# Rescue dog has bitten my son.



## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Looking for advice please. There are 3 people in our family myself my husband and our 1; year old son.
After loosing our lovely staffie to cancer last year we have recently adopted another staff from our local rspca shelter. She is a lovely dog very affectionate and playful and has settled in well in the couple of months we have had her. No issues flagged by rspca about from her being nervous around other dogs, which is true. She was marked as rehoming with teens + as they knew little about her background being abandoned at the shelter.
We had noticed she doesn’t like us tickling each other or raised voices and has nipped each of us if she has heard raised voices.
Yesterday my son (who has high functioning autism) got very upset after he lost Xbox time for swearing. He was in a different room to the dog and was shouting and swearing loudly, myself and my husband were in the other room about to go in to him. Our dog ran in and bit him on the thigh hard enough for my husband to have to prise her mouth off of him. He has a nasty bite luckily not to deep but it required treatment and he is on antibiotics as a precaution against infection. We crated her immediately and she has been fine since. 
I’m at a loss about what to do. My son is distraught he really likes her and was sat with her this morning begging me to give her another chance. We are not a shouty family but there is not doubt in my mind that if shouting happens around her she will bite again. We have decided that if children visit she will be crated. I have contacted the shelter we rescued her from but the behaviourist is on holiday until Friday.
Any advice would be appreciated can you teach a dog not to bite?
Thanks


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Our son is 14


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## Mishelle (Feb 8, 2020)

Lulems said:


> Our son is 14


Hi I can't give any advice but I'm looking for similar help as my 7yr old mini Jack Russel has a dislike for my 3yr old grandson and has nipped him on a few occasions if he gets too boisterous around him so now I'm always watching incase it happens again. So would be very grateful for advice on how to deal with this situation as I hopefully will have many more grandkids.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Mishelle said:


> Hi I can't give any advice but I'm looking for similar help as my 7yr old mini Jack Russel has a dislike for my 3yr old grandson and has nipped him on a few occasions if he gets too boisterous around him so now I'm always watching incase it happens again. So would be very grateful for advice on how to deal with this situation as I hopefully will have many more grandkids.


I would crate him when your grandson is round as he is only 3 .


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## Mishelle (Feb 8, 2020)

Lulems said:


> I would crate him when your grandson is round as he is only 3 .


Thanku I think I will have to invest in a crate we have two mini jack Russell and to be fair my granddaughter was older when we got them and there was no problems (had them both since 8 weeks old) but when my grandson came along he terrorised my dogs from the moment he could move around my oldest dog 8yrs old just gets up and moves away from him but the other one will only take so much then nip him (I do try my best to keep my grandson from annoying them but not always possible to have eyes in the back of your head) and I'm sure me being tense waiting for something to happen doesn't help the situation. I hate the thought of having to put my dog in a crate for the length of time that my grandson can be at my house in a day (sometimes all day) and was hoping to find a way of training or something along those lines to stop it from happening. I do remove my dog from the room when it's happened while telling him he's bad in a very stern voice. Just worried that this is a thing that will continue as my kids have more kids of their own and come to visit so that's why I would like to find a way to sort it out before that happens


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Crates have to be introduced gradually and correctly in order not to cause stress and anxiety.

The dog can be left safely in another room surely?

You absolutely need to prevent your grandson having unsupervised access to the dog. A dog that has made it clear already that it’s not happy with him to the point of snapping. If the dog isn’t listened to now it could end in disaster, quite frankly.

It’s madness not to manage their interactions closely.

Kids should not be able or allowed to terrorise any animal.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Mishelle said:


> Hi I can't give any advice but I'm looking for similar help as my 7yr old mini Jack Russel has a dislike for my 3yr old grandson and has nipped him on a few occasions if he gets too boisterous around him so now I'm always watching incase it happens again. So would be very grateful for advice on how to deal with this situation as I hopefully will have many more grandkids.


