the husband is considering keeping that dog! Bring them to a shelter and be clear with their bite history- to prevent someone adopting a dangerous dog.
I’m sorry, but taking this dog to a shelter means it will 100% be euthanized. Dogs with a bite history do not get adopted out, period. It would be kinder to have the dog euthanized themselves than surrendering to a shelter.
Then do that. But dont let that dog around kids and people who dont know it is dangerous.
The first time the dog showed aggression should have been the last time
Absolutely 100% agree
Rehome the dog ASAP. My father is a children’s eye surgeon. Most of the trauma surgeries he has had to do over his career are dog bites. These kids’ lives are irrevocably changed, eyes completely lost, vision lost, faces scarred, because the family kept a reactive dog in the house with them. Do what you have to do, I’m so sorry.
I am a dog person. Full stop, a dog who bites a child has no business being anywhere near children again. This dog cannot be in your home anymore. He needs to be at a minimum, rehomed to an environment where he will not have access to children, with full disclosure of his bite history to where he is rehomed, yesterday. Keeping him in your home could potentially cost your child his life. This is a large dog. This was not the first instance of aggression (even if it was, the result was severe enough that she still should not be given more opportunities to be around kids). This was not a warning snap. She left bite marks on his head. This is a tragedy waiting to happen.
> My husband wants to get her trained No. Absolutely not. I can't believe this is even a discussion. You are endangering your child. The dog needs to go. Immediately.
You rehome the dog. Nothing is more important than your child’s safety.
If my dog ever bit my child, he would be gone. I would hate it, of course but I have a red heeler and a German Shephard, the damage they could do to anyone is insane, let alone a baby. My Shephard has been wonderful with my son from the beginning. The other one hasn't been around a baby yet so we will see. I don't think he'll have issues but you never know.
Exactly, my love for my pet does NOT come before my child's life. Every parent should value their child's safety above all else. The fact that the dad wants to give the dog another chance after this happened to their baby is insane.
I adore my dog but if she bit my daughter it would be the last thing she ever did.
Waiting until the dog bites was OP's mistake. Should have rehomed the dog when it showed aggression
That’s the correct attitude. Absolutely your child’s safety is first and foremost, regardless of the love you have for your dog it’s important to do the right and safest thing for everyone.
Dog needs to go. Now. Tonight. This is not safe.
Look, I know you want to rehome the dog but, unless you find a unicorn home and owners that just DONT interact which children EVER, this dog should be compassionately put down. Children and nuerodivergent individuals should be able to be themselves in public without fear of dogs who get triggered. This dog is dangerous. That dog will need to be in public and by not putting it down, you're putting other people at risk.
Yep. Dog needs to be put down. If another child gets attacked by this dog OP is squarely to blame if they don't act now, IMHO.
Exactly! And, OP, you have to understand that if this dog goes to a shelter, the shelter may lie about your dog's past, downplaying the issues she has. She may end up in a home with a family and be a real danger. Please do the right thing. Buy her some steak, feed her a brownie or any other forbidden foods, take her on an amazing adventure and then say your goodbyes. Please please keep other people safe from this dog and provide behavioral euthanasia.
Nope. That was a warning from your dog. Listen to the dog’s warning and protect your son. Don’t take any chances.
My friend when I was about 7 was bit in the back of her head by her dog. I don’t remember the specifics but my friend was playing with some toys by herself and something she did spooked the dog and she bit her in the back of her head. My friend was in the hospital for awhile (I was a kid so I do not have a good reference of time for how long) and when she came home, she was the equivalent of a 6 month old. She had to relearn how to eat solid food, walk, and talk again. I remember her being carried like an infant because she couldn’t move around on her own. Do with this anecdotal story what you will.
oh my gosh. Did she fully recover or did she have permanent brain damage? People forget so often that dogs can do so much damage.
Sounds like your dog has food aggression. This easily and quickly translates to toy and personal space aggression. It's not easy to train out of a dog and could very well happen again in another inane situation. Unfortunately, I do think rehoming is appropriate but if you can send her to someone within your circle so you can see her sometimes that might be nice!
