Saturday, May 8, 2010

Sad Start to Mother's Day Weekend

I just don't know where to begin.  I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest.  My sweet baby girl was bitten by my sweet little dog.  We're not talking a small little snap, either.  He. BIT. her.  Her upper lip had a gaping hole in it. 

I was putting away our wares from our trip to Sam's, when I heard him snap at her.  I turned around to see her kneeling on the floor beside him.   I've been after her all week because she'd been playing really rough with him.  She's 4 - that's what 4 year old's do.  But she had been pulling on his tail, and trying to give him a buzz cut with a hand-held fan, and I guess he'd just had enough. 

We rushed her to the ER.  She was screaming the entire way...not because she was upset about her mouth, but because she knew that our beloved family pet would have to go live somewhere else.  The ER team was excellent; they were able to use the liquid stitches to "glue" her lip back together.  They said that if the glue holds, she shouldn't have any scarring - as long as we put Vitamin E on it after it's completely healed.  She was so brave.  They also gave us antibiotics to help fight against infection. 

The ER was legally obligated to notify the police department because it was an animal bite, so we had an animal control officer show up at our home to take an incident report.  Ugh. 

I am suffering from overwhelming guilt over this because Stitch is MY dog.  He's always been MY dog.  If you're a dog person, you know what I mean.  He and I just bonded the instant we met.  I've spoiled him rotten, and I just love him to pieces.  But I just can't have a dog in my home that will do this to my child.  I just can't.  So, it's gonna hurt, and I'm very sad....but there's just no decision to make here. 

I called my sister in tears, to tell her that I was going to have to find Stitch (ironically named, considering the circumstances, I know) a new home. She offered to take him. Her boys are older, and they both love him. So this will be a good thing....but I hate it.



To say that my husband is upset about this would be the understatement of the year.  He did very well by not killing him.  I just wouldn't be able to stand that....the dog had just had enough torment for one day.  He knew he had messed up pretty bad, because he hanged his head in shame all night.  He's still not allowed to come out of the bedroom - I leave our french doors open in our bedroom so he can come in and out that way.  He knows something's wrong - and that's sad to me. 

Don't get me wrong here - there is no dog on this planet who will ever mean more to me than my own children.  I'm more of a Mama Bear than anyone I know...to a fault sometimes.  But I don't completely place all the blame on the dog, either.  He was just tired of being picked up, grabbed, poked on, and pulled on.  That's no excuse - but he's only lived with us since January.  We believe he may have belonged to a little old lady who died in a housefire before he showed up at a friend's house starving.  We rescued him, and he's been with us ever since.  He's very loving; but I don't think he's used to being with little kids.  He's growled at her before when she was "hugging" him, and he scratched her once.  But this was just the last straw.  He's got to go.  I'm sad.  But I know this is the best thing for all of us.  :( 

 

2 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry, Amy! That's terrible, and every mother's worst nightmare.

    ~Jennifer

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  2. So sorry you had to find your dog a new home! I hope you get to visit him often. My daughter was about the same age when she got bit by my sister's dog. Of course, my daughter bit the dog first... Yeah.

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