# Has a chihuahua ever been taken away from it's owner and put to death for biting?



## Nester (Nov 5, 2008)

Has there ever been a case of a chihuahua being taken away from it's owner by the authorities and put down for biting somebody?

I know it happens with big dogs (Bigger dog= Bigger bite), and the cases I've heard of involving a chihuahua biting somebody usually end up with the OWNER having to pay for medical expenses, and having to confine his dog to an enclosure or muzzle it in public.

But I wonder: Has one ever been so "Bad" that it's been taken away and put down?


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## carrera (Oct 8, 2008)

I havnt heard of any yet but when I take carrera out and someone wants to touch her i'm pretty blunt and just say "she bites"--sometimes they still try to pet her, when she nips I dont feel guilty because i fore warned them. We have only had her bite one person but we always just say she bites because she really doesnt like to be bothered. We are really working on her biting though (shes still a pup and teething) and started carrying her bitter apple spray everywhere we go--shes definantly gotten better.


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## OrchardLane (Aug 30, 2008)

I haven't personally heard of this happening but these things are not usually brought forth for the public 9/10 times. The only stories the public hears about are the ones involving the maiming of a child by a large "aggressive" breed (Rottie, Pit Bull etc).

The reason the public doesn't hear about the cases of smaller dogs or "regular breeds" - is that A) It doesn't sell papers/ad space on TV and B) It happens so often it is not funny.

There are approximately 5 million dog bites reported in the US each year and almost 1 million of them result in a hospital visit. 

The chance of your dog getting taken away due to biting someone depends on a few things.

The severity of the bite.
The person your dog bit.
Your local legislation.

Any time your dog bites someone you are at risk of being sued by the person who was bit and having your dog taken away and euthanized.

Which is why it is so important for socialization and training.


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## Nester (Nov 5, 2008)

OrchardLane said:


> I haven't personally heard of this happening but these things are not usually brought forth for the public 9/10 times. The only stories the public hears about are the ones involving the maiming of a child by a large "aggressive" breed (Rottie, Pit Bull etc).
> 
> The reason the public doesn't hear about the cases of smaller dogs or "regular breeds" - is that A) It doesn't sell papers/ad space on TV and B) It happens so often it is not funny.
> 
> ...


I have heard of people suing for that, but I was also told that the owner has to pay for medical damages and possibly confine or relocate the dog. Again, I'm not completely sure about this, but a dog is euthanized only if it's a severe threat.

As with the severity of the bite, I think that a chihuahua would be pretty safe. While they can do damage, it's rarely serious, and usually just results in broken skin.

A BIG dog, however, can break skin, blood vessels, muscle, and even bone.


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## Nester (Nov 5, 2008)

in ANY case, I personally think that punishing the OWNER, not the dog, is ideal, as the owner should be in control of his dog. If the dog really is vicious, the owner will continue to pay fines that get bigger and bigger, and eventually decide to confine, relocate, or euthanize his dog.

This should apply to small dogs. They are VERY unlikely to cause a "serious injury". Even if a child's bitten in the face? COME ON! A.) why was the person in charge letting the kid put his face near the dog? Shouldn't he be responsible enough to keep that from happening? HE should be the one punished. B.) How the HECK will killing the dog make it better? C.) The owner should be forced to pay all medical and court costs if found guilty, and confine his dog. and finally, D.) THAT'S HOW KIDS LEARN! They do something stupid and get hurt. We ALL went through this phase. Other kids see the victims injury and most will think "Gee, I'd better not put my face near some guy's dog!"

That's usually how it works around my neighborhood, unless the dog kills a person, in which case the dog is usually put down (unless it was provoked or defending itself/it's owner). If it kills another dog, the owner needs to confine it and pay a HECK of a lot of money.

THAT seems to be an effective deterrent. If you hit a man's dog, he get's mad, but if you hit a man's wallet, he listens to you.