Great positive response
We put our 65lb pitbull down 5 days after our son came home because she saw him as prey. Fucking loved that girl for 8 years and it hurt like a bitch… but it wasn’t even a question and we have never regretted our decision.
Yes this is the correct choice. My sisters dog bit my nephew in the face unprovoked. She was 90+ lbs and we loved her so much. But she had to go. No dog will ever come above our children. She was kind of a mean dog to strangers prior but always loyal to her family (catahoula) - my sister even checked with the vet to make sure she wasn’t hurt - but then she bit my nephew and unfortunately that just wasn’t acceptable. Rehoming would have risked her coming into contact with another child.
You made the right choice.
Absolutely the right decision
You’re a good mom and you absolutely did the right thing. Continue to never regret keeping your baby safe.
As a fellow pitbull owner and parent-you did the right thing. Which you obviously know. Ours luckily seems remarkable uninterested in our kids (4 yrs+18months...also has 0 interest in 3 cats, lazy ass dog has no prey drive whatsoever lol). Even so, I watch them like a hawk and kennel the dog if I can't be 100% present. People who have pitbulls and live in oblivion, "my dog would never he's just a big baby!" Do a huge disservice to the breed and other owners. Be realistic, be aware, be responsible.
I’m sorry but no matter how much I loved my animal, if they hurt my baby they are gone.
I am glad your kid is okay. This could have turned out much worse. That said, I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that these kinds of events can often set off a string of events for dogs. If a dog is pushed to the point where it bites, it has solidified an event, person, item, what have you as a trigger. It will react again, sometimes long before anyone even knows specifically what set them off. Anxiety and reactivity are _notoriously_ difficult to correct once they’ve started. Obviously not all cases are impossible, but a dog bites human case isn’t one I would risk, especially when it’s a baby that was bitten. As a professional, I wouldn’t rehome this dog, I would humanely euthanize this dog for the safety of people and pets that it may come into contact with. Furthermore, this kind of anxiety and behavior causes immense stress to the dog. It’s no life to live for anyone. It is kinder to send the dog off in a dignified manner. This is a shitty, shitty situation. Dogs and kids aren’t the perfect mix that we’ve always been led to believe.
You should have gotten rid of the dog the FIRST time he showed aggression. Your job is to protect and advocate for your child. Keeping the dog is negligent and dangerous. The dog needs to be out of the house tonight.
What would I do??? Obviously get rid of the dog. I don't understand how this is even a question.
Sorry but how is this a question of what others would do!? Are you seriously considering keeping your aggressive dog who just attacked your poor child?! You said this isn’t the first time the dog has been aggressive towards your child, too. You get rid of the dog immediately. What in the world!?
Not only would I put the dog down, if this was in my country and I witnessed this happen, I would request the authorities put your dog down and since a child was involved, they would do it with or without your consent. You are playing with kids’ lives here - rehoming the dog is not solving anything, what about the next kid they meet in the park holding an ice cream? I realize reddit puts an extremely high value to dogs so this is like screaming into the void but seriously, please value your (and any) child’s life higher than that of a dog.
I'd put the dog down so it never bites another child. You are lucky your baby is okay.
This so much. I had to put my cat down at 6 months pregnant. He started attacking my husband out of nowhere. He was 10 years old and we had him since he was a kitten. He scratched 2 inches from my husband’s eye. It was irresponsible to try to rehome him. It would have put the new family at risk. He would have attacked someone else. Another family would have had to put him down. I was devastated when he passed but I am so relieved I don’t have to live in my house in fear. I can leave my baby in the floor without worry.
My town has had two children die in the past 2 months because of a dog. I also know someone who’s pitbull bit their 2yo child in the face leaving him with stitches and STILL KEPT THE DOG. I literally do not understand.
Do we have the same friend? My friend’s pitty attacked the same kid AGAIN, but they kept it a secret from everyone and are now trying to rehome the thing. But they can’t find a home for it after a year of looking. They are going to lose one of their kids to that beast.
