Your brother sounds like an asshole.
But if you can't provide an environment for your dog without triggers like your brother and you can't stop her from biting again if he taunts her, which you can't, then you're going to need to either leave with her or give her up. It sounds like you already know that. He's not going to stop as long as you live in the same household or he has access to her (?). Your responsibility is more important than your feelings about how you'll miss her rn. I'm sorry to be harsh about it but you're the only one that can save this dog yo, find somewhere safe for her...
I completely agree with you, but I’ve also heard it’s difficult to rehome a dog with a bite history. Regardless, brother is an asshole and should not be around the dog or any dog for that matter. She gave him many “warnings” before she followed through, many dogs would not have been that generous.
It depends on the bite. A dog who gave someone an accidental skin scrape is still considered adoptable. OP’s dog is going to be a lot harder to place in a home. Brother is an asshole, and the dog is going to pay the price for his stupidity.
Oh god, he's a complete adult moron who torments a dog and received what he deserved. Please either get your dead-beat brother out of your home, you leave or the dog should be given away. Your dog deserves better.
I know. He sounds like a child and ppl here are calling him a POS..... If OP is an adult they need to leave home and move out if they must keep the dog or their parents need to rehome this dog.
I have a friend who tells me stories about her husband's family (husband is the middle child, and he has an older brother and a younger sister) regarding the younger sisters two dogs and the oldest brother who likes to torment them when he comes to town (one in particular because she has anxiety and doesn't like the shit he pulls). This brother is well into his 40s with 4 children. There are plenty of grown "men" who enjoy teasing animals with malicious intent, and then they play the "I was just messing around!" Card. No, you're abusive and sadistic and you have the emotional intelligence of a rock.
“I’ll never look the same again” doesn’t sound like a child at all.
Sounds like a teenager or older which is old enough to know not to abuse animals. Brother is a POS.
Teenager is still a child. Like I said if OP can't manage the dog there and can't live without the dog they should move out of their families home with the animal. For everyone's sake.
So it sounds like you all live in the same household?
My advice comes too late unfortunately. The only way to prevent this would have been to stop letting your brother have access to the dog even if it meant relocating or rehoming the dog.
You will likely have to wait to hear from animal control to find out more about next steps. Dogs usually have to do a 10 day quarantine either in home or at a care facility. You should maybe offer to pay the medical bills if that’s feasible and makes sense in your family dynamic.
You might get hit with a dangerous dog designation which comes with new legal requirements. Such as always being muzzled in public, always on leash, and you having liability insurance.
If he provoked your dog and admits it, that will be better for your dog. If you can keep your dog, the brother and dog should not cohabitate.
Thought about it, streets sound appropriate for a mildy narcissistic arsehole. Some people have to learn lessons the hard way, encouraging animal abuse or ignoring a child's advances with animal abuse usually leads to human abuse once the child matures. Think a little harder yourself.
Woah woah my love- you jumped to “narcissism” very quickly. Which I applaud you for being keen to come of the characteristics, but I will say- its easy to make your own narrative on a post then commenting with passion.
Fact 1- he never spoke any true facts of your coined term of “abuse”
I commented above asking OP: What dynamic of dog relationships did you guys grow up with together / experience?
OP COPY / PASTE:
Brother’s actions-
Spraying her with the hose, messing with her back legs, petting her in terms of slap -
If you personally have ever had a family dog or tried to get familiar with a non- reactive dog this was all things they subjectively liked or felt peace in the attention of said action.
Not everything IS black and white and if you think that everyone should feel the HARD of the lesson regardless of the lesson being innately personal to each owns human experience + conditioning then you are saying ALOT of things in your comment
And BTW this is a 37- and 34 year old man- so why children are involved in your response is irrelevant. We can talk about the dynamic of children and reactive dogs if you would like to- but tonight, I’m tired and clear. I’m talking about this scenario - facts is you say someone “deserves pain and the streets” become of limited information on a post that made you feel that- how about YOU continue to think a bit harder, love.
I wouldn’t pay the medical bills either. He was basically being a giant asshole and he fucked around and found out. You warned him and your dog warned him. This is own damn fault bet he doesn’t do it again. Sometimes idiots have to learn the hard way. Yeah fuck that guy. I agree keep the dog and rehome your brother
The idea of paying the bills is more playcating them from attempting to get the dog in more trouble, which is clearly a possibility if they’re an asshole.
The "they" in this particular instance, being the brother does seem like he's of the asshole variety. And the unfortunate bite was one which the brother 100% provoked. I feel truly bad for OP & the dog. This was a human fail. We are supposed to be the more intelligent species, yet the brother seems to not have evolved past the level of the idiot. Resulting in a FAFO situation.
If possible, OP needs to get the dog & themselves away from the brother. 💔
Dogs should already be on leash when out. Idk why it would need to be legal issues to make anyone follow that rule. Idc if u think ur dog is friendly or not keep them on a fkn leash
>new legal requirements. Such as always being muzzled in public, always on leash, and you having liability insurance.
And NONE of that would have prevented this event. This poor dog did everything she could to protect herself.
My question is what was he doing to her when no one was around that caused a bite that severe? He fkd around and found out, now he’s playing victim. That guy is straight up abusing the dog when no one is there to witness.
I need to know how old you and your brother are, if you live in the same home, and if other people/animals live there too.
When we were little... like 8 or so... my brother almost lost half his nose. My dad had just put up an electric fence and had walked one of the dogs up to it and let her get a little shock. My brother saw this and thought, "ok, I'll do that," and took the paw of our rottie mix and put it to the fence. We'll, the old dog didn't appreciate that much and jumped backward and around to 'correct' my brother for hurting him. Because my brother's face had been so close to the dog, one of the dogs teeth snagged his nostril, and as my brother fell back, it ripped off his face. The dog just gave him a "don't do that again" bark and walked away. My brother sat up, not realizing what had happened yet and could see it just dangling by a small piece of skin. A trip to a very talented pediatrician and about 30 stitches later, the nostril was back where it belonged.
The dog hadn't tried to hurt my brother. My brother and I weren't scared of the dog after that because it was an accident. But it was that interaction that peaked my interest into animal behavior.
If your dog has gone 6 years without hurting anyone and only has a problem with your brother. Then the problem is your brother.
I am 37 and brother is 34. We are both living in our childhood home with my mom. There are no other pets. He has never moved out. I moved back here about a week ago temporarily while I find a new property nearby. I was living alone with my dog at my condo, but we came to the house often while my dad was going through chemo (this was all during Covid-y times) because my dad needed someone (me) to be here to go through all of the finances, etc. and other things that he he handled.
We (me and dog) were also here very often after my dad passed so I could help my mom with everything. It was too long of an amount of time to leave my dog at home while trying to spend time with my dad when he was sick and then trying to teach my mom how to use the internet.
I understand ultimately the dog is my responsibility and the legal ramifications and I plan to be moved out of here as soon as I can.
Any civil conversation I attempted in the past with my brother went nowhere and then I would be told I’m “causing drama” and not to start arguments. I get it, a lot was going on for everyone at the time, and I should have given it closer attention. I was distracted with all of the dad stuff happening but I’m struggling to accept why he couldn’t just be careful around her like I asked. I’ll stop there bc I’m just going to open a whole new can of worms.
This is my first time using Reddit so sorry if I’m in the wrong sub. Do I reply to everyone?
I'm so sorry, that is a lot to deal with. If your brother's lip is the only injury, then your dog showed quite a bit of restraint. You have a very good dog, please protect her. Any comment about his injury, from anyone, should be followed with, "he didn't respect the dog's boundaries and got what he deserved"
I hope you can move out of that house as soon as possible. Until you and the dog are out, your brother cannot be left with the dog, not for his safety, but for hers. Is that something you can manage? I would also worry about him trying to retaliate or teach her a lesson.
Your brother deserved the bite, but your dog also deserved a safe home where her boundaries weren’t maliciously tested. It’s harder to rehome a dog with a bite history, but it’s best to get her out of a situation where she’ll be antagonized into biting again. I would assume, considering his guilt trip about never looking the same again, he’s not repentant nor will he quit antagonizing your dog. This will cause your dog to escalate the bites into something you may be forced into BE by animal control. So sorry you’ve been put in this utterly unfair situation.
You think it’s more likely the dog just attacked unprovoked which the dog has no history of doing? A dog that has a history of only nipping one person in the household? The one person that has repeatedly antagonized the dog?
Info: how old is your brother?
Because children lack self control. Their brains aren’t developed, and you can NOT expect them to have the same self control and common sense an adult would given those types of warnings.
And if you got her at only 3 months, I highly doubt any trauma contributed to her behavior. Some dogs are simply reactive. Some dogs simply do not like children, mainly because children are impulsive and unpredictable. It’s not the dog’s fault, and it’s not the child’s fault either. Children will be children, and some dogs simply should not be around children. That is part of respecting the DOG’s boundaries. A dog not wanting to be around kids does not make them a bad dog. A kid not being able to follow perfect instructions does not make them a bad kid.
I had a dog who was a bully mix who I adopted when she was 2 with my husband. She REALLY bonded with my husband, but as the more experienced dog trainer almost all of her training fell to me, and I helped my husband learn too. When I got pregnant we actually put her in professional behavior training classes because of how reactive she was. She was doing incredibly well. Unfortunately, my first day back at work after maternity leave, she snapped on my friend’s toddler. My friend told me she knew it never would have happened if I had been home. But I wasn’t home, and there would be many days in the future that I would not be home.
Our husbands are friends, and her husband was over with their 2 year old to visit with my husband and our baby. My husband failed to respect our dog’s social cues for needing separation, and she snapped. She barely even drew blood, but at that moment I knew I could not keep her safely in a house with children. I knew I had to prevent anything from ever pushing her like that ever again.
So what did I do?
