Dog Bite's

lori84

Thank you all for your advice. Just to let you know that my dog is a collie and this other dog is a toy dog....so the height difference is pretty big!

Also had a little trouble with there owner...they have contacted me regarding it and has advised if i do not get my mums dog re-homed then they will go and report to the police. I will be monitoring the situation closely.

ali-t

paulsad wrote: »

Totally agree - my pup is playful and I encourage him to meet other dogs - so far every dog he has met on or off the lead has recognized him as a pup and been very tolerant - when he grows to full size he will have learnt to be sociable (he is a rottie/doberman cross with a lovely nature). If I had an aggressive dog it would be muzzled I'm afraid, I wouldn't put the onus on others to keep their dogs away.

Your pup is a pup and as such will be playful but the true character and personality of the dog will not be evident yet. As an owner of a rottweiler who went through a horrible teenage phase from 8 months to 2 years I am well aware of their capabilities but would not consider my boy to be aggressive.

He could be when he was a teen, full of macho posturing and trying to have a go at other males but with hard work, persistence and LOTS of training he now likes most other dogs. A muzzle would not have fixed things as other dogs would not be able to read his facial expressions, he may have behaved worse as he didn't have control of his main modes of expression (mouth and face) and he wouldn't have been able to defend himself if another dog had a go at him.

I think it is far too simplistic to say that aggressive dogs should be muzzled and you may change your mind when your boy reaches the horrible teenage phase. If he does go through it, even though it doesn't feel like it at the time, they do come out the other end.

For the OP, the dog on the lead is deemed to be the one under control and the one off the lead then becomes the out of control one despite it being the one that was bitten. If you still have concerns it would be worth having a look at Trevor Cooper's website as he is a specialist solicitor in canine issues. Some of the advice on the site will be invaluable and won't cost a penny - very MSE http://www.doglaw.co.uk/

bagginslover

lori84 wrote: »

Thank you all for your advice. Just to let you know that my dog is a collie and this other dog is a toy dog....so the height difference is pretty big!

Also had a little trouble with there owner...they have contacted me regarding it and has advised if i do not get my mums dog re-homed then they will go and report to the police. I will be monitoring the situation closely.

The dogs respective sizes will have no bearing on it at all, don't worry about that.

What would rehoming the dog achieve? Just move the (perceived) problem elsewhere, I very much doubt the police will appreciate their demands. The dog isn't even yours, so how do they expect you to get it rehomed? Your mums dog was on its lead, theirs was off lead, they won't like it, but they have to accept that by removing their dogs lead they take the risk that it will get injured if it bothers another dog. Stick to your guns,and stay calm.

tango

orlao wrote: »

I'm sorry but I'm afraid I do expect all dog owners to keep their dog under control - if your dog won't walk to heel past another dog if need be, then on lead it goes! Training isn't always easy but it is so worth it because it means that these type of situations just don't occur. I have also known a dog whose cruciate repair op was ruined in week 6 because an off lead dog jumped on her - not funny or fair.

Yes, dogs do need to socialise and run free ideally but there are dogs that for various reasons can't or are not safe to so and you are risking both your dog and theirs being injured if you allow them to bounce up willy nilly. It's also bl00dy bad manners.

there is a middle ground here, some dogs as I have said need to be on a lead, but the marjority of dogs are friendly and will say hello and then return to their owner. Not many dogs heel next to their owner when off lead.

And not many dogs rip each others throats out..

bagginslover

tango wrote: »

there is a middle ground here, some dogs as I have said need to be on a lead, but the marjority of dogs are friendly and will say hello and then return to their owner. Not many dogs heel next to their owner when off lead.

And not many dogs rip each others throats out..

The bolded words are very important, perhaps not many do, but that means that some do, and if you let you'r dog run upto onlead dogs, thats the risk you take.

pulliptears

viktory wrote: »

My boy can be fear aggressive and therefore always walked on lead. He is often approached by other dogs who are off lead; their idiot owners have no control. If my boy actually bites their dog then tough. I am not paying a brass farthing. You should control your dog and keep it away from mine.

This.

bagginslover wrote: »

This^
I asked the same question after my dog was mobbed by 2 other dogs,who were 'just being friendly'. Barney didn't see it that way (they were trying to hump him from both ends-not at all friendly in my opinion!) and snapped at them repeatedly,finally the owner,who had no off lead control at all came and pulled them off. Barney was on his lead,aswe don't have and recall yet either (so he stays on,always). I was told (not here,on another forum) that there is no way the other party can make you pay their vet bills. The opposite is also true though,if an off lead dog hurts your on lead dog,you can't make them pay. Dog insurance isn't the same as car insurance,and the 3rd party bit of it is for damage to property and people,not other animals.