Could you please make your own post? As these are too different situations. Thanks


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Lulems said:


> Could you please make your own post? As these are too different situations. Thanks


Being Saturday I imagine most of the regular knowledgeable members who post a lot in this section have been busy. I am sure you will get some excellent help by and by.


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## O2.0 (May 23, 2018)

Lulems said:


> Looking for advice please. There are 3 people in our family myself my husband and our 1; year old son.
> After loosing our lovely staffie to cancer last year we have recently adopted another staff from our local rspca shelter. She is a lovely dog very affectionate and playful and has settled in well in the couple of months we have had her. No issues flagged by rspca about from her being nervous around other dogs, which is true. She was marked as rehoming with teens + as they knew little about her background being abandoned at the shelter.
> We had noticed she doesn't like us tickling each other or raised voices and has nipped each of us if she has heard raised voices.
> Yesterday my son (who has high functioning autism) got very upset after he lost Xbox time for swearing. He was in a different room to the dog and was shouting and swearing loudly, myself and my husband were in the other room about to go in to him. Our dog ran in and bit him on the thigh hard enough for my husband to have to prise her mouth off of him. He has a nasty bite luckily not to deep but it required treatment and he is on antibiotics as a precaution against infection. We crated her immediately and she has been fine since.
> ...


Hi Lulems, so sorry to hear about your situation. 
I'm afraid it doesn't look good IMO. Your staffie bitch has escalated from nips to a full-on bite, that's very very not good. The next bite (and yes, there will be a next bite) will be worse I'm afraid. We don't know everything about dog bites, but one thing we do know for sure, is that without appropriate, effective intervention, dogs who have bitten will bite again with more damage and less provocation. You have seen this yourself with her nips escalating to a bite that requires treatment.

At this point I would a) keep her completely separated from your son and for sure any visitors. b) Have a thorough vet check, make sure there are no underlying medical issues. Following the vet check, get a referral to a credentialed behaviorist, not anyone spouting dominance or alpha theories but someone versed in behavioral science who will come up with a detailed plan for behavior modification. 
If you can share where your general location, perhaps someone can recommend a professional in your area.

This may end with having to return her to the rescue, or, I'm sorry to say, have her humanely euthanized. She is not safe to rehome. 
But depending on the behaviorist's evaluation and the set-up in your home for management it may be possible to turn this around.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

O2.0 said:


> Hi Lulems, so sorry to hear about your situation.
> I'm afraid it doesn't look good IMO. Your staffie bitch has escalated from nips to a full-on bite, that's very very not good. The next bite (and yes, there will be a next bite) will be worse I'm afraid. We don't know everything about dog bites, but one thing we do know for sure, is that without appropriate, effective intervention, dogs who have bitten will bite again with more damage and less provocation. You have seen this yourself with her nips escalating to a bite that requires treatment.
> 
> At this point I would a) keep her completely separated from your son and for sure any visitors. b) Have a thorough vet check, make sure there are no underlying medical issues. Following the vet check, get a referral to a credentialed behaviorist, not anyone spouting dominance or alpha theories but someone versed in behavioral science who will come up with a detailed plan for behavior modification.
> ...


Thanks for your reply. We contacted the shelter will got her from and their behaviourist is not in until next Friday. I am devestated as when we got her it was a commitment for her lifetime but I think we may have to return her to the shelter. My son will kick off again maybe not for a long time but it will happen and I can't take the risk of another bite .


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Lulems said:


> Thanks for your reply. We contacted the shelter will got her from and their behaviourist is not in until next Friday. I am devestated as when we got her it was a commitment for her lifetime but I think we may have to return her to the shelter. My son will kick off again maybe not for a long time but it will happen and I can't take the risk of another bite .


Sadly, I think she isn't the right dog for your circumstances.

Given your son's Autism it's going to be difficult to prevent any outbursts which could stress the dog again to overreact in this way.

What if you have your son's friends over or relatives visit etc?

