I'm posting this on behalf of friends, they have owned a 6 year old American Bulldog for 3 years now that they got from their friend of a friend. Nine weeks ago they had their first baby and introductions between the dog and the new baby have been rather disasterous to say the least! 
It all started out sort of like 'softly softly catch a monkey' to see if the dog would take to the baby, they have tried to allow the dog to get used to the baby in his own time but now things are getting rather desperate. I went down there for the first time yesterday since the baby was born, obviously I had a cuddle and while I was doing so they let their dog in to have some interaction with me and the baby to save any jealously on the dogs part. Things quite didn't go to plan, they asked me to hold out the babies foot for him to sniff as they have been doing for nine weeks and I didn't quite expect the reaction I got from the dog if I hadn't had reacted as quickly as I did the babies foot would have been ripped straight off and this dog meant it.  They have been trying to work things this way since the baby was born, right down to holding his collar and letting him be near the baby (but obviously not close enough for him to do any damage) and putting him on a lead with one of them sitting by him, right down to them muzzling him. 
Yesterday for the first time they asked my advice while I was there as they are now at their wits end with him.
Whether or rightly or wrongly so the only advice I had was to have him put to sleep for the safety of the baby. I can't say whether rescue is an option but I wouldn't have thought so as last year they had him put into kennels while they went away for the weekend, they were only there the day and they had the call from the kennels that they would have to come and collect their dog back for the safety of the staff that worked there.  He wouldn't come out the kennels for his walk and when they tried get him out he was trying to bite anyone within distance, he has never up until now lived around children and when he has been around their own nephews and nieces previous to them having their baby, he has basically gone totally beserk at them, again trying to bite and lunge at the children.
I really don't see how they thought this would actually work given this dogs history with people it is not familiar with.  He is an intelligent dog, and knows most commands and actually surprisingly well socialised with other animals just with people he either likes you or he don't, which actually don't help his owners at all.
They don't want to have him put to sleep, but, sadly that was the only advice I could give them seeing firsthand what he did, I see no other option for the dog.
But any advice or suggestions would be greatfully appreciated.

that sounds like a horrendous situation for them to be in and I have no experience here to contribute.  But if it was my dog I would want to find a way to keep the dog but, (and it is a massive but) it is totally inappropriate to keep a dog that may attack a defenceless baby.  For the sake of the family and to prevent the demonising of the breed if the dog attacks, it sounds like the dog will have to be taken out of the situation.

Accidents happen and even if the family do find a way to keep the dog separate from the child, chances are at some point a door will be left open, a gate unlocked etc and the dog could get to the child. They have to look at quality of life for both parties.  I really feel for your friends but have no solution apart from removing the dog from the house.

Hi MollMoo

As far as keeping the dog in the family home goes they would IMO be at *best* extremely foolish - it certainly would not be in mine.  No matter how much I love my dogs I would never keep one in my own home if it was a danger to any resident, regardless of age, but all the more so when risking an attack on a baby or young child.  Visitors can be planned for and steps taken to ensure no contact is made over a brief period and on a temporary basis but nobody IMO can guarantee 100% full attention 24/7, 365 days a year for the remainder of this dog's life and that would be what is required.

Sorry MollMoo but from the info you have provided this dog sounds like a total liability and no pleasure to own, even before there was a baby on the scene.  If experienced kennel staff would not take risks with it, how on earth could this dog be passed to anyone else?  We always have a duty of care AND responsibility to and for our pets - I do not personally believe a genuinely responsible owner could in fairness pass on such a dog :(

Teri

I can't really see how they can consider keeping this dog in the situation they are in but does it really need to be put down?  It maybe just needs specialist re-homing, perhaps through breed rescue or dogs trust.  Difficult dogs can be re-homed with someone that can give them the right environment.  Your friends need to act now before an incident occurs.  Dogs can be very unpredictable and it only takes a second for a tragedy to happen.  They need to remove the dog for everyone's sake.

CG

Hi Mollmoo

This is a really awful situation for your friends and one which believe me I understand to the full. 