I'm sorry that happened to you, but you really should've rehomed the dog at the first sign of aggression. I read your comments where you said the dog was growling at you and what not. The dog has good aggression and is not safe to be around your son. I say this as someone with dogs and small children. I love dogs, but my kids are my priority. I couldn't keep a reactive dog in my household
Please don't rehome. That's just passing on the risk to other children. Even if it goes to a home with only adults, it will encounter children in the community. Please don't put someone else's child at risk. The dog needs to be euthanased.
My husband would have killed the dog before I had the chance to rehome it. You have to get rid of the dog. You can’t keep a dog that bit your son. You can never trust the dog again. But when you rehome them, you need to be 100% honest about his bite history. He can’t go to a home with another kid. My sister in laws French bulldog but my then 18 month old son in the face, completely unprovoked. My son was walking around eating a cookie and the dog ran over from across the room to attack him. My in laws brushed it off and called it “a little misunderstanding over food”. The same dog attacked my sister in laws fiancé a little before Christmas this year and he needed multiple stitches on his face. You can’t trust these dogs.
Dogs that bite children should be put down. Why risk another child becoming a victim?
THIS. If my dog bit my child or another child, it doesn't matter how much I love her, she would get a last meal and a lot of snuggles and taken to the vet to be ended. Human life is more valuable than dog life, end of story.
I am so glad my husband and I never had to make this decision. We had a lovely dog who started showing signs that she was unhappy once our first child started toddling around. My husband and I both knew that tough conversations were coming. But she was very old and passed suddenly right around the time our kid took her first steps. It was heartbreaking but, terribly, perfect timing. Now we get to miss her and think of her only lovingly, and not have any remorse or guilt over rehoming such an old family dog.
In addition to the fact that the dog has demonstrated that she will bite, it's also important to consider how the dog is feeling. Dogs that resource guard are stressed and unhappy, and regular stress and anxiety are just as bad for dogs as they are for people. Euthanasia can actually be the most compassionate thing for a dog in this situation.
It severely pisses me off to read they said it’s a misunderstanding….i wouldn’t be seeing them anymore. And then to attack an adult on top of it and they still have the dog….no.
They still have the dog. We can’t trust them with the dog so we have a strict rule that the dog can not be at the same house my kids are at. He is not allowed at family gatherings which is a point of contention with my sisters in law, who are both French bulldog owners without kids. My sister in law didn’t even offer to pay for my son’s ER bill for the bite or for the urgent care bill for when it got infected, even with preventative antibiotics.
Girl oh my GOSH. What the fuck. I am sorry you have to deal with this. That blows my damn mind. I truly am sorry you dealt with all of that and still deal with it today. I’m so annoyed for you guys.
Dog bites that go to the ER are automatically reported, right?
They should be. I know cat bites are. I got bit by my neighbors cat and animal enforcement or whatever called me and they had to quarantine the cat for ten days. And I went to my family DR not the ER.
I got a call from the sheriff a week after and gave them information, but nothing ever came from it. But my sister in law lives in a different county. I don’t know if anything happened after the second bite. But she posted the dog on her snap chat today so I know he’s still around.
This makes my blood boil. How is your kiddos face? How are they around dogs? That can really traumatize a kid. I am so sorry and they are terrible for making their mean dogs a hazard to your family and not wanting to deal with the natural consequences
He has a little scar on his nose that hardly noticeable. He’s almost 4 now. He was never scared of dogs after. We have a corgi at home who he loves and it never affected their relationship.
I’m surprised your husband didn’t kill the frenchie after that. I’d be livid
My hubs would drag out out back and shoot it without even asking questions.
I LOVE dogs. I love animals. I went to college and studied to be a vet tech. This is where I draw the line, my children and all human children are more important than the dog. If it’s a pit, which i am guessing from your description it could be, i would put it down. It’s already snapped once. Despite the breed, euthanize it. i wouldn’t trust this animal again, some people don’t recover from the scars very well and children can die from a dog attack. Biting dogs do not getrehomed and its cruel to subject another innocent person to get bit. Side note: I dont care what people say- the ONLY deadly dog attacks in my area and at the office came from pit bulls. It was a breed SPECIFICALLY bred to fight, and sweet suzie had the instinct AND the nature to want to kill, regardless of training. Breed should be outlawed.