Again, This.

paulsad wrote: »

Totally agree - my pup is playful and I encourage him to meet other dogs - so far every dog he has met on or off the lead has recognized him as a pup and been very tolerant - when he grows to full size he will have learnt to be sociable (he is a rottie/doberman cross with a lovely nature). If I had an aggressive dog it would be muzzled I'm afraid, I wouldn't put the onus on others to keep their dogs away.

You have been lucky.
4 years or so ago I was walking my 2 small terriers, on lead, when an off lead mongrel twice their size attacked the smaller of my 2 dogs, Bob. He was terrified, the bigger of my dogs, Jack tried his best to defend Bob but in the end it came down to a swift kick from my husband that got the dog off him. Bob suffered bites and a lasting fear.
Jack on the other hand will now not stand for any dog, pup or otherwise approaching him or Bob. He is on his lead for a reason. If your off lead animal comes bounding towards him I will shout you and warn you that he will be unfriendly towards him. If you do not call your dog back then I'm afraid you take your chances.

My animals are on lead, yours is not. I will warn you, however If yours is bitten then I'm afraid that's your lookout and I wouldn't be paying a penny.

orlao

lori84 wrote: »

Also had a little trouble with there owner...they have contacted me regarding it and has advised if i do not get my mums dog re-homed then they will go and report to the police. I will be monitoring the situation closely.

IIWY, I'd be inclined to call their bluff - but instead of the police, talk to your local dog warden (contact details on your council website) The one thing I'm sure of is that the police won't be interested, the only time they take an interest is if someone was bitten.
If there are any witnesses I'd ask them to write down their recollection of the incident, just in case. Even better if it was in an area covered by CCTV but if it was don't hang about as they record over footage fairly quickly. BTW, the owner of the camera won't show you the footage (due to the DPA) but you can request that they keep it in case of an official complaint.

This is exactly what I mean about people over reacting to an unfortunate incident and refusing to take responsibility for their failing....who the hell does this woman think she is? Judge, jury and executioner. Op, I'm fuming on you and your mothers behalf as this is only one step away from blackmail.

tango wrote: »

there is a middle ground here, some dogs as I have said need to be on a lead, but the marjority of dogs are friendly and will say hello and then return to their owner. Not many dogs heel next to their owner when off lead.

And not many dogs rip each others throats out..

Yes, of course if they are off lead it is normal to assume that should friendly and happy to socialise! I was referring to on lead dogs though. I also mentioned that a dog isn't always on lead because it is aggressive - there can be other reasons, just as important to that dogs owner. But if it is aggressive, are you prepared to risk your dog? Having the vet bill paid (or not, as the case maybe) won't take away the terror or pain your dog feels...

Oh, and it isn't difficult to teach a dog to heel off lead, no more difficult than teaching to walk on lead without pulling - hot dogs, liver and smelly cheese are your friend in this quest It also saves loads of faffing about with leads if you have more than one dog - I'm lazy like that so I put in the effort in training with a dog in the first year so the next 10 or 15 are easier for me :rotfl:

Not having a go at anyone here but I do think an awful lot of us need to buck up our ideas about what is and isn't acceptable when we are out with our dogs. There is huge anti dog sentiment in a large minority of the general public - fgs, I get frustrated with some owners and I like dogs, am not scared of them, even the big boisterous ones. There are a lot of people who don't like ANY dogs and like most things, the antis shout much louder than those who are pro dog or really not fussed. For example, if you are near the coast - how many beaches are dogs allowed on outside of really restricted times/seasons? More and more councils restrict the areas dogs are allowed in and many more are bringing in bylaws banning off lead dogs or the number of dogs walked together.

