Anonymous
05/23/2025 14:35
Subject: Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The dog owner, IMO. Your pet does something, it's your responsibility.
Dog needs to be reported to animal control as well.
Absent further detail re: the circumstances, this is stupidly oversimplified. If I put my pet in someone else's care, they're responsible for what happens to my pet, and also potentially liable.
If your pet acts aggressively, it's your responsibility.
I have personally been bitten by a dog for the family I babysat for, there was no provocation and nothing I could have done in that moment to prevent getting bitten.
If a dog attacks another dog without provocation or warning there was nothing the person watching the dog could have done.
There is no such thing as attacking without provocation/ out of the blue. Sounds like there are many people on here who do not understand dog behaviour and should not be owners if you believe stuff like this. Unless your dog is cujo, there are always signs. If you ignore them and an animal gets hurt, that’s your fault as the supervising human.
There are usually signs over time but not immediately. The owners would be the ones to notice patterns of behavior and had a duty to warn someone watching the dog. The idea that someone babysitting a dog should be able to anticipate behavior immediately from someone else's dog is completely unrealistic.
It is also 100% on the owners to notice and train out aggressive behavior. Someone caring for a dog for a couple days does not have the experience with the dog to recognize its individual warning signs and certainly doesn't have time to train out aggression.
The person looking after the animal (foster or sitting) is in charge. If they aren’t going to watch the dogs and pay attention, what’s even the point?
Anonymous
05/23/2025 14:33
Subject: Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Hi DCUM,
Question re financial responsibilities of the dog owners vs pet sitters
here is the deal - my friend fosters dogs regularly, and sometimes takes relative's dog in when they have to travel (free of charge). All was ok until it wasn't: relative's dog attacked foster dog out of the blue, foster had wounds were serious enough for emergency vet visit. Initially, the rescue covered all of the bills, but now is asking for reimbursement.
Who is responsible for that bill? Dog owner or pet sitter/dog foster?
The owner of the violent dog is the person that is responsible for all legal liability. I don't understand how that's remotely questionable.
Because it's not that easy. Was the dog cornered when it bit? Did it get bitten first? Did the first dog start what the second dog finished? It's really hard to put liability on a dog in a conflict because there are two dogs. The idea that one can just run up on another and not get bit isn't compatible with how dogs work (similar to how the concept of self-defense works in human behavior). So your idea of a "violent dog" is a gross oversimplification.
What did happen, unmistakably, was handler failure to provide and maintain a safe environment for the dogs.
Anonymous
05/23/2025 14:30
Subject: Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The dog owner, IMO. Your pet does something, it's your responsibility.
Dog needs to be reported to animal control as well.
Absent further detail re: the circumstances, this is stupidly oversimplified. If I put my pet in someone else's care, they're responsible for what happens to my pet, and also potentially liable.
If your pet acts aggressively, it's your responsibility.
I have personally been bitten by a dog for the family I babysat for, there was no provocation and nothing I could have done in that moment to prevent getting bitten.
If a dog attacks another dog without provocation or warning there was nothing the person watching the dog could have done.
There is no such thing as attacking without provocation/ out of the blue. Sounds like there are many people on here who do not understand dog behaviour and should not be owners if you believe stuff like this. Unless your dog is cujo, there are always signs. If you ignore them and an animal gets hurt, that’s your fault as the supervising human.
There are usually signs over time but not immediately. The owners would be the ones to notice patterns of behavior and had a duty to warn someone watching the dog. The idea that someone babysitting a dog should be able to anticipate behavior immediately from someone else's dog is completely unrealistic.
It is also 100% on the owners to notice and train out aggressive behavior. Someone caring for a dog for a couple days does not have the experience with the dog to recognize its individual warning signs and certainly doesn't have time to train out aggression.