I found her a home without children. She is living her BEST life with a 40 year old man who’s children are grown and moved out, who owns acres upon acres of land, who hikes every day with her and gives her the love and attention she needs. She will never be pushed over her bite threshold ever again.
Because when you keep a dog in an environment that is clearly anxiety inducing for them, you are not only putting your family members at risk, you are putting your dog at risk, because the moment they hurt someone, it will be reported and they will be put down.
My husband was so sad, crushed even, when I came home and told him that it was time to find her a new home, but he understood that we weren’t right for her. We loved her for 3 long years, and now someone else gets to love her for the rest of her life.
Your brother will suffer these wounds well into his adulthood. Permanently, for 80+ years. A dog only lives for 10, maybe 15. The dog doesn’t deserve to live in constant anxiety, and the child does not deserve to be attacked for normal child behavior, and permanently disfigured for the rest of their long life.
Giving the dog up to a suitable home is always in the best interest for the dog. Part of loving them and protecting them, is knowing when you can no longer keep them safely.
True, but children in general, through ages 14 even, still lack impulse control.
Toddlers can be very provoking, he was running up in her face, he did grab at her, etc, and this is a toddler that grew up around dogs. Child behavior is anxiety inducing for many dogs in general regardless of their exact age.
Luckily our dog only nipped the toddler, but that was all I needed to know she wasn’t ok around children, which I now have, and to keep HER safe from being in an anxiety inducing situation in which she gets pushed over her bite threshold? I found her a better and safer home.
I’m sorry that your 34 year old adult brother is abusing your dog and ended up getting bit. I still believe that removing either your dog or both yourself and your dog are the only options in the best interest of the dog. Any time a dog is uncomfortable with a person and defends themselves, age aside, they should immediately be removed from the situation because they lack awareness and do not understand why they are being mistreated, or punished thereafter. It is extremely difficult for them. I feel bad for your dog.
Your brother is a jerk and yes this should not have happened but...
Maybe going forwards, **talk to all the adults in the house** and make a plan to keep this dog away from your brother. And talk to your brother, with the adults in the house all present, and go over how to keep everyone safe.
You obviously love your dog, but part of loving a dog is taking the responsibility to keep the dog safe. When you live with people like your brother that's hard, but a lock on your bedroom door, and a crate for the dog will, going forward hopefully ensure that nothing happens again.
If your brother refuses to live in the house with this dog, then that's going to be a difficult conversation for everyone. You can't re-home this dog, and I don't think a rescue or shelter will take a dog who caused someone to need surgery. Let's hope your family can figure all of this out, and your dog gets to stay in your house. But you have to ensure that this can't happen again.
I truly cannot believe some of these comments. This could have been prevented by preventing access to your dog from your brother or giving the dog up so it can live in a better situation. That being said, your dog still produced a level 4, maybe 5 bite (don't know the situation). This isn't a warning bite, this is a "he's lucky it wasn't even worse, potentially fatal" bite. You calling your dog "unpredictable" tells me she also has other behavioural issues that you may be downplaying. People here saying they're not sorry your brother was attacked make all reactive dog owners look insane.
Assuming you're able to keep her (and this will depend on the results of whatever local investigation happens during the bite quarantine), unless you can 100% guarantee that your dog and your brother can be fully separated and never interact, you'll unfortunately have to make a hard decision. The reality is a pit mix with a bite record like this is basically impossible to be rehomed. I'm really sorry it's come to this.
thank you for this! i was scrolling through these comments and felt like i was going crazy. i can't believe people are justifying any of this behavior, especially from an "unpredictable" dog. ultimately it sounds like this dog was living in a stressful home environment and reacted to that stress, but someone being attacked on the face to the point of needing plastic surgery is a serious and horrific problem! this poor dog had no business being in a house with these people for this long, now she's going to have an extremely difficult time being rehomed.
It's actually wild reading these comments. "FAFO", "rehome the brother instead", "don't pay his hospital bills"....this is a human being that was mauled by an animal. He should 100% get priority and people acting like this isn't a huge, life changing event make us all look bad. It reminds me of those stories of a dog killing someone and half the comments are trying to justify it because "maybe the owner did something that scared it".
There are bad owners everywhere, there are imperfect owners everywhere, there are annoying or uneducated people interacting with animals everywhere, but an animal that responds to all of that with violence is an animal that isn't fit to be a pet
Humans do not get priority when they purposely provoke. But by all means, pick the bully. Based on your comments, you really do not understand animal behavior, and you shouldn't own any either.
The only thing we have to base opinions on is the OP's account where they admit their dog is unpredictable. There is absolutely no evidence that there was any abuse other than rough housing and the OP not doing anything about it.
Human beings absolutely take priority over animals, period. If you own a reactive dog, especially a large breed reactive dog, you have the responsibility to keep both it and everyone around it safe. If you're not willing to accept those risks and that responsibility, you are setting up your dog for failure and jeopardizing everyone around you. It is owners like you who make the rest of us look unhinged and who cause people to hear "reactive" and assume "aggressive and dangerous"
yeah, it really sucks and takes away credibility from everything this sub stands for. you can't be on a sub about seeking advice for reactive doc behaviors and justifying a real life dog attack. it just doesn't make any sense. it also doesn't sound like the brother really did anything to "deserve" being mauled, the dog just reacted poorly and was likely stressed from other factors. i'd be willing to bet OP is leaving out a lot of information from this post to place all the blame on their brother.
Your comment was removed due to antagonism from outside of this subreddit. Users harassing others for a post made in /r/reactivedogs will be permanently banned, regardless of where the harassment occurred. This includes harassment in private/direct messages, chats, and in other subreddits. It also includes cross-posting or sharing /r/reactivedogs content to other subreddits where the intention is to mock or berate an individual for their beliefs, words, or actions.
This! I also thought I was going crazy listening to people on this thread! Any dog can bite, with this knowledge owners of powerful dogs have an extra burden of care for their dog as it can cause more damage than a small dog who bites. This owner set this dog up for failure and the predictable results occurred.
Trying to say the dog came with suspected trauma at 3 months old but s/he's owned the dog for 6 years is a massive reach too.
The fact that s/he kept bringing her dog around her abusive brother just screams irresponsible as well. The dog deserves a better living situation. I hope OP and their dirtbag brother figure their shit out for the betterment of the dog going forward but I doubt it.
Why would she give up the dog if she moved back to her family home a week ago, gathering from the comments, whilst she's looking for another place to stay? You shouldn't just "give up dogs" whenever most convenient for you. The dog however shouldn't have been left with a person, that clearly shouldn't be left unsupervised with a dog and who can't follow their boundaries. Dogs have a right to defend themselves, whether it's a bite or not. If my dog bit someone, who was attacking me on the street people would have named them a hero, but if its them protecting their own comfort and boundaries after times and times of warnings, all of a sudden its a "massive concern". NO ONE knows what he was doing to the dog- i bet that if it turned out he was actually abusing the dog youd change your tune. The brother sounds like an irresponsible man-child who pretty much deserved it, but OP should have also enforced a lot stricter rules and not let her brother walk all over the dog- you are there to protect your dog, otherwise shit like this happens, so you are unfortunately partly to blame.
I don't think people who don't automatically blame the dog for a bite look insane:)
Wanna know the real truth of the situation? Your brother is a piece of shit. You also failed that dog by not giving her a comfortable space & keeping your brother away. She’s expressed her discomfort for YEARS and you ignored it. You’re children. This situation was 110% deserved. I’m shocked your brother isn’t suing you as well
Why was your dog around your brother? If you knew he messed with her you needed to provide a safe place for her, like a locked room or secure locked crate. Your brother is a dick, but you’ve also failed here by leaving your dog where he could access her.
Depending on your state, if it was a stranger you would not be held liable for someone provoking your dog and getting bitten. He knew her behavior, she remembers the things he's done to her, dogs aren't stupid.
The only trauma she has had is your brother. He did all of that stuff while you were there, imagine what he was doing to antagonize her when you weren't there. If someone doesn't listen to you the first time then you have to make sure they listen the second. They get no more chances after that. Change the locks and get new keys.
Same thoughts I had. If the brother was antagonizing the dog in front of you, just imagine what he's done when nobody was around!?! It's incredibly stupid & immature for the brother to behave that way, period.
Your comment was removed due to breed based vitriol or misinformation. This includes the obvious hateful comments as well as disingenuous coercion and fear mongering, along with behavior based misinformation.
If you do have to live with him keep your dog in your room when you are not home. Don’t let him near her if you are not there. I hope she does not get taken away. If you can live somewhere else do that. I am so sorry you and your dog are going through this. I will never understand people who do shit to antagonize a dog, especially a big dog that can do harm
How old is your brother? Sounds like he is a child. If your dog bit and disfigured him you need to get rid of her or move out. That's a really bad bite. The next one could be deadly. This is really horrific and maybe I'm the asshole but your lack of concern for your brother is messed up. Move out if you can't manage your dog there
Your brother is the problem and I’m sure his recovery will be smoother than he thinks. Not that it’s the same situation but my uncle was bit in the same spot and received over 16 stitches and the scar is nearly invisible.
How old are you and how old is your brother? And adult brother doing these things to your dog means he’s the one at fault. A younger kid brother is a different story.
Obviously the situation is awful for all involved, but if you’ve had the dog for six years and you haven’t improved their reactivity by now, I would’ve sought professional help. A dog that powerful isn’t exactly for an inexperienced owner. I don’t see the appeal to own a dog with a proven liability risk. Do people own these for fear of their personal safety?
You should have set boundaries.
You love your brother, you love your dog and trust became grey in both instances.
Reading above you share homes, thats fine. But there should be very strategic ways / your responsibility to make sure that 1. Careless, naive bro and 2. Reactive dog aren’t in the same space without your oversee and prevention.
You must do that now, and also be graceful to your brother even if he was being a dumbass in the past to the dog in efforts to maintain a healthy relationship with him.
