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Hi Everyone,

Well, Sonny has made the decision for us.
Tonight he went for my five year old and bit him badly on his head. No growl and not a warning snap - I can see the teeth marks in his head, eyebrow and forhead. One of the cuts was quite deep and it took me five minutes to stop the bleeding! If the vet had been open - I'm afraid that's where he would have gone and not come home! Drastic maybe but I have to protect my own and I'm responsible for allowing this to happen:(:( We were in the room at the time and Ben was just stroking him!....thank goodness we were there!
We are all very sad, upset, angry and a whole lot that I can't explain. Sonny is sleeping peacefully in his bed but I'm afraid it will be his last night with us.
Thank you all for your advice and help with this - I only wish I could have stopped it happening:(:(:(

Ruth

Oh ruth, your poor son :(

I hope he's feeling better in the morning and this doesn't put him off dogs for life. Don't feel bad about what's happened, there's obviously something not right with Sonny and I agree that there's no choice left now.

Good luck for tomorrow,

Fiona
x x x

oh Ruth - I'm so sorry :(
((((((((hugs)))))))))

Thanks Fiona and Sara,

We've had lots of tears tonight form both Ben and Josh - along with us and the boarders(school).
Ben doesn't want Sonny to go and even said goodbye to him tonight. I feel totally gutted:(

Ruth

I'm so sorry for you Ruth. I think most of us who have been around dogs for many years have had a wrong one, I know I have. To sit there when visitors are around hoping that they soon go before something happens is not the way it should be. Dogs are marvellous but human safety, and particularly the safety of children must come first. The decision is the hardest anyone can take but you have tried and that is the only thing you can do.

John

don't blame yourself Ruth - you have tried so hard to get to the bottom of it.

Something is not right for him to give no warning at all and to bite like that :(

What a heartbreaking time for you all :(

I have no idea what I'd do if he was mine and hate to imagine having that decision to make - BUT I don't have children and you HAVE to put them first.

SaraW

Ruth,

Im so sorry to read what happend but its not your fault and agree that your family has to come first.
Thinking of you and knowing this is not easy for you.

Karen

I'm very sorry to hear this has happened

Clair
xxx

Very sorry to hear that, I hope your son is ok.
Dawn.

Poor you, what a dreadful thing to happen. You're doing the right thing - there must be something wrong with poor Sonny.

Love and hugs.......

Ruth, what a horrid situation to be in. Sending you kind thoughts!

Ruth it is a hard thing to do, but I applaud you not passing the problem onto someone else. sunny won't know, be bright and normal about it, and he will just go to sleep.

A friend had made excuses and brave attempts at Policing a Lurcher who had problems of this sort, always watching that he was shut away from visiting kids, and what his eyes were saying. He had been raised almost feral in a farm barn, and her hysband had felt sorry for the pup.

One day she was walking with the dog, and stopped to talk to me and a lady who has Greyhounds. Her son had been gently fussing him (obviously knew how to approach a sighthound) then totally without provocation he bit him on the hand. she took him straight to the vet who carried out her request without a qualm after hearing what had happened, and knowing the dog.

So sorry to hear your news Ruth, but you are definitely doing the right thing.

You will find it very hard to deal with and will probably feel guilty, but I promise you it is the right thing for you, your children and in the end for Sonny, try and be strong and remember we are all thinking of you.

When you have got over the trauma I do hope you will have the courage to try again, you were just unlucky on this occasion.

Best wishes to you

oh poor you and your son, how awful for you all, better it happened now than as an adult, i agree with the rest,, youre doing the right, and only thing to help-he wont suffer and he'll not cause any further problems, -theres plenty of kind dogs out there looking for a home like yours :(

Really sorry it`s turned out like this Ruth. Hope your little boy`s OK.
Christine, Spain.

Oh Ruth - I am so sorry for all of you:( I think you are making the right decision, you have to put your kids first - end of story. There is definitely something not right with Sonny, and you have no choice:( A friend of mine had a Mastiff cross who did exactly the same thing to their 3 yr old without warning, in front of her, for no reason at all - the little boy still has the marks on his face and this dog was 8/9 months old, her little boy still adores dogs, and even asks if they can get the dog back:( kids dont hold grudges but as adults we are responsible and have to face up to the situation. Im am really sorry it worked out like this. I would also contact the breeder and let them know what has happened. Big hugs to you all, it is never easy in situations like this, I support what you have decided. Please let us know how you all are - Julie:)

Ruth,
I am so sorry this has happened and hope the little lad is OK. As everybody else has said you are doing the right and only thing for everybody concerned. Please do keep in touch. Not much more I can say except to send {{{{{Hugs}}}}} to you all
Anne

Hi Ruth

Very sorry to hear that your son has been bitten - although you don't actually say you are going to, I hope you take advange of your vet today, this is not drastic but a common sense solution to protecting people in the future. As someone said above, euthanised dogs just go to sleep and it is a lot harder for us as we know what is happening than it is for them.

