Options
Bitten by a dog
Calam
Posts: 386 Forum Member
✭
I was bitten by a friends dog today. It's a male Alsatian. I walked past it as it was curled up on the floor in her hallway and it went for me, biting my foot. I'm ok but my foot is in a fair amount of pain, bruised and the wounds did bleed. I called 111 who went through a series of questions (I was mainly concerned I was tetanus covered and I am).
My friend is obviously mortified. She has a 2 year old daughter and 12 year old daughter and the dog has never been aggressive at all.
My friend and her husband are really good people and look after the dog really well. It is walked twice a day, has a large house and garden to roam in.
So my concern/question is this, what on earth caused the dog to do this?
I'm not a great lover of dogs anyway and I know my friend will understand that me and my 2 year old son won't be visiting again while the dog is there but we're all just in disbelief that this normally calm well behaved dog flipped out.
My friend is obviously mortified. She has a 2 year old daughter and 12 year old daughter and the dog has never been aggressive at all.
My friend and her husband are really good people and look after the dog really well. It is walked twice a day, has a large house and garden to roam in.
So my concern/question is this, what on earth caused the dog to do this?
I'm not a great lover of dogs anyway and I know my friend will understand that me and my 2 year old son won't be visiting again while the dog is there but we're all just in disbelief that this normally calm well behaved dog flipped out.
0
Comments
Doesn't mean the dog is aggressive. Even the most placid person can have an off day and get grumpy. If the dog meant business you wouldn't likely have a foot.
Dogs are alive and unlike humans are unable to talk. Their communication is more physical than verbal. To be honest dogs have a lot of self control usually in comparison to people.
I understand why you won't be visiting anymore but I would likely say this was a one off incident. I would tell your friends just to make sure their children don't disturb the dog when she is sleeping.
I love dogs but would not trust this dog around small children who could pester it; it only takes a tail pull or standing on the dogs paw and it could bite.
But it is a difficult situation as a dog is a member of the family.
She has a 2 year old daughter ! I know where my priority would be in that case i.e. my child, not a dog which has suddenly bitten someone who wasn't a stranger to it. I wouldn't wait for the next bite. A well trained German Shepherd wouldn't bite anyone. walking it and giving it a garden is not the same as training and IMO they are not the right home for it.
They're your friends so you're not going to sue them, but when somebody invites you into their home and their dog bites you, they would usually be in a lot of trouble. Let's hope the next person it bites isn't a child.
You could equally speculate that the dog was being protective of the family/pack when startled by an outsider.
i agree, most dogs will spin and air snap at that rather than actually full on bite, i wouldn`t trust it either. no one`s fault mind, neither dog nor owner.
They have children and so the dog should be well used to being woken out of a sleep, kids being the little buggers that they are.
Would be different if they lived in a quiet home without children.
So are all those owners whose dogs suddenly kill children... before finally coming to the conclusion it was the fault of the dead child, not the dog. Cue a night of phone-in radio with endless armchair experts explaining why it wasn't the dog's fault (despite not being there at the time or knowing the dog) and or why all dogs need to be muzzled at all times etc.
It's an animal. That's why it went for you. If an animal gets excited or surprised, the instinct is to kill to survive. You could have a two year old in a chair, with a 'perfectly safe' dog in the room. Then there's a knock on the door from someone delivering a parcel that needs you to sign. The excitement of the 'intruder' and you seemingly confronting them by barking/talking could be enough for the dog to get alarmed and want to join in... so it bites the two year old.
That's why dogs get microchipped rather than inventing them.
How could any parents with small children have a dog that bites in the house ?
It's crazy
I've had dog's all my life and not one of them has as much as snarled at a person. You can make all the excuses you like for the dog - being startled and all that - but this behaviour is not acceptable. If they have any sort of issues - they need to be kept under control and muzzled if need be.
Just to add, I made a mistake - the dog is walked twice a day. Sorry OP.
I have a dog, a golden retriever. I also have kids (aged 8 and 10). If my dog had done that I'd be very worried and want her checked over with the vet to see if there was any physical reason (I have heard that if a dog is in pain it can lash out unexpectedly). I'd also have a word with a trainer (and not a Cesar Milan type as that would not help at all!). And I would not leave my dog alone with the kids.
The OP didn't say it was restricted to the garden
Ah I misread. Will edit now. Thanks Mrs Grumpy :-)
A bit harsh! Plenty of childless potential owners out there where the dog could live incident free for the rest of its life. Lets not blow up to be something it isn't, not just yet.
It didn't bite a child though. Not sure how many rescues would take on a dog that has bitten someone just walking past when they are so many waiting for homes anyway.
If that were my dog and I had a child I would be very worried. Shame but my child would have to come first.
Fortunately, no it didn't on this occasion no but that isn't the point. There are plenty of rescues that will rehome a dog like this without issue. It depends entirely on who wants to take it on. You'll be surprised how many dogs have bitten at least once.
Any life form with teeth can bite regardless of whether its done it before. Another harsh response for one incident where a sleeping dog was startled. This dog does not need destroying after this one incident. Police dogs bite all the time.
That's their job and what they're trained to do. I knew someone who re-homed a retired police dog and that didn't bite anyone once it was domesticated.
In my book if a pet dog bites then that should be it. The owner can buy a new dog, a person can't buy a new child or buy the use of their hand back or buy a face that isn't horribly scarred.
You knew a dog that didn't bite isn't much of an argument.
Police dogs bite uncontrollably plenty of times and police (attack) dogs are not rehomed in family environments or in any normal domestic environment so this person you know, unless they are a police officer or retired policeman is probably lying about it being police dog.
Dogs that bite once in an incident that is understandable do not need destroying, your book is a nonsense.