Having never bit before I would assume it was something the child did to cause the dog to react that way. A dog of 6 years in a family environment with no known agression history just does not bite for no reason. Why I wonder, was a 1 and a half year old alound alone with the dog in the first place? I find it sad they would give him up so quickly without even taking him to the vet to see if something medical is going on, or seeking the guidance of a trainer and figuring out why the dog bit. Was the child pulling or tuggin on the dog etc.? Some children are very rough, and at such a young age I doubt the baby knows how to behave when around large dogs.

Though I do agree 100% that caution should always be had when having children and pets in the same household. We just adopted a puppy, aged 8 weeks and I have a toddler who will be three in November. Though there is a risk, the positives far outweigh the negativies and I could never not have a dog just because there is a maybe or an if that something will go wrong. You just hope and pray for the best. Many of my friends have dogs and have children and have never had a problem. Though I think it's absolutely silly to think something like this could not happen to me, you or anyone else. Has their dog had training?