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## Tora-Oni (Sep 13, 2008)

OrchardLane said:


> I haven't personally heard of this happening but these things are not usually brought forth for the public 9/10 times. The only stories the public hears about are the ones involving the maiming of a child by a large "aggressive" breed (Rottie, Pit Bull etc).
> 
> The reason the public doesn't hear about the cases of smaller dogs or "regular breeds" - is that A) It doesn't sell papers/ad space on TV and B) It happens so often it is not funny.
> 
> ...


She has a point, I heard the other day that Chihuahuas and Dachsunds were the top two dog with most bitting record/ report. I can't remember which one was number one I think it was Chihuahuas, but I'm not positive. 

Alot of times, people are to aggressive with small dogs also, picking them up, bending over to pet all threatening to a small dog. Another thing is that small dog owners don't always train them to not bite. I've not had a problem being bitten by one, maybe snapped at by Shi-tzu which was a small one for her breed and also I had to pick her up to get her in the car. 

Larger dogs can't get by with doing something little dogs do b/c they can create more damage and more mess than little dog would. Plus Little dogs bites are less harmful than big dogs. Sometimes people find it cute to see a little dog jump up to reach them where as a big dog is already with in arms length and their jumps can knock you over if you not prepared or if they over power you.


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## * Bailey & Kahlua's Mom * (Nov 10, 2008)

.... hmmm..... teeth caps anyone? LMAO j/k!!!


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## OrchardLane (Aug 30, 2008)

It doesn't have to be a serious injury for a dog to be euthanized. Some communities have very strict biting rules and if the bite requires medical attention, the dog is out. 

It depends on who your dog bites. Some people will take you to the cleaners over a minor bite, while others will laugh it off. Some courts allow the victim to make appeals to the court (with victim impact statements) as to what should happen to the dog and they consider the victim's wishes. In some cases - the victim has been able to get dogs put down in lieu of additional money. 

No matter what the case, you are liable for medical expenses, lost wages and pain/suffering at a minimum. Not to mention depending on the location of the bite - could be career ending for some people. If a dog bit our neighbor's hand - and a tendon/ligament was damaged etc - his livelihood would be over. He needs full control and movement of his hands or he cannot put food on the table ... so in a situation like that you really are into serious trouble.

Hopefully you have good homeowners/renters insurance to cover that or you could lose everything. 

As a breeder and rescue we have to carry additional insurance. Some insurance companies will not cover you if you own certain breeds. 

It all boils down to responsible pet ownership but even you need to carry the proper liability insurance. All owners should be liable for their dog's actions but people should be liable too. If they provoked the attack etc then some liability should fall on their hands too but most often it doesn't.

I have been bitten numerous times in my rescue career. I have worked with many "dangerous" dogs and have the scars to prove it. I am also a child dog bite victim. When I was a child, I was bit by my babysitters dog in an unprovoked attack. We were told he didn't have a history of biting but later found out he did. So had the laws been enforced, that dog wouldn't have been alive to bite me and leave my face scared for life.


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## Nester (Nov 5, 2008)

*what kind of dog*



OrchardLane said:


> I have been bitten numerous times in my rescue career. I have worked with many "dangerous" dogs and have the scars to prove it. I am also a child dog bite victim. When I was a child, I was bit by my babysitters dog in an unprovoked attack. We were told he didn't have a history of biting but later found out he did. So had the laws been enforced, that dog wouldn't have been alive to bite me and leave my face scared for life.


What kind of dog bit you?

The owner should've been responsible enough to confine it.There are alternatives to having a dog put down.

I just learned, too, that there's a difference between "Dangerous" and "Vicious". A dangerous dog is one that's at high risk for attacking and has potential to cause injury. A Vicious dog, however, usually has to do either major damage or bite multiple times in order to be declared vicious.

That's my city code, anyways. Dog bites don't seem to be that big a deal anymore... Compared to school shootings, terrorist attacks, and illegal drug trafficking, anyways.


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## OrchardLane (Aug 30, 2008)

It was some kind of small terrier cross (maybe 25lbs probably under). I don't really remember the breed as this occurred 20 years ago now.