Maybe not, but someone accepting responsibility for a dog should know how to handle a dog. The warning signs are fairly generic, and standard steps to avoid conflict, like not introducing a dog you don't know well to another dog (you also don't know well) are simple and straightforward. You can do a LOT by simply avoiding situations that are likely sources of aggressive behavior, like introductions. And if you don't know well enough to know that, you're not ready to be responsible for a dog as a sitter or an owner.
Anonymous
05/23/2025 14:24
Subject: Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Anonymous wrote:Hi DCUM,
Question re financial responsibilities of the dog owners vs pet sitters
here is the deal - my friend fosters dogs regularly, and sometimes takes relative's dog in when they have to travel (free of charge). All was ok until it wasn't: relative's dog attacked foster dog out of the blue, foster had wounds were serious enough for emergency vet visit. Initially, the rescue covered all of the bills, but now is asking for reimbursement.
Who is responsible for that bill? Dog owner or pet sitter/dog foster?
The owner of the violent dog is the person that is responsible for all legal liability. I don't understand how that's remotely questionable.
Anonymous
05/23/2025 14:14
Subject: Re:Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I'm going to copypaste pp because they get it and a lot of y'all need to.
"There's always a warning. People just tend to either ignore it or misread it. In this instance, the person in question should definitely have had the dogs separated and should have paid more attention. People who foster dogs should probably be required to take a class, but typically they aren't and rescue groups are mostly volunteers so here we are."
People ought to have a certification tests and an actual license to own animals the same way you need a license to drive a car. All dogs can bite, and the person on-duty is responsible for the animal(s) in their care.
"There is no such thing as attacking without provocation/ out of the blue. Sounds like there are many people on here who do not understand dog behaviour and should not be owners if you believe stuff like this. Unless your dog is cujo, there are always signs. If you ignore them and an animal gets hurt, that’s your fault as the supervising human."
Seriously. If you don't understand dogs, you'll think it's "out of the blue" when, to a more experienced/intelligent owner/handler, there are all kinds of signs. Even Cujo had signs, and a dog like that is a known issue; they don't "just snap" the way some of your idiots would allege.
If you're not willing to learn how dogs work, at least enough to handle them safely, you shouldn't have or handle dogs.
Okay, so I was the babysitter in this case who was attacked by the family's dog. I was 17 years old when I was attacked. What warning signs and obligations did I, as the person in the house have and ability to correct the dog that bit me. For what it's worth I did prevent the young children in the house from being bitten, my putting myself physically between them.
So this whole "there are always signs". If your dog is dangerous enough that someone has to be a dog mind reader to be safe around your dog, you are a bad dog owner who handed someone a hand grenade.
It's on the owners.
If your 17 year old self was not familiar with the dog or it had a history of aggression, it should not have been left in your care. That is correct. Nothing in your description points to a dog that attacked without warning. It is entirely possible that you as a 17 year old did not know how to read the warnings. That doesn't mean they weren't there. Yes. The owners should not have left that dog with you.
Anonymous
05/23/2025 13:41
Subject: Re:Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Anonymous wrote:I'm going to copypaste pp because they get it and a lot of y'all need to.
"There's always a warning. People just tend to either ignore it or misread it. In this instance, the person in question should definitely have had the dogs separated and should have paid more attention. People who foster dogs should probably be required to take a class, but typically they aren't and rescue groups are mostly volunteers so here we are."
People ought to have a certification tests and an actual license to own animals the same way you need a license to drive a car. All dogs can bite, and the person on-duty is responsible for the animal(s) in their care.
"There is no such thing as attacking without provocation/ out of the blue. Sounds like there are many people on here who do not understand dog behaviour and should not be owners if you believe stuff like this. Unless your dog is cujo, there are always signs. If you ignore them and an animal gets hurt, that’s your fault as the supervising human."
Seriously. If you don't understand dogs, you'll think it's "out of the blue" when, to a more experienced/intelligent owner/handler, there are all kinds of signs. Even Cujo had signs, and a dog like that is a known issue; they don't "just snap" the way some of your idiots would allege.
If you're not willing to learn how dogs work, at least enough to handle them safely, you shouldn't have or handle dogs.