I firmly believe that if the immediate family are not safe then the dog shouldn't be in the home - it is difficult enough managing behaviour and temper issues with visitors and strangers but for the sake of all involved the family in their own home and this includes the dog all need to feel, safe, secure and happy.  If one member of the family doesnt and again this includes the dog - then action needs to be taken to restore harmony.

There are only two options - rehome or pts.  If they believe in the right home the dog could be happy and secure then this has to be worth a try.

Please tell them not to let the fact that they are animal lovers and that they care deeply about this dog stand in the way of making the right decision for him and their family.  I have had to do it myself - it isn't nice and I wouldnt wish the decision making on my worst enemy but they have to do something and soon before they are the people in the next lot of headlines.

my thoughts and wishes are with them - but please try to talk to them again - I really worry that this is urgent.  At the very least they must muzzle him at all times when the baby is present whilst they make their decision

Maxine

Sadly Teri I agree :-(

And although others have suggested possibly removing him from the situation and rehousing him, I can't see how he could be possibly safe even with the best checks ensured.  I was and have been genuinely concerned since yesterday upon seeing his reaction to their baby.
I am sad that for the first time as a previous large breed owner myself and one that loves these kind of breeds I have had to give them advice that they do not want to hear, and advice that I personally didn't like giving but as always the safety of other people and children has always been paramount to me and I would absolutely never forgive myself if I had happened to give the wrong advice and someone or a child got hurt.  I know in my heart of hearts they love their dog but this really is a nightmare situation for them, right now they are torn and they know deep down what needs to be done. I knew, but was really 'kind of' hoping I had given them the wrong advice because not being a mother myself (being just a part time step-mother) I really wouldn't know what to do in this situation or even how to begin introductions between a dog and a new baby, but if push come to shove it would have to be the children every single time sadly for their safety.

Hi again Molloo

>even how to begin introductions between a dog and a new baby

Normal sound advice on introductions just doesn't have a place here as far as I see it :(  I feel very strongly that any dog of this character should never be introduced to a baby, or any other child.  IMO it simply isn't worth the risk.  Sad though it may be for his owners to consider having him pts I'm sure it would be much more difficult to live with if they passed him on or kept him and things went drastically wrong - particularly as his behaviour thus far has demonstrated that he is a serious danger.

Indeed, with the circumstances and history you have given, the owner could well be deemed criminally wrong to pass on this dog if it were to go on to attack and maim.

I'm a huge soft touch with dogs, any dogs - not just my own, and would ordinarily do my utmost to offer a different solution if I believed in my heart of hearts there was a workable and safe alternative here but I firmly believe the exact opposite.  I also would urge that he be pts sooner rather than later as clearly this is a highly volatile situation and his present owners do not appear to be fully aware of the enormous risk they are taking

regards, Teri

Mollmoo, I fully agree with Teri

It would seem that your friends are in denial regarding their dog. They already knew that he is aggressive and has shown a drive to attack children. They should have dealt with this situation already and as for asking you to dangle their babies foot in a dangerous dogs face is quite unbelievable. Get them to get that dog out of the house before they become headline news. Poor baby.

To MollMoo

Totally agree with the advice you gave.  Sad tho it is, sometimes the hardest decision has to be made, but as has been said, better sooner rather than later.

To be honest, I am surprised that they have kept the dog this long, given his reaction to other people and children.  It sounds to me like he's an 'accident' waiting to happen, and I'm trying to imagine how they manage to safely take him for walks where there are other people and children :-(

I feel badly for you too, it must be like watching a train crash in slow motion at the moment :-(

Hope they take your advice seriously and act before there's a serious incident.

I totally agree with everyone here. This dog has got to be removed sooner rather than later. Its  a tragedy waiting to happen. Im mom to a 3 year old and a 5 month old and 5 Golden retrievers. From what you say they made every effort to introduce the baby carefully and correctly.............not too sure about the foot sniffing if he had already shown some agression towards the baby though!!!! Its not nice to be right in a situation like this and the last thing any of us would want is to advise someone to put their dog to sleep, but i think you gave the best advice. Lets hope they take your advice and knowledge seriously and do something soon.
mel.