Everybody can shout - I would if I stubbed my toe for instance.

I would return her to the rescue if it were me as I would be on tenterhooks with this dog. 
They can then decide if the dog would be safe in an adult only home or not. Despite your son being over 14, I think the rescue got it wrong here. Maybe they were unaware of the dog's history/true temperament.

Look for a dog that is happy around all children as they are less likely to be spooked by sudden noises, etc.

I understand your heartbreak though as you wanted to commit fully to this dog. I felt the same when I brought my Jack home from rescue. The only issue that would have prevented me from keeping him would have been aggression towards humans - everything else I feel I could have managed. My son was 15 at the time (sometimes shouted at the PlayStation) but, thankfully, Jack was/is completely "safe" and never a worry around people.

He doesn't like sudden loud noises or shouting though - but his reaction is to move away or just pop his head round the door to see what it was.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Thanks for your reply the most worrying thing was the lack of warning. No growling, snarling or barking she ran in and just bit his leg. How can I prevent it from happening again if there is no warnings?


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Lulems said:


> Thanks for your reply the most worrying thing was the lack of warning. No growling, snarling or barking she ran in and just bit his leg. How can I prevent it from happening again if there is no warnings?


True - you can't really, I guess


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

She had a vet check a couple of weeks ago due to upset tummy and she was fine so no medical issues


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

There might be a trigger from her past that panics her. 

Hopefully, she can find a more suitable home.


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## O2.0 (May 23, 2018)

Lulems said:


> Thanks for your reply the most worrying thing was the lack of warning. No growling, snarling or barking she ran in and just bit his leg. How can I prevent it from happening again if there is no warnings?


Dogs don't just warn with vocalizations like growling or snarling. In fact those are really late on the scale of warnings. Freezing, stillness, avoidance, looking away, paw lifts, furrowed brows, tight lips, all sorts of small indicators of discomfort often precede escalating all the way to a growl.

Granted, in this case, it doesn't really matter. She's clearly triggered by high arousal emotions, and that needs to be addressed by a good behaviorist.


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## Ian246 (Oct 27, 2018)

Lulems said:


> Thanks for your reply the most worrying thing was the lack of warning. No growling, snarling or barking she ran in and just bit his leg. How can I prevent it from happening again if there is no warnings?


Until you can get her back to the rescue centre, the only thing really to do is to keep her separated - do you have a stair gate you can put in the doorway of whichever room she's in (or borrow one from friends/relatives/neighbours)? If you tell your son not to go in that room, would that work? 
You have my sympathy - it's a really difficult siuation to find yourself in, but your son's welfare must be your priority.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Thinking back on it she did warn us, she nipped me a few minutes before she bit my son. She is clearly triggered by shouting/aggression my son was being very verbally aggressive and that probably scared her.
His desperate to keep her and my husband thinks we should try the behaviourist first as he says there is a clear trigger.
She is not crated at the mo my son is still very affectionate with her and her with him. 
If no aggression is shown she is fine.
My son returns to boarding school on Monday until Friday and we are seeing the behaviourist on Friday.
Current plan is crate her at night and if we have guests. See what the behaviourist says and review in a couple of weeks.
Shouting upsets her but hasn’t caused a bite - it was the aggression shown by my son that set her off. Not his fault but we didn’t even consider this happening- poor dog ownership on our part.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Lurcherlad said:


> There might be a trigger from her past that panics her.
> 
> Hopefully, she can find a more suitable home.


I don't want to make a knee jerk decision, I will see what the behaviourist says as she is the sweetest dog but aggression sets her off - I suspect she has either witnessed/ been the victim of violence previously or she has been trained to do this.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Wil


Lurcherlad said:


> Sadly, I think she isn't the right dog for your circumstances.
> 
> Given your son's Autism it's going to be difficult to prevent any outbursts which could stress the dog again to overreact in this way.
> 
> ...