<<hugs to your family >>

Christine

Hi Sunny,
I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your son and I hope he heals quickly.
Have you discussed Sonny with his breeder at all???
I can understand how you need to have him out of the household asap ...
but at least give the breeder an option of taking the puppy back in and definitely let him/her know what's been happening with one of her 'offspring'.
Best wishes and I hope your son recovers without fear of dogs.
Sara

HI Ruth
I think you are very brave ,and have made the right decision , it is a shame it happened but your family come first .
I hope your little boy is o.k. and I'm sure there will be other puppys .
Best wishes for what I'm sure is going to be a very difficult day for you all
Liz
x

Ruth

So sorry for you, have just woken up and have an awful cold - can' t speak, voice lost so it's just as well I can still type.

I just hope that something gives you the courage to do the best for all concerned and send you a lot of hugs as I can't imagine how this feels after all your anticipation and excitement :(

I will echo what others have said about hoping that this does not put anyone in your household off in reference to getting another dog but I fear it may.

All our thoughts are with you, yours and sonny

Beth x

Sorry to hear about your experience Ruth :(

Please don't beat yourself up about the puppy. Lots of people are under the impression that a good dog is all about how you raise them and the environment that they are in. In a lot of cases this is very true but every now and then and with all the best will in the world some puppies are just not born sound. These 'rogue' dogs with defective temperaments do exist and you might have just been unlucky enough in this instance to have unsuspectingly aquired one.
Don't let it put you off - he just wasn't meant to be but you are being very responsible in protecting your family and others from him.
Good luck
Lara

Eog, I think I remember from an earlier thread that sonny came through a dealer from Ireland (puppy farm pup), so there is not likely any breeder who gives a damn! Ruth I amy be wrong so correct me, and appologies!

If that's the case then the problem is probably genetic, it is so sad and makes me so angry, for you and your family, who just wanted a nice dog, and also for all the dogs out there who are badly bred :(

Don't feel badly about what has happened, I hope your little boy is OK. I am sure in time he will come to understand you really have had no choice.

Best wishes

LIndsay

Hi Everyone,

Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts and messages.
Yes, Sonny was a puppy farm pup - we discovered this afterwards and were very 'green' before we bought him.
We're not green now and I will do my utmost to help stop this awful thing happening to anyone else. If there were a way to stop this woman trading, I would do it.
Sonny was lovely 99%of the time but unforunatley that 1% that he wasn't was totally unpredicatable.
He was my husbands dog and he wanted to give him the chance of being rehomed where there were no children - as upset as I was, I would have taken him to the vets.
Blue Cross were happy to take him to assess him and see if there was that chance but we know that it's quite likely that there isn't. Sonny's age is on his side so who knows.
I didn't sleep last night and have spent most of the morning in tears but we now have to move on. At least we know now how to go about getting another puppy - which we will do. Sonny has shown us how much a dog can give so his time here wasn't totally wasted.

TTFN

Ruth

Ruth,
You have given him every chance and I'm glad you will have another dog.
Anne

So sorry to read what has happened to you. I thought the right thing to do was what you had originally said. I have staffies, bordeaux and MOST importantly children. I can say this hand on heart if EVER one of our dogs bit a child UNPROVOKED then that would be the LAST time they would have the chance. This may seem hard but first and foremost should be the safety of children. I love all our dogs as my friends and pets BUT my children are MY LIFE.
I know you no longer have the dog and he has gone to the Blue Cross who if they rehome him am sure they will be very careful with whom they home him. The problem is is your dog is so young to have done this. Careful as the Blue Cross are like we were saying on a previous thread regarding home visits the prospective owner can say anything to get the dog he wants. What then if the new owner gets fed up and sells it to the first family that arrive?? 6 years down the line someone elses child could be having their face stitched up and be scared for life!
IMHO the most responsible thing was your first idea, personally I would not be able to live with the worry of would it happen again nor the guilt if it did.
I hope he does show his true colours to the Blue Cross before they decide to rehome. He could be with them and be a complete angel??? Rehome him and the devil reappear.