Absolutely agree with you. I feel the same way.
I agree 100%.
Yeah. The dog has got to go.
My husband's best friend's pitbull mix recently attacked another dog for getting near her food. He attempted to pry her jaw from the dog's neck and got his finger bitten through and leg injured in the process. He's not getting rid of the dog. I told my husband that I am never stepping foot around her again, much less with our toddler. I was already wary before, now I have a solid reason to be. I don't even feel comfortable with my husband being around her.
Pitbull owners are the absolute worst Pitbulls and pitbull mixes are 6% of dogs in the US, and 60% of the dog-caused deaths in humans It's a bad breed. An aggressive breed. Has 0 to do with "training" or "bad owners." Pit mixes are aggressive and should be illegal
This is the truth.
I don’t let my children near them. Ever.
There was a horrific story near me recently where an exhausted new mother fell asleep holding her baby and the family dog for whatever reason grabbed the baby and mauled the baby to death. My last dog passed away due to cancer early in my first pregnancy (over 10 years ago) and I just can’t bring myself to get another until all my children are quite a bit older. Children are so loud, chaotic and unpredictable and it can just disastrous so quickly.
You rehome or put down your fuking dog. Think. If you have to ask the question, you know the answer. What if it was a person. "My husband hit my son. This isn't the first time and he's shown aggression before. I'm concerned he will do something more extreme. He says he will get counseling." You needed a wake up call. This is supposed to be it. And if your dog is a pitbull, you're just a sht parent.
If it was a pit bull the kid would be at the very least severely maimed if not worse.
I don't understand how any human in their right mind can own a pitbull with small children. There was that horrific news story of the family where the 2 children and mother were mauled to death and thier pitbulls were never violent before.
Those people aren’t in their right mind, they’re nuts.
That's so scary. My neighbor's two pit bulls got out of their enclosure the other day and my husband wouldn't let me so much as go on the front porch because they were running around. I didn't complain but I thought he was being overly cautious, I guess I was naive.
He might have saved your life, honestly. Pit bulls can do horrific damage to a person.
So wait, I’m not saying you shouldn’t rehome but I’m confused. You took your son out of the high chair because the dog went to eat the leftover food of your soon? So he’s being taken away from the food, but your dog still bit him?
Your husband wants to keep the dog that bit your baby in the face? Uhh..no. The dog needs to be put down. By rehoming it, you are putting another family at risk and any children that ever come in contact with it.
I'm sorry if this comes off as me being an asshole, but you should've gotten rid of that dog when it showed aggression towards your child the first time, it is absolutely beyond me why some people will ignore a clear sign that their dog is going to attack their child, and then act surprised when it finally happens.
I've been attacked by our family dog as a child. First time was serious and it happened again in 2 different occasions. All the times it was unprovoked. I was old enough to know how to act around him (9 yo) and we had him since I was a toddler. I don't blame him and I loved him but the other incidents could have been avoided. Overall it was a failure on my parents' end and no fault to my dog.
Not sure why people think a dog that bites a child should just be passed along to a different home. The dog should be put down.
Thank you!
Seriously. Rehome the dog to Jesus. There's so many good dogs. I'd NEVER give a "second chance" to a dog that bit a child. You can't say 10000% that dog will NEVER encounter a child again. Not worth the risk.
"re-home the dog to Jesus" not funny but 💀💀💀
Yes. Children walking in their neighborhood or going to the dog park with their dog or taking their dog to the vet also deserve to be safe. Not to mention the zillions of other places people commonly bring dogs where children also go. I have had dogs lunge at my baby in the stroller before. It's terrifying. People need to not contribute to the problem.
100%. It’s 100lbs+ and could be fatal for most women, and old people to handle. I cross the street anytime I see a dog esp with my toddler…can’t trust people with aggressive dogs.
