Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi all, I'm new on here and looking for some help! Iv always had sogs since childhood, and now have a staffyxamerican bulldog, his names zeus, he's 7 and a half yrs old and the best behaved most loving dog ever! I also have 2 sons aged 9 and 10. A couple of wks ago I was asked to look after a friends full breed american bulldog. She was fine with all the family and zeus! However after 6 days she turned and attacked my 10 year old son, ripping his arm and ear to pieces. The owners collected her that day and decided to have her put down. My son is now healing well and all the stitches have come out but he has completely lost his confidence around dogs, including zeus, he and zeus were exceptionally close and I'm really worried that zeus will pick up on my sons fear and react to it. Can anyone offer me any advice?????????

Your poor son. My immediate instinctive thought (as a mum) was that I'd have to put my son first and if he'd gone through such a horrific experience - I wouldn't want anything to be reminding him of it all the time.

Is there anyone else that could take your dog for a while? And perhaps see how things are when your son is not face to face with it every day? He might even miss the dog?

I've had a dog that did used to growl at people who were very 'scared' of it. And I was told it was because they could 'smell the fear' and it made them suspicious of the person's intentions?

Dunno but I'd just want your boy to be able to get this out of his mind now his body is healing well.

Contact SCAS

http://www.scas.org.uk/1752/human-animal-bond-.html

If they cannot help you they will point you in the right direction.

Thank you for such a quick response, I did think about that option, unfortunately finding somebody prepared to take a dog of zeus's age isn't easy, at the moment I'm lucky enough. That my partner can take him to work and my sons spend most weekends with their dad! I also hav a zillion stairgates strategically positioned all around the house as I also have 2 older daughters who have moved out, and 1 of them has an 18 month old son, who visits regularly, I am always extremely catious about having the dog around the children so up till now iv just about managed! With the summer holidays coming up its going to be a lot more difficult! My son says he loves zeus and he knows zeus would never hurt him but he is still scared and to be honest it was a terrifying experience for me too, and I'm really twisting my mind up, not knowing what to do

I think you need to talk to a skilled practitioner in order to determine the best course of action for you all.

Sleep on it.

SCAS specialise in Animal Assisted Interventions so they will probably have the expertise you need to hand.

Take care

I would find somewhere for your dog to have a little holiday whilst you have a think about what to do long term. Keeping the dog and your son together in these circumstances must be excruciating for him. He needs to rebuild his tattered confidence slowly and in his own time.

Thanks for everyones advice I have just sent an e-mail to scas and should receive a response within 3 days! I really hope there is someone who can intervine and advise us on the best way forward, as I said I am able to keep the dog and children relatively seperate at the moment, the summer holidays are going to be a huge challenge though, and if we do decide to rehouse, where do I start nobody seems to keen to adopt a dog zeus's age.

I know Roy Dyer of http://www.trainyourdog.co.uk/ used to work with dog-phobic youngsters with a medical specialist.
It might be worth giving him a ring to see if has any suggestions?
I think the fear needs to be addressed by someone qualified.
I also think rehoming the dog may not be the best option - perhaps fostering for now would be better. That dog may well be the way to help your son regain his confidence.

That's what a lot of people have said and he and zeus were acceptionally close before this, and my children have been with him since he was a pup! I will definately make contact with the link you forwarded. Thank you

Their is a website called Furry Little Monsters I suggest checking it out as the Behavourist I believe is also a phsychiatrist as well so may well be able help your son gain his confidence back.

I used Janitta Smith I think thats her name when I was having behaviour issues with Millie and she was very good.