Has your dog ever bitten anyone

[Anonymous]

My dog (4 yrs old) bit someone a few months ago. My ex-husband took her to a doggie wash/coffee place after a muddy run in the park. The kid who was washing her went to lift her out of the tub and she bit him in the face drawing blood. I was horrified, she has never shown aggression towards anyone before (except the fedex guy she barks at him) She has never bitten anyone or another animal. I wasn't there so I don't know exactly what happened, but I wonder if she had an injury from the run and this person hit it when lifting her, I'm in no way blaming the kid that washed her but its so strange. We provided vet /vaccination reports and offered to pay for any medical care needed. Luckily the boy was ok. I feel horrible and will never take here there again, I'm just not sure what got into her that day.

[Anonymous]

I can see this kind of thing totally happening with our dog who is deaf. I love her and she is sweet, too sweet, after she gets to know you. But I have to tell parents to keep their kids away. Hence she is known as the neighborhood "mean dog"

[Anonymous]

Yes, I would be prostrate with apology and remorse if my dog bit someone. I would not have to be asked to pay medical expenses and would realistically address all my options with our vet.

[Anonymous]

My dog has never bitten anyone. The dog that bit your son should be put down. I really hope that the owners are covering your medical bills. I am not a sue type person either, but I probably would in this case.

I really hope that the dog has been put down by now, and if not, call animal control. This is a dangerous dog.

[Anonymous]

tell them to destroy the animal or you will be pressing charges and then do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It could have been a smaller child from the neighborhood.

Owner needs to learn proper responsibility required when you own a dog.

First of all, we don't know that the owner "wasn't responsible." Dogs can get out of the yard. Even very responsible owners find themselves in that situation (water meter guy doesn't close the yard gate, for example). Bite does not mean irresponsible automatically.

Second, if this is a dog that has never bitten before, the owner may be disbelieving. My dogs have never bitten anyone and if you told me either of them had, I probably wouldn't believe you, either. And if it had been shown that either had, I'd want to know exactly what happened, among other things, to know why it happened. And whether or not your kid was at fault (it doesn't sound like it from your telling of the story but I wasn't there).

Third, people get into blood-thirsty mode in these situations. Calling for the dog to be put down, worst case scenarios, etc. If you're going to approach me with that, then yes, I'm not going to be amenable to a conversation until the facts are known. I will not deal with hysterical people. It's fair to call AC if you don't know the dog, to demand proof of shots, and broach the idea of medical expenses. But, again, this all presumes no fault on the part of the person bitten.

I know I'll get flamed for this and that's fine. No amount of name-calling or hysterics, both of which I expect, are going to change my view. And, yes, I have a child and kids in and out of my house every single day. I've also had dogs my entire life. But, you asked for another perspective and there it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dog has never bitten anyone. The dog that bit your son should be put down. I really hope that the owners are covering your medical bills. I am not a sue type person either, but I probably would in this case.

I really hope that the dog has been put down by now, and if not, call animal control. This is a dangerous dog.

This is exactly why I would be hesitant to deal with OP (and many of you). This is not a wild animal. And "bite" does not automatically mean it should be put down. They don't develop some thirst for blood. And, in many cases, the person bitten bears some of the fault. This is an unpopular opinion but it is true. I'm not saying that is the case in OP's case -no one commenting her knows that as they were not present- but in lots of cases it is.

I would absolutely fight tooth and nail against someone trying to put my dog down if they had no history of bites/aggression, and especially if the person bitten was at fault. Again, unpopular but oh well.

[Anonymous]

Happened many years ago: my son was at a Halloween haunted corn maze place, at some point inside some kind of building where there was an older dog wandering around. He reached down to pet it and was badly bitten on his arm (through a heavy jacket he still required 12 stitches). Minutes later a girl with a youth group was also bitten. The dog had not been vaccinated and neighbors said she had hip problems and in pain a lot and would snap when touched--obviously did not belong exposed to throngs of kids visiting the venue during the fall. I think the county ordered the dog put down. Later I checked with an attorney. The girl had obtained a judgment against the owner because she was the second bite. Lawyer said every dog gets one free bite.

