I feel your pain, and offer my sincere sympothy. I had a Chow who was extrmely protective of me. She excepted my wife when we married, but we had to put her down before my son was born because she was skidish around children, we couldn't take a chance. Sugar was 9 years old and perfectly healthy, but couldn't be trusted around other people...... Your poem is wonderful, I know it had to be hard to write. Thank you for sharing......Ben

(I am re- wording this because I dont feel the first time; I said what I meant to say properly.) I understand and share in your pain. Society screams foul when a domesticated dog bites someone whether or not it was an actual attack or not, and therefore, it is understandable why you and your family might find yourselves in the predicament of deciding or being forced to decide whether or not to put the dog down, with the favor leaning toward the result that has occurred. So, dont feel as if it was your fault or something that you did wrongin reality it was out of your hands. And yes, it is incredibly sad what you have written Dogs are pack animals when kept inside with the family and not much contact with other humans, (strangers to them if you will) they become suspicious of anyone else who enters or comes around They are constantly on alert to potential dangers Dogs do not communicate as we do; they read body language and motion as well as the sense of smell and sound It very well could have been a mood this individual (the delivery man) was in, that (maybe unaware to him yet still existed) expressed body language that warranted danger to your dog or it could have been a sudden movement that provoked his natural instincts to protectA dogs best and first used form of defense is his or her mouth/teeth Just as if you are right or left hand dominant, and you wish to protect by habit and nature alone if you had to defend yourself, or anyone else normally that would be the hand you would use firstTherefore, it seems as though this is what occurred from the information provided, because if your dog had meant to truly harm, I can promise you the attack would have been so much more intense and damaging then it was A large domestic dogs jaw strength is 700 pounds of pressure and sometimes more depending on the dog when they to do harmThus you have expressed it was not real bad, and that your dog released the delivery man quickly, thus tells me it was a in defense bite, and not an attack bite. Anyhow, basically what I wanted you to know is it wasnt your fault or his that this happened, you loved him enough, and he too I am sure dearly loved you Hugs... thanks for sharing and my best to you and your family.

awwwwwwe.. dear jessi.. writing has a way of letting it out.. do not blame yourself.. we had to do that once with one of our dogs that killed our neighbor's dog for crossing into her territory.. :( hugz