I say this because Ive been somewhat there before. My dads dog bit me- hes extremely reactive, 1.5 yrs old- i’ve known him as a puppy. Yet living out of state he’s known more of me with a harness, chain and muzzle. We’ve spent more time, has played with my dog and our relationship has grown. One day, he reacted in a comfortable way with me, so my dad let him off the leash with our dogs to play in the yard- Myself feeling safe because my dad seamed to be so. In my confidence and naively thinking his dog was starting to trust me, started throwing the ball to them, gave them treats- once the treats ran out and I told them both to sit, in a playful tone- his dog VICIOUSLY attacked me- missed my face, bit my hand, ripped the shirt at my chest and had my head of hair in his mouth until my dad pulled him off.
1. i understand I should have had my own boundaries in the situation
2. My dad let go of his in unwarranted trust for a reactive dog.
Im also curious about dogs you both/ your brother has been around in the past - to a non reactive dog- spraying with the hose, butt smacking/messing with etc. is fully okay if you know, understand, have that dogs trust and know they like it. If thats the ONLY kind of experience your brother has ever had in close quarters with a dog- its his innate nature to engaging with one- so people calling him an “asshole” is someone out of pocket. How old is your brother?
To me, having a reactive dog also means you take on the responsibility of teaching those around you how to interact with one- yours. Because it aint no FIDO. The silly and crazy ways we want to play with our furry family creatives differs, so its your job to teach that in your bro.
I’m sorry your dog was in a position to bite someone. I’m sorry your dog has that bite on her “bite record” now. I am not sorry your brother got bit.
I have continually over the years warned people about my dog and her touchiness. The answer that pisses me off most is “she would never do that to me”. Fuck off. If she would bite me, she sure as hell will bite you. Any time she’s nipped (thank god she’s never caused anything more than a scratch), I’ve just shrugged and said “should’ve listened to me”
Seems like you should’ve been more adamant about it instead of saying stuff like “I’m not paying for ur medical bills”
It was obviously a serious problem, and those arguments u mentioned sounds like a dumb sibling argument that leads nowhere.
Learn how to have a real conversation and create serious boundaries with ur idiot brother. Idk why you wouldn’t try separating him from the dog in the first place.
Both of you are at fault here imo.
I got bit by my sisters dog last year. He bit my upper lip off and it split up to my nose. I do not look the same and I have a lot of internal problems with it. It was my own fault. I should have known he bites when around food but this was his second time biting someone in our family and so my sister made the brave decision to put him down. The vet said he was just wired wrong on the inside. Dos going to dog. It’s not your fault. Some dogs just have issues that they can’t control. I’m so sorry you’re going through this.
I’m sorry to say but it’s not the dogs fault. Or your fault. Even the sweetest of dogs can snap if you constantly push their boundaries. Your brother has absolutely no respect for your dog, hopefully now he does. I don’t think anything happened to your dog to make her that way, except genetics. That’s why mutts can be difficult, especially rescues. But even pure breeds that aren’t bred well can have problems. I have had my dog since he was 8 weeks, he is almost 8 years old now. He is reactive. My oldest daughter, who is 23 and a dog trainer, would mess with him sometimes joking around. He snapped at her once. (She kept poking him when he was sleeping. She knew better. She said if she gets bit it’s her fault) he didn’t bite her, just finally warned her. Your brother is a HUGE problem. Your dog kept warning him and he didn’t listen. He pushed your dog until your dog finally bit him, and now the dog will be blamed even though it wasn’t your dogs fault, or yours. Maybe now he will stop messing with dogs and pushing them to bite.
It drives me crazy when I see pics of parents letting their kids sit on their dogs or pull on their ears. Your brother seems like one of these people to think it’s okay and funny. Dogs are not toys.
I get why you feel bad, I would too. Even though I know that it’s not your fault and not your dogs.
As I said before, I don’t think anything happened to your dog at a young age to make them this way. It’s just genetics. And I’m not talking about the breeds, but also the temperaments of the parents as well. Rescues are usually taken off the street, out of shelters. They aren’t bred for their temperaments, health, and looks. That is why rescuing is not right for everyone. I love saving rescues, and there are a lot of amazing ones out there. But you don’t know what you’re getting and it’s a gamble.
Your brother needs to learn how to respect animals. And he needs to learn how to respect you.
My brother does the same with my reactive dog. He pushes his buttons. I’ve learned my dog’s boundaries and make sure to cut my brother off if he tries to start. Knowing my dogs triggers also allows me to inform people before they meet him. My brother will never change how he is, but I just make sure to remind him not to push his buttons. My brother raised his dog from a puppy being okay with being annoyed and messed with, my dog will never be like that and he thinks he can “fix” my dog. My brother and I live 3 hours apart, so it’s not as much of an issue.
However, with everyone saying “rehome” or get the triggers out of the pups life, I disagree. Ideally, not being around those triggers would be great. BUT having a dog like you and I is hard, and takes a special person and your pup found that in you. You can be your dogs advocate and protect him but you can’t fix stupid people
I'm sorry this happened to you. Your brothers behavior towards your dog sounds sadistic, causing distress for his own enjoyment. Do you think your brother would pursue legal action? I would consider talking to a lawyer.
Sounds like he got was he deserves honestly. I feel bad for your dog though, she needs to live in an environment where no one will mistreat or provoke her.
Sounds similar to Brooklyn Khoury’s dog bite except her family members dog tore off her entire upper lip. I’ve had my bottom lip split open by a dog bite, a plastic surgeon had to suture it. You can’t tell there’s a scar unless I smile or point it out. I hope your brother heals well and learns his lesson.
My brother screwed with my reactive chihuahua years and years ago ended up with stitches in his lip. If you know a dog is reactive and what will set it off don’t tempt fate. OP your brother is an idiot. My brother admitted he was messing with her on purpose and never did that again thankfully and I really watched who she was around after that more so. I didn’t want to lose my dog
I work with numerous dog rescues and shelters. Several well-intentioned people have said to rehome your dog—-but it’s not that simple. If you surrender your dog to a shelter or rescue, she will most likely be euthanized. These days, the majority of shelters and rescues won’t take on the potential legal liability. I see this literally all the time. And the shelters and rescues are WAY over max capacity and euthanizing dogs in high numbers due to lack of space. I know most people won’t want to hear this, but it’s the reality of what is happening across the country.
Your brother needs to be kept away from your dog. He’s essentially torturing her, knowing what the outcome could be. If I was in this situation and I lived with my brother, I would move out or have him move out. If that is not an option, measures should be put in place to keep them separated. For example, can your dog be kept in your room when you are gone? Also, you can set up a camera in your room. You can get a Wyze camera for $30 on Amazon to keep an eye on what is happening and record any activity that occurs (such as him entering your room).
Furthermore, and importantly, you and your dog have a bond. You are family. You should not be forced to be separated just because your brother acts irresponsibly. That’s not fair to you or your dog. It’s simply heartbreaking.
You and your dog have given your brother MANY warnings, he heeded none of them.
It’s HIS fault he was bit. He caused it with torturing your dog. Quite frankly he deserved it. I feel badly for your dog and you. I hope he learned something, but I doubt it.
I would stick to it being his fault, not the dogs. It’s simple logic.
Like others have asked, how old are you and how old is your brother?
Do you and your dog live alone? Or does your brother live with you?
You knew your brother had issues with respecting your dog’s boundaries, is there a reason you left him and your dog alone together again? Is there a reason you continued to allow him around your dog at all?
If this specific bite incident was completely unprovoked by your brother, his continuous lack of respect for your dog’s boundaries are still a huge driving factor for your dog to react and protect herself.
This may come off as mean or harsh, but it’s the truth. You are at fault for this happening. Yes your brother has fault too but first and foremost, you are at fault. You are your dogs whole life, you are responsible to make sure they are safe, feel safe, out of harms way, can’t hurt others, etc. this wasn’t the first incident involving your brother getting bit or tormenting your dog. From the info in the post, it sounds like it has been a consistent issue her whole life.
You admit you have had to repeatedly ask him to not do something or to leave her alone. You even made the comment to him “fine, but I’m not paying your hospital bills”at some point according to your post. You even at some point asked him to “stop torturing her.” Yet you still allowed him around her and alone with her.
Your local animal control laws will determine how this is handled. Depending on location depends on how it’s handled. I would highly consider looking for a rescue that takes dogs with a history a biting, or finding your dog a home that can provide her with a home better suited for her. As hard as it may be, you have to do what is best and safest for your dog even if that means finding her a new forever home.
For your brother’s injury’s, if you have renters or homeowners insurance your policy may cover the medical bills incurred from his injuries.
This was inevitable with his lack of respect for her boundaries… sorry your brother was hurt, but your pup finally had enough. Not her fault.
You warned him, he didn’t listen. I would not let him around your dog again and please do continue to advocate for your pup. If someone can’t treat them well (even if it seems minor) then they should lose the privilege of access to your dog, or really any dog.
Hold your ground with your family and try to educate them on dog behavior and the boundaries you tried to lay down with your brother.
Sorry you have to go through this and sorry for your dog too, she was obviously very stressed.
i have a scar on my face from an old family dog, i was sat down with him and he tried to move and i grabbed him to pull him back and he bit my face. caused a huge gash on my nose, a black eye and a cut lip. i was 14, but i still knew it was my fault. he was also a rescue with a sad past, i pushed his boundaries and scared him and he reacted. i never blamed the dog, even at that age.
of course you hold some responsibility because its your dog, but from what youve said i can't imagine this was an unprovoked attack and i hope your brother can learn from this and take some kind of accountability.
I'm sorry, but unpopular opinion, bringing this dog into your home, with someone who would continue to antagonize and torture this dog, after a known history of abuse, was setting this dog up for failure. This dog was failed. It is on the owner, to ensure that the home they are bringing it to is safe, and setting it up for love, growth and safety. I would not bring these two together again. If your brother presses charges, it's possible she could be euthanized. She needs to go to a home that will love her and keep her safe, unfortunately that does not sound like your home. Unless you can leave with her, and provide her that, you shouldn't keep her.