[Anonymous]

I had some problems with my dog being too aggressive when some guests are in the house. Tried many ways to solve the issue and not so long ago finally managed to find a solution. When some guests come, I just use those best bully sticks to distract the dog and it works. So if you have some similar problems, you may consider this method as an option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go after this owner, OP. Next time that dog will kill someone.

That is quite a dramatic response!

It's not dramatic. These types of dogs can very easily kill someone. And the dog bit him, and then lunged again. That's not a playful bite, it's an attack that could have gone out of control very quickly.

+1 this is a very aggressive dog in the possession of dumb@$$es who don’t care about controlling it.

This. These owners at a bare minimum should be keeping vaccinations up. And also after this episode should never ever walk the dog off-leash again, even if it's legal.

BTW is the team still running this route and have there been any further problems? I'd have somebody on the team carry pepper spray or the like until I'm sure the owners have shaped up.

[Anonymous]

I would sue. The dog should be put down and the owner punished.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we have a tiny rescue who "guards" us. He is sweet, cuddly, and fiercely loyal to us. He is elderly, deaf, and has poor vision with years of medical problems and anxiety. He will bite anyone who he feels is a threat to us, including any other dogs, even dogs three times his size. If we are out of the way, he is fine and is not biting anyone .
So, we keep him away from everyone. Theres not much we can do about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know about where you live, OP, it here in Montgomery County if a dog bites a person like that, that dog is deemed “potentially dangerous” and subject to much more stringent housing and leash control rules. If the dog does it again, the dog is taken from the owner and euthanized.

So it’s been reported. It may bring consequences to the owner, at least, if not the dog.

This is not true. A neighbor frequently lets her large mix out by himself- no lead and he has savaged other dogs and people. She has has two citations and still does it. The last neighbor who was attacked along with her dog called the police and Animal Control. All AC did was list it. She was asked if she was placing charges. The woman paid her vet bills and sent her gifts and I doubt she placed charges, but told her if she sees him out loose again, she will.
Also, another dog, a pit bull bit off an older woman's lip last spring after the woman went over to try to reason with the owner with regard to her letting the dog out alone. She needed an ER visit, plastic surgery, and shots. She filed charges, has sued, and nothing was done.

So, not really.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a dog, but my son was bitten by a neighbor's dog when he was about 2. The dog was old, deaf, and half blind, and my son happened to be standing in front of him when the dog was spooked by a something bumping into him from behind. Wrong place wrong time.

The owner felt awful. She called us twice a day asking for updates on our son (he had gotten stitches). She didn't eat for days, or sleep. I think she was on the verge of a breakdown she felt so bad. The dog wasn't put down, but was quarantined for a while, and I never again saw that dog off a leash (he'd always been leashed for walks, but I'm talking about in their own backyard). Any time we went near their house, the dog was leashed or locked in a bedroom before we got to their front door.

I think I would react the same if a dog I owned hurt someone. People are more important than animals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It could have been a smaller child from the neighborhood.

Owner needs to learn proper responsibility required when you own a dog.

First of all, we don't know that the owner "wasn't responsible." Dogs can get out of the yard. Even very responsible owners find themselves in that situation (water meter guy doesn't close the yard gate, for example). Bite does not mean irresponsible automatically.

Second, if this is a dog that has never bitten before, the owner may be disbelieving. My dogs have never bitten anyone and if you told me either of them had, I probably wouldn't believe you, either. And if it had been shown that either had, I'd want to know exactly what happened, among other things, to know why it happened. And whether or not your kid was at fault (it doesn't sound like it from your telling of the story but I wasn't there).

Third, people get into blood-thirsty mode in these situations. Calling for the dog to be put down, worst case scenarios, etc. If you're going to approach me with that, then yes, I'm not going to be amenable to a conversation until the facts are known. I will not deal with hysterical people. It's fair to call AC if you don't know the dog, to demand proof of shots, and broach the idea of medical expenses. But, again, this all presumes no fault on the part of the person bitten.

I know I'll get flamed for this and that's fine. No amount of name-calling or hysterics, both of which I expect, are going to change my view. And, yes, I have a child and kids in and out of my house every single day. I've also had dogs my entire life. But, you asked for another perspective and there it is.

The responsibility for the bite is on the dog and dog owner.