Dog fight

krlyr

I would say this was 50:50. If it were me, I'd probably just agree to each cover our own vet bills, since we were both at fault as such. Your dog shouldn't have jumped the fence, but their dog shouldn't have been loose anyway.

Dog fights are a civil matter so you shouldn't have the police knocking at your door - maybe an unofficial drop in, but in this case I'd say you'd both be subject to a talking to about keeping your dogs in control in public spaces.

D&DD

Sorry to hear what happened Zaksmum my insurance covers costs for 3rd party although not sure how you claim it I suppose they might have a FAQ on their site which may help?

The other dog being a shar-pei may have had something to do with it as well as them both being entire.

My dog gets a few 'funny looks' from dogs who don't know her.She has got a wonderful temperament and has never so much as growled at another dog. I was chatting with the dogwalker one day and he said his friend's shar pei is always getting nipped.He reckons a lot of it is to do with the way they stand/look to other dogs their posture can be seen as a threatening pose as their tail is naturally up in the air and they tend to stand in a posey sort of a way lol.

zaksmum

D&#8517 wrote: »

Sorry to hear what happened Zaksmum my insurance covers costs for 3rd party although not sure how you claim it I suppose they might have a FAQ on their site which may help?

The other dog being a shar-pei may have had something to do with it as well as them both being entire.

My dog gets a few 'funny looks' from dogs who don't know her.She has got a wonderful temperament and has never so much as growled at another dog. I was chatting with the dogwalker one day and he said his friend's shar pei is always getting nipped.He reckons a lot of it is to do with the way they stand/look to other dogs their posture can be seen as a threatening pose as their tail is naturally up in the air and they tend to stand in a posey sort of a way lol.

Thanks for that D&DD. The other owner did say that some dogs don't like Shar Pei dogs. he reckons it's because other dogs can't see their eyes properly with the folds of skin.Don't know whether it was that, or the fact that the other dog was weeing on our gate, because that's a territorial thing with male dogs. Leaving their scent in their areas or something like that.

I'm not remotely bothered about other dogs weeing on our gate. That's what dogs do. I'd be miffed about a pile of poo outside the gate if the owner didn't pick it up but you can't predict when a dog will wee - or pick it up.

Elsien, yes, I might have to get a higher gate now. Jack tried to jump it once as a puppy, caught his nether regions on it and yelped the street down. Never did it again till Saturday.

Krlyr, yes, it probably is 50:50, but my dog wasn't hurt and the other poor thing was. Puncture bites are one thing, but the going off it's food and being out of sorts two days later worries me.

I'm desperately hoping there's no unseen damage. I would NEVER see any dog hurt:(

D&DD

Considering they were once supposed to be a fighting dog Zaksmum their skin does tear surprisingly easily but the good thing is the breed were bred with their wrinkles to protect them.

They were farm dogs originally and their herds were often attacked,so the wrinkles were bred in so that it protected their throats etc and they could turn round and bite back if needed due to the excess skin.

I'm sure he'll be fine is your doglet OK??

Bensmith

The dogs fight use to happen, you don't panic about it. And apart from claiming the insurance of dog, the owner must take the injured dog to pet's clinic for treatment..

krlyr

For all you know, he could have eaten all manners of junk food and rubbish whilst loose unattended - the fight may not even be the culprit of his under-the-weather-ness.
It is admirable that you want to pay up, I'm sure if you spoke to your insurance company they would give more details on it, but do bear in mind that it may potentially mean you're forced to stick with that company or risk being unable to get 3rd party liability cover with future insurers - you may have to declare that your dog has exhibited dangerous behaviour and see if they'll cover you (some will drop the 3rd party cover and offer the health side of things still though)

zaksmum

krlyr wrote: »

For all you know, he could have eaten all manners of junk food and rubbish whilst loose unattended - the fight may not even be the culprit of his under-the-weather-ness.
It is admirable that you want to pay up, I'm sure if you spoke to your insurance company they would give more details on it, but do bear in mind that it may potentially mean you're forced to stick with that company or risk being unable to get 3rd party liability cover with future insurers - you may have to declare that your dog has exhibited dangerous behaviour and see if they'll cover you (some will drop the 3rd party cover and offer the health side of things still though)

Ohhhhh! Never thought of that krlyr. I don't want my dog labelled vicious or dangerous, because he's not. Last week, the Jack Russell next door growled at him and he jumped out of his skin and hid behind my legs. he's quite timid normally. Can't imagine what sparked Saturday's altercation off:( It's only when he's attacked, or if another dog attacks my female dog Lucy, that he fights, though to be fair, he does go over the top when he needs to defend her or himself.

The owner doesn't have insurance. Seems his dog's not 100% Shar Pei although he certainly looks like he is. They're out of work and just use the PDSA.

I really hope the poor little guy is ok. I'm glad my own dog wasn't hurt though I suppose I'd consider it to have been more of a fair fight if he had been, in some perverse way.

Lieja

I would agree that this is just as much your neighbour's dog's fault as it is your own. I don't think you're morally obliged to pay any bills for the other dog, unless you're worried that your neighbour can't pay and the dog won't get treatment, and you want to make sure it does because you're just that kind! I wouldn't go down the insurance route though because I know they ask when you first take out the insurance if your dog has shown aggressive behaviour, so I assume your premiums would go right up if they think he's fighting all the time!

I hope they're both feeling better

zaksmum

Lieja wrote: »

I would agree that this is just as much your neighbour's dog's fault as it is your own. I don't think you're morally obliged to pay any bills for the other dog, unless you're worried that your neighbour can't pay and the dog won't get treatment, and you want to make sure it does because you're just that kind! I wouldn't go down the insurance route though because I know they ask when you first take out the insurance if your dog has shown aggressive behaviour, so I assume your premiums would go right up if they think he's fighting all the time!

I hope they're both feeling better

You're right Lieja. I will try to make sure my insurance doesn't get to know that my dog was fighting.

Unless it gets to massive costs, in which case I may have no choice:(

[Deleted User]

If the other dog's owner isn't working, and they use the services of the PDSA then they won't have any vet fees to pay, surely?

Funnily enough I've just been looking at the subject of pet insurance for my own dog, and (as Lieja points out) every insurance firm asks whether the dog has any history of aggressive behaviour ... so it'd be a bad move to lumber your dog with the 'aggressive' label just because of this incident (which, as others have pointed out, was definitely a case of 50:50 ... and it's not uncommon for entire males to have the odd 'skirmish' or three!)