That looks worse than I expected. I still wouldn’t officially report but I would definitely talk to the owners. As a dog owner I would want to know. What did they say after the fact?
He's approached me with raised hackles before, I stay away. Save
I think the dog is young enough that it could almost be like a puppy snip. Especially if it were excitedly sniffing just prior. I wouldn't let my children around the dog any more, but I wouldn't report it. I'm sorry this happened. Is your daughter okay, emotionally?
I was thinking this (George is still kind of mouthy at 1.5 when he's excited), but this doesn't look like the result of a puppy nip. Nor is raised hackles puppy-ish behavior. If this dog were just a big happy goof all the time and was only ever friendly, I'd assume this was just exuberance. But it doesn't sound like that.
Post by thatgirl2478 on Oct 18, 2017 22:19:26 GMT -5
Sorry ladies, I was out talking to the owners. The husband is a police officer and he agreed that it should be reported. They showed us his recent vaccination record, so hopefully this will blow over quickly. They reacted the way I would HOPE any reasonable human being would, concern for my daughter in the immediate and concern that she wouldn't feel safe in the future.
There's some speculation that his allergies (he was at the vet recently for a rash) may have caused his ears to hurt and maybe he bumped his ear while sniffing my DD and then just snapped. There really was ZERO indication that anything bad was going to happen. He was relaxed and as calm as a 2yr old lab can be.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills in this thread.
You should absolutely report this. If the dog bites another child, you won't know about it, but, if you report this instance, there will be a record that this dog had bitten a child before.
Hopefully your report will make the dog owners realize that they either need to train their dog or not let their dog be around children.
“Life is not orderly. No matter how we try to make it so, right in the middle of it lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce.” - Natalie Goldberg
Sorry ladies, I was out talking to the owners. The husband is a police officer and he agreed that it should be reported. They showed us his recent vaccination record, so hopefully this will blow over quickly. They reacted the way I would HOPE any reasonable human being would, concern for my daughter in the immediate and concern that she wouldn't feel safe in the future.
There's some speculation that his allergies (he was at the vet recently for a rash) may have caused his ears to hurt and maybe he bumped his ear while sniffing my DD and then just snapped. There really was ZERO indication that anything bad was going to happen. He was relaxed and as calm as a 2yr old lab can be.
That's a good update, but I wouldn't accept any speculations as to why the dog bit in this situation. I would keep my kids far, far away from this dog in the future and encourage the owners to get a professional trainer and not let the dog around other kids in the future.
“Life is not orderly. No matter how we try to make it so, right in the middle of it lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce.” - Natalie Goldberg
Sorry ladies, I was out talking to the owners. The husband is a police officer and he agreed that it should be reported. They showed us his recent vaccination record, so hopefully this will blow over quickly. They reacted the way I would HOPE any reasonable human being would, concern for my daughter in the immediate and concern that she wouldn't feel safe in the future.
There's some speculation that his allergies (he was at the vet recently for a rash) may have caused his ears to hurt and maybe he bumped his ear while sniffing my DD and then just snapped. There really was ZERO indication that anything bad was going to happen. He was relaxed and as calm as a 2yr old lab can be.
That's a good update, but I wouldn't accept any speculations as to why the dog bit in this situation. I would keep my kids far, far away from this dog in the future and encourage the owners to get a professional trainer and not let the dog around other kids in the future.
Oh we definitely will be crossing the street if they are out walking! Save
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills in this thread.
You should absolutely report this. If the dog bites another child, you won't know about it, but, if you report this instance, there will be a record that this dog had bitten a child before.
Hopefully your report will make the dog owners realize that they either need to train their dog or not let their dog be around children.
Same. I get having a soft spot for dogs but if a dog bit my young child (my baby!) unprovoked, and it looked like that through two layers of clothing, I would not be feeling an iota of doubt over what my next action would be.