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Lulems said:


> Thanks for your reply. Shouting seems to be ok, she doesn't like it back doesn't bite. It seems to be aggressive behaviour. My son was going mental shouting, banging things ect. We should of immediately secured her but didn't even consider her in the moment (not a mistake we will make again) I don't think she's a dangerous dog. My son wants to keep her he says he knows not to shout around her now. We will see what the behaviourist says then make a decisionl


But you have to think about what's right for her too. If your son is prone to this behavior due to his autism, she's going to be spending an awful lot of time shut away or deeply stressed. That won't be a very nice life for her.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

lorilu said:


> But you have to think about what's right for her too. If your son is prone to this behavior due to his autism, she's going to be spending an awful lot of time shut away or deeply stressed. That won't be a very nice life for her.


These incidences are rare this is the first one in about 6months


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## Linda Weasel (Mar 5, 2014)

I’m sorry you’re in this situation but sometimes it happens that a rescue isn’t a good fit in a particular home. It’s not anybody’s fault. Sometimes things come to light that haven’t been picked up on previously.

There is a ‘clear trigger’ here and despite your best efforts you will never be able to remove it, and I can’t see that there will be a way to reprogram your dog’s reaction to it. Certainly not in a realistic amount of time given that people are being bitten.

It would be much better for her to be returned to the rescue before any more damage is done, either to your family or to her, given that she is being presented daily with situations she isn’t equipped to cope with; possibly in a quiet, controlled adult only home she would fit in, and the Rescue will now have a bit more info to find a forever home for her.


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## O2.0 (May 23, 2018)

Lulems said:


> She is not crated at the mo my son is still very affectionate with her and her with him.


Do you mean by this that you're still letting your son and your dog interact? I really, really wouldn't let them interact with each other, and particularly not be affectionate. I know it's sweet and reassuring after a bite, but at this point it's really unsafe.

You will need the help of an expert to much better understand and predict her triggers, get a much better grasp of how she warns and when she's getting over aroused, all the things that lead up to an incident. 
Please just keep them separated until you have a better idea of how to prevent them to begin with. There will be time for affection later. Now is the time for safety. They can overcome a forced separation for a few weeks, they won't be able to overcome another bite incident.


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## Linda Weasel (Mar 5, 2014)

I'm not a Staffie expert (and stand to be corrected) but I believe that one of the characteristics bred into a 'fighting' breed is the ability to get to an aroused state very quickly, maybe with no warning.

As @O2.0 says, please keep your son and dog apart; unless you can predict with absolute accuracy when your son will shout/have a meltdown then you can't predict when or how badly he will get bitten again.

Out of curiosity; why are you considering keeping her given what's happened??


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Thanks 


Linda Weasel said:


> I'm sorry you're in this situation but sometimes it happens that a rescue isn't a good fit in a particular home. It's not anybody's fault. Sometimes things come to light that haven't been picked up on previously.
> 
> There is a 'clear trigger' here and despite your best efforts you will never be able to remove it, and I can't see that there will be a way to reprogram your dog's reaction to it. Certainly not in a realistic amount of time given that people are being bitten.
> 
> It would be much better for her to be returned to the rescue before any more damage is done, either to your family or to her, given that she is being presented daily with situations she isn't equipped to cope with; possibly in a quiet, controlled adult only home she would fit in, and the Rescue will now have a bit more info to find a forever home for her.


She isn't being 'presented daily with situations '.
This was a isolated incident. Sadly there seems to be a lot of prejudice against my sons autism. He is not kicking off constantly, this was the first incident in about 6 months.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to comment and would like to provide a update.
Buffy is currently still with us she is crated at night and not left alone with our son or any other children.
I feel nervous around her now and that is hard to get past.
She isn’t being ‘presented daily with situations ‘.
This was a isolated incident. Sadly there seems to be a lot of prejudice against my sons autism. He is not kicking off constantly, this was the first incident in about 6 months.

