I guess that's what I get for...
I think I have experienced just about everything a parent of a 4 yr old can experience....colic, burned cornea, broken foot, two NICU babies, stitches (kinda), and the list goes on and on.... lol I promise I'm a good mommy! LOL My boys are just a little high strung. The stitches were a first today. Brandon had a little incident with Jasper. Thankfully, Brandon was able to get Dermabond (the liquid stittches). He surprisingly sat there and let our pedi put it on. The pedi said it wasn't painful, but it did warm up when it touched the skin. Bran didn't seem to notice. He also got put on augmentin 2x a day for the next 5 days to prevent infection since it was a bite. Dr. Ski said tyically he wouldn't stitch up a bite, but since it was on his face, we didn't want it to leave a scar. You've probably guessed it...our "sweet" puppy bit Brandon in the FACE this morning. I'm so upset at Jasper right now. I was deboning a chicken (early prep work for dinner tonight), and I accidently dropped a piece of it. I know chicken bones and dogs are a no-no, so I screamed Jasper no. He's had very little people food (all by accident), he hasn't been aggressive AT all..even when eating his dry food or treats. Brandon heard me say no and he went to take it away from him (he watches me wayyyy to much). I couldn't get over there in time to stop him (they had ran to the other side of the kitchen by this time). Jasper snapped and bit his face just by his nose and the other mark is by his ear. Jasper is still a baby, so we're giving him another chance. If he even comes close to doing anything like this again, he's gone. I love him, but I love my kids even more. I'm not going to have them getting bit by him like this as big as he's going to get. Like I said, this was the first time Jasper has even shown aggression, so I hope it was a one-time thing. For now on, when I'm in the kitchen, he's getting put in his kennel or outside on his chain. I'm going to be keeping a VERY watchful eye on him when the kids are near. I love Jasper too much to lose him, so we're going to be really careful and work with him a lot. I talked to a friend of mine who trains dogs for local police depts and private training also, and he said he'd take Jasper in at 6 months. If nothing else, this should help him, but that's several weeks from now since he's only 13 weeks old. We'll probably do a puppy class in the next couple of weeks also. Brandon is fine. He didn't cry when he got bit (he never cries when he's hurt). He face looks terrible...I guess no Easter pics now. I haven't been able to get the boys pics made in about a year because of bruises/scratches on their faces. I swear, I'm going to stop making appointments! LOL The dermabond looks weird - looks shiny and like he's got something gross (like snot) on his face, but that stuff rocks! I was so afraid he'd have to get a real stitch because of how wide it was. Whew...what a day! I'll be glad when it's over.  |
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| Oh my, I'm so sorry this happened Gail! What a horrible feeling, of course the fear and worry for your child, and how heartwrenching it must be to consider a decision like that when you obviously love Jasper so much as well.
I hope that it was a one time incident, but it goes to show that dogs are dogs, and when that prey drive kicks in, they are just that, if only for a moment. It is instinct. I hope your son heals up quickly, and that he doesn't harbor fear of dogs as a result. He sounds like a level headed little guy so I'm sure he will deal with it just fine. My friend's son was attacked by a family dog when he was 2 yrs old, sitting on his fathers lap and the dog rushed out from under the coffee table and tore his face apart. We think the baby was staring at the dog, but no one is sure. The child needed to be flown to a specialized hospital, operated on for 7 hours, and the damage caused to his face caused severe scarring as well as a speech impediment. He will likely need surgery again in the next year or so because as he has grown into a teenager his scar has not grown as much. He is not afraid of all dogs, but he is terrified of black dogs. (The one that bit him was a black lab/poodle/schnauzer cross) |
| I'm so sorry this happened with your 2 babies! You might want to start working with the boys-Supervising having the 2 legged one feeding the 4 legged one by hand to get over this food agression issue. something top try, anyways... I hope your little boy is feeling better!