Okay, so I was the babysitter in this case who was attacked by the family's dog. I was 17 years old when I was attacked. What warning signs and obligations did I, as the person in the house have and ability to correct the dog that bit me. For what it's worth I did prevent the young children in the house from being bitten, my putting myself physically between them.
So this whole "there are always signs". If your dog is dangerous enough that someone has to be a dog mind reader to be safe around your dog, you are a bad dog owner who handed someone a hand grenade.
It's on the owners.
Anonymous
05/23/2025 13:36
Subject: Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The dog owner, IMO. Your pet does something, it's your responsibility.
Dog needs to be reported to animal control as well.
Absent further detail re: the circumstances, this is stupidly oversimplified. If I put my pet in someone else's care, they're responsible for what happens to my pet, and also potentially liable.
If your pet acts aggressively, it's your responsibility.
I have personally been bitten by a dog for the family I babysat for, there was no provocation and nothing I could have done in that moment to prevent getting bitten.
If a dog attacks another dog without provocation or warning there was nothing the person watching the dog could have done.
There is no such thing as attacking without provocation/ out of the blue. Sounds like there are many people on here who do not understand dog behaviour and should not be owners if you believe stuff like this. Unless your dog is cujo, there are always signs. If you ignore them and an animal gets hurt, that’s your fault as the supervising human.
There are usually signs over time but not immediately. The owners would be the ones to notice patterns of behavior and had a duty to warn someone watching the dog. The idea that someone babysitting a dog should be able to anticipate behavior immediately from someone else's dog is completely unrealistic.
It is also 100% on the owners to notice and train out aggressive behavior. Someone caring for a dog for a couple days does not have the experience with the dog to recognize its individual warning signs and certainly doesn't have time to train out aggression.
Anonymous
05/23/2025 13:33
Subject: Re:Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
I'm going to copypaste pp because they get it and a lot of y'all need to.
"There's always a warning. People just tend to either ignore it or misread it. In this instance, the person in question should definitely have had the dogs separated and should have paid more attention. People who foster dogs should probably be required to take a class, but typically they aren't and rescue groups are mostly volunteers so here we are."
People ought to have a certification tests and an actual license to own animals the same way you need a license to drive a car. All dogs can bite, and the person on-duty is responsible for the animal(s) in their care.
"There is no such thing as attacking without provocation/ out of the blue. Sounds like there are many people on here who do not understand dog behaviour and should not be owners if you believe stuff like this. Unless your dog is cujo, there are always signs. If you ignore them and an animal gets hurt, that’s your fault as the supervising human."
Seriously. If you don't understand dogs, you'll think it's "out of the blue" when, to a more experienced/intelligent owner/handler, there are all kinds of signs. Even Cujo had signs, and a dog like that is a known issue; they don't "just snap" the way some of your idiots would allege.
If you're not willing to learn how dogs work, at least enough to handle them safely, you shouldn't have or handle dogs.
"There's always a warning. People just tend to either ignore it or misread it. In this instance, the person in question should definitely have had the dogs separated and should have paid more attention. People who foster dogs should probably be required to take a class, but typically they aren't and rescue groups are mostly volunteers so here we are."
People ought to have a certification tests and an actual license to own animals the same way you need a license to drive a car. All dogs can bite, and the person on-duty is responsible for the animal(s) in their care.
"There is no such thing as attacking without provocation/ out of the blue. Sounds like there are many people on here who do not understand dog behaviour and should not be owners if you believe stuff like this. Unless your dog is cujo, there are always signs. If you ignore them and an animal gets hurt, that’s your fault as the supervising human."
Seriously. If you don't understand dogs, you'll think it's "out of the blue" when, to a more experienced/intelligent owner/handler, there are all kinds of signs. Even Cujo had signs, and a dog like that is a known issue; they don't "just snap" the way some of your idiots would allege.
If you're not willing to learn how dogs work, at least enough to handle them safely, you shouldn't have or handle dogs.