We haven’t wanted to make a snap decision- she is a lovely dog who has clearly had a tough past. I committed to looking after her for her life when I adopted her and that is a hard thing to change.
Any dog can bite at any time, that is a fact.
We are working with the behaviourist from the rspca where we adopted her from.

She is not a possession to be returned to a shop- she is a living creature who made a mistake.


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## O2.0 (May 23, 2018)

Lulems said:


> I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to comment and would like to provide a update.
> Buffy is currently still with us she is crated at night and not left alone with our son or any other children.
> I feel nervous around her now and that is hard to get past.
> She isn't being 'presented daily with situations '.
> ...


The advice I gave to keep your son and Buffy completely separated has nothing to do with your son having autism or not, and everything to do with my knowledge and experience when it comes to dog bites.

Buffy has shown that she will bite. 
Dogs who bite, will do so again, with less provocation than the last. They do more damage with each subsequent bite. 
It is sometimes possible to break this cycle with appropriate, and effective intervention which includes keeping dog and child completely separated until you have a better understanding of Buffy's signals of discomfort and a good management plan in place.

This advice is not just for your son's safety, but for Buffy too. Every time she bites it becomes more difficult to rehabilitate her to the point of her being safe.

Has your behaviorist advised a management plan?


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## Jobeth (May 23, 2010)

I agree that all dogs can bite. I think that going into another room to find your son, and then bite him, would frighten me. It wasn’t even a nip as the dog had to be prised off him. I really hope that the behaviourist can help.


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## Linda Weasel (Mar 5, 2014)

As above.

Again it’s not an Autism issue for me; it’s that your dog, by the sound of your post, can’t deal with a particular type of sudden noise without biting.

This isn’t an ‘isolated’ incident if there had been a previous one 6 months before (ref your post).

It may be that a behaviourist, over time, will be able to fix this dog or maybe your son will continue to get bitten only every six months or so.

Your son, your dog so obviously the final decision is yours.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

*


Lulems said:



We are not a shouty family but there is not doubt in my mind that if shouting happens around her she will bite again

Click to expand...

**


Lulems said:



Thanks for your reply the most worrying thing was the lack of warning. No growling, snarling or barking she ran in and just bit his leg. How can I prevent it from happening again if there is no warnings?

Click to expand...

**


Lulems said:



I feel nervous around her now and that is hard to get past.

Click to expand...

*
These 3 statements are quite alarming in my mind, you have had good advice from experienced members regarding your dog's potential to bite again.
No-one would consider you to have been irresponsible in rehoming your dog to a child-free home. Please reconsider this option.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Thanks everyone for your advice. 
We have taken buffy back to the local dog warden, she went for my son again as he ran to the toilet. Thankfully she did not get to him to bite. She will be returning to the rspca tomorrow.

I am devastated.

I feel bad I couldn’t help her - I desperately wanted to, she is the sweetest dog and I really believe someone has trained her to do this.
I feel guilty because my son could of been hurt again- my job is to protect him.
I am angry with the rspca- we reached out for post adoption support after the bite and they basically didn’t care. We had the post adoption visit this morning and I told her what had happened and my worries about it happening again and her response was ‘ I’ll feed it back to the shelter ‘.

She clearly wasn’t assessed properly by the rspca prior to rehoming.
I love her and will miss her so much.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

Lulems said:


> Thanks everyone for your advice.
> We have taken buffy back to the local dog warden, she went for my son again as he ran to the toilet. Thankfully she did not get to him to bite. She will be returning to the rspca tomorrow.
> 
> I am devastated.
> ...


I'm very sorry this has happened to your family. Hopefully she can be rehomed where there are no children ( after a thorough assessment.)
Thank-you so much for updating us, we do appreciate it. All best wishes for the future.


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## Linda Weasel (Mar 5, 2014)

Lulems said:


> Thanks everyone for your advice.
> We have taken buffy back to the local dog warden, she went for my son again as he ran to the toilet. Thankfully she did not get to him to bite. She will be returning to the rspca tomorrow.
> 
> I am devastated.
> ...


