Another Dog-Related Injury Thread

As I’m sat here bored (you’ll see why if you read on) , I thought I’d gauge the STW reaction to recent events and see how well it matches what might happen in reality.

Monday evening I was out walking my dog – he was on a lead as he always is because his recall is poor. I was walking in some woods just outside our village and walking down a path I saw a guy sat on a bench with his dog laying off  lead next to him. His dog was  a Dalmatian. Doug (our dog)  had a bit of a run in with a Dalmatian a few months back where it ran out of its house and charged down the road to confront him. Since then he’s been a bit defensive around Dalmations.

Because of this, I stopped about 30 metres away from the guy and called out to him. I told him we were coming past and that Doug might be a bit vocal but wasn’t aggressive (he isn’t and never has been). I asked him to put his dog on a lead if he was worried about what it’s reaction might be.

He didn’t really respond, but without any provocation his Dalmatian immediately jumped up and sprinted the 30 metres towards us, ran past me and attacked Dpug. Having lived with and been around dogs most of my life, I’m pretty good at reading their body language and this was not a ‘playful’ attack. The Dalmation took several bites at Doug’s neck before either of us could react.

Instinctively, with my free hand ( I still had Doug on a short lead in my other hand) I reached out to grab the Dalmatian’s collar and pull him off my dog. At this point one of the dogs (I’m still not 100% sure which) ended up with my hand in its mouth and bit down hard.. By this point the Dalmation’s owner had reached us and made some attempt to control his dog.

Looking at my hand at this point it was clear that there were some significant injuries. Quite apart from the pain and a lot of blood a couple of my fingers were clearly not the right shape.

His response was to give me the classic “He’s never done anything like that before” and then explained that he didn’t react quicker because he had his own things going on and was working through some issues. He did tell me where he lived and asked me to update him when I knew more about my injuries. Beyond that he didn’t offer any apologies or offer to help in any other way.

Once he’d given me his address, I realised this was exactly the same Dalmatian that had acted aggressively towards Doug previously.

Wanting to get my injuries checked out I didn’t hang around for any further chat but left as quickly as I could and went straight to A&E.

Outcome is that I’m now sat here with an arm in plaster, metalwork in my hand, and multiple puncture wounds as well.

Having checked with our dog walker, our dog groomer and a couple of dog-owning neighbours it appears that this same Dalmation has acted aggressively towards a number of other dogs in the village over recent weeks. The village rumour mill is also suggesting that the guy himself does have drink related problems

I’ve already taken what I think are appropriate next steps but just wondering what the STW consensus is on how to follow this up?

That sounds terrible. Quite shocking.

Think I’d be insisting it was his dog that did the damage. Unlikely to have been yours? Surely that dog needs removing from it’s “owner”. Sorry, no idea how you progress this but best wishes with a speedy recovery.

Police, 101.

Police – the owner needs help in a number of ways by the sound of it, but if they are known to not be in control of the dog regularly. Might be the dog needs removing/rehoming if the owner can’t look after it.

Hope you heal fast. Sounds like you’d have a case against the guy for your injuries but not sure it would help either of you, well, him specifically.

Two routes to go hear.

Aggression is a learned behaviour and what can be learned can be unlearned. However, as this isn’t the first occurrence it’s probably safe to assume that the owner isn’t willing to do the work to help the dog. Most people aren’t. Just remember, that dog isn’t giving you a hard time, that dog is having a hard time.

I say this while looking at a very settled foster dog who was recently so stressed he ate through breeze block to try and escape.

Ideally, both the dog and the owner get help. It’s hard work, will take time and money.

The other option is you report it, the owner might get prosecuted and the dog will get destroyed.

If they haven’t already, someone will be along to tell you it will be a child’s face next and it’s your civic duty to have the dog destroyed.

How are you feeling about it?

Yes, report it to the police and encourage anyone else who has experienced issues with this dog to do the same. Make sure they fully aware of all the injuries you and Doug have as well.

Also make sure that the police are aware that this is the 2nd time that the Dalmatian has attacked your dog.