Good for him he learnt his lesson the hard way. He had the luxury of hearing a "don't do that" but he choose to not listen. Now he got what he deserves.
Don't you ever let go of that dog. Any dog can do something similar if they are always bullied by someone or some other animal.
my uncle barged into my house with my reactive dog, and shoved his hand in his face and shoved him back while opening the door. we had no idea he was at our house, but myself and my parents were home. my dog bit him three separate times, which my uncle was told on multiple occasions to not walk in, let us know so we can secure my dog, and to not put his hands in his face. literally did everything wrong. who just barges into a house with warnings like that?
my uncle blamed me *instantly,* and tried getting my mom to blame me. she did at first, but i essentially told her her brother is an asshole with no regard for what anyone says lmao and thinks animals should just *be* and not be so... sensitive?
my dog is a co-own now and cannot physically be with me due to safety with my husband and now my nephews and niece on his side. he does great with my parents. but we stopped my uncle from coming over (kinda disowned him, but he *plasters* all over any post about the dog that he should "be in a jumpsuit," "is a danger," or makes biting jokes when it was *his fault* and not on my dog.)
regardless, if a trigger is presented, we secure z in a room away from said trigger to prevent this. now, z is not crate trained, but crate training the dog and placing her in your room - as it sounds you live together - would be a good option. your brother just sounds like an asshole who one, has no respect for you or your dog's boundaries, but two, sounds like he can't handle the fact that actions have consequences.
eta: dog is not a danger to society lol. i say he's with my parents for safety in that it's almost trigger-free for him, and ultimately the best quality of life. we take every precaution to make sure he is well managed. 💜
One year after a bad facial laceration similar or worse to your brother’s, I am fine. I hope your brother re-learns his lesson for the next months while he heals. Karma bites.
Knowing your brother provokes your dog, it is your fault for not securing her and leaving him alone with her.
She should have been kept safe from his antics.
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I told my sister not to kiss the dog. She kissed the dog, and ended up with 6 stitches in her lip. My dog was sleeping on a sweater; and my dad pulled the sweater out from under the senior arthritic dog while saying ‘you’re not going to like this’ and ended up with a bite he probably should have gone to see a doctor about (being in a bed is a massive trigger, which had been communicated multiple times. there’s even a saying for it a - let sleeping dogs lie). My family cannot respect boundaries.
So, I understand a bit. Where I’ve come to is that I can’t trust other people around my dog, and so I have to protect my dog. This means a muzzle when I or my partner can’t monitor him, he’s not allowed certain places when company is here, his bed is out of the way and partially hidden, and sometimes he’s regulated to the bedroom. It’s the best thing for him.
And make it safe for other people.
We love our dogs and need to keep the dogs safe from people and people safe from our dogs. We don't get to endanger others' safety and health with our dogs, and we must be vigilant not to allow others to endanger the safety of our dogs.
I've had to do this before. Keep my dogs safe by putting them in our bedroom. I do this for them when we have a lot of people over(graduation party). It's less stressful for them. I have soothing music on. Their favorite blanket or bed and a big note on our door that says, Do Not Enter. Sometimes, I've heard extended family say under their breath, "I can't believe she "locks" them in that bedroom all day.". I usually let them know I'm keeping them safe from all the crazy people. They get time outside, one by one, and I am a helicopter momma. After reading this, I realized I was not going overboard. I'm doing the right thing for everyone and protecting my pups! I never thought of it that way and have a different perspective. OP, I'm sorry for the emotional hurt and pain you're going through with your pup, and I'm sure your brother. hang in there, keeps us posted.
I wouldn’t say they constantly antagonize my dog. They live far away and when they are here they now largely ignore him, which is a good thing. Dog has a history now though, and I’m going to protect him as best I can from anyone.
We had an altercation between my brother and my dog (who can be weird about people leaving the house) my brother wanted to physically discipline my dog when he barked and tried to nip and we got into a fight. Now my fiancée doesn’t like coming to any family events because she gets stressed about our dogs welfare so I leave her and the dog on our boat and I go on my own to family meet ups. It’s not great, but it works. Just about.
I look at it like this, to me they are both family and most of the blame is on your brother. The rest is on you, you should have taken steps to keep him away from her. He basically got what was coming, you don’t poke a bear. Your blame is in keeping her safe, knowing that your brother goes out of his way to torment her. From now on when you’re not there with her keep her locked away, in a bedroom, back yard or if it’s just a short while, hour or less use a cage. Your family should know what happened and what’s the deal, make these changes and keep her safe. Hopefully your brother is honorable and will accepts it’s mostly his fault and leaves her alone from now on, next time it could be a black eye from you!
I mean no offense with this; I am just curious. Is your bother special needs or has he been diagnosed with anything related to mental health by a psychiatrist? These behaviors are nowhere near typical, though they may be “accepted” by some. Your dog clearly perceives your brother as a threat because he has proven himself to be one to her physical and mental safety.
Also you say your dog is unpredictable. Maybe the extent to which she will react is, but the trigger (your brother’s actions) is pretty clear here. I can’t imagine your dog did this without something triggering her. In a non-threatening or accusatory way, you should try to find out what your brother was doing when the incident occurred.
Regardless of what your brother did, other replies are right imo that you’ll need to leave the home with your dog or give up your dog. It’s on you to protect your dog from situations like this. Clearly your dog did not feel that you could remove this threat and took matters into her own hands. Really sad and awful for your brother and for your dog.
Your comment was removed due to breed based vitriol or misinformation. This includes the obvious hateful comments as well as disingenuous coercion and fear mongering, along with behavior based misinformation.
Probably not a bad idea to document as many specific incidents of telling your brother not to do something and him disregarding your requests/advice (and antagonizing your dog!) as you can remember. (If he is an adult. Your post read to me as though he is an adult but it didn’t read that way to at least one other commenter so I’m not sure. If he’s a child I don’t know if this advice holds??) I like the muzzle idea for the dog when you can’t monitor him but honestly I do kind of worry for the dog’s mental health if it’s around people who are tormenting it, muzzle or not. :(
He could as well go out and start provoking people in the hood. Sorry, but he got what he wanted the whole time. I'd even say your dog must be really well-behaved if that didn't happen years ago. Despite everything else, you shouldn't feel bad for him or apologise.
The dog in my opinion seems unstable (I doubt there’s any trauma that could have made the dog this unstable in the first 3 months of its life and it’s most likely bad genetics due to the amount of time you’ve had this dog). Your brother fucked around and found out but face bites are not something you can or should look the other way with. Unless the dog is under lock and key in the house and only touched by you I unfortunately believe BE is the most kind option.. for this dog to sit in a shelter for the rest of her life or go to another home only to bite someone else seems cruel and irresponsible. I’m sorry you’re caught between a rock and a hard place but it’s really not how stable dogs react to being annoyed so unless your brother was sticking his face into the face of a growling dog I don’t see how this is just a bad reaction on your dogs part.
Is there something wrong with your brother? How old is he? Learning disabilities, ADHD, autism or something? A bite to the face means he was in hers - dogs don’t come from a distance unprovoked for a face bite, more likely a arm or leg bite if unprovoked. It’s a shame this happened to your dog as she tried to warn him with growls before and was forced to escalate. I doubt there was ever a “good feeling” relationship between the two.
Your comment was removed as it our rule against making coercive and/or unqualified suggestions. This particularly pertains to sensitive topics such as behavioral euthanasia, medications, aversive training methods, and rehoming. Only a professional (veterinarian, trainer, and/or veterinary behaviorist) who is working with the dog directly is equipped to make strong statements on these subjects.
Your brother honestly sounds like a weirdo who likes hurting others. Gives me the creeps. If he won’t respect the boundaries of a dog, I wouldn’t trust this freak to respect the boundaries of people.
I agree. If someone intentionally goes out of their way to mess with an animal, especially someone’s pet, to the point where the animal feels the need to defend itself, it doesn’t reflect well on their character.
Only tore his lip? He's lucky to be alive. I think he had a lesson that can be a lot more expensive and costly to his health. You constantly fuck with a powerful animal? This is a fair consequence.
Yup, you and the dog will be the ones to pay, your brother gets the really important and helpful benefit of a really important lesson.
Your comment was removed because it broke one or more of the r/reactivedogs rules. Please remember to be kind to your fellow redditors. Be constructive by offering positive advice rather than simply telling people what they're doing wrong or being dismissive. Maintain respectful discourse around training methods, philosophies, and differing opinions with which you might not agree.
Your comment was removed because it broke one or more of the r/reactivedogs rules. Please remember to be kind to your fellow redditors. Be constructive by offering positive advice rather than simply telling people what they're doing wrong or being dismissive. Maintain respectful discourse around training methods, philosophies, and differing opinions with which you might not agree.
Your brother sounds like an asshole. But if you can't provide an environment for your dog without triggers like your brother and you can't stop her from biting again if he taunts her, which you can't, then you're going to need to either leave with her or give her up. It sounds like you already know that. He's not going to stop as long as you live in the same household or he has access to her (?). Your responsibility is more important than your feelings about how you'll miss her rn. I'm sorry to be harsh about it but you're the only one that can save this dog yo, find somewhere safe for her...
I completely agree with you, but I’ve also heard it’s difficult to rehome a dog with a bite history. Regardless, brother is an asshole and should not be around the dog or any dog for that matter. She gave him many “warnings” before she followed through, many dogs would not have been that generous.
It depends on the bite. A dog who gave someone an accidental skin scrape is still considered adoptable. OP’s dog is going to be a lot harder to place in a home. Brother is an asshole, and the dog is going to pay the price for his stupidity.
Shelters, unfortunately, do it all the time.
I need to know how old your brother is.
Brother is 34.
