Dog in fight, bills etc

mrcol1000

Inverness wrote: »

This is a good leaflet from Defra. My understanding is that you are potentially criminally liable as your dog damaged another person's dog. Dogs are property under the law. In my case I was bitten when I tried to stop three retrievers from attacking my Samoyed by pushing the away. In my case the police were called and came to see me and made a full report. They also warned the owners that the dogs had to be muzzled and kept on leads in future to avoid being put down.

Its still a civil matter. I do find it amusing when the police start saying what they can and can't do when even working for a local council you have to sometimes actually tell the police its them that enforce something not the council as they aren't even aware. You need a court order to get a dog muzzled but dogs should be kept under control at all times. They should only be off the lead if you can control them off the lead. Something a lot of owners seem unable to do. The police will only get involved if a person was bitten, it turns nasty between owners or they have nothing better to do.

Two years ago my dog was attacked in our garden by our neighbours dog who had strayed in but my dog was twice as big as hers and bit it. This is after I saved my dog three times being bitten by her dog as it was off the lead out of control and mine was on the lead. Anyway my partner paid half the vet fees (just for a check-up she didn't even break the skin) agasint what I wanted. 20mins after we gave her the money. Three police officers (proper police officers no PSCO's) turned up in full body armour. Two were normal police and one dog handler. Anyway they saw my dog laying on its back on the sofa having a tummy rub and realised it was not the dangerous dog my neighbour had obviously told them. The police also tried to tell me that I should muzzle it to avoid being put down but I said I wasn't as it was defending itself in its own garden. They said she was going to report our dog to the dog warden but we never heard anything from them.

Really it all comes down to where you live. I live in a rural area so the police have nothing better to do than chase up stuff like this. In inner city areas its hard enough to get them to deal with minor bites to people let alone dog on dog attacks.

Raggs_2

My dad got a doberman off in a court case with a similar defense. That was a human being bitten. He argued that there was no requirement for the rubbish bin collector to come in the garden, and no reason for him to put his hand over the fence (which he did), so it was his own silly fault he got bitten.

Unfortunately the owners refused to obey a previous court order of keeping the dog muzzled in public, and made no effort to train the dog (it bit me nicely on the bicep when we first went to offer training). So shortly after it was put down since it bit someone else in the street. Lovely dog (though I'd never own a dobie myself), with owners that let it get killed because they didn't train it.

sarabe

Dogs learn by example and often dogs whose owners act aggressively will do the same, so because of the verbal assault you suffered, I'd be inclined to give your dog the benefit of the doubt and assume that his dogs started it unless you know differently.

The fact that they were two dogs together also increases the chances of them bing the instigators.

Of course it may well have been six of one and half a dozen of the other but unless you are certain that you or your dog are to blame, if I was in your shoes, I would not be paying up.

I may well have done though if he had shown some restraint and been polite and non aggressive.

Paradigm

Dogs have scuffles, it's what they do, & as all were off the lead there can't be any blame attached to either side.

If you know your dog started it & it makes you feel better then offer to pay something towards the vet costs but be aware that you could also be taken for a mug & that this is an old injury....

Personally I wouldn't be giving them a penny!

gratefulforhelp_2

Raggs wrote: »

Which means he isn't liable for damages, however, the dangerous dogs act can still be enforced (though I very much doubt destruction of the dog would be reached even if it was).

Is the OP's breed of dog covered by the dangerous dogs act?

If it went to small claims, the owners of the westies would have to convince people that the OP had done an unreasonable thing in letting his/her dog off the lead.

Judging by resonses here, that would be hard to do.

Raggs_2

Exactly what I was saying .

hethmar

Im amazed how people have reacted in the above stories. My dogs have a " lot of noise" and "wet neck" rumbles with a pack of known dogs running free round the playing field - all the owners know each other and its a part of life as far as I am concerned. Unless one dog bites another dog badly then its only like a lot of school boys having a bit of a scuffle surely? Or am I wrong?

OH had his hand bitten badly by a spaniel that went for one of ours and the owner just stood there useless, not even trying to call the dog off. OH had a tetnus and his hand had to be wrapped for a couple of weeks but even then, we didnt rush to the police re a dangerous dog or anything - the bloke apologised and that was that.

dollparts

Sorry to hear about the doggy tear up but come on, isn't that what dogs do? There obviously wasn't a serious injury otherwise you would have been told about it by the loudmouth owner when you went round there to give your details.

Personally, anyone that threatened to put a boot in my face wouldn't be seeing a penny of mine and I think you have been uber decent up until now to be even tolerating these people given the way you have been treated.

So three off lead dogs have had a bit of a scrap? Keep yours on the lead if you feel better about doing so and tell the owner to get the vet to contact you with details of the fees. I'm willing to bet the dog has yet to go near the vets about his so called injuries.

hethmar

I should imagine the other two dogs probably caused the ruckus anyway. Ive seen it so often, 2 dogs - that is, a pack - thinking they have the right to sniff both ends of a lone dog as they want and lone dog getting nervous and snapping out.

TBH, why on earth did you feel you had to go to their house and give your details anyway. Someone that aggressive wouldnt have had me knocking on their door with my address.

foreign_correspondent

I agree - these things happen, its no big deal, it sounds lke the play just got a bit too rough - but no real harm done - I would not have given them my address if they were being verbally aggressive towards me to be honest!