Sounds like you're better off without that demon-spawn.

That logic would more than work if the child was 3 and not 9. At 9 you know to keep your hands to yourself. By 9 you're in school where hitting/kicking have consequences. By 9 abusing animals is an indicator of larger psychological problems.

She doesn't hate the dog, she hates you. Don't kill the dog. love it more than anything, just like that dog has loved you.

I would not want people mean to animals around me--related or not!

Kinda feel like you are both wrong. If you know she was repeatedly kicking your pet you should've put a stop to it. Your daughter is over reacting, but why would you just keep letting her kick your companion until it has to respond defensively?

Your granddaughter deserved it completely for not being nice to your dog. She's lucky that the dog didn't do anything worse; my grandmother's dog knocked me over and bit my face just because I got in his way.

Don't destroy your dog. Destroy your daughter and granddaughter for being monumental morons.

Wait she was kicking the dog and the dog only scratched her? That's an incredibly patient dog. And just people amaze me when they blame the dog for reacting to abuse.

Tell her to tell your granddaughter that dogs aren't stuffed animals and you can't just manhandle them. If someone kicked me repeatedly I'd scratch them too. And family or no, if someone told me they'd rather me put my dog down than they teach their child how to act around animals, I'd tell them to go to hell.

Even though your daughter is unreasonable, you need to find a compromise so you can see your granchildren. Maybe you can suggest to keep the dog in a separate room when your granchildren are over to visit