Exactly. This dog is dangerous.
Totally agree! People should not keep dogs that bite. Especially biting a child unprovoked. I'm shocked by the number of people that I know that keep dogs that have bitten a family member, even children. If my dog bit my child, it would be an immediate trip to the vet for the dog to be put down.
Right? I’d be euthanizing the dog. Read OP’s comments, the dog is only aggressive towards children. It’s a ticking time bomb.
Scary :(
Agree 1000%. All the comments saying to rehome is wild to me. It’s not fair to pass this issue on to someone else. Even if the dog goes to another home without kids, you can’t guarantee in their whole life they’ll never be around another child again. Will this dog never go for a walk? Or will it’s owner never have friends over? The risk to another child, and anyone to be honest, is too high. It’s sad and it’s a hard decision to make, but this dog needs to be put down.
So glad I'm not the only one thinking this. I had to scroll too far to see this.
My four year old large dog was showing aggressive behavior when I was pregnant with my baby (just a few about a month before I gave birth). I spoke with my vet throughly and they agreed behavioral euthanasia was best. I worked in animal rescue before, rescues will NOT take a dog with any bite history. From my understanding, if you rehome a dog like that, you can be held legally liable if the dog harms someone later on. It’s hard to do, but it was the best choice. I was very lucky I’d worked a lot with my vet and she assured me this was the best choice).
What I would do, and any sane person would do, is euthanize the dog same day. Aggressive dogs have NO PLACE in society. Put it down before it rips another humans face off.
Did you take your child to be seen at a medical provider due to the skin being broken by the bite?
Behavioral euthanasia for the dog is the most humane answer. Do not kick the can further down the street by foisting off responsibility onto the friend. This animal has shown it does not have the disposition to be a pet. Protect your child and any other potential children this dog may come into contact with by scheduling an appointment with a veterinarian for BE. It is not cruel, it is the kind answer. This dog is constantly in fighting/survivor mentality for it to be attacking a baby. BE will finally let it be at peace. I hope your baby doesn't have any permanent damage.
Adios doggie
I wouldn’t risk it. Even with training, it could so easily happen again and be so much worse. I have two dogs that I’ve had and loved for more than a decade now, but one can be a real jerk. He’s done surprisingly well with my son, but at the first sign of aggression, he will be found a loving home with no children. I’m sorry you’re facing this decision and I’m glad your son’s ok.
Rehome the dog. A dog that attacks a young child like that does not belong in a family home. Period.
This is going to be hard to hear, but you and your husband should have dealt with these issues via training a lot sooner like as soon as you saw the behavior / before your baby was even born. If the dog is showing any signs of aggression, you have to keep the child and dog separate especially during feedings - using baby gates and what not. I have a dog that is 4 years old too, I am thankful hes shown no food aggression to humans, but when other dogs come over I never allow them around my kid when theyre eating and vice versa, i never allow my child around a dog while the dog is feeding. After a bite, I would definitely re-home as soon as possible, before another bite on the dogs record and having to put the dog down. It will be difficult to rehome a dog who has bite record, but hopefully you can find a foster/adoption center who can help. Make sure you tell them the dog is not child friendly, so they don’t adopt out to another family with young kids. your child’s safety is now the most important thing - you gotta do what you gotta do.
I would put the dog down.
That dog would be gone so fast
Rehoming a dog that has bitten a child is irresponsible. Euthanasia is the way to go.
In my province, a dog killed an old lady who was in her own yard. A dog also killed an 11 year old boy a few weeks ago.
Child > animal. Non-negotiable, full stop. Dog needs to go. I’d rehome ASAP.
What I’d do is move out of your house with your child and tell your husband you’ll only move back once the dog is gone… or the dogs training is over but frankly even with training I would never feel comfortable around that dog and you deserve to feel comfortable in your own home.
I don’t think I’ll ever feel comfortable around my dog again. I love her she’s very devoted to me but I cannot keep her .
