Anonymous wrote:OP, we have always had German Shepherds. We have two now. In my 30 years of owning and training Shepherds, we have never had a dog bite. Not one time. There is nothing at all ok with what you describe. That dog could kill the next person who runs by the house. German Shepherds are wonderful dogs when properly raised, trained, and socialized. They are very dangerous when they are not.

You absolutely should call animal control and report the bite. Call the police and file a report. Call a personal injury attorney and sue the owner. Sadly, the dog should probably be euthanized.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Nope.

You always, always call animal control when a dog bites so there is a record and paper trail on that dog.

That way, if/when they bite again, proper steps can be taken to put them down.

Nope. Especially if the dog is not at fault.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Nope.

You always, always call animal control when a dog bites so there is a record and paper trail on that dog.

That way, if/when they bite again, proper steps can be taken to put them down.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a small breed aggressive lover, he will cover anyone with licks. I always warn people of this so they don't put their face close, but some people just don't listen. A woman came right up to him on a Bethesda sidewalk and even when I told her not to put her face close, she picked him up and held him into her face where of course he licked her mouth. She freaked out that she 'felt his teeth' (there was nothing remotely close to him biting her) and insisted that I provide his vaccination records and said she was trying to decide whether to report him. She picked up my dog! I felt like I should have reported her, but luckily it all got dropped after she saw his record.

And this is exactly why I do not allow strangers to get close to my dog. I do not care what they think of me. Keep your hands to yourself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a small breed aggressive lover, he will cover anyone with licks. I always warn people of this so they don't put their face close, but some people just don't listen. A woman came right up to him on a Bethesda sidewalk and even when I told her not to put her face close, she picked him up and held him into her face where of course he licked her mouth. She freaked out that she 'felt his teeth' (there was nothing remotely close to him biting her) and insisted that I provide his vaccination records and said she was trying to decide whether to report him. She picked up my dog! I felt like I should have reported her, but luckily it all got dropped after she saw his record.

Sounds like the woman who picked up your dog has some mental issues.

Anonymous wrote:I have a small breed aggressive lover, he will cover anyone with licks. I always warn people of this so they don't put their face close, but some people just don't listen. A woman came right up to him on a Bethesda sidewalk and even when I told her not to put her face close, she picked him up and held him into her face where of course he licked her mouth. She freaked out that she 'felt his teeth' (there was nothing remotely close to him biting her) and insisted that I provide his vaccination records and said she was trying to decide whether to report him. She picked up my dog! I felt like I should have reported her, but luckily it all got dropped after she saw his record.

Anonymous wrote:I have a small breed aggressive lover, he will cover anyone with licks. I always warn people of this so they don't put their face close, but some people just don't listen. A woman came right up to him on a Bethesda sidewalk and even when I told her not to put her face close, she picked him up and held him into her face where of course he licked her mouth. She freaked out that she 'felt his teeth' (there was nothing remotely close to him biting her) and insisted that I provide his vaccination records and said she was trying to decide whether to report him. She picked up my dog! I felt like I should have reported her, but luckily it all got dropped after she saw his record.

Anonymous wrote: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 wrote:

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.