There is a lot of breed prejudice (if you own a small fluffy you may not have noticed yet) which I worry will spread to all dogs. There is a big cultural dislike of dogs in certain sectors of the community and in others there is an attitude that dogs are for working only, not pets so they shouldn't be out in 'public'. Some dog owners still think that Britain is a nation of animal lovers - look around you, that is changing rapidly and there is a lot less tolerance then there was only a decade ago. Some dog owners provide plenty of ammunition to the anti dog sector - the ones who don't pick up, with the 'well ard' untrained anti social lout on a lead or let their dog (who may well be a friendly love bug) stroll up to a family where some are scared or disgusted by the dog. I've seen a toddler knocked flying by a dog who meant no harm - it was just haring up a country park path. Needless to say, the parents were furious, rightly so and there was a massive row with the words 'vicious,attacked, police been called' bandied about and a very scared muddy child. I'm certain that dogs owner wasn't what other dog owners would call bad but that level of careless is still not acceptable. Unless we self regulate, we will have the authorities regulating us. I don't think most of us would like that?

Btw, if you think I'm over reacting, take a rottweiler, GSD or a staffy for a walk in a semi urban or urban area - the reactions you will get are horrifying and very sad.

tango

orlao wrote: »

IIWY, I'd be inclined to call their bluff - but instead of the police, talk to your local dog warden (contact details on your council website) The one thing I'm sure of is that the police won't be interested, the only time they take an interest is if someone was bitten.
If there are any witnesses I'd ask them to write down their recollection of the incident, just in case. Even better if it was in an area covered by CCTV but if it was don't hang about as they record over footage fairly quickly. BTW, the owner of the camera won't show you the footage (due to the DPA) but you can request that they keep it in case of an official complaint.

This is exactly what I mean about people over reacting to an unfortunate incident and refusing to take responsibility for their failing....who the hell does this woman think she is? Judge, jury and executioner. Op, I'm fuming on you and your mothers behalf as this is only one step away from blackmail.



Yes, of course if they are off lead it is normal to assume that should friendly and happy to socialise! I was referring to on lead dogs though. I also mentioned that a dog isn't always on lead because it is aggressive - there can be other reasons, just as important to that dogs owner. But if it is aggressive, are you prepared to risk your dog? Having the vet bill paid (or not, as the case maybe) won't take away the terror or pain your dog feels...

Oh, and it isn't difficult to teach a dog to heel off lead, no more difficult than teaching to walk on lead without pulling - hot dogs, liver and smelly cheese are your friend in this quest It also saves loads of faffing about with leads if you have more than one dog - I'm lazy like that so I put in the effort in training with a dog in the first year so the next 10 or 15 are easier for me :rotfl:

Not having a go at anyone here but I do think an awful lot of us need to buck up our ideas about what is and isn't acceptable when we are out with our dogs. There is huge anti dog sentiment in a large minority of the general public - fgs, I get frustrated with some owners and I like dogs, am not scared of them, even the big boisterous ones. There are a lot of people who don't like ANY dogs and like most things, the antis shout much louder than those who are pro dog or really not fussed. For example, if you are near the coast - how many beaches are dogs allowed on outside of really restricted times/seasons? More and more councils restrict the areas dogs are allowed in and many more are bringing in bylaws banning off lead dogs or the number of dogs walked together.

There is a lot of breed prejudice (if you own a small fluffy you may not have noticed yet) which I worry will spread to all dogs. There is a big cultural dislike of dogs in certain sectors of the community and in others there is an attitude that dogs are for working only, not pets so they shouldn't be out in 'public'. Some dog owners still think that Britain is a nation of animal lovers - look around you, that is changing rapidly and there is a lot less tolerance then there was only a decade ago. Some dog owners provide plenty of ammunition to the anti dog sector - the ones who don't pick up, with the 'well ard' untrained anti social lout on a lead or let their dog (who may well be a friendly love bug) stroll up to a family where some are scared or disgusted by the dog. I've seen a toddler knocked flying by a dog who meant no harm - it was just haring up a country park path. Needless to say, the parents were furious, rightly so and there was a massive row with the words 'vicious,attacked, police been called' bandied about and a very scared muddy child. I'm certain that dogs owner wasn't what other dog owners would call bad but that level of careless is still not acceptable. Unless we self regulate, we will have the authorities regulating us. I don't think most of us would like that?

Btw, if you think I'm over reacting, take a rottweiler, GSD or a staffy for a walk in a semi urban or urban area - the reactions you will get are horrifying and very sad.

I do understand and accept some of what you say and I am lucky I live in an area that has much space.
My dog is a Pointer and I have trained her well but she still has her moments because she is a Gundog and because she is young.
To be honest I don't come across many irresponsible dog owners,i agree that ownership of dogs should be more tightly regulated,but you can't worry about everything,everytime we go outside we are at risk...