I agree that there are alternatives to having a dog put down but again, I don't set the rules in municipalities. 

I am all for giving dogs chances as most bites are situational (IE: kids pulling tail, biting out of fear etc).

I am against breed specific legislation, shelter rules of auto-matically putting down "dangerous" breeds and I am one of the few rescues that will take aggressive or known biters. 

However, in my case, the dog that bit me had sent 2 previous children to the ER - I was his third known child ER bite and I had to have my upper and lower lips stitched back together with interior and exterior stitches. I was off school for over 2 weeks and to this day I carry noticeable scars. 

In Canada dog bites are not tracked like in the US so the municipal dog law was not enforced. If it had been reported to the authorities, the dog may have been put to sleep with the first bite (but more than likely would have been given a second chance) but would have been put to sleep when he sent the second child to the ER as the owners clearly showed no signs of being responsible and in some cases, it is best to put a dog to sleep than have another person bit.

People think that small dogs cannot do damage but they can. Often times, Chihuahuas are frequent repeat offenders. That is why they have a bad reputation with a lot of people. 

We work hard with our dogs so that they are ambassadors for the breed. We extensively socialize them and take them out regularly to meet the public so they have a positive image of the breed.

As a dog owner, it is essential to realize that every dog has the instinct and ability to bite at any given time. You just need to do your best to socialize them, raise them, train them and have the necessary liability insurance in case.


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## KayC (May 3, 2005)

Hope I am not hi jacking this thread. Is there a web site where we can look up statitics on dog breed bites in the US? I was just curious. In my State, Washington they are trying to get a state wide ban on pit bulls, which I think is wrong. My Am Staff Max is the sweetest dog I have ever known.


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## OrchardLane (Aug 30, 2008)

Zoey's Mom said:


> Hope I am not hi jacking this thread. Is there a web site where we can look up statitics on dog breed bites in the US? I was just curious. In my State, Washington they are trying to get a state wide ban on pit bulls, which I think is wrong. My Am Staff Max is the sweetest dog I have ever known.


This are some sites with some statistics 

I really like this site as I believe often times things are blown out of proportion in the media etc and they are pro-dog


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## Nester (Nov 5, 2008)

OrchardLane said:


> It was some kind of small terrier cross (maybe 25lbs probably under). I don't really remember the breed as this occurred 20 years ago now.
> 
> I agree that there are alternatives to having a dog put down but again, I don't set the rules in municipalities.
> 
> ...


Here in the USA, though, things vary by state.

In north dakota a dog's killed for being a "Public nuisance".
In Sioux City vicious dogs are INSTANTLY killed. No 2nd chance.

Around here, the laws are supposed to be made with the consent of the citizens. Politicians go ahead and make laws that reflect THEIR values, not those of the public.

Like the law in Sioux City, for example. A lot of people opposed it, but it still passed because the council members approved it.
They'd better watch it... We pay them to do what's in the interest of the public, not what's in their own interest.

ANY government should do what the majority of their people want. That's not just democracy. That's common sense.
A large amount of angry citizens could crush even the most tyrannical government.

Why should we pay them with taxes if they only use OUR money to do what THEY want??

...Sorry, went off on a tangent there... lol


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## Nester (Nov 5, 2008)

Dog bite "Epidemic"?? Oh, MAN!! There is no "Epidemic." As long as dogs have been with man, dog bites have been occurring! 

If anything, dog bites have gone DOWN. What with huge fines, confinement standards, and court.

It uses huge numbers to make the problem LOOK serious, but they don't compare it to things like MURDER, CAR CRASHES, RAPES, and stuff like that.

I'll bet that these happen far more often than dog bites.



That "Dog bite law" site SERIOUSLY blew things out of proportion. THERE IS NO EPIDEMIC!! LOOK AT AIDS! THAT'S AN EPIDEMIC!!

I'm not mad at anybody here, but that "Dog bite law" site? It was obviously made by a bunch of lawyers who play on peoples fears.


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