I've got to add, I am very excited to be apart of the forum. I watched some of the early Videos from a friend who owned them and I was hooked. This site is filled with so much info. I am very happy it exist.
Okay, My brother in law owns a mixed dog, I would say he is part settler and heeler. I am in Northern Utah and they love their Heelers up here. Let me add, my brother in law and the rest of this family are true idiots when it comes to Husbandry of animals. I have witnessed him kick one of the nephew's dogs because it jumped on him, some of the other family members kick cats...just horrible. My wife is the youngest (33) and oblivious to this kind of care, as it's obvious this is all she has seen throughout her life...and they live on a farm. We are staying here also.
There are about 16 cats and rising on this farm. They let them breed like roaches and no matter where you walk, you're going to be greeted by a feline. My brother in law came one weekend with his children and the dog. There was work to be done around the farm and he had time to participate. The first thing he did was let the dog off leash. The dog bolted into the garage where a few cats were. The cats bolted and found cracked to hide in. I told the dog to GO, he left but you could see the intent on his face...he was locked onto the thought of cats.
Everyone looked at me as if I was crazy. I told them he was running after the cats, to which my brother in law replied, "oh he won't hurt them." I don't know If the dog would hurt the felines, but I did know he did not obey properly and when he was called by my in law or his children, they would have a difficult time catching him. He just wouldn't come. They had this same issue with the dog before hand, but I witnessed first hand the abuse that dog took and one day he got loose wandered the neighborhood and was hit by a truck. I felt that if leadership had been established within the home instead of kicking, the dog wouldn't have left his area or when called would have come. I have always cautioned my wife that her siblings are the worse handlers of Dogs, Cats, and horses and they needed to stay away from my chickens!
Well after I complained about the new dog chasing cats, my brother in law did something I had never seen before. He put the dog on a leash and took him into the garage, letting him sniff and peek around for the cats. I asked my wife, what the heck was he doing. She stated her brother said, "it will get him use to the cats, since he has never seen them." My confusion arose more, because during this "tracking," The dog never saw a cat, he just moved around quickly and excitingly until my brother in law pulled him away and tied him to a fence outside. There the dog moved around in circles for a while, always eyeing the garage, though he did not have a view of the open door.
about 15 minutes later, We heard a scream and saw a child running in circles. The dog bit in in the lip right under the noise. Split in open. Had to get about 8 stitches. I must tell you, this child is a prodigy of the family. He is five and already killed a kitten, one I had doctored back to nourish after the first time mom sat on it while giving birth to the other batch. Not only did he kick it and kill it, he also tried to bury it...we never found it until about two months later in the horse field. I know the child was pestering the dog also, but I feel that my idiotic brother in law, taking that dog into the garage to Track cats was also a major factor in that dog biting the boy. Am I correct, because I just want to tell him how stupid I think he really is and that I feel he has no business owning ANY animals until he reads a book on how to train.
My perspective is this: the dog is fearful of his owner and the children who might harm him at home too, something they have witness as "normal." He thinks he is the leader and once his attention is upon something, he is going to finish the task. He didn't know this new child and when it got in his face, he was showing it who was boss. Again, when they tried to catch him earlier...he ran and ran.
what is the answer to this dilemma. The dog does not live here and they took him home. I don't think he is going to be put down and I know it wasn't his fault, but does the ignoramus who owns him take the blame? I have never heard of baiting a dog with cats unless it's hunting them, no? I will take a picture of the kids mouth today, thank goodness it healed pretty good, but who's to blame for this one?
Thanks for reading.
Kelly Vaughn
Dog bit child, BUT may be the owners fault...?
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