Police, 101.

Please tell me that was intentional!

*doffs cap

That sounds awful.
How is your dog too?

As above, Police asap and suggest others contact police for the background information.
I have a dog walker friend who occasionally has a dog with a muzzle for exactly this kind of behaviour – voluntarily by the owner, and before someone gets hurt.

Police before it chews off a baby robin’s face.

I get the police responses, but I’d probably first off go and speak to the guy and tell him what you know, and ask (tell) him if he’ll make sure he keeps his dog on a lead when outside to avoid further issues and think about some more dog training. I’d also say that other locals are concened and if he doesn’t take your advice you will inform the police.

Sadly it bit you and your dog whilst not being controlled by its owner, police as the first step

Bloke has had multiple opportunities to deal with aggressive behaviour in his mutt. Never mind dog training, how about putting it on a lead for starters? Nah, can’t be arsed. I’m sure he’d promise to do all sorts, and then probably never follow through because of his own chaotic lifestyle.

It’s a shame, but his out-of-control dog has caused injury to OP. Police is the correct response at this point.

if the dog’s done that much damage to you it’d do a lot worse to a kid. Needs to be muzzled, I’d be on to the police

I was walking our retriever a few years back when he was attacked by two ridgebacks who had him on the floor snarling and snapping in his face. He was on the lead, the others were not. I did the same as you and tried to separate them but luckily neither my dog or I were bitten. It was an intimidation act I think- if they had wanted to hurt us neither I or their owner could have stopped them.

It shook both of us up and I had the same ‘ they haven’t done that before’ from the owner. He is someone whom I know vaguely and  it was about 100m from where he lives. He was extremely apologetic and assured me that he would keep them on the lead in future and for months afterwards I did see him keep his promise. I phoned the police and had someone call back who asked if I wanted to take the matter further. Perhaps foolishly I said no but it was put on record that the incident happened so that if someone else had a problem he couldn’t say the same again.

TLDR: I would inform the police even if you don’t want the incident to be taken further.

Old bill.

Dog removed/destroyed. Compo for your fingers.

I’ve already taken what I think are appropriate next steps but just wondering what the STW consensus is on how to follow this up?

Good idea to wait for other opinions before colouring the argument with what you’ve already done, but now the main concensus seems to be call the police, (which I concur with, saying this as a dog owner) what were your actions?

I’m assuming you’re in no position to go and buy sausages to freeze and hammer into his lawn just yet.

100% police report a dangerous, out of control dog. That dog needs to be destroyed (and the owner needs to be given a good kicking)

100% inform the police.
That dog needs to be rehomed pronto, with someone who GAS about It’s welfare and also that of other people and animals.
As bad as what happened to you is, I’m sure it would have been far worse if it had been a kid, or a less able adult for that matter.

That’s shocking, especially requiring metal work in your hand. No question this needs reporting to the Police. What if the dog goes for a small child next. Hope you mend well.

I have a reactive dog, so I keep it on a lead and it cannot run out of the house to get to another dog. I’d say this was the owners fault, not the dogs.

This dog owner is clearly not responsible enough to do this, so yes Police, but then also he sounds like someone who needs help himself and losing his dog isn’t going to help with that. So it depends on how much of a Samaritan you are as to whether you contact him and explain the outcome and see if he wants someone to talk to (personally not sure I’d be able to do this for someone else, but you are your own person).

Heal well, and remember, dog bites make good scars and good stories, tell people you had to fend off a bear!

dog bites make good scars and good stories,

Peak dog owner.

Thanks all. More measured than I maybe expected from a dog thread (which is a good thing).

Key things for me were that I can’t be sure which dog bit me. Might well have been mine but he will have been reacting to the attack, not being aggressive. Also, the Head Of Year in me can’t help considering what a dog might mean to someone with potential mental health issues.

Following a chat with our PCSO, I’ve reported the incident to the Police and given a statement. I was clear that in my opinion the dog doesn’t need destroying (I really don’t want that to happen) – might potentially need rehoming, but at the least the guy needs to be spoken to and ‘advised’ to keep it on a lead and muzzled while outside the house.