Anonymous
05/23/2025 13:25
Subject: Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The dog owner, IMO. Your pet does something, it's your responsibility.
Dog needs to be reported to animal control as well.
Absent further detail re: the circumstances, this is stupidly oversimplified. If I put my pet in someone else's care, they're responsible for what happens to my pet, and also potentially liable.
If your pet acts aggressively, it's your responsibility.
I have personally been bitten by a dog for the family I babysat for, there was no provocation and nothing I could have done in that moment to prevent getting bitten.
If a dog attacks another dog without provocation or warning there was nothing the person watching the dog could have done.
There is no such thing as attacking without provocation/ out of the blue. Sounds like there are many people on here who do not understand dog behaviour and should not be owners if you believe stuff like this. Unless your dog is cujo, there are always signs. If you ignore them and an animal gets hurt, that’s your fault as the supervising human.
Anonymous
05/23/2025 12:36
Subject: Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The dog owner, IMO. Your pet does something, it's your responsibility.
Dog needs to be reported to animal control as well.
Absent further detail re: the circumstances, this is stupidly oversimplified. If I put my pet in someone else's care, they're responsible for what happens to my pet, and also potentially liable.
If your pet acts aggressively, it's your responsibility.
I have personally been bitten by a dog for the family I babysat for, there was no provocation and nothing I could have done in that moment to prevent getting bitten.
If a dog attacks another dog without provocation or warning there was nothing the person watching the dog could have done.
There's always a warning. People just tend to either ignore it or misread it. In this instance, the person in question should definitely have had the dogs separated and should have paid more attention. People who foster dogs should probably be required to take a class, but typically they aren't and rescue groups are mostly volunteers so here we are.
Anonymous
05/22/2025 20:27
Subject: Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The dog owner, IMO. Your pet does something, it's your responsibility.
Dog needs to be reported to animal control as well.
Absent further detail re: the circumstances, this is stupidly oversimplified. If I put my pet in someone else's care, they're responsible for what happens to my pet, and also potentially liable.
If your pet acts aggressively, it's your responsibility.
I have personally been bitten by a dog for the family I babysat for, there was no provocation and nothing I could have done in that moment to prevent getting bitten.
If a dog attacks another dog without provocation or warning there was nothing the person watching the dog could have done.
Anonymous
05/22/2025 08:45
Subject: Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
The owner of the dog that bit.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 22:31
Subject: Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Anonymous wrote:The dog owner, IMO. Your pet does something, it's your responsibility.
Dog needs to be reported to animal control as well.
Absent further detail re: the circumstances, this is stupidly oversimplified. If I put my pet in someone else's care, they're responsible for what happens to my pet, and also potentially liable.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 22:29
Subject: Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Anonymous wrote:Hi DCUM,
Question re financial responsibilities of the dog owners vs pet sitters
here is the deal - my friend fosters dogs regularly, and sometimes takes relative's dog in when they have to travel (free of charge). All was ok until it wasn't: relative's dog attacked foster dog out of the blue, foster had wounds were serious enough for emergency vet visit. Initially, the rescue covered all of the bills, but now is asking for reimbursement.
Who is responsible for that bill? Dog owner or pet sitter/dog foster?
The human "on duty" is the one responsible for the incident, because it's the human's job to make sure the dogs are safe.
As to who's responsible for the bill, if the fostering contract states they're responsible for the medical care of the animal while it's being fostered (and most do), and the foster followed the terms of that agreement (e.g. "call us first" and/or "only approved vet care providers will be accepted"), then the foster service is responsible for the care of their animal. But I'd never let that person foster again.
"Your friend" isn't responsible enough to do this. One dog at a time from now on. This was human error, and should've been avoided.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 19:38
Subject: Re:Dog bites - who's responsible for the vet bill?
Fitter/foster should pay all costs as they were directly responsible for both dogs and should have had control. If you are going foster dogs, you should really understand that you can't just bring in another dog and turn them loose together. There is a whole introduction process and not all dogs are compatible.