So sad for you that this went wrong; not your fault and you gave it as much as you could.

I have a dog who I wouldn't totally trust in a confined space with a fast moving or noisy child, but I'm lucky that I live alone with him. Much as I love him I wouldn't have been able to keep him were I in your position.

Hopefully she will find a forever home without young children. I do think the RSPCA were a bit cavalier in their attitude but perhaps this behaviour is hard to predict given that they can't child-test, like they do with cat-testing.

I hope this experience hasn't put you off having a dog at some time; there are lots of child-friendly dogs out there waiting for homes like yours.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

After our lovely staff died we wanted to give another staffie a home as they are lovely dogs, we thought adoption was a good choice.

I miss her already, our love wasn’t enough .

I’m not sure if we’ll ever adopt again


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

I’m very sorry it turned out this way but you absolutely did the right thing.


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## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

Lulems said:


> After our lovely staff died we wanted to give another staffie a home as they are lovely dogs, we thought adoption was a good choice.
> 
> I miss her already, our love wasn't enough .
> 
> I'm not sure if we'll ever adopt again


So sorry to read of what's happened. It wasn't your fault, you obviously had the best of intentions but sometimes things don't work out. I don't often criticise rescues but I am shocked they didn't act more proactively in this case or speak to you about your concerns afterwards … surely they owe you this if not just to put your mind at rest that the dog will not be rehomed with children again.


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Sorry to hear this but it is lucky that she showed you what she is capable of with without doing any more damage. The problem is that some dogs will go for fast moving or noisy or erratic things/people. Often they do not bite but just get over excited. I had a collie that would fly at children and when my daughter got to the age of having friends round we had to admit defeat as someone was going to get bitten. I do think the RSPCA should have given you some support. I am in Scotland so SSPCA and I have known a couple of people who have taken dogs from them and there has been no home check, no matching up of dogs, nothing - and in one case it was a very very unsuitable home - nice dog though.


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## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

Blitz said:


> Sorry to hear this but it is lucky that she showed you what she is capable of with without doing any more damage. The problem is that some dogs will go for fast moving or noisy or erratic things/people. Often they do not bite but just get over excited. I had a collie that would fly at children and when my daughter got to the age of having friends round we had to admit defeat as someone was going to get bitten. I do think the RSPCA should have given you some support. I am in Scotland so SSPCA and I have known a couple of people who have taken dogs from them and there has been no home check, no matching up of dogs, nothing - and in one case it was a very very unsuitable home - nice dog though.


This is terrible but unfortunately something I am hearing more of especially with less reputable 'rescues'. I honestly think there should be some standard assessment carried out or at least a guide for potential owners telling them how the dog has been assessed & what tests were carried out, etc.

One rescue (a friend had a brief time working with) would assess if their dogs were child friendly by simply having a child walk past the kennels to see if the dog reacted at all …. unbelievable


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## O2.0 (May 23, 2018)

I'm sorry for how things turned out @Lulems but I agree with the others, you did the right thing.

Unfortunately just as those who breed and sell puppies run the gamut from exceptionally responsible and ethical to the worst of the puppy farms, so too are rescues on a continuum of awful to really excellent.
From what you say it doesn't sound like this rescue acted very responsibly.