I have to say I am also in total agreement with Teri, there is no way on the planet a dog of this character and predictability would be in a home with my child.  He would not have even been allowed in the same room as my baby...........ever! :-(

Which as already said, is very hard to achieve long term there will always be the day when things can go wrong, that is just human nature.

Trouble is people become complacent, 'the dog was ok the day before and even licked the baby and was very loving towards it' trouble is the day after it may grab and shake the baby or worse, it takes less than a second for things to go terribly wrong.

The kennel scenario to me is just as worrying, that experienced kennel maids who are used to all sorts of dogs and temperaments were so afraid of his reaction they needed him to be collected.

I'm afraid this dog can not be trusted, a dog you don't know how it will be from one day to the next is not one I would want around, especially near any child.

I think the best advice you can give is for them to contact an AB rescue to see whether anyone of experience with dodgy temperaments like this in the breed would be willing to handle him, or to have him PTS, we all love our dogs, but I hope that they love their child and it's safety more.

It is very sad I know, but from what you have said of his character they can't possibly even contemplate keeping him.

Very sad situation to be in :-(

Nigh high impossible to assess a dog over the internet to be able to form an opinion that a dog should be PTS.

Dogs all vary in their aggression, severity of bite, temperament, character, trigger points etc, etc. 

I have a rescue GSD where we spent years rehabbing her to accept strange people.  As a young dog, she would snap and attempt to bite if a strange person came near her and children were fair game.  She turned around and became a real soft gentle dog, however, it took a long time and we don't have kids...

If the dog never felt at ease with children in the family, he is not going to be any better with a baby.  It just doesn't bear thinking about...

IMO, the dog should not under any circumstances be allowed near children and the new born baby.  Seperation is the only answer, I really can't see any other way for this to work sadly...

I agree this dog should be PTS -not rehomed. It would not be right in any way whatsoever to rehome a dog known to have serious aggression issues like this, especially as it concerns children. It is not a KC recognised breed so is sadly unlikely to have a breed rescue as reliable as those run by most breed clubs.  I don't believe in ever passing on a serious problem. Even if the dog went to a superb home with no children, how could it ever be guaranteed it never came across children? This is the sort of scenario that leads to the news stories we read about dogs killing children, where we all wonder why the owners didn't do anything sooner..... People DO come before dogs, and especially so children, no matter how much we love dogs.

I don't think anyone should ever take lightly the responsibility of giving advice on major behavioural problems over the internet without (a) having intimate hands-on knowledge of the dog and it's circumstances (rare to unlikely) and (b) any professional qualifications and/or personal experiences relating to the problems being queried (few and far between).   However in the case of a dog where the OP has provided such an alarming history and same being gathered through close personal involvement, I genuinely fail to see how any encouragement can be given to consider passing this dog through a rescue centre :( 

Rescues country wide, whether breed specific or those run by general animal welfare organisations and charities do not deserve to have dogs of this described character handed to them to deal with - they are run and manned by animal devotees who by definition want nothing more than to help as best they can companion animals through which no fault of their own find themselves lost, unwanted or facing an uncertain future following family break-ups, financial changes in circumstances and death of their owners for e.g.   Yes, many if not all will also take on dogs which need varying degrees of rehabilitation and behavioural adjustment but surely not have foisted upon them dogs which are as volatile as the one described.

IMO an owner who has such a dog has a duty to their family AND the dog to do what is best in everyone's long term interests.  This should not IMO ever involve "passing the buck" onto another individual or  a rescue society to very probably come to the same conclusion that the original owners could reasonably expect to be faced with, i.e. having to go through the trauma of eventually PTS.  Even if it were possible to keep this animal alive in a permanent kennel and run of a strapped for cash breed or charity organisation, what sort of quality of life is that - food, water bowl and bedding needing changed with maximum caution at all times, dog taken off by a loop and pole while it's run is hosed out?  No real bond ever being formed with a long term carer.  That IMO is no life for this dog anyway yet probably the only other realistic scenario for a dog with such a seriously flawed character.

Since reading this post some hours ago it has occupied my thoughts almost constantly and I feel literally sick to the pit of my stomach that this dog may at some stage have an opportunity to make contact with its target - which we must never forget is a baby of a few weeks old!  I sincerely hope MollMoo gets her friends to read this thread and persuades them to take action ASAP.

