English Springer Spaniel

Question
My 6 1/2 year old son was bitten in the face by my Mother's English Springer
Spaniel.  The dog, Sophie, was asleep on the couch (she's like a human in this
family and is treated like one) when my son snuck up on her and nudged
Sophie in the head with his head.  She was sound asleep and was so startled,
she immediately snapped at my son and CHOMP, bit him right above the eye.  
The end result was a trip to the ER and nine stitches.  

So my question is this - are English Springer Spaniels aggressive in any way?  
This dog is LOVED by our family.  She sleeps in the bed with us and is
lavished with love daily.  I honestly believe this was a freak accident - and
that my son really startled her.  She could have been in the middle of a dream
for all we know.  Never once has this dog shown any aggression.  In fact,
quite the contrary.  She is actually protective of my son when strangers come
around.  

We are simply crushed by this incident.  My son  is not afraid of Sophie and in
fact, wanted her to jump up on the bed with him after we got home from the
ER and he was lying there watching TV.  What is the proper way to handle this
type of event?


Answer
There is a medical problem that spaniels are prone to called 'The Jeckle and Hyde syndrome' and it's actually believed to be a type of seizure which causes a normally placid dog to go into fits of rage and attack people without warning or cause-but it can be treated with several medications,and only a vet can diagnose your dog-it used to be a VERY common problem in the 70's but it has dwindled in recent years,but it still shows up in  a number of dogs,but it is still a good idea to speak to your vet about this

But it just just have been your son awoke her and startled her,and as a reaction she bit him-Springers are generally good with kids and are loving family pets,but the old term is true of 'letting sleeping dogs lay' And hopefully your son won't touch when she is sleeping anymore