Potential dog owners have to go in with eyes wide open, be it rescue or breeder.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Thanks for all your kind words. Buffy is safe at the shelter we adopted her from and they are planning to rehome her in a adult only home. I keep thinking how scared and confused she must be . I keep crying, it’s so hard wish there was another way.
We naively thought adopting from the rspca would be a good choice. It’s also odd that we had her for 3 months before these behaviours fully emerged.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

The first bite


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## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

Lulems said:


> . It's also odd that we had her for 3 months before these behaviours fully emerged.


no, not add at all, 12 weeks/3 months is eoughly the right time frame for, a rescue dog, to feel theyve got their feet under the table, and feel relaxed
thats when behaviours that the dog has had covered by the nervousness/fear bits of their brain to start to come out again
normally, with proper assessment before rehoming, its not something as severe as biting at strange behaviours, running or screaming ( i am the mother of a, now grown, child on the spectrum) we had a dog,on foster, that suddenly started collecting every sock he found and guarding them and another, who ended up staying with us (thunder) who couldnt cope with anyone, nt even me, coming into the house with a hat on ( which was fun during chemo, remembering to take hat/scarf off before entering the living room) she wouldnt bite, but she showed every bit of body language that said im unhappy

please dont give up on rescue, there will be a dog out there that fits your family like a glove, when we adopted Lucy, our OES, we had been going to Woodgreen rehoming centre, every weekend, for nearlly three months.
Because my mum was in a wheelchair and we spent a great deal of time with her, we took her with us each time, so needed a dog that was comfortable with the chair
We actually met Lucy in the car park as she was being taken in and not only was she comfortable with the wheelchair, she actually jumped up into my mums lap. My late husband followed her owner in and put a request to rehome her straight away. Obviously she had to be assessed, not only because of my mum, but we had a 3 yr old autistic child and 6 month old twins, and she was in for nipping a child (turned out the adults had allowed the children to ride her !) so they wanted to assess my children around her too
but
eventually, she came home with us three weeks later
she never even turned her lips in the next 8 yrs, not at children, not in schools whilst the children read to her, not at dog shows, not in respite home, when my mum was in there, not once

so you see, the right rescue, with the right assessment of dog and family needs, and the right dog will be found for you,
after Lucy passed we ended up adopting a further 2 dogs ( yorkie brother and sister )and fostering one pup for woodgreen


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

mrs phas said:


> no, not add at all, 12 weeks/3 months is eoughly the right time frame for, a rescue dog, to feel theyve got their feet under the table, and feel relaxed
> thats when behaviours that the dog has had covered by the nervousness/fear bits of their brain to start to come out again
> normally, with proper assessment before rehoming, its not something as severe as biting at strange behaviours, running or screaming ( i am the mother of a, now grown, child on the spectrum) we had a dog,on foster, that suddenly started collecting every sock he found and guarding them and another, who ended up staying with us (thunder) who couldnt cope with anyone, nt even me, coming into the house with a hat on ( which was fun during chemo, remembering to take hat/scarf off before entering the living room) she wouldnt bite, but she showed every bit of body language that said im unhappy
> 
> ...


Thanks for this, it's nice to hear a good outcome. We could deal with any other behaviour but this .
Our lovely staff we lost cancer last year was also a rescue. We had her for 7 years and she was challenging!
A total sweetheart but terrified of everything, bubble wrap, sellotape, as well as thunder and fireworks. We couldn't leave her alone for more than a couple of hours or something would spook her and she would wreak the house! But she was a darling otherwise, so we worked around it. 
Compared to her buffy was a easy dog to look after. But she bit and then attacked again we're going to take her toys to the rescue for her on Tuesday and say goodbye.


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## O2.0 (May 23, 2018)

Lulems said:


> The first bite


Wow, that's a lot of damage. And concerning. Are the rescue aware of the extent of this damage? She really can't be responsibly rehomed IMHO.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

O2.0 said:


> Wow, that's a lot of damage. And concerning. Are the rescue aware of the extent of this damage? She really can't be responsibly rehomed IMHO.


I emailed a picture of the bite over to them but they haven't replied.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Update 
Buffy underwent assessment with a internal and external behaviourist and the rspca decided she couldn’t be rehomed because she was dangerous. She was put to sleep I’m so sad and angry they didn’t do these checks before they rehomed her with a family. RIP buffy


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

That's so heart breaking for you all, but the only safe action possible.
Bless you for tryng your best wth her.
RIP Buffy.