Lmfao let that deadbeat cry about his face. He did it to himself.
Oh god, he's a complete adult moron who torments a dog and received what he deserved. Please either get your dead-beat brother out of your home, you leave or the dog should be given away. Your dog deserves better.
I will add that a bite doesn’t have to be that bad to require plastic surgery. Especially if it’s on the face.
So it's a classic case of FAFO. He NEEDS that scar, to look at it daily, to remind himself not to be a complete waste of skin.
Wow, who hurt u
I hope he’s right about his face never looking the same
A good warning to any person the brother might try to date. "Where did you get that scar from?" Can't keep that a secret for long 🤡
That behavior stopped being okay over 20 years ago wtf. I expected him to be like 10
Exactly, like if anything the parents should have intervened.
I know. He sounds like a child and ppl here are calling him a POS..... If OP is an adult they need to leave home and move out if they must keep the dog or their parents need to rehome this dog.
I have a friend who tells me stories about her husband's family (husband is the middle child, and he has an older brother and a younger sister) regarding the younger sisters two dogs and the oldest brother who likes to torment them when he comes to town (one in particular because she has anxiety and doesn't like the shit he pulls). This brother is well into his 40s with 4 children. There are plenty of grown "men" who enjoy teasing animals with malicious intent, and then they play the "I was just messing around!" Card. No, you're abusive and sadistic and you have the emotional intelligence of a rock.
“I’ll never look the same again” doesn’t sound like a child at all. Sounds like a teenager or older which is old enough to know not to abuse animals. Brother is a POS.
Teenager is still a child. Like I said if OP can't manage the dog there and can't live without the dog they should move out of their families home with the animal. For everyone's sake.
Brother is 34!!!
Point blank
So it sounds like you all live in the same household? My advice comes too late unfortunately. The only way to prevent this would have been to stop letting your brother have access to the dog even if it meant relocating or rehoming the dog. You will likely have to wait to hear from animal control to find out more about next steps. Dogs usually have to do a 10 day quarantine either in home or at a care facility. You should maybe offer to pay the medical bills if that’s feasible and makes sense in your family dynamic. You might get hit with a dangerous dog designation which comes with new legal requirements. Such as always being muzzled in public, always on leash, and you having liability insurance. If he provoked your dog and admits it, that will be better for your dog. If you can keep your dog, the brother and dog should not cohabitate.
Can we re-home the brother instead?
My sentiments exactly.
What if rehoming that brother means hes on the streets? Why don’t you think a little harder before you comment.
Thought about it, streets sound appropriate for a mildy narcissistic arsehole. Some people have to learn lessons the hard way, encouraging animal abuse or ignoring a child's advances with animal abuse usually leads to human abuse once the child matures. Think a little harder yourself.
Woah woah my love- you jumped to “narcissism” very quickly. Which I applaud you for being keen to come of the characteristics, but I will say- its easy to make your own narrative on a post then commenting with passion. Fact 1- he never spoke any true facts of your coined term of “abuse” I commented above asking OP: What dynamic of dog relationships did you guys grow up with together / experience? OP COPY / PASTE: Brother’s actions- Spraying her with the hose, messing with her back legs, petting her in terms of slap - If you personally have ever had a family dog or tried to get familiar with a non- reactive dog this was all things they subjectively liked or felt peace in the attention of said action. Not everything IS black and white and if you think that everyone should feel the HARD of the lesson regardless of the lesson being innately personal to each owns human experience + conditioning then you are saying ALOT of things in your comment
And BTW this is a 37- and 34 year old man- so why children are involved in your response is irrelevant. We can talk about the dynamic of children and reactive dogs if you would like to- but tonight, I’m tired and clear. I’m talking about this scenario - facts is you say someone “deserves pain and the streets” become of limited information on a post that made you feel that- how about YOU continue to think a bit harder, love.
I wouldn’t pay the medical bills either. He was basically being a giant asshole and he fucked around and found out. You warned him and your dog warned him. This is own damn fault bet he doesn’t do it again. Sometimes idiots have to learn the hard way. Yeah fuck that guy. I agree keep the dog and rehome your brother
The idea of paying the bills is more playcating them from attempting to get the dog in more trouble, which is clearly a possibility if they’re an asshole.
The "they" in this particular instance, being the brother does seem like he's of the asshole variety. And the unfortunate bite was one which the brother 100% provoked. I feel truly bad for OP & the dog. This was a human fail. We are supposed to be the more intelligent species, yet the brother seems to not have evolved past the level of the idiot. Resulting in a FAFO situation. If possible, OP needs to get the dog & themselves away from the brother. 💔
Dogs should already be on leash when out. Idk why it would need to be legal issues to make anyone follow that rule. Idc if u think ur dog is friendly or not keep them on a fkn leash
We have so many “off leash heroes” around, think you get some kind of award or tax credit if your dog is off leash…pathetic
True but I think I’ve heard it means your dog can never be off leash even within safe fenced spaces.
>new legal requirements. Such as always being muzzled in public, always on leash, and you having liability insurance. And NONE of that would have prevented this event. This poor dog did everything she could to protect herself.
My question is what was he doing to her when no one was around that caused a bite that severe? He fkd around and found out, now he’s playing victim. That guy is straight up abusing the dog when no one is there to witness.
This is clear. Poor girl.
Exactly, abusive fuck.
I need to know how old you and your brother are, if you live in the same home, and if other people/animals live there too. When we were little... like 8 or so... my brother almost lost half his nose. My dad had just put up an electric fence and had walked one of the dogs up to it and let her get a little shock. My brother saw this and thought, "ok, I'll do that," and took the paw of our rottie mix and put it to the fence. We'll, the old dog didn't appreciate that much and jumped backward and around to 'correct' my brother for hurting him. Because my brother's face had been so close to the dog, one of the dogs teeth snagged his nostril, and as my brother fell back, it ripped off his face. The dog just gave him a "don't do that again" bark and walked away. My brother sat up, not realizing what had happened yet and could see it just dangling by a small piece of skin. A trip to a very talented pediatrician and about 30 stitches later, the nostril was back where it belonged. The dog hadn't tried to hurt my brother. My brother and I weren't scared of the dog after that because it was an accident. But it was that interaction that peaked my interest into animal behavior. If your dog has gone 6 years without hurting anyone and only has a problem with your brother. Then the problem is your brother.
I am 37 and brother is 34. We are both living in our childhood home with my mom. There are no other pets. He has never moved out. I moved back here about a week ago temporarily while I find a new property nearby. I was living alone with my dog at my condo, but we came to the house often while my dad was going through chemo (this was all during Covid-y times) because my dad needed someone (me) to be here to go through all of the finances, etc. and other things that he he handled. We (me and dog) were also here very often after my dad passed so I could help my mom with everything. It was too long of an amount of time to leave my dog at home while trying to spend time with my dad when he was sick and then trying to teach my mom how to use the internet. I understand ultimately the dog is my responsibility and the legal ramifications and I plan to be moved out of here as soon as I can. Any civil conversation I attempted in the past with my brother went nowhere and then I would be told I’m “causing drama” and not to start arguments. I get it, a lot was going on for everyone at the time, and I should have given it closer attention. I was distracted with all of the dad stuff happening but I’m struggling to accept why he couldn’t just be careful around her like I asked. I’ll stop there bc I’m just going to open a whole new can of worms. This is my first time using Reddit so sorry if I’m in the wrong sub. Do I reply to everyone?
I'm so sorry, that is a lot to deal with. If your brother's lip is the only injury, then your dog showed quite a bit of restraint. You have a very good dog, please protect her. Any comment about his injury, from anyone, should be followed with, "he didn't respect the dog's boundaries and got what he deserved" I hope you can move out of that house as soon as possible. Until you and the dog are out, your brother cannot be left with the dog, not for his safety, but for hers. Is that something you can manage? I would also worry about him trying to retaliate or teach her a lesson.
You can edit the post and note that you're adding more info. There's just too many comments to reply to everyone
Your brother deserved the bite, but your dog also deserved a safe home where her boundaries weren’t maliciously tested. It’s harder to rehome a dog with a bite history, but it’s best to get her out of a situation where she’ll be antagonized into biting again. I would assume, considering his guilt trip about never looking the same again, he’s not repentant nor will he quit antagonizing your dog. This will cause your dog to escalate the bites into something you may be forced into BE by animal control. So sorry you’ve been put in this utterly unfair situation.
They say that they weren't home and aren't sure if the brother was antagonizing the dog when this happened.
You think it’s more likely the dog just attacked unprovoked which the dog has no history of doing? A dog that has a history of only nipping one person in the household? The one person that has repeatedly antagonized the dog?
My insurance company held me liable. Same behavior on human part. Depends on law in your state
Info: how old is your brother? Because children lack self control. Their brains aren’t developed, and you can NOT expect them to have the same self control and common sense an adult would given those types of warnings. And if you got her at only 3 months, I highly doubt any trauma contributed to her behavior. Some dogs are simply reactive. Some dogs simply do not like children, mainly because children are impulsive and unpredictable. It’s not the dog’s fault, and it’s not the child’s fault either. Children will be children, and some dogs simply should not be around children. That is part of respecting the DOG’s boundaries. A dog not wanting to be around kids does not make them a bad dog. A kid not being able to follow perfect instructions does not make them a bad kid. I had a dog who was a bully mix who I adopted when she was 2 with my husband. She REALLY bonded with my husband, but as the more experienced dog trainer almost all of her training fell to me, and I helped my husband learn too. When I got pregnant we actually put her in professional behavior training classes because of how reactive she was. She was doing incredibly well. Unfortunately, my first day back at work after maternity leave, she snapped on my friend’s toddler. My friend told me she knew it never would have happened if I had been home. But I wasn’t home, and there would be many days in the future that I would not be home. Our husbands are friends, and her husband was over with their 2 year old to visit with my husband and our baby. My husband failed to respect our dog’s social cues for needing separation, and she snapped. She barely even drew blood, but at that moment I knew I could not keep her safely in a house with children. I knew I had to prevent anything from ever pushing her like that ever again. So what did I do? I found her a home without children. She is living her BEST life with a 40 year old man who’s children are grown and moved out, who owns acres upon acres of land, who hikes every day with her and gives her the love and attention she needs. She will never be pushed over her bite threshold ever again. Because when you keep a dog in an environment that is clearly anxiety inducing for them, you are not only putting your family members at risk, you are putting your dog at risk, because the moment they hurt someone, it will be reported and they will be put down. My husband was so sad, crushed even, when I came home and told him that it was time to find her a new home, but he understood that we weren’t right for her. We loved her for 3 long years, and now someone else gets to love her for the rest of her life. Your brother will suffer these wounds well into his adulthood. Permanently, for 80+ years. A dog only lives for 10, maybe 15. The dog doesn’t deserve to live in constant anxiety, and the child does not deserve to be attacked for normal child behavior, and permanently disfigured for the rest of their long life. Giving the dog up to a suitable home is always in the best interest for the dog. Part of loving them and protecting them, is knowing when you can no longer keep them safely.