After going away from the PC tonight and having a good long think about my own advice and the advice given here, I really do think it would be within everyones intrests that he is put to sleep, as the more and more I think about what happened yesterday the more awful I feel about him being there with their baby, everyday seven days a week until they decide what to do with him.  I really wish I had not have been to visit because now I wouldn't be sat here worrying to death about what 'could' happen.  I'm really sitting here quite annoyed with myself for not being more forefront and abrupt with them but I was honestly in shock after what happened, then sat there for a good half hour after they got him outside thinking about what could have happened should my jerk reaction whilst holding the baby not been quick enough.  I'm really no expert on baby/dog interaction but I do know he shouldn't be there and needs to be got out of the situation quickly wouldn't like to say whether rescue would be an option, but I seriously don't that it would be for him as I doubt that he could be placed safely, even with people whom have breed experience.

I can totally sympathise with your friends predicament! :-(

The decision whether to rehome or put a dog to sleep is such an awful position to be in and one that I wouldn't wish upon anyone!

It is good that they have a good friend like you who is able to see the situation from an outside point of view as it is very difficult when you have such strong feelings for your dog.

I am sending you and your friends lots of cyber hugs as you all must feel terrible at the moment

(((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))

MollMoo, on the basis of the information you have given, IMHO, if your friends are not prepared to act quickly, you would be fully justified in alerting Social Services. If this dog is not removed ASAP, the BABY should be removed to a place of safety. A friendship is important, a baby's life is priceless. Sorry if I sound harsh, but it is the way I see this.

Best Wishes
Linda

it's awful but i agree, they can;t really pass this responsibility to someone else as image how they'd feel if something every happened. there is a point where the only responsible thing to do is remove the danger. why on earth did they take a child aggressive dog anyway if they intended to have children?? and why did this kennel pass on the dog??

> I'm really sitting here quite annoyed with myself for not being more forefront and abrupt with them but I was honestly in shock after what happened

well its not something to be taken lightly, there is no way they/you will feel good for doing/saying it... unfortunately thats the down side of responsibility, it's never nice really.

The dog came from their friend of a friend he wasn't from rescue, or kennels. 

Anyway, a bit of an update.  I sent them the link to this thread and asked them to read it, within 15 minutes of them reading the thread they called me back saying they knew weeks ago what needed to be done but had not the heart to follow things through with regards having the dog put to sleep and still do not.  So I offered to take him to the vet to get this done for them partly because they are close friends and I do want to see the right thing done and I would really hate to see him passed on and risk the chance of him being placed into inexperienced hands or a home with children whom happened to slip through the net because there were not proper checks in place, I couldn't live with that on my conscience I would worry about where this dog happened to go forever.
So sadly he's all booked in for 11.50am tomorrow to be put to sleep, I'm taking him there for them and I feel horrible for even offering to do such a thing, but I know it's the right thing and if I leave it to my friends I know they won't follow it through as they haven't the bottle to do it.  Like I said to them, it's all part of being a responsible dog owner as much as the decision to take him there for them pains me :-(

Just wanted to say you are an exceptionally good friend and caring person who is doing exactly what I would do were these friends of mine.

I know it will not be easy for you but clearly in your heart you realise it is for the best.

kind regards, Teri

You are being a wonderful friend to them, and very brave,well done. You mustn't feel bad about it, it is not an easy thing to do, but given the circumstances, there really is no alternative. We shall all be thinking of you.

Best wishes
Linda

You are doing the best thing and you are being very brave and a true friend.

No-one could have a better friend.

I take my hat off to you.  That is an extremely hard thing to do, but undoubtedly the correct way to go.  I hope your friend appriciates what you have done for her.

Ditto. x

I've been following this thread with shock and horror, waiting for you to tell us something awful had happened. It's never easy to make that decision, but now it's made you have to go through with it, for their sakes. They would have been living on tenterhooks wondering when, not if, something was going to happen.

What a good friend you are to take it out of their hands for them.

You are a friend in a million!!!

