Experts. My pal's 8 yr old deaf dog bit someone in the face (someone woke him up, startled him). It

[zonkers]

was only a one stitch injury but it is the third time in the dog's life that he bit someone, 2nd time in the face. It's basically a friendly dog, just messed up due to its deafness. There is no official record of the first two bites. And it's not a pitbull. He weighs about fifty pounds. Does this dog need to be put down? This dog was a rescue about five years ago and never has made a full recovery. There is no real way to keep this dog isolated in a yard -- this is an apartment situation with roomates. We don't know what to do. No one will adopt this guy.

[DS1]

1. You can't ask this question without giving more circumstances

who woke it up? How tall are they? Were they waking it up with their face? Do they know the dog? etc etc etc

[zonkers]

2. It was a new roommate. the girl who got bit sat down next to him on the couch...

of course, the dog should never have been on the couch to begin with. And no,she is not super tall. She has known the dog for about a month. This just stinks. Thanks for posting, DS. This dog has been in three foster situations. Problem is, he is cute so people never expect him to be aggressive.

[siligut]

3. OK, the concern is could the aggression progress.

Will he go from biting to mauling? I don’t think so, according to your description. It is necessary to make sure the dog knows undue aggression is a no no. This can be done with a punishing face, human expression. However, having suffered abuse and being deaf, this dog has reason to be fearful, so warn people.

Help your new roommate to adapt to the dog. Explain it was fright that caused the dog to bite. Get the dog a bed of its own.

[China_cat]

4. Deaf dogs have a problem with being startled.

It's not that they're aggressive, it's that they don't know what's happening and act to protect themselves.

The problem is mostly going to be educating the room mates and anyone else who comes into the house not to touch him if he doesn't know you're there (back turned or asleep). Stamp on the floor, hit the couch out of his range, etc. Let him know you're there and not a threat.

Ideally, he should be in a family situation with no children so that he knows where he is and what's going on all the time. Since you don't have that, I'd recommend consulting with a vet or a behaviorist who has worked with deaf dogs. ONLY THEN consider putting him down...after you've exhausted all other avenues.

Here's some places to start:

http://www.deafk9.com/
http://www.deafdogs.org/
http://meryl.net/ci/2006/01/deaf_dog_resources.html
http://www.wagntrain.com/deaf_dog.htm
http://www.marylandpet.com/special-needs-pets/deaf-pets.htm

[zonkers]

9. Thanks for taking the tiime to share links. Will check them out.

[flvegan]

5. Remember, dogs rely on hearing and scent far more than their eyes.

Very unlike us. It's unfortunate, but people really need to act differently around a deaf dog. I don't think the dog needs to be put down, but he needs to be taken into concern in every situation differently. An excess of care should be taken to be sure the dog is awake and aware before being approached.

I'm glad your roomie wasn't seriously injured.

[noonwitch]

6. Keep the dog away from children, and warn people not to startle him

And ask your vet. It doesn't sound like the kind of situation that calls for a dog to be put down.

My neighbors had a vicious dog a few years back that attacked them. The second time the police took her, they euthanized her (the first time, my neighbors paid to release her). I wasn't there, but the other neighbors said that the dog was so out of control, the cops were about to shoot it in the street. I'm glad it didn't come to that-it would have been a traumatic event for the neighborhood kids to witness.

That dog was kept always in the house or the yard, and never was really a risk to the rest of us, just to those who lived in her house.

[huskerlaw]

7. The roommates need to be educated

about the deaf dog. It doesn't sound like he bit because he's aggressive. He bit because she scared him.

Think about it...how would you react if someone startled you awake out of a deep sleep. With no warning of their presence whatsoever? Oh, and you don't have hands. Or words. It's absolutely not a surprise that the freaked out dog responded by biting.

If the roommate had approached the dog more cautiously and alerted it to her presence more subtly, I doubt the incident would have happened. The owner of the dog should know how best this situation should be fixed...i.e. how to approach the dog when it's sleeping without freaking it out.

This wasn't the dog's fault. The roommate needs to change her behavior.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. I was bit by my grandparent's blind dog when I smacked him with a toy. Fortunately

this was decades ago and no one demanded that the dog be put down, seeing as how it was my fault and all!

[auburngrad82]

10. You can't treat a deaf dog like a normal dog

They do startle easily and everyone around the dog needs to be made aware of that fact.