Officer who came and took the statement let slip that the guy was already on their database so suspect that’s why they reacted so quickly – reported incident online and they called within the hour and visited to take a statement that evening.

Said it was likely to be referred back to the community team to action, so initially at least a ‘chat’ seems most likely.

so initially at least a ‘chat’ seems most likely.

Well, that’ll be a big consolation to the parents of the next child that gets bitten. Really, I’m shocked that violent attack by an out of control animal should be so normalised that a “chat” is deemed an appropriate response!!

And there’s the STW I know and love!

A ‘chat’ from the police seems to carry a tad more weight than a ‘chat’ from OP.

The animal doesn’t necessarily need to be rehomed or destroyed, it needs to be muzzled and on a lead at all times when it comes into contact with members of the public. It’s really not that big a burden for the owner.

And there’s the STW I know and love!

Ahahahahahahaha

Peak singletrack responder?

And there’s the STW I know and love!

I’m pretty impressed at how sanguine you seem to be about this, but I imagine that if something like this had happened to one of my children (leaving them with cool dog bite scar, naturally) or me for that matter I would be absolutely incandescent.

The penalties for having an out of control dog are much more severe than a ‘chat’, and from your description the owner doesn’t seem like they’re in the sort of headspace where they’re going to carefully follow ‘advice’ whenever they leave the house.

Tell police, tell your dog insurance if vet fees involved. Find a way to get compensated even if no win no fee.

Your dog didn’t bite you.

FWIW I’ve seen what can happen when a family dog, a lovable soft breed type, gets into livestock and for some reason tastes blood. The dog isn’t having a hard time there or ‘it’s the owner not the dog’ – it’s acting on instinct. It’s shocking to see a familiar dog breed tearing an animal’s skin from it’s ribcage in strips as the animal struggles to escape and then keels over. Takes a while for the dog to kill the animal and I wouldn’t fancy trying to get the dog off it in the meantime. Then you understand why farmers are allowed to shoot a dog in that situation.

I’ve also been properly bitten by a dog and some time later seen the owner and dog again in the same area, dog still aggressive and no change in owner behaviour. The owners of dangerous dogs can’t always be relied on to act as they should as it’s an emotive issue. And I think we need to be less emotive and more direct/immediate in dealing with dangerous dogs and irresponsible owners, or owners with diminished responsibility – given the breed in the OP it’s a warning sign of a dog that may also attack a person and would do serious harm if it did. The fact that people are killed in the same way I’ve seen livestock killed is a horrific thought and tbh I think that risk should be removed at the first sign of it.

That dog needs to be destroyed (and the owner needs to be given a good kicking)

note that OP isn’t sure if it was the bad dog, or his dog, which bit him. Destroy them both ?

As others have said, dogs can and will act on instinct. We have a moderately well trained cockapoo, so a lovely fluffy lovable thing. If he was cornered as per the OP situation and I stick my hand down to grab either of them I reckon his instinct could well get me a bite too. Perhaps he’d realise it was me and release before injury, I dunno..

I think I’d have gone in with a booted foot, but hindsight is a wonderful thing !

dog bites make good scars and good stories

WTAF

Peak dog owner.

Fair. My wife received a dog bite to her face a little over a year ago, 20 stitches (not our dog I’ll add), so I don’t feel like I’m saying it in a glib way. I cannot deny that owning a dog has influenced my views on how dogs should be treated and how their humans should behave, even more-so having an imperfectly behaved dog myself.

What jameso describes sounds horrible and I suspect I’d not be able to trust my dog, or look at her in the same way after that, but it’s also why I’d never have an off-lead dog around wild-stock.

OP reporting to the police is the right thing to have done.

The owner having alcohol issues is neither here nor there. You do him no favours by cutting him some slack, the only way that he *may* take some responsibility is by facing up to the consequences of his actions.

I have had two incidents with irresponsible owners in the past year.

