Kelly, I am so sorry that this happened to Kylie and to you.
I know it must be very hard on you and for certain your parents.

I have not much to add, but just wanted you to know you and Kylie are in my thoughts. Kylie sounds like a very strong little girl, I hope she heals really fast, kids usually do.

Hang in there Kelly!

My son was kicked in the head by my mare at aged 3. LUCKY it just peeled back his scalp and didn't cause brain damage. Shipped that horse that afternoon.
It was MY fault my son was kicked, but clearly, I couldn't keep my baby safe from that horse so she had to go. Not all horses kick babies, and not all dogs bite, even in their crate, even by their ball.
I am so sorry that this happened to your family, but different from others perhaps -- my view is that this dog is dangerous for little children, I would not have him in my child's environment. The idea, "there are no bad dogs only bad owners" is a great sentiment until you are in the ER flooded by guilt.

Heard about this on FB...so sorry . It must be so hard for all involved. I hope things right themselves. Little Kylie sounds like a sweet but tough little girl

It's a good reminder for all of us though. I personally haven't had many dogs that wouldn't react badly to someone who wasn't me reaching into their crate, so have gotten into the habit of managing that without compromise over the years.

I think it's a rare and special dog that is exceptionally tolerant of young children, and those lucky enough to be blessed with them are sometimes worse off than those of us who have had to manage our dogs closely.

Such a tough situation My thoughts are with all of you and I wish Kylie (ADORABLE, btw) a speedy recovery

Thanks everyone.

Harley is not a 'bad dog' IMO. It was just (like many of you said) a really bad situations. No more balls for Harley when kids are around, and both kids are learning that Harley is not like Sara and Koenig.... when he's laying down (on a crate or on a bed) you MUST LEAVE HIM ALONE. They'd never learned this previously, just because like Kristel said, I'm blessed with 2 fantastic dogs.


CJ- I had nearly the same incident happen when I was a kid. Roles reversed though. I had a working line BC/Aussie growing up. Intense little thing. He was very much MY dog. A stinker to adults, he'd growl and lunge at my Dad through a window if Dad happened to look at Thor while he was eating. (This may have truly been one of those 'bad' dogs with adults. Very, Very alpha)

I had a friend over, who wanted to make Thor jump to get a bone. Ok. She held it up in the air (in front of her face) Thor jumped, she flinched, and he nipped her in the nose. No skin was broken, she was just a little bit scared.

I came home from school the next day, and my dog was GONE, but there was a fresh pile of dirt in the woods. Dad swears he'll never do this again... so I'm really hoping he wont have Harley PTS over this incident that can easily be prevented in the future.

Kelly, I am so sorry to hear about Kylie. If she's anything like you, she's tough!

I was bit in the face by a Dobe when I was about 5. I was crawing around under a picinic table and the dog and I arrived in the same place at the same time. He was trying to get away from everyone at the party, and took a shot at me. Wrong time, wrong place, and I have a tiny little scar over my left eye. My mom yelled at me for it, by the way. Said it was my fault for picking on the dog.... guess she was the complete opposite of your dad!

I hope it all ends well, and neither Harley nor Kylie are put in this situation again.

--Kel

You all had one really bad day for EVERYONE!

Dog ARE dogs! And will act like them at some point in time. Even the ones that we think that we can trust 100%. It is just nature. They are ANIMALS after all.

Kids need to be watched 100% of the time around ANY animal. But you know that. It is unfortnate that this has happened to all of you...especially Kylie. She's a tough little girl. Bless her for being so very forgiving. Much more so then the adults around her, right now, I think. Sad for all.

I really feel bad for you. I have had my kids hurt by critters a lot. It's really a bad deal all around.

More bad news for anyone following this thread..... but not for my kids, at least.

My Aunt was over at my parents today. (out of town visitors... never met 'the dog' before) Harley bit her. Didn't break skin.

Circumstances: She was helping set the table, and was getting into a drawer next to the fridge. Apparently Harley's food was on top of the fridge? He 'bit' her wrist. I'm not really sure if it was a real bite or not, as I wasn't there. He's a big dog. A big, dumb dog, who tosses his big, dumb head around with his mouth open. I've been hit by his teeth many times, just because he's careless.

My Aunt: A professional student (5+ PHD's at this point, I've lost track) who has limited social skills, and VERY limited interaction skills with animals. (hahaah, she's a cat person, if that says anything about how she's treat a 120lb dog) I guess when they were introduced, she was patting him on the top of the head. (taptaptaptaptap on his noggin... every dog just LOVES that, right???)

So, really, I don't know what happened. I just know it was a big ol' strike against the dog at this point. My poor father feels like he'll never be able to trust Harley (which he won't. He's bit 2x in 3 days) That not only breaks his heart, but makes him feel like a terrible pet owner. My Dad has been raised with dogs. Hunted foxhounds for his entire childhood with his father, and into young adult ages. Moved up to the northwest, and bred Newfies for years. He's never spend much time on hardcore OB work, especially with this dog, but he's just DOWN about the whole thing. Looks like Harley will spend all his time with extra people in the house tied to the fireplace, with a basket muzzle on. In reality, that is not such a bad life. My parents RARELY have company over (3 times a year?) and my kids are there every other weekend-ish. He can see the majority of the house from this position, but he's not in the way of people walking, and pretty much out of reach.

Oh Kelly, so very sorry this has happened again, your Dad must be in a horrible place right now, this sort of thing haunts you, and it isn't Harley's fault, nor is it your Dad's, sometimes mother nature throws you a side-winder.

Am thinking of you

Tracey

You know for a dog that is not normally like that I would want to see if something is going on. A good physical would be my first step.
Is he in pain, lost some hearing or eye sight? If he's in good health then no big deal to keep him away from little ones and non-dog big ones.