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## Engel98 (Oct 7, 2018)

Im so sorry. Sometimes it doesn't work out. You didn't know her history but it could have been trauma based. I thought they did behaviour checks before being adopted. Rip Buffy. I hope you are well


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

So sorry to hear this but please don’t blame yourself.

Unfortunately, she was probably unwell or had very good reason to be so affected by sudden movement and loud noises.

You didn’t let her down. You gave her the chance of a new and happy life, but sadly the odds were stacked against that.

Run free over The Rainbow Bridge dear Buffy


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## O2.0 (May 23, 2018)

Lulems said:


> Update
> Buffy underwent assessment with a internal and external behaviourist and the rspca decided she couldn't be rehomed because she was dangerous. She was put to sleep I'm so sad and angry they didn't do these checks before they rehomed her with a family. RIP buffy


I'm so sorry, I know this is hard for you. But please be reassured, this was the responsible choice.

The damage visible in the photo you shared is quite serious. 
I'm not one to condemn every dog for a nip, but that was a full-on bite with all 4 canines, that was not a nip with just the front teeth. It shows a disturbing lack of bite inhibition. Dogs have tremendous control over how they use their mouths even in the middle of high arousal. If her first bite involved all 4 canines, her next bite could have been devastating. I'm so sorry 

There are far worse outcomes for a troubled dog than a humane death, at least now she is at peace.

I hope you know how rare this is for a dog to be dangerous like this, and maybe in time you will consider giving another dog a chance. Perhaps the behaviorist you worked with can help you select a dog with the right temperament for your household


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Poor Buffy, but the right choice. I hope she did not have to stay in kennels for too long before the decision was made.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Thanks for your kind words. I wanted to update as this forum was a big support. You all told me what I didn’t want to hear but needed to. 
My son still has the bark scar on his leg and hopefully this will fade with time. We did love buffy and it wasn’t her fault. I truly believe if was a trained behaviour.

Now some happier news. My friends beagle had puppies. A beagle was on our list of preferred breeds prior to buffy and we are a very active family. We initially declined as our son was nervous of any dog. But we went over and he fell in love, she curled up on his lap. We dithered a lot - I was concerned it was too soon ect. It got to puppy being 12 weeks and we have decided to bring her home. She is a little lemon beagle. Lovely and sweet she is our sons shadow and he adores her , she is often found sleeping on his lap.
Please don’t judge us. We have started her training and this does not lessen our love and regret for buffy.


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Ps we visited puppy prior to lockdown and collected following social distancing


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## niamh123 (Nov 4, 2018)

Great news I would love to see some puppy pic's
It's lovely that the puppy and your son are getting on so well


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## Sarah H (Jan 18, 2014)

I'm so sorry to hear about Buffy, but she is at peace now, she obviously wasn't a happy soul and would probably never lived a happy life. Run free Buffy.

But how lovely to have found a nice little pup. The pup will grow with your son and get used to his quirks - just make sure pup doesn't get scared as they are like little sponges when young, and something scary during a fear period -whether that's an argument, fireworks, someone dropping a frying pan etc can have more impact than you think. 
And where are these puppy pics? They are mandatory on the forum don'tcha know


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Lola


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## niamh123 (Nov 4, 2018)

Lola is absolutely gorgeous


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## DanWalkersmum (Mar 21, 2019)

Lulems said:


> Lola


awww gorgeous pup! Looking forward to updates.


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## Guest (May 1, 2020)

She looks so sweet!


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## Lulems (Oct 21, 2019)

Update:

lola got big! She and our son are best buddies


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## Mojo83 (Jul 10, 2017)

I've just caught up with your thread and I'm so sorry for what you and your family went through. But Lola is gorgeous and I'm so happy your son has found his best friend


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## Emlar (Sep 29, 2020)

Just read through the thread. Sorry for what you went through with Buffy, but sounds like you did the right thing for her and your family. How lovely that you found Lola, she is gorgeous


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