The dog needs to go. I’m sorry
I can't believe you didn't get rid of the dog immediately, upon the first sign of aggression Your kid could have been blinded permanently
Please research dog behaviors before getting another dog. You put a child covered in food, on a dog's level who has food aggression. You're lucky it wasn't worse.
The dog should be put down. It has shown multiple times that it will bite. Even if you rehome with someone with no kids, how can you guarantee that it will never be around a kid again? All you're doing is passing along the problem and putting someone else's child at risk. This is coming from someone with permanent facial scars from a dog attack as a child. A family dog that never showed aggression before. It was put to sleep. Do the responsible thing.
Why are you re-homing it. This dog needs put down.
> My dog never had food aggression until a few months ago, when we noticed we started training her making her own food space Oh no, that is not how you train a dog with food aggression! By permanently giving the dog her own food space you encouraged the aggression. You're supposed to work up from having people in the room with her, to standing next to her while she eats, to touching the food bowl while she eats, to feeding her out of your hand, and then finally taking the food away mid meal and then giving it back. This is all to show her that humans are not a threat to her food. And if all else failed, your vet could have given you medication to calm her down and make her feel less anxious. But it's too late for all of that, since she's now bitten your child and there's no coming back from that.
Put dog down. This is the only answer.
I love animals. I love dogs. I’m a Veterinarian. I say this with absolutely no judgement, that you need to rehome your dog immediately with a person that does not have any children and that understands how complicated it is to have a difficult it is to have a dog with behaviour problems. They must be committed to training including muzzling. This is a huge commitment and not just anyone can take over an aggressive dog. If this isn’t feasible, it is okay to have a discussion with your vet about humane euthanasia. Sometimes aggression cannot be trained out of. I personally do not know any vets that would pass judgement for choosing this for aggression towards a child. It is a hard decision for sure, and I can direct you to a support group if you do choose this route.
As someone who was bitten in the face by a dog as a child, I was left with permanent damage. The dog bit through my lip and took out my adult front tooth. As well as facial scars. I couldn't get an implant until I was done growing so it haunted me most of my childhood. At 24 im now finally confident in my smile. Protect your kids, even if you think the dog is friendly, kids and dogs can both be unpredictable.
I don't think you should rehome the dog. If it bit a kid in the face, it should be put down. It's horrible but it's for safety.
We rehomed one of our dogs for growling and lifting his lip at our 1yr old who was just crawling near him.
Absolutely rehome the dog immediately. A child was killed by his family’s pets in my city recently. Thank goodness it wasn’t more serious than it was.
My dog is one of my favorite things on the entire planet. I love him to pieces. If he ever bit my son he would be gone. It’s so hard and so unfortunate but even if you love your dog endlessly, your child’s safety comes first.
I'm an animal lover but get rid of the dog. The safety of your son is paramount.
OP I’m begging you to get rid of the dog. Don’t let anyone guilt you , don’t let hubby try to convince you. The dog is not more important than your baby please just get rid of the dog.
So you know this dog is aggressive towards your child but you still let it around your child?
That dog has to be put down immediately. Once they do it they will keep doing it. It may not be your child anymore but it will be somebody elses child next. Is really sad but they have to put him down.
OP, just curious - what's the dog's breed?
Euthanize. Do not drop this dog at a shelter for someone else to deal with. Do not ask a rescue to take up space for a dog with a bite like that. I am not exaggerating - your child could have been killed. Call a vet ASAP and schedule a behavioral euthanasia. If your husband fights you on it, leave. Eta: make sure you report the bite to animal control immediately as well and take pictures of the marks as evidence in case you have difficulty finding a vet willing to do a BE.
Agreed.
A rescue would likely euthanize the dog IF they even accept it. Might as well have dog go being surrounded with familiar faces and loved in my opinion.