Yes Staffie, I agree but they did take a very thorough history of Sonny's behaviour. My gut feeling is that he will be put to sleep because of the unpredictable nature of the 'attack'. As the people who had loved him and cared for him, even though it was only three months, it should have been us that instigated that......It's easy in hindsight to say what you should or shouldn't have done. I know that this particular Blue Cross will take no chances with him to put other people at risk.

Ruth

I am sorry if my post sounded hard but I was only saying what I would have done as hard as it may have been. Doing it that way my concience would be totally clear as to the dog not being a danger to anyone else.
I hope your children do find a dog they can love and trust as my children love and respect our dogs so much.

There is always the slim hope that a vet at the Blue Cross will find something that was causing this behavior, as you hadn't had the chance to get him to a vet for a check-up before his attack.
I hope your son will be alright soon.
LynnT

It is so hard to rehome a dog, but take my advice you do feel better about it after a while, and especialy with the help and kind words of others.

thinking of you Debbie

I'm sorry to read stories like this but as soon as any breed is popularised or fashionable this sort of thing occures.

The Blue Cross are excellent and i am sure will do whatever needs to be done, I feel you have done the right thing.

Best wishes

Lindsay

I've only just caught up with this thread, and I'm so sorry Ruth, for you and your family. It must be so devastating to have ended up like this, and you really tried your best- it's just not fair.
I hope you do get another dog, and the sooner the better- it will help you all.
Liz x

So sorry Ruth .
Sometimes in our life with dogs decisions have to made , In my opinion your doing what has to be done,
Hope your little boy is ok and one good thing is he is not scared.
You and the little boy will have another pet and hopefully better luck with the breeder of your next one..
Loads of love and hugs Mari xx

best wishes
Lel

I am so deeply sorry, will be thinking of you and your family

Margaret

So sorry for you all:( Just thought I'd add my name to the long list of support for you.

Stacey x x x

Adding my support as well. I used to own a dog with an unpredictable temperament - you can't help feeling it's something you've done wrong. But as someone here has said, sometimes you just get a rogue dog which no amount of training and love can alter.

Hope you all come out of this OK, especially your little boy.

Joyce

Hi Everyone,
I wanted to thank you all for your kind messages and thoughts. They have meant a lot to me.
Blue cross have contacted me to say that Sonny is being taken to the head office to be checked out for this 'pale coat syndrome'?? I know it's something to do with inbreeding but not too clear. If he has this, it's not likely that he will be rehomed but they will do the best for Sonny and everyone.
We will get another dog - possibly a lab but not yet and not before we've done a lot of research. Any advice on breeders, etc, what to look for would be most welcome.

Thank again,

Ruth

I'm really sorry for you all Ruth - will you be able to get a chance to go to Crufts at all?

The discover dogs area will have examples of all the KC recognised breeds and your son will be able to meet and greet some dogs without the worry that they'll jump all over him.

It'll also give you a chance to see the end result of the breed which may help with choosing a dog.

Fiona
x x x

Hi Ruth - that is a good suggestion from Fiona, to take the kids to see the discover dogs stand at crufts:) I was so sorry to hear what happened to you and your family:( I didnt realise they had given it a name 'pale coat syndrome' :( you really did do the best thing for all of you :) Take care Ruth, let us know how you are getting on:) Julie:)

Hi Ruth,
I find this a very sad post, what I am interested in ( and in future maybe others can benefit) is what kind of training classes, if any, did you go to and did you have anyone in to look at your dog, if so in what professional capacity did they call themselves?
I would very much appreciate a reply as I am sure would others.

Hi Carol,

Sonny went to out local obedience classes which were run by an experienced trainer. he was doing very well, was responsive and learning well. He socailised well, both with other dogs and children.
When the incident occured, there was no alternative but to take him to a rescue centre - he was my husband's dog and as you may have read, wanted to give him the chance of being assesed, etc.
The vet there examined him and said he was in excellent health and he will be assesed for this syndrome at another centre where there is a behaviourist.
From what I understand, this condition has come about because people want a Golden with a pale coat. In breeding to get this colour, dogs of suspect temperament have been used for breeding and hence the problem.
Sonny was only six months old and very young to be showing signs that he was. He was trying to mount the childre, etc which apparently was not normal for a dog of his age. So there must have been a lot of confusion in Sonny's mind and who knows what else was going on.
We have to move on now and learn from the experience.
I may try to take the boys to Crufts, it would be good for them and me.
TTFN
Ruth

just wanted to add my support and thoughts for you

I agree Fiona's suggestion is a sound one, an excellent suggestion :) I feel it will be so good for the whole family to be surrounded by dogs and by caring and knowledgeable people, plus it will be a really good day out anyway :)

Best wishes to you and your family

LIndsay