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.