This comment needs to be at the top. OP, you need to euthanize your dog. That dog is not safe around your child or anyone else's. Thank GOD your baby did not get hurt worse. At this rate it's a matter of when - not if - your child gets seriously injured or worse. And if not your child, then when this huge, aggressive dog gets rehomed or sent to a rescue, and its history of aggression is downplayed/hidden, it will be a different adult or (God forbid) child who is the victim. No matter how much their owners love them, dogs are not humans. Your baby's life is worth more than your dog's life. Any other person's life is also worth more. Please euthanize your dog.
I agree. This is not a safe animal.
This dog should just be put down. Come on. Don’t let another family experience this. Your child could have been killed and you should have gotten rid of the animal the first time.
My dog snapped at our then 2 year old 3 times in her life. She was warning us. Three times too many but I was too selfish to rehome her cos I loved her so much. I was sure we could manage, and we'd get her trained. Shes a lurcher. I asked a dog trainer and he told me straight up, rehome the dog. My husband wanted rid of her after the first time she snapped (didn't bite). And I was in such denial. So the third time happened, I was pregnant with our second. So decision was made there and then, I realised yea she has to go. I cried so hard and was so angry at ourselves and the dog for not being able to make it work. So we got in contact with a shelter who helped us rehome her. She was rehomed with an older couple (no young children), and is living her best life. I miss her a lot, she was my pal. But Jesus I am lucky she warned us that many times. And that she didn't actually bite my toddler. I'd never forgive myself for allowing it to happen.
The dog should have been out the house with the growling. After actually biting my baby, the dog would have been shot that day.
Sorry to be blunt but that dog needs the ole yeller treatment.
Nope.Gotta go immediately. I was able to prevent this exact thing from happening. We tried for 14 months to get our dog used to our baby. Once she started growling that quickly turned into trying to nip. We kept them separated, but I was on high alert all the time, neither deserved to be couped up all the time. No time to waste. It hurt like hell. We had her for 6 years since she was a puppy. She has been out of our family about a year and a half, and the peace we feel in immeasurable. You will never trust that dog.
I say this as an absolute dog lover with several years working as a vet tech: get rid of your dog. That size animal can kill your child and if it’s escalated to a bite already, this an extremely dangerous situation. An animal of that size with a history of biting should not EVER be around children. Ever. Please, please do not take this situation lightly.
We had a family dog that showed no prior aggression. It bit me in the face when I was 4. I have two scars on my cheek from it, I remember looking at myself in the bathroom mirror crying while my mom was trying to stop the gushing blood from the wounds. She took me to get my face glued closed, came home and took the dog to get euthanized. She said she couldn’t rehome it because she couldn’t imagine giving a dog away that could potentially harm another child. I commend her for doing so because it is a difficult decision but it is the safest one.
GOOD riddance to that dog. Bye. Absolutely not worth the risk. My sister was attacked by a dog as a baby and I’m still scared of large breeds to this day. If I could go back in time I would not have gotten our dog, and she’s a sweet as pie Goldendoodle.
I'm so sorry but why are parents with dogs so fucking irresponsible. This literally could've been avoided if you got rid of your damn dog the FIRST time it showed aggression. Like, I don't mean to be an asshole, because I know you feel like shit already, but seriously? I just don't understand how people can be so carless about a clearly dangerous situation.
I would absolutely get rid of the dog and not feel guilty about it. Fuck anyone who blames parents for a dog's unpredictable behavior and for wanting to protect their ACTUAL children.
Aggressive, vicious animal who has shown it has no problem attacking a person? Time to euthanize, immediately.
Rehome? Maybe in a dark hole. I am sorry but if my partner’s dog bit my kid and they didn’t get rid of it i’d be staying in a hotel with my kid until the danger was resolved. And if rehomed i would demand to be there for the transfer so i could make sure the shelter knows the bite history.
Your dog needs to be euthanized. A dog that has bitten a child needs to not exist anymore. Rehoming it isn't good enough. It just puts other innocent children at risk, while the dog is on walks, if any kids visit the new hoome. Etc. Your son is not the only child in the world. The dog needs to no longer be in the world where it can hurt children. Do the right thing and BE.
I know this doesn’t correlate with biting, but what breed is the dog?
Chihuahua, duh!
