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Malamute bit my 13 mo old daughter in the face

14K views 116 replies 43 participants last post by  WiscTiger 
#1 ·
This dog is my mother in law's dog that is 14 yrs old. We are currently living with her until we find our house to buy. We had literally only been home for maybe 10 minutes. My wife let the 3 dogs inside the house and was making Amaylie dinner. I usually keep the Malamute outside because I never do trust him at all. As soon as I said , "I think we need to put him outside especially with food around", he bit her. I jumped up and got him away from Amaylie.. Then my wife picked Amaylie up and said, "we need to go". So after I saw her face I kicked the dog so hard in the ribs he tried biting me too.. He better be getting put down monday, but my mother in law is hiking and won't be home until later today. She doesn't even know it has happend yet.

We are all to blame for this. That was the worst part of watching Amaylie in pain and going through it all. The Malamute has bit my mother in law before we ever lived here...twice.. So she should have had him put down a long time ago.. And then we should have never moved in here.. And then we should have never allowed him inside the house. I feel so bad because I knew better and was just getting ready to get him outside before it happend. Sucks. Well, Amaylie got 4 stitches in her face (two per deep wounds)..

This also sucks to say, but this really makes me feel like having ANY dogs around might not be worth it. I feel like getting rid of all of them right now and that is hard to say. I mean, he almost got her eye. Scares me. Sorry the picture was with my phone. I will post an after pic later today.

 
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#3 ·
Oh my, that poor little baby. Thank God that her eye and ear were spared, there was not a second bite, and the bite was not deeper into the facial muscles.
 
#6 ·
Thats what I thought, too.. We were literally 2 feet away from her when it happend. I was on the computer and my wife facing the microwave.. So neither of us saw it coming...But I dred the thought of wonder if he had a whole minute to do damage if we ran outside real quick or went to the bathroom.. Makes me sick
 
#9 ·
I am sorry this happened. I am glad you got your daughter in right away for medical treatment. I hope she has a very speedy healing. My compassion is for your sweet little girl.

I however do hope the dog does not suffer because he was put into this situation. My compassion is for the dog, too.

My compassion is also for both parents also-- this was scary. Wishing the very best for all involved here.
 
#10 ·
Originally Posted By: BrightelfI am sorry this happened. I am glad you got your daughter in right away for medical treatment. I hope she has a very speedy healing. My compassion is for your sweet little girl.

I however do hope the dog does not suffer because he was put into this situation. My compassion is for the dog, too.

My compassion is also for both parents also-- this was scary. Wishing the very best for all involved here.
I agree whole heartedly.

I wish your daughter a speedy recovery.
 
#11 ·
What an awful bite, and it could have been much worse. Good thing you were right there and able to remove the dog.

There is a reason you did not trust the dog around your kid. I would not force your mother in law to put down her dog. She may choose to do so, but you are living in her home. An old dog, 14 years, is like a child to her. If her four year old hit your daughter with a hammer, you would not require the child to be "put down." At the same time dogs are not children.

I think that you need to sit down with your MIL and explain that you need to keep the baby and the dog completely separated from this point forward. The dog probably has two years or less to live anyway, has obviously not been socialized with children, or has some type of illness or pain that is increasing its aggression.

It is horrible what happened to your little girl, but when you are living under another person's roof, it is really hard to make demands because of that situation.

She may choose to put the dog down. She may not, and I hope that you can understand that, or move out.
 
#12 ·
Ouch I am so sorry that happenend.

Ya know when I was 7 I was bit in the face by a malamute too. He took off almost my entire left cheek. My mom got those vitamin E pills. She used to poke a hole in them and squeeze the vitamin in the hole in my face. It helped tremendously. So 24 years later you can see the scar on my face but its hard to notice. I usually keep a bit of a beard so you cant really see it at all.

But try the vitamin e, and keep up on the doc visits. I swear it helped me.
 
#13 ·
Oh my god! Poor baby! I am so sorry that happened...I hope she will recover quickly and without any permanent damage.