You really are a great friend!

It will be hard for them and you but knowing you have all made the right decision will see you through. ;-)

Bless you MollMoo, you're clearly one in a million.  And if the owners/parents read this -you're making the right decision. It is hard, and I have been there myself, but sometimes there simply is no other choice.

Moolmoo, I hope if I was in your position that I could do the same and vice versa....hope to have a friend like you to help in such extreme circumstances.
I raise a glass to you!

Karen

Mollmoo - well done to you - they will be grateful and they will feel so much better once this has been done.

Maxine

You are doing the right and best thing for that family. And you are quite possibly saving the little babys life, just as you would be, if you'd snatched him from under the wheels of a car. As he grows into a happy toddler and then into a child and a man, watch him and remember what you did all those years ago to keep him safe. Be proud of yourself and of your courage.

Just think,

If only all the other tragic cases that made the news recently had had someone like you to intervene before the inevitable happened.

Well done...... you see that most of us think that you've probably just saved someones life and the sanity of his parents.

I've been very teary all day and know it's the right thing to do, something I am not looking forward to but I will stay with him and be there till the end. Thank you, for all the wonderful messages of support as I have been on a downer with this on my mind today knowing what I have to do for the best tomorrow. Bless you all and thank you once again it means a lot. xx

What a great friend you are, MollMoo.  My hat is well and truly off to you.

you are very brave to do this and well done on helping out your friends.  Although I am sure you will think about this a lot in the future you will not regret it as much as if you didn't do anything and something happened to the baby.  (((((hugs))))) to you and your friends.  The right decision to make isn't always the easiest. x

I just wanted to add my support to you over what is a terrible and very hard decision. I know you feel horrible now but you shouldn't, and I hope when you see that baby blow out its first birthday candles, healthy, happy and in one piece, you'll know what a tremendous thing you have done.

What a sad thing to have to do - I do feel you are helping them do the right thing. What a wonderful friend you are!

Well done you, you are truely a great friend.
Mary

I am so glad your friend has made the right decision for this dog, poor dog, not his fault that as a puppy was not taught or socialised properly.

I also felt that this dog was an accident waiting to happen, so had not replied to your  post before, I am glad you were there and saw first hand what like he was with the baby.

If any of mine acted that way round the babies in my family, I would not hesitate to do the same thing, after all the babies come first.

Will be thinking of you all tomorrow.

Perhaps once this is over, they just might want another dog only a different breed and one that has been brought up with children from being born.

Just repeating everyones words really, this is a fantatsic thing you are doing for this family. Not something any of us would like to go through. You are being a truly wonderful friend. Be strong tomorrow, ill be thinking of you!

What a wonderful friend you are. It is never an easy decision but sadly, in this case, it is the only one that could have been made. Will be thinking of you tomorrow.

Will be thinking of you tomorrow.
All the very best
Lea xx

You're in my thoughts this morning MollMoo - hope you're OK.

well done you for being so brave. them to, it;s easy to follow the status quo even in such a scary situation. big hugs for you all

What a true friend you are Mollmoo, my thoughts have been with you this morning.
Aileen

What a dreadful situation, but they're very lucky to have such a kind and caring friend.

Hope that you are Ok Mollmoo, not a nice day for you, ((((big hug)))) for you from me too.

Please pass my wishes onto your friends too, it must be so hard for them aswell, it is the hardest decision to ever make, I wish all of you well in what must have been the worst day.

He's gone now :-(  I couldn't come on and post earlier as I have been so upset :-( :-( 
This is the third time now I've had to have a dog put to sleep in the space of 13 months, two were my own one to old age and my other one being to cancer just a couple of months ago and now Boomer who wasn't my own but it's hurt as much as loosing my own two.  Been inconsolable all day since coming home with just his lead and collar like I did my own two, I have requested his ashes back even though my friends didn't want them, I just couldn't stand the thought of leaving him there, if you all know what I mean :-(  I'll scatter them in the same place my own two were scattered, under their apple tree by our fish pond our two used to love lying in the sun asleep there so he will at least be at rest with my other two :-( Thank you all for you kind messages, they mean so much. xx