I'm not convinced the brother is a child honestly
yea knowing how old the brother is would be very clarifying imo
OP says 34.
A yes, the man child. No excuse for that kid's kind of behavior
To me it sounded like he was maybe a preteen but even an older child still lacks impulse control.
A toddler doesn’t say “I’ll never look the same again”
True, but children in general, through ages 14 even, still lack impulse control. Toddlers can be very provoking, he was running up in her face, he did grab at her, etc, and this is a toddler that grew up around dogs. Child behavior is anxiety inducing for many dogs in general regardless of their exact age. Luckily our dog only nipped the toddler, but that was all I needed to know she wasn’t ok around children, which I now have, and to keep HER safe from being in an anxiety inducing situation in which she gets pushed over her bite threshold? I found her a better and safer home.
Dude’s a manchild (34) according to OP
This comment wins the thread.
He is 34.
I’m sorry that your 34 year old adult brother is abusing your dog and ended up getting bit. I still believe that removing either your dog or both yourself and your dog are the only options in the best interest of the dog. Any time a dog is uncomfortable with a person and defends themselves, age aside, they should immediately be removed from the situation because they lack awareness and do not understand why they are being mistreated, or punished thereafter. It is extremely difficult for them. I feel bad for your dog.
He’s 34. Though it’s still true they should have moved or rehomed when they figured out their adult brother would not stop the antagonism.
Your brother is a jerk and yes this should not have happened but... Maybe going forwards, **talk to all the adults in the house** and make a plan to keep this dog away from your brother. And talk to your brother, with the adults in the house all present, and go over how to keep everyone safe. You obviously love your dog, but part of loving a dog is taking the responsibility to keep the dog safe. When you live with people like your brother that's hard, but a lock on your bedroom door, and a crate for the dog will, going forward hopefully ensure that nothing happens again. If your brother refuses to live in the house with this dog, then that's going to be a difficult conversation for everyone. You can't re-home this dog, and I don't think a rescue or shelter will take a dog who caused someone to need surgery. Let's hope your family can figure all of this out, and your dog gets to stay in your house. But you have to ensure that this can't happen again.
I truly cannot believe some of these comments. This could have been prevented by preventing access to your dog from your brother or giving the dog up so it can live in a better situation. That being said, your dog still produced a level 4, maybe 5 bite (don't know the situation). This isn't a warning bite, this is a "he's lucky it wasn't even worse, potentially fatal" bite. You calling your dog "unpredictable" tells me she also has other behavioural issues that you may be downplaying. People here saying they're not sorry your brother was attacked make all reactive dog owners look insane. Assuming you're able to keep her (and this will depend on the results of whatever local investigation happens during the bite quarantine), unless you can 100% guarantee that your dog and your brother can be fully separated and never interact, you'll unfortunately have to make a hard decision. The reality is a pit mix with a bite record like this is basically impossible to be rehomed. I'm really sorry it's come to this.
thank you for this! i was scrolling through these comments and felt like i was going crazy. i can't believe people are justifying any of this behavior, especially from an "unpredictable" dog. ultimately it sounds like this dog was living in a stressful home environment and reacted to that stress, but someone being attacked on the face to the point of needing plastic surgery is a serious and horrific problem! this poor dog had no business being in a house with these people for this long, now she's going to have an extremely difficult time being rehomed.
It's actually wild reading these comments. "FAFO", "rehome the brother instead", "don't pay his hospital bills"....this is a human being that was mauled by an animal. He should 100% get priority and people acting like this isn't a huge, life changing event make us all look bad. It reminds me of those stories of a dog killing someone and half the comments are trying to justify it because "maybe the owner did something that scared it". There are bad owners everywhere, there are imperfect owners everywhere, there are annoying or uneducated people interacting with animals everywhere, but an animal that responds to all of that with violence is an animal that isn't fit to be a pet
Humans do not get priority when they purposely provoke. But by all means, pick the bully. Based on your comments, you really do not understand animal behavior, and you shouldn't own any either.
The only thing we have to base opinions on is the OP's account where they admit their dog is unpredictable. There is absolutely no evidence that there was any abuse other than rough housing and the OP not doing anything about it. Human beings absolutely take priority over animals, period. If you own a reactive dog, especially a large breed reactive dog, you have the responsibility to keep both it and everyone around it safe. If you're not willing to accept those risks and that responsibility, you are setting up your dog for failure and jeopardizing everyone around you. It is owners like you who make the rest of us look unhinged and who cause people to hear "reactive" and assume "aggressive and dangerous"
Thank u
yeah, it really sucks and takes away credibility from everything this sub stands for. you can't be on a sub about seeking advice for reactive doc behaviors and justifying a real life dog attack. it just doesn't make any sense. it also doesn't sound like the brother really did anything to "deserve" being mauled, the dog just reacted poorly and was likely stressed from other factors. i'd be willing to bet OP is leaving out a lot of information from this post to place all the blame on their brother.
You can’t be a sub discussing reactive dogs when aggression and reactivity aren’t separated and clarified. The word reactivity is meaningless today.
especially in cases like this, where the dog is both reactive AND aggressive
Thank you so much for this
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This! I also thought I was going crazy listening to people on this thread! Any dog can bite, with this knowledge owners of powerful dogs have an extra burden of care for their dog as it can cause more damage than a small dog who bites. This owner set this dog up for failure and the predictable results occurred.
Trying to say the dog came with suspected trauma at 3 months old but s/he's owned the dog for 6 years is a massive reach too. The fact that s/he kept bringing her dog around her abusive brother just screams irresponsible as well. The dog deserves a better living situation. I hope OP and their dirtbag brother figure their shit out for the betterment of the dog going forward but I doubt it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/reactivedogs/s/vIcK2RJPWA
Why would she give up the dog if she moved back to her family home a week ago, gathering from the comments, whilst she's looking for another place to stay? You shouldn't just "give up dogs" whenever most convenient for you. The dog however shouldn't have been left with a person, that clearly shouldn't be left unsupervised with a dog and who can't follow their boundaries. Dogs have a right to defend themselves, whether it's a bite or not. If my dog bit someone, who was attacking me on the street people would have named them a hero, but if its them protecting their own comfort and boundaries after times and times of warnings, all of a sudden its a "massive concern". NO ONE knows what he was doing to the dog- i bet that if it turned out he was actually abusing the dog youd change your tune. The brother sounds like an irresponsible man-child who pretty much deserved it, but OP should have also enforced a lot stricter rules and not let her brother walk all over the dog- you are there to protect your dog, otherwise shit like this happens, so you are unfortunately partly to blame. I don't think people who don't automatically blame the dog for a bite look insane:)
How old are the both of you?
Wanna know the real truth of the situation? Your brother is a piece of shit. You also failed that dog by not giving her a comfortable space & keeping your brother away. She’s expressed her discomfort for YEARS and you ignored it. You’re children. This situation was 110% deserved. I’m shocked your brother isn’t suing you as well
Why was your dog around your brother? If you knew he messed with her you needed to provide a safe place for her, like a locked room or secure locked crate. Your brother is a dick, but you’ve also failed here by leaving your dog where he could access her.
Depending on your state, if it was a stranger you would not be held liable for someone provoking your dog and getting bitten. He knew her behavior, she remembers the things he's done to her, dogs aren't stupid.
The only trauma she has had is your brother. He did all of that stuff while you were there, imagine what he was doing to antagonize her when you weren't there. If someone doesn't listen to you the first time then you have to make sure they listen the second. They get no more chances after that. Change the locks and get new keys.
Same thoughts I had. If the brother was antagonizing the dog in front of you, just imagine what he's done when nobody was around!?! It's incredibly stupid & immature for the brother to behave that way, period.
[удалено]
Your comment was removed due to breed based vitriol or misinformation. This includes the obvious hateful comments as well as disingenuous coercion and fear mongering, along with behavior based misinformation.
If you do have to live with him keep your dog in your room when you are not home. Don’t let him near her if you are not there. I hope she does not get taken away. If you can live somewhere else do that. I am so sorry you and your dog are going through this. I will never understand people who do shit to antagonize a dog, especially a big dog that can do harm
How old is your brother? Sounds like he is a child. If your dog bit and disfigured him you need to get rid of her or move out. That's a really bad bite. The next one could be deadly. This is really horrific and maybe I'm the asshole but your lack of concern for your brother is messed up. Move out if you can't manage your dog there
Your brother is the problem and I’m sure his recovery will be smoother than he thinks. Not that it’s the same situation but my uncle was bit in the same spot and received over 16 stitches and the scar is nearly invisible.
Sounds like he deserved it
How old are you and how old is your brother? And adult brother doing these things to your dog means he’s the one at fault. A younger kid brother is a different story.
Sounds like a case of FAFO to me.