Just thought I'd add that last week one of my clients had to put his dog down for something similar. He adopted this dog through a breed rescue. He was a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier that had been taken to the Vet to be PTS by his family for biting everyone in the family. Children included. The Vet said that they should give the dog the breed rescue.
Well, my client had the dog for over two years and last week, late in the evening when he was getting ready to go to bed, his dog attacked him. Badly! The fight lasted over 15 minutes and the owner had to spend 5 hours in the emergency room getting stitched up! He has to go to a hand specialist to make sure he doesn't have permanent damage to his hands and arms.
He is having an autopsy done on the dog to see if he had a brain tumour or something.

It seems that the original family had a good reason to ask to have their dog PTS.
 
#14 ·
<span style='font-size: 11pt'>OMG! This is terrible.
I feel sorry for the baby. I hope she'll get over this experience and not fear dogs as a result.

I'll probably get flamed here but kicking the dog in the ribs served only to vent anger and nothing more. Something needs to be done about the dog whether it be re-homed (given to an animal behaviorist or something along those lines) or sadly put down.</span>
 
#15 ·
Oh my goodness, I hope your little baby girl will be okay. Along with the vitamin E, try that Mederma stuff. I have heard good things about it. Yes, I agree. The decision to put down the Mal needs to be your mom's. He should first go to the vet and see if any medical issues caused the bad behavior.
I have a permanent resident here who now has a bite history. Fortunately, it was a one tooth straight line, which was very small. But, it was still on a child's face, which is unacceptable.
The circumstances behind the whole thing stunk and that is why he will now stay with us forever.
He was adopted by a great family. Unfortunately, the wife had very little dog experience, and the husband was working a lot of hours. Pauly, escaped the first night he was with them. He was unclipped from his leash after a walk, however, they weren't completely in the door and he backed out between the wife's legs and took off. We found him the next day, but from being out all night, he got sick from eating who knows what and even with Frontline on, was covered with little ticks. The family took him to the vet, who applied Vectra. He had a reaction to it and was sick for a week.
Then, they took him to visit their father, who is in a nursing home. Well, going back out to the car, he was giving both the children a ride on his wheelchair. Just about the time the hubby was putting Pauly in the car, the wheelchair tipped, spilling everyone on the ground, and of course, the husband ran over, leaving the car door open. Well, off goes Pauly. They didn't tell me about this escape until after the fact and he was found. He had been missing about 36 hours and again, was sick from whatever he ate.
Then, three days into his medicine, they have company over who had three little boys. Pauly was left unattended with all the children in the game room and after a bit was growling at the one little boy who wouldn't leave him alone. Long story short, mom comes in to remove him from the situation, and the little boy slips in again to pet him, Pauly snapped and caught him with a tooth.
Still unacceptable, but there certainly were a lot of unfortunate circumstances.
He is back with us now, back to his completely happy self and probably just needs to stay here.
 
#16 ·
This does not seem like an isolated incident.
Originally Posted By: MXpro982 The Malamute has bit my mother in law before we ever lived here...twice.. So she should have had him put down a long time ago
While I do have compassion for the dog, a 14 year old dog with a double previous bite history and then bites a 4 year old in the face is not stable. Maybe it is old age, maybe it is a sight thing, I don't know. Would I trust the dog, no.

Maybe I am harsh because I was attacked by a Malamute when I was about 10 years old. I knew this dog it was my cousins dog we had always played ball. Well good thing it was winter, back in those days heavy winter coats were almost like bite suits, none of the fancy light weight material we have now. Any way my cousin walked around the corner of the house, the dog brought me the ball and I did like I always did, but something was wrong. He was crouched, giving this really low growl and his eyes looked freaky. I broke eye contact and moved very slowly to stand up, when I did he launched at me and I threw my arm up in front of my face. Well he had a really good grip on my arm and was trashing me around. All I remember was trying to keep to my feet and not go down and calling for help. My favorite jacket was wrecked, my sweatshirt was wrecked, my arm was swelling up. So I had to go to the hospital to be checked out. Luckily I didn't have a broken arm but the bones was bruised and lots of soft tissue damage. This was a dog I knew and played with. Something snapped in his head, he was quarantined but he was never the same even with his owners. He was PTS after the quarantine period

So things happen. But with a previous bit history I am not sure I would take the chance of the dog being around my young daughter.