Karen |
| Hi Gail,
Very sorry to hear of the incident with Brandon and Jasper. Puppies can react quickly and I'm very sorry to hear Brandon, was bitten. It must have been very frightening for you and Brandon. Things can happen so fast. Sounds like you have a good plan for training for Jasper, including crating him while you prepare meals. The training classes will be very important. As I said in another post, sheepies sometimes don't know their own strength. You are wise to keep optimistic, but consider other options for Jasper if needed. As I know he is a puppy and your family has bonded with him, best wishes in continuing your relationship with Jasper. Wish Brandon a speedy recovery and all the best !! ( Hope this note finds Jakob well, how is he doing with this?) |
| Thanks! Both the boys are doing well with him still. They're acting like he didn't do anything. Brandon has been petting him. Jakob goes to half-day preschool on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so he missed what happened. He has no idea other than Brandon having a new mark on his face. We told him to be careful around Jasper, because he hurt Brandon, but he's only 3. He doesn't quite grasp why.
Here's a couple of pics of the bite. It's not really too bad, could have been much worse...especially if he were older. I've also forgiven Jasper and am loving him again. I still don't trust him as much though...will take a LONG time to regain that trust again. I know in my heart that it wasn't his fault though, and his natural instinct kicked in. I just have my natural instinct as a mom kicking in also and doing what I think it takes to protect my little guys. Oh, the scratches right under his eye were done earlier this week by Jakob. His face has really taken a beating this week...poor little guy! 
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| I'm sure he'll heal up in no time, he looks like a happy little guy! |
My sister got bitten when she was young by our neighbor's little puppy in the face. She had stitches on her lip. All she did was bend over and pet the pup. Unfortunately the family decided to get rid of the pup which didn't go over very well with a family of 13 kids  .
I agree with everyone that it is definitely a food aggression thing and by hand feeding it will help a lot. You may also want to pick up The Dog Listener: Learn How to Communicate with Your Dog for Willing Cooperation, by Jan Fennell (I just for the first time read it and am now addicted to understanding "pack" behavior) I think Jasper was asserting "pack" mentality and he seems himself higher than Brandon in the food chain. I know it will be tough to get kids his age to demonstrate that they are above Jasper but I think with a few changes in the way Brandon interacts with Jasper will set him straight. It's really interesting to put yourself in a dog's shoes but it is really helping some teenage behavior we've been experiencing with Frank lately. |
Willowsprite wrote: I'm sure he'll heal up in no time, he looks like a happy little guy!
That's what I was thinking!  He is such a cute little boy - you must be very proud!
I think it's food aggression too. |
| Aww, sorry to hear what happened. I'm sure with some training Jasper will grow out of it though. Your son is adorable, by the way! |
| First off, I am so sorry this happened. Dogs will be dogs. They are dogs. They will behave like dogs. I am SOOO glad that the bite wasn't serious.
I wouldn't worry about your Easter pictures! ANY photographer worth his salt can fix those blemishes in an instant. Here's what I did in just about 4 minutes (for both)...imagine if I had talent! 
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| Great job Ron! |
| Sorry to hear about what happened to Brandon. Glad to hear it didn't affect him negatively towards Jasper.
I am sure Jasper will be fine with some training and Age... He's still a pup and really doesn't know right from wrong yet. Training will show him who's boss and also what he can and can't do. Take Care, Elissa |
| Gail,
Brandon will heal in no time, he will do great ! Go for the Easter pictures (hire Ron!!!!)  |
| Great job Ron - I'm surprised I didn't think of that (I edit photos for stuff like that all the time!) |
| Awesome Job, Ron. Thanks! We have a professional digital camera, so my husband says he may just take the pics and edit them. We'll see. I may just go ahead and have pics made, with the battle wounds....will remind us of stories to tell when they're older. I need to remember they're little boys & are going to hurt themselves. If I don't take pics everything they have a scratch or bruise, I'll never have another pic of them again, lol
As far as Jasper goes, he's doing really well. We're putting him outside (it's been beautiful and in the upper 70s - low 80s here) to feed him, and I kennel him when I cook. That seems to be working. All he does now is sit there and let the boys pet him and lick them. I don't think it'll happen again, but I haven't let my guard down either. I'm still happy we got him and think he's an awesome match for our family. |
| Hi,
Glad your little tyke is okay and what a scare you must have had! Belly rubs for your group! Razzberries for the boys. :O) |
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