One where two mad old bats were walking ten(!) dogs between them in Delamere Forest and the pack surrounded me and tried to steal my sandwiches, and all they could say was “we did try to warn you to put your sandwiches away.”

The second one where I was walking our three dogs on the lead and a woman let her dog come bounding up to us and start bouncing at our dogs, making it hard to keep them under control. When I politely asked her to put her dog on the lead she just said “no he’s ok” and carried on walking.

I cannot deny that owning a dog has influenced my views on how dogs should be treated and how their humans should behave, even more-so having an imperfectly behaved dog myself.

This is that normalisation that was mentioned earlier. I don’t own a dog, and therefore just don’t understand it from a (sweeping generalisation alert) dog owners point of view. Which is why the suggestion that having a chat is fine kinda blows my mind.

The owners of dangerous dogs can’t always be relied on to act as they should as it’s an emotive issue. And I think we need to be less emotive and more direct/immediate in dealing with dangerous dogs and irresponsible owners, or owners with diminished responsibility

Exactly. The owner’s potential MH issues doesn’t trump everyone else’s safety. Get it reported, hopefully dog will be taken away. Maybe he can get a chihuahua or a cat or something instead.

Leads seem to be optional these days.

The other day, I was about to leave my studio/workshop, when a dog comes bounding into our garden. Now, we live next to a bridle way, and there have been plenty of dog turds left in our garden (thanks dog walkers, you *****) – so I go out to see if the owner is nearby. Dog shoots off into the back garden- dog owner appears “your dog is in our back garden”I say. He strolls into our garden and limply calls out Lilly, Lilly. I leave him to it and go back inside. 10 minutes later, I’m thinking WTF, he’s still hasn’t got his effing dog yet. I find him at the back of our property- dog is deep in the bushes (where the rabbits live) and the owner is still limply calling his dog. I advise him to retrieve his dog, you know go in the bushes a grab it. Which he eventually does, takes another 15 minutes. He and the dog burst from the bushes, he sprints off, dog still off the lead, is runng around – I shoo it off, and the dog runs off too.

Ok, no one was bitten, but no apology or anything like that. Classic dog owner right there.

Yea, report it to the police.  If you struggle with that idea then just remember any outcome is being done for the benefit of society at large, not at your behest.

Find a way to get compensated even if no win no fee.

What benefit does that have though?

The dogs (probably and rightly) put down, which is going to be an utter emotional shitstorm for the owner who it seems is already in a poor state mentally. Putting down a sick dog is painful enough, giving up a dog to a shelter with behavioral issues and having to sign the paperwork that says if they’re put down as a result* do you want to be informed was (from personal experience) an order of magnitude worse. I can’t imagine how bad it is putting a healthy dog down.

Let’s assume that the alcoholic may also be not entirely up to date with their life admin and not having the best 3rd party liability insurance.  If you go after him then at best you’re going to do is get some money and result in him selling his house or other assets. Worst he hasn’t got any assets of value and the bailiffs take those and make him homeless.  Even in the absolute best case where he has insurance who cover it, your hand’s still broken, Lawyers can’t do a better job of fixing that than Dr’s.

*He wasn’t, I’ve seen the pics, he’s living his best life on a farm with a family in the middle of nowhere, nowhere near the strangers he can’t deal with.

You’ll see from.other threads, I’m defo in the ‘dogs are 1000x better than most humans’ camp. Though there are exceptions to that.

I’ve been bitten (on the nose – pishing blood everywhere) once by a lost/escaped dog – it was all timid and OK til I was reading it’s tag… then it snapped and got me.

Defo report to the police- if it happens to a kiddie in the future you’ll not forgive yourself.

In my case, the police came to talk to me, wanted to know what I thought should happen, then went to see the owners (I wanted the owners put down, not the dog, for letting it escape a shittily secured garden and not for the 1st time and not being that bothered.

Just like having kids, having a dog should only be for the responsible, and  then licenced.

The dog owner is the problem.

Textbnook example of a dog dangerously out of control.  Criminal offenses have been committed.  Report to the police, accept nothing less than the dog being put down, sue for damages.

dog owners need to take responsibility