I hope you little one heals fast and there are no scars or lingering effects. Don't over react to this with your dogs. I was older but I don't have dog fears or even Malamute fears.

Val
 
#17 ·
Wow, what an awful experience! That is a horrible bite! I don't blame you one bit for your actions. I would've kicked the crap out of him too. Maybe not the "best" way to handle it but attacking my child would definately cause the dog a lot of pain too!
I am with you on having him put down. You said he has bitten his owner before and now this! There are a million things you can do to help make the situation as safe as possible, but we are only human and these incidents take only a fraction of a second to occur. I would never feel comfortable having a known biter anywhere near a child. Maybe you could have him boarded somewhere instead until you move out if his owner doesn't want to put him down. I think rehoming him is very difficult at best and most rescues won't take dogs with a bite like that. They have sooo many great dogs that like kids that need homes!
Best of luck for your little girl and her recovery, keep us updated!
 
#18 ·
Poor baby! Good thing you were there supervising so closely!!

I was bit in the face (similar to what your daughter has except mine circled one eye) by a GSD when I was 2 and a half. I don't have any physical scars and I do not remember the incident.
 
#19 ·
Originally Posted By: BrightelfI am sorry this happened. I am glad you got your daughter in right away for medical treatment. I hope she has a very speedy healing. My compassion is for your sweet little girl.

I however do hope the dog does not suffer because he was put into this situation. My compassion is for the dog, too.

My compassion is also for both parents also-- this was scary. Wishing the very best for all involved here.
I agree with Patty. I hope your daughter recovers without incident and that the dog is not punished for being a dog.
 
#20 ·
IMO, it's not an automatic that the dog needs to be pts. Two previous bites sounds bad but there's next to no real info given here. Were they nips or bites? Follow through or snap & retreat? Broken skin or unbroken? Provoked or unprovoked? Puppy or adult? The op is definitely not unbiased regarding this dog. (I can understand that, but the dog still deserves a fair review of all that's happened & what can or s/b done)

Selzer & Patti, I agree with what you've posted. The dog needs & deserves compassion, too. Yes, it's true the dog needs to be kept from the child, BUT it was the parents who gave the dog access to the child, NOT the owner. The brunt of the responsibility for this is (IMO) overwhelmingly with the child's parents, not the elderly dog, or its owner.

Shayne, I hope your daughter has a rapid & complete recovery. I hope too, she isn't too terribly traumatized by this. Mom was bitten by a rabid dog & remains terrified of them to this day. (Although she believes the greater trauma was when her beloved dog was shot b/c it killed chickens) A friend's daughter rec'd almost 200 stiches when her face was ripped open by one of their dogs. She was petting & playing with dogs before the stitches had been removed. (Within 2yrs her scars had faded to near invisibility)
 
#21 ·
Originally Posted By: Wisc.TigerThis does not seem like an isolated incident.
Originally Posted By: MXpro982 The Malamute has bit my mother in law before we ever lived here...twice.. So she should have had him put down a long time ago
While I do have compassion for the dog, a 14 year old dog with a double previous bite history and then bites a 4 year old in the face is not stable. Maybe it is old age, maybe it is a sight thing, I don't know. Would I trust the dog, no.
<span style='font-size: 11pt'>I think you make an interesting point. My old Lab, Snickers temperament started to change as he got older. Things that never bothered him in the past, started to irritate him. He became grouchy and moody. When the vet tested his blood, it turned out his thyroid levels were low. Low thyroid could adversely effect mood and temperament.</span>
 
#22 ·
Originally Posted By: 3dogs<span style='font-size: 11pt'>OMG! This is terrible.
I feel sorry for the baby. I hope she'll get over this experience and not fear dogs as a result.