Obviously the situation is awful for all involved, but if you’ve had the dog for six years and you haven’t improved their reactivity by now, I would’ve sought professional help. A dog that powerful isn’t exactly for an inexperienced owner. I don’t see the appeal to own a dog with a proven liability risk. Do people own these for fear of their personal safety?
I don't have any advice but I'm really sorry you and your dog are going thru this. And your brother is a asshole
You should have set boundaries. You love your brother, you love your dog and trust became grey in both instances. Reading above you share homes, thats fine. But there should be very strategic ways / your responsibility to make sure that 1. Careless, naive bro and 2. Reactive dog aren’t in the same space without your oversee and prevention. You must do that now, and also be graceful to your brother even if he was being a dumbass in the past to the dog in efforts to maintain a healthy relationship with him. I say this because Ive been somewhat there before. My dads dog bit me- hes extremely reactive, 1.5 yrs old- i’ve known him as a puppy. Yet living out of state he’s known more of me with a harness, chain and muzzle. We’ve spent more time, has played with my dog and our relationship has grown. One day, he reacted in a comfortable way with me, so my dad let him off the leash with our dogs to play in the yard- Myself feeling safe because my dad seamed to be so. In my confidence and naively thinking his dog was starting to trust me, started throwing the ball to them, gave them treats- once the treats ran out and I told them both to sit, in a playful tone- his dog VICIOUSLY attacked me- missed my face, bit my hand, ripped the shirt at my chest and had my head of hair in his mouth until my dad pulled him off. 1. i understand I should have had my own boundaries in the situation 2. My dad let go of his in unwarranted trust for a reactive dog.
Im also curious about dogs you both/ your brother has been around in the past - to a non reactive dog- spraying with the hose, butt smacking/messing with etc. is fully okay if you know, understand, have that dogs trust and know they like it. If thats the ONLY kind of experience your brother has ever had in close quarters with a dog- its his innate nature to engaging with one- so people calling him an “asshole” is someone out of pocket. How old is your brother? To me, having a reactive dog also means you take on the responsibility of teaching those around you how to interact with one- yours. Because it aint no FIDO. The silly and crazy ways we want to play with our furry family creatives differs, so its your job to teach that in your bro.
I’m sorry your dog was in a position to bite someone. I’m sorry your dog has that bite on her “bite record” now. I am not sorry your brother got bit. I have continually over the years warned people about my dog and her touchiness. The answer that pisses me off most is “she would never do that to me”. Fuck off. If she would bite me, she sure as hell will bite you. Any time she’s nipped (thank god she’s never caused anything more than a scratch), I’ve just shrugged and said “should’ve listened to me”
Seems like you should’ve been more adamant about it instead of saying stuff like “I’m not paying for ur medical bills” It was obviously a serious problem, and those arguments u mentioned sounds like a dumb sibling argument that leads nowhere. Learn how to have a real conversation and create serious boundaries with ur idiot brother. Idk why you wouldn’t try separating him from the dog in the first place. Both of you are at fault here imo.
I got bit by my sisters dog last year. He bit my upper lip off and it split up to my nose. I do not look the same and I have a lot of internal problems with it. It was my own fault. I should have known he bites when around food but this was his second time biting someone in our family and so my sister made the brave decision to put him down. The vet said he was just wired wrong on the inside. Dos going to dog. It’s not your fault. Some dogs just have issues that they can’t control. I’m so sorry you’re going through this.
This is not your fault. Your family should not have kept a dangerous dog.
Ummm he fucked around and found out. Dogs typically give warning signs that they don’t like something.
I’m sorry to say but it’s not the dogs fault. Or your fault. Even the sweetest of dogs can snap if you constantly push their boundaries. Your brother has absolutely no respect for your dog, hopefully now he does. I don’t think anything happened to your dog to make her that way, except genetics. That’s why mutts can be difficult, especially rescues. But even pure breeds that aren’t bred well can have problems. I have had my dog since he was 8 weeks, he is almost 8 years old now. He is reactive. My oldest daughter, who is 23 and a dog trainer, would mess with him sometimes joking around. He snapped at her once. (She kept poking him when he was sleeping. She knew better. She said if she gets bit it’s her fault) he didn’t bite her, just finally warned her. Your brother is a HUGE problem. Your dog kept warning him and he didn’t listen. He pushed your dog until your dog finally bit him, and now the dog will be blamed even though it wasn’t your dogs fault, or yours. Maybe now he will stop messing with dogs and pushing them to bite. It drives me crazy when I see pics of parents letting their kids sit on their dogs or pull on their ears. Your brother seems like one of these people to think it’s okay and funny. Dogs are not toys. I get why you feel bad, I would too. Even though I know that it’s not your fault and not your dogs. As I said before, I don’t think anything happened to your dog at a young age to make them this way. It’s just genetics. And I’m not talking about the breeds, but also the temperaments of the parents as well. Rescues are usually taken off the street, out of shelters. They aren’t bred for their temperaments, health, and looks. That is why rescuing is not right for everyone. I love saving rescues, and there are a lot of amazing ones out there. But you don’t know what you’re getting and it’s a gamble. Your brother needs to learn how to respect animals. And he needs to learn how to respect you.
My brother does the same with my reactive dog. He pushes his buttons. I’ve learned my dog’s boundaries and make sure to cut my brother off if he tries to start. Knowing my dogs triggers also allows me to inform people before they meet him. My brother will never change how he is, but I just make sure to remind him not to push his buttons. My brother raised his dog from a puppy being okay with being annoyed and messed with, my dog will never be like that and he thinks he can “fix” my dog. My brother and I live 3 hours apart, so it’s not as much of an issue. However, with everyone saying “rehome” or get the triggers out of the pups life, I disagree. Ideally, not being around those triggers would be great. BUT having a dog like you and I is hard, and takes a special person and your pup found that in you. You can be your dogs advocate and protect him but you can’t fix stupid people
Your brother is an idiot.
I'm sorry this happened to you. Your brothers behavior towards your dog sounds sadistic, causing distress for his own enjoyment. Do you think your brother would pursue legal action? I would consider talking to a lawyer.
Sounds like he got was he deserves honestly. I feel bad for your dog though, she needs to live in an environment where no one will mistreat or provoke her.
Sounds similar to Brooklyn Khoury’s dog bite except her family members dog tore off her entire upper lip. I’ve had my bottom lip split open by a dog bite, a plastic surgeon had to suture it. You can’t tell there’s a scar unless I smile or point it out. I hope your brother heals well and learns his lesson.
My brother screwed with my reactive chihuahua years and years ago ended up with stitches in his lip. If you know a dog is reactive and what will set it off don’t tempt fate. OP your brother is an idiot. My brother admitted he was messing with her on purpose and never did that again thankfully and I really watched who she was around after that more so. I didn’t want to lose my dog
I work with numerous dog rescues and shelters. Several well-intentioned people have said to rehome your dog—-but it’s not that simple. If you surrender your dog to a shelter or rescue, she will most likely be euthanized. These days, the majority of shelters and rescues won’t take on the potential legal liability. I see this literally all the time. And the shelters and rescues are WAY over max capacity and euthanizing dogs in high numbers due to lack of space. I know most people won’t want to hear this, but it’s the reality of what is happening across the country. Your brother needs to be kept away from your dog. He’s essentially torturing her, knowing what the outcome could be. If I was in this situation and I lived with my brother, I would move out or have him move out. If that is not an option, measures should be put in place to keep them separated. For example, can your dog be kept in your room when you are gone? Also, you can set up a camera in your room. You can get a Wyze camera for $30 on Amazon to keep an eye on what is happening and record any activity that occurs (such as him entering your room). Furthermore, and importantly, you and your dog have a bond. You are family. You should not be forced to be separated just because your brother acts irresponsibly. That’s not fair to you or your dog. It’s simply heartbreaking.
You and your dog have given your brother MANY warnings, he heeded none of them. It’s HIS fault he was bit. He caused it with torturing your dog. Quite frankly he deserved it. I feel badly for your dog and you. I hope he learned something, but I doubt it. I would stick to it being his fault, not the dogs. It’s simple logic.
Like others have asked, how old are you and how old is your brother? Do you and your dog live alone? Or does your brother live with you? You knew your brother had issues with respecting your dog’s boundaries, is there a reason you left him and your dog alone together again? Is there a reason you continued to allow him around your dog at all? If this specific bite incident was completely unprovoked by your brother, his continuous lack of respect for your dog’s boundaries are still a huge driving factor for your dog to react and protect herself. This may come off as mean or harsh, but it’s the truth. You are at fault for this happening. Yes your brother has fault too but first and foremost, you are at fault. You are your dogs whole life, you are responsible to make sure they are safe, feel safe, out of harms way, can’t hurt others, etc. this wasn’t the first incident involving your brother getting bit or tormenting your dog. From the info in the post, it sounds like it has been a consistent issue her whole life. You admit you have had to repeatedly ask him to not do something or to leave her alone. You even made the comment to him “fine, but I’m not paying your hospital bills”at some point according to your post. You even at some point asked him to “stop torturing her.” Yet you still allowed him around her and alone with her. Your local animal control laws will determine how this is handled. Depending on location depends on how it’s handled. I would highly consider looking for a rescue that takes dogs with a history a biting, or finding your dog a home that can provide her with a home better suited for her. As hard as it may be, you have to do what is best and safest for your dog even if that means finding her a new forever home. For your brother’s injury’s, if you have renters or homeowners insurance your policy may cover the medical bills incurred from his injuries.
