my son got bit in the cheek by a dog

[3PeasInAPod]

Our neighbor dog. The dog didn't attack him. My son turned to run into the neighbor's house with his friend & the dog was standing right there & my son biffed it right into the dog's face & the dog nipped him, but enough to make a puncture wound in his cheek. The dog cowared immediately & was yelled at & put on his chain in the backyard.
The only other thing this dog has done in the past is jump on my son & knock him down. He's a strong dog - he's a pitbull. They've never had problems with him & the 6yr old daughter that lives there.

I told my husband I didn't want to allow my son over there to play anymore, b/c I can't be there to watch him & I'd never forgive myself if something happened to my son.
So how do I tell the neighbors? The kids play often together & go back & forth between houses on the weekends. I know my neighbors were upset it happened too. But I just can't risk it.

And should I be concerned that since he's bitten him once that the dog will be more prone to bite again? Is that even true? Especially given the circumstances that he was smacked into by my son - it wasn't like he was on the attack?

[itzj]

Personally, I feel like animals should be given some leeway with defending themselves. To me it sounds like the dog was simply reacting instinctively to being popped in the face - with the same nip it would give another dog. Only difference is your son has skin and not fur that would keep that from being an injury on another animal. I mean, we don't usually freak out when a cat scratches or bites because it's almost always provoked and they are smaller. I know that people think dogs should be trained to not even do this, but I think that's setting them up to fail. I would just tell your neighbor that you want your son to have some space from the dog for awhile when your kids play, and assure her that you understand why it happened. I think this is very different from an aggressive animal. Oh and I think dogs jumping up on people is normal (and part of why I don't own any, I don't like it, but that's part of owning a dog).

[klpmommy]

The description of the incident makes me think of a gut reaction, not an attack. Like swatting at a fly or something. I would totally cut the dog slack on that. I wouldn't even stop the kids from playing over there unless I saw something else that caused me concern. But that incident alone doesn't cause me any concern.

Is your son scared of the dog now? That would change my answer.

[TenderLovingWillow]

I have a little kid who is not great at being nice to animals. In that case I would not allow my child in the same place as the dog until he was able to treat the dog nicely. I would not say anything to the neighbor, unless maybe asking if the kids and dog can be seperated for a while.

My child is much younger though, so I hope that helps anyways. :)

[3PeasInAPod]

He's not scared of the dog.
I guess, too, I've never fully trusted the dog, & maybe that's b/c he's a pit. But also, the owner who raised the dog (before the girlfriend & dd moved in), hits the dog to train him, I've seen it happen & yes, the dog is very muscular, but no dog should be hit, let alone a pitbull. So I guess it makes me nervous. They also got a cat last year & the pitbull is VERY protective of the cat - a month ago, a neighbor dog was in their yard & was just curious about the cat & the pitbull grabbed him by the neck & threw him up in the air. Of course, he could've killed the other dog - so he shows restraint. But still, I worry if my son goes to play with the cat, what this pit will do.
But we've known them now for 4 years & our dogs have played together numerous times with no incident, as well as our kids are out running around the property with the dogs for a few years now.

[Love is...]

Pit bulls have a bad reputation. They used to be considered Nanny dogs because they will protect the children of the house and are not usually aggressive unless trained to be so. If the dog really wanted to hurt him, he would have. With dogs, it's not like they accidentally miss.

I can understand your hesitancy, especially the way the dog is being trained and a dog tied up will become even more aggressive.

You really have to do what you feel the most comfortable with. imo.

[Amber]

It is a tough call and I would totally follow your gut on this one. If you don't want your kids playing around the dog that is totally fine. It is also okay to set limits like the dog needs to kenneled when the kids are over.

If you decide that you don't want your kids playing over there any more I would talk to your neighbor and let them know. I would tell them what you said in the first post and them know that you don't hold any ill will towards them or the dog but that for now you need to take a break from the kids playing over there.