Friend has biting dog

[Samantha and Socrates]

Looking for advice from people who understand how important dogs are to the family and that this isn't an easy question...

My friend adopted a Coton de Tulear (sp?) last year from a breeder who was getting out of the business. I guess she wasn't able to visit the breeder prior to getting the dog because it was 5 hours away, and the breeder offered a great price on this male dog that she had intended to keep to breed but never did because she was closing the business. When my friend actually picked up the dog, I understand that the dog and the conditions it was housed in were LESS than ideal. (So that would be part of the issue.)

I don't know how old the dog is now, or how old it was when she got him, but I believe he was about 1 year then, and obviously had never been socialized. The dog was terrified of everything and my friend worked very hard to get him used to the world but she has no idea what kind of trauma the dog may have been subjected to previously. (That is another part of the issue.)

Fast forward to now, the dog is completely comfortable with her owner (my friend) and her fiancee, and it's become their baby boy as you can all understand. BUT - the dog bites. He is completely unpredictable, he'll be fine one minute and nothing will have changed to trigger any kind of stressor  but will suddenly become aggressive.

Example - The dog bit me the other day, enough to draw blood and leave a huge bruise. I had introduced myself to the dog outside and he wagged his tail and all was well. We have all been instructed that the best thing we can do after letting the dog see that we are non-threatening is to ignore him, so that is what I did. A little while later when we went inside I used the restroom and the dog was fine. I then crossed the room, not looking at the dog, in fact was no where near him, when he lunged out of the corner, slipped his collar, and bit me.

Then my friend mentioned that he's bitten several people now, including a little kid. WHAT?? It was a pretty casual statement from a dog owner facing a friend whose leg is dripping blood. She seemed slightly embarrassed but took no actions to scold the dog other than yelling at him as he attempted to go for my leg again, and locking him in the bathroom. She was asking me what else she could possibly do. I don't know what to tell her, she appears to be doing everything correctly for this dog but it's clear the dog has deeper issues. They are trying to save money to take him to a behavorist with some kind of regularity, but that's tough because the one in their area charges $60/hr.

It's easy to say "I wouldn't have a dog that bites" but I know that my own dog is my child and you can't just give up on them. However, this means I won't  go to their house anymore unless the dog is shut away and that can't be the life they want for their dog forever, especially because it still doesn't minimize all risk.

Any thoughts?

[Samantha and Socrates]

Thank you to everyone for your perspective! I think I may show some of these to her so she realizes that this is a serious issue that she needs to work on. I think she needs to realize that this is a huge issue and a responsibility that she needs to address, it's not enough to have people avoid coming over or trying to corral the dog. I like the idea of a muzzle that allows the dog to still eat, etc. I may suggest that and encourage her to get moving on working with a professional as a start but that there is lot of work ahead of her.

Here's the dog, proof that appearances can be deceiving!

[Deborah Brown]

Oh my!  He is adorable.  No wonder he gets away with bad behavior.  You are a good friend to help her with this.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

He is adorable- but...this is a bad situation for the dog and anyone around him

good luck to him and your friend.