I'll probably get flamed here but kicking the dog in the ribs served only to vent anger and nothing more. Something needs to be done about the dog whether it be re-homed (given to an animal behaviorist or something along those lines) or sadly put down.</span>
I have to agree w/ 3dogs. There was no reason to attack the dog. The dog was doing what a dog does. The child and the dog should have never been left unattended esp if there was a bite history. IMO, it should be your MIL decision regarding if he should be PTS, not yours.

I wish a speedy recovery to your dd and that there is no physiclogical effects from this incident.
 
#23 ·
here are my thoughts. knowing that the dog has bitten before i would have never let the dog around my daughter. i also have a young daughter that is 18 months old and have to be very carefull with her around other dogs because she LOVES dogs. tyson is very docile with my daughter. i am boarding my trainers 2.5 year old narcotics dog as they are on vacation and this dog is around there young kids. i know shadow and i trust her to an extent but not like i do tyson so i make sure that when shadow and my daughter are in the same room together they are to leave eachother alone and same goes with other dogs that my daughter is around includeing other family dogs that can be trusted.

at the same time i can understand how you feel. no im not calling you a bad parent or dog owner but i hope that this is a good lesson to be learned. your lucky it could have been worse. she may have a few scars to live with but your daughter will be ok. as for the dog, and this being his second bite i wouldn't think twice about puting him down. if it was at my house i wouldnt have thought twice to put a bullet in his head before i went to the hospital...
 
#24 ·
Okay, this dog has shown that he is not to be trusted. The old guy is fourteen years old and likely doesn't have a long time to live. That is a sad thing. But realistically, my children always came before my pets. The world is full of "shoud'ves " . We "shouldft the dog outside.WE shouldhave been watching the dog more carefully. What happened can not be undone. I personally believe a dog that bites with no reason is like a loaded gun. There are thousands of wonderful loving dogs in this world. Why take a chance with one like this. I would put the dog down. He has lived his life. I am not saying this because I hate dogs. Obviously that is not true. But this dog does not recognize humans as the alpha. That is not a good place to be.

julies'omom
 
#25 ·
The dog has HD, can barely hear, practically blind... He has plenty of reasons not to be living anymore. In nature, this dog would have been dead a lot time ago. His life has been dragged on for my MIL's satisfaction. When he bit my MIL, he drew blood both times.. Resulting in doctor visits. Yes, you are right, the dog NEVER should have been with her in the same room. It will never happen again. I am glad that I was right there. Yes, the kick was frustration.. He deserved a lot more! If I didn't have to drive her to the hospital who knows what I would have done to him (quite the adrenaline rush seeing your baby get picked up with blood all over).

MIL wants to put the dog down (prior to this, she still doesn't know it even happend yet).. She has wanted to for a while, but she can't bring herself to do it. Now is a great time for her to put him out of his misery. He really has a hard time getting around, etc.. His quality of life is low. It would do everyone a favor if he was PTS. I understand that MIL would be sad to watch him go. I can't imagine how I am going to do it someday. But if my dog ever bit me...twice.. and then a baby.. It would be gone one way or another.
 
#26 ·
Originally Posted By: Julie'somomOkay, this dog has shown that he is not to be trusted. The old guy is fourteen years old and likely doesn't have a long time to live. That is a sad thing. But realistically, my children always came before my pets. The world is full of "shoud'ves " . We "shouldft the dog outside.WE shouldhave been watching the dog more carefully. What happened can not be undone. I personally believe a dog that bites with no reason is like a loaded gun. There are thousands of wonderful loving dogs in this world. Why take a chance with one like this. I would put the dog down. He has lived his life. I am not saying this because I hate dogs. Obviously that is not true. But this dog does not recognize humans as the alpha. That is not a good place to be.

julies'omom

Unfortunately, I have to agree. I have been around these dogs for years, and I know that they are great dogs, for the most part, but, unlike GSDs, they just don't have that stable playing field when it comes to mentality. I have seen mals go 12-13 years, and never curl a lip, but it is an exception rather than a rule. So, I will get flamed for this, but the mal in question has really sealed his own fate. And the safest thing for you now is to follow through.

To the OP, I am so sorry for your daughter. You are just so lucky it was not worse. My best wishes to you all.
 
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