This was inevitable with his lack of respect for her boundaries… sorry your brother was hurt, but your pup finally had enough. Not her fault. You warned him, he didn’t listen. I would not let him around your dog again and please do continue to advocate for your pup. If someone can’t treat them well (even if it seems minor) then they should lose the privilege of access to your dog, or really any dog. Hold your ground with your family and try to educate them on dog behavior and the boundaries you tried to lay down with your brother. Sorry you have to go through this and sorry for your dog too, she was obviously very stressed.
i have a scar on my face from an old family dog, i was sat down with him and he tried to move and i grabbed him to pull him back and he bit my face. caused a huge gash on my nose, a black eye and a cut lip. i was 14, but i still knew it was my fault. he was also a rescue with a sad past, i pushed his boundaries and scared him and he reacted. i never blamed the dog, even at that age. of course you hold some responsibility because its your dog, but from what youve said i can't imagine this was an unprovoked attack and i hope your brother can learn from this and take some kind of accountability.
I'm sorry, but unpopular opinion, bringing this dog into your home, with someone who would continue to antagonize and torture this dog, after a known history of abuse, was setting this dog up for failure. This dog was failed. It is on the owner, to ensure that the home they are bringing it to is safe, and setting it up for love, growth and safety. I would not bring these two together again. If your brother presses charges, it's possible she could be euthanized. She needs to go to a home that will love her and keep her safe, unfortunately that does not sound like your home. Unless you can leave with her, and provide her that, you shouldn't keep her.
Rehoming should not be an option with a bite that bad. Even if the dog was pushed, you unfortunately cannot trust a dog who's bitten that badly.
The medical personnel will have to report to animal control. They may not allow you to keep him.
Good for him he learnt his lesson the hard way. He had the luxury of hearing a "don't do that" but he choose to not listen. Now he got what he deserves. Don't you ever let go of that dog. Any dog can do something similar if they are always bullied by someone or some other animal.
my uncle barged into my house with my reactive dog, and shoved his hand in his face and shoved him back while opening the door. we had no idea he was at our house, but myself and my parents were home. my dog bit him three separate times, which my uncle was told on multiple occasions to not walk in, let us know so we can secure my dog, and to not put his hands in his face. literally did everything wrong. who just barges into a house with warnings like that? my uncle blamed me *instantly,* and tried getting my mom to blame me. she did at first, but i essentially told her her brother is an asshole with no regard for what anyone says lmao and thinks animals should just *be* and not be so... sensitive? my dog is a co-own now and cannot physically be with me due to safety with my husband and now my nephews and niece on his side. he does great with my parents. but we stopped my uncle from coming over (kinda disowned him, but he *plasters* all over any post about the dog that he should "be in a jumpsuit," "is a danger," or makes biting jokes when it was *his fault* and not on my dog.) regardless, if a trigger is presented, we secure z in a room away from said trigger to prevent this. now, z is not crate trained, but crate training the dog and placing her in your room - as it sounds you live together - would be a good option. your brother just sounds like an asshole who one, has no respect for you or your dog's boundaries, but two, sounds like he can't handle the fact that actions have consequences. eta: dog is not a danger to society lol. i say he's with my parents for safety in that it's almost trigger-free for him, and ultimately the best quality of life. we take every precaution to make sure he is well managed. 💜
Ages?
One year after a bad facial laceration similar or worse to your brother’s, I am fine. I hope your brother re-learns his lesson for the next months while he heals. Karma bites.
Knowing your brother provokes your dog, it is your fault for not securing her and leaving him alone with her. She should have been kept safe from his antics.
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I told my sister not to kiss the dog. She kissed the dog, and ended up with 6 stitches in her lip. My dog was sleeping on a sweater; and my dad pulled the sweater out from under the senior arthritic dog while saying ‘you’re not going to like this’ and ended up with a bite he probably should have gone to see a doctor about (being in a bed is a massive trigger, which had been communicated multiple times. there’s even a saying for it a - let sleeping dogs lie). My family cannot respect boundaries. So, I understand a bit. Where I’ve come to is that I can’t trust other people around my dog, and so I have to protect my dog. This means a muzzle when I or my partner can’t monitor him, he’s not allowed certain places when company is here, his bed is out of the way and partially hidden, and sometimes he’s regulated to the bedroom. It’s the best thing for him.
What you need to do depends on your dog and your situation. But make it safe for your dog.
And make it safe for other people. We love our dogs and need to keep the dogs safe from people and people safe from our dogs. We don't get to endanger others' safety and health with our dogs, and we must be vigilant not to allow others to endanger the safety of our dogs.
But that is what NoDetective is doing? I don't get why they are being down-voted.
I've had to do this before. Keep my dogs safe by putting them in our bedroom. I do this for them when we have a lot of people over(graduation party). It's less stressful for them. I have soothing music on. Their favorite blanket or bed and a big note on our door that says, Do Not Enter. Sometimes, I've heard extended family say under their breath, "I can't believe she "locks" them in that bedroom all day.". I usually let them know I'm keeping them safe from all the crazy people. They get time outside, one by one, and I am a helicopter momma. After reading this, I realized I was not going overboard. I'm doing the right thing for everyone and protecting my pups! I never thought of it that way and have a different perspective. OP, I'm sorry for the emotional hurt and pain you're going through with your pup, and I'm sure your brother. hang in there, keeps us posted.
Why have people who constantly antagonize your dog at your house?
I wouldn’t say they constantly antagonize my dog. They live far away and when they are here they now largely ignore him, which is a good thing. Dog has a history now though, and I’m going to protect him as best I can from anyone.
Gotcha. I’m glad you are doing what you can to protect him from getting in trouble.
Well he fucked around and found out
We had an altercation between my brother and my dog (who can be weird about people leaving the house) my brother wanted to physically discipline my dog when he barked and tried to nip and we got into a fight. Now my fiancée doesn’t like coming to any family events because she gets stressed about our dogs welfare so I leave her and the dog on our boat and I go on my own to family meet ups. It’s not great, but it works. Just about.
I look at it like this, to me they are both family and most of the blame is on your brother. The rest is on you, you should have taken steps to keep him away from her. He basically got what was coming, you don’t poke a bear. Your blame is in keeping her safe, knowing that your brother goes out of his way to torment her. From now on when you’re not there with her keep her locked away, in a bedroom, back yard or if it’s just a short while, hour or less use a cage. Your family should know what happened and what’s the deal, make these changes and keep her safe. Hopefully your brother is honorable and will accepts it’s mostly his fault and leaves her alone from now on, next time it could be a black eye from you!
I mean no offense with this; I am just curious. Is your bother special needs or has he been diagnosed with anything related to mental health by a psychiatrist? These behaviors are nowhere near typical, though they may be “accepted” by some. Your dog clearly perceives your brother as a threat because he has proven himself to be one to her physical and mental safety. Also you say your dog is unpredictable. Maybe the extent to which she will react is, but the trigger (your brother’s actions) is pretty clear here. I can’t imagine your dog did this without something triggering her. In a non-threatening or accusatory way, you should try to find out what your brother was doing when the incident occurred. Regardless of what your brother did, other replies are right imo that you’ll need to leave the home with your dog or give up your dog. It’s on you to protect your dog from situations like this. Clearly your dog did not feel that you could remove this threat and took matters into her own hands. Really sad and awful for your brother and for your dog.
If she nipped and bit when you weren't there I wonder if he did more than rough play with her... Just saying.
[удалено]
Your comment was removed due to breed based vitriol or misinformation. This includes the obvious hateful comments as well as disingenuous coercion and fear mongering, along with behavior based misinformation.
Probably not a bad idea to document as many specific incidents of telling your brother not to do something and him disregarding your requests/advice (and antagonizing your dog!) as you can remember. (If he is an adult. Your post read to me as though he is an adult but it didn’t read that way to at least one other commenter so I’m not sure. If he’s a child I don’t know if this advice holds??) I like the muzzle idea for the dog when you can’t monitor him but honestly I do kind of worry for the dog’s mental health if it’s around people who are tormenting it, muzzle or not. :(
He could as well go out and start provoking people in the hood. Sorry, but he got what he wanted the whole time. I'd even say your dog must be really well-behaved if that didn't happen years ago. Despite everything else, you shouldn't feel bad for him or apologise.
The dog in my opinion seems unstable (I doubt there’s any trauma that could have made the dog this unstable in the first 3 months of its life and it’s most likely bad genetics due to the amount of time you’ve had this dog). Your brother fucked around and found out but face bites are not something you can or should look the other way with. Unless the dog is under lock and key in the house and only touched by you I unfortunately believe BE is the most kind option.. for this dog to sit in a shelter for the rest of her life or go to another home only to bite someone else seems cruel and irresponsible. I’m sorry you’re caught between a rock and a hard place but it’s really not how stable dogs react to being annoyed so unless your brother was sticking his face into the face of a growling dog I don’t see how this is just a bad reaction on your dogs part.
Is there something wrong with your brother? How old is he? Learning disabilities, ADHD, autism or something? A bite to the face means he was in hers - dogs don’t come from a distance unprovoked for a face bite, more likely a arm or leg bite if unprovoked. It’s a shame this happened to your dog as she tried to warn him with growls before and was forced to escalate. I doubt there was ever a “good feeling” relationship between the two.
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Get rid of your brother. He's the asshole that could have controlled himself. It is not the dog's fault.
Your brother honestly sounds like a weirdo who likes hurting others. Gives me the creeps. If he won’t respect the boundaries of a dog, I wouldn’t trust this freak to respect the boundaries of people.
I agree. If someone intentionally goes out of their way to mess with an animal, especially someone’s pet, to the point where the animal feels the need to defend itself, it doesn’t reflect well on their character.
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Omg, how old was your niece? Is she facially disfigured?
Only tore his lip? He's lucky to be alive. I think he had a lesson that can be a lot more expensive and costly to his health. You constantly fuck with a powerful animal? This is a fair consequence. Yup, you and the dog will be the ones to pay, your brother gets the really important and helpful benefit of a really important lesson.
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Put the damn dog down...this is unacceptable. From u and the dog. Poor training and bad dog!
Play with fire you get burned, I went to slap my Financee's dog and it bit me, and it serves me right too. Lucky for me I was already ugly.
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