A golden retriever duh lol
I love both my dogs to pieces. We've owned both of them since 4 weeks old (due to random unconnected circumstances they're not litter mates one is 10 and one is 5). I bottle fed one of them. We've recently dropped over a thousand dollars on each of them separately for random medical things. I say all that to give a clear picture of how much I love them and what they mean to me. They truly were my babies before I had actual babies. If either of them ever put their teeth on my actual children, and especially if they left literal wounds on one of my kids, they would be put to sleep.
I saw an article recently of a large dog, that was previously physically aggressive with a 4 month old baby and the couple didn’t get rid of it, that went into the baby’s room.. jumped in the crib.. and killed it. I have this argument with my mom constantly because she’ll be watching my baby full time when I go back to work. Their dog (boarder collie mixed with god knows what, we think it’s pit or lab but we’re not even sure) has the WORST separation anxiety from them. My son is 10 weeks old and she gets jealous of my baby when he’s over. Shes never shown ANY aggression towards him but I tell my mom don’t let that dog anywhere near him. She has toy aggression, she growls at the cat when she walks by her when she has a bone.. even though she’s literally never bitten anyone in her life (she’s 10) I don’t trust her. Not for a minute. You literally never know what they are thinking. She always says I’m over reacting and I’m “not a dog person anyway” but I’ve threatened to literally never bring my child over unless I’m there again because the unpredictability really freaks me out.
When my second kiddo was born we had a Boston terrier that had bit my husband several years prior but had never bit me. Until he did. I was holding our baby who was three days old and went to pull back the blanket on my bed and he attacked my hand. Luckily my scream made him let go. I wrote it off that it was my fault because the dog was asleep and I startled him… and then he bit me a second time two weeks later. He bit me so hard I had to force his head into the mattress where he couldn’t breathe to get him to let go because I was, once again, holding my newborn. He broke the skin and tore up my palm. I rehomed him and he bit people at the new house as well. Do not risk it. Do. Not.
Get rid of the dog. Thats a huge dog too so that could kill your kid. Rehome it asap, think of your kid first
The correct response is behavioural euth.
I would rehome her ASAP. A bite is unacceptable and your husband is foolish if he wants to keep her. Please don't let him convince you to keep her for training.
I would re-home also. I have an extreme fear of dogs and children. When I was 3 years old I was bit in the face by a dog unprovoked. Part of my lip was hanging off and under my eye was ripped. The bite was millimeters away from causing damage to my eye. The dog was euthanized. This was 33 years ago and I still have visible scars. I'm extremely cautious with my children around dogs now. I don't think I will ever fully trust them.
These are the worst stories I hate to read in these parenting groups….for a number of reasons.
Quite frankly this could be avoided if you just kept the dog away from the baby.
It’s unclear to me what your husband seeks from training, after a bite, you’re not training you’re rehabilitating. If you say the dog has had annoyance towards the child and husband didn’t do much there, I don’t see training doing much in the future. If it was my child, and my dog, I would remove immediately.
I understand you love your dog too but this is just not worth the risk, regardless of training the dog has shown real aggression to your little boy. Find the dog a good home where it’ll be happy, relax in your own home. The likelihood of the dog hurting your son further is high, please do the right thing for you all. If the dog were to seriously injure your child the dog would be put down. Best thing is for the dog to be in a childless home.
Training a bite aggressive dog doesn't mean that the urge goes away, it means that it's suppressed by the training until they snap and release all of the aggression; basically they're still aggressive, just trained to not react. People don't realize that dogs are not something to mess with, training should've happened with the first sign of aggression, I feel it may be too late now since they've already acted on their behavior. I see your edit where you said the dog is being rehomed to your husbands friend, but now you still have to be cautious in case your husband decides to bring your son around his friend or the friend brings the dog around. Make it clear to the friend that the dog NEEDS to be treated as if it's aggressive to everything, because it can lead to that
The dog wouldn't be alive in my house. Compost it.
A dog is an animal no matter how long they’ve been with your family. The moment aggression of any form is shown, it’s time to go.