This absolutely could happen again. To my child, to another child. There are reporting requirements in place for a reason.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Oct 19, 2017 7:25:04 GMT -5
Report. My dog is mouthy, especially if you pull her ears, and I don't *think* she'd ever actually bite someone, but I'd fully expect that if she left a mark like that, unprovoked, on a child that it would be reported.
As an owner, hell, as a responsible human, I say do it.
I'm really glad they seem to have taken it well (because that's best case scenario for everyone). I hope your DD isn't too sore today, unfortunately, these types of injuries often look (and feel) worse the next day- once bruising sets in.
I have a distinct memory of a child wailing, "His whiskers are biting me!!!" about a dog I had in my 20s. I guess they felt prickly and when the dog noses with force it felt bad.
I would report that because to me, it looks like the skin was broken. I'm sorry it happened
my first thought was no, but then I saw the picture and changed to yes, report it.
That's a very visible bite, unprovoked and the dog is 2-3 which is not a puppy any more.
Also being that it was a lab and labs are usually quite large, I would be more worried about future encounters with children. While I know small dog bites can hurt too, a large dog could potentially kill a child or do very bad damage.
Post by thatgirl2478 on Oct 19, 2017 9:21:10 GMT -5
So we reported it. And then we found out what actually happens in our town. Since the owner is a cop in a different town, he figured it would just be the standard: animal control comes out & they check Rabies & confine for 10 days. Turns out our town is different.
In our town, one bite with the owners present earns the dog the 'viscous' label, and viscous dogs aren't allowed in the city limits. So now, they may lose their dog if the city council says the dog is viscous - there's a hearing to determine how permanent the label is. The dog can stay until the hearing determines that he's actually viscous or not.
Now I feel horrible about reporting it - even though it probably was the right thing to do to keep it from happening to another kid!
Get her to the pedi- confirm that you're dealing with a bite (I believe you, I believe her, but, no matter what anyone says in this thread- it is not an "obvious bite" and it would be nice to have a doctor back you up). She should probably get it looked at, anyway- and it will help to have records of treatment in case this gets ugly.
Bottom line, his dog hurt your child- he agreed that it should be reported. You didn't ask for any of this, you didn't do anything wrong. This is the reality of letting a dog behave badly (in your town, at least)- it's better for them than a lot of other potential consequences of that.
Post by AutumnRose25 on Oct 19, 2017 10:26:53 GMT -5
Just because your kids didn't approach the dog doesn't mean you didn't share a responsibility for keeping them a safe distance away from a dog you admit you don't know very well.
Did you attempt to stop them interacting with the dogs when the dog approached? Because it sounds like you were perfectly fine letting the dog get close enough to touch the kids AND sniffing?!
Every party has blame in this, I'm annoyed the dog is being solely blamed here, and now faces removal of a loving home.
Did you attempt to stop them interacting with the dogs when the dog approached? Because it sounds like you were perfectly fine letting the dog get close enough to touch the kids AND sniffing?!
One of the most valuable thing I have taught my kids is to stay a distance from a dog (every dog, even dogs they see daily) and ask the owner, "Can I pet your dog?". Even if a dog approaches them they keep their hands down and face up before interacting and ask.
I feel bad about the bite. Reporting was the right thing to do. And maybe I am jaded but if this dog is the pet of a cop, I bet he has a better chance than Joe Schmoe of keeping him.
One of the most valuable thing I have taught my kids is to stay a distance from a dog (every dog, even dogs they see daily) and ask the owner, "Can I pet your dog?". Even if a dog approaches them they keep their hands down and face up before interacting and ask.
I feel bad about the bite. Reporting was the right thing to do. And maybe I am jaded but if this dog is the pet of a cop, I bet he has a better chance than Joe Schmoe of keeping him.
I really wish more parents would teach this to their kids. I'm always so scared my dog is going to unintentionally hurt a small kid that runs over to pet my dog. He's not a biter, but he's a jumper. He's not even a year old yet and doesn't realize he's being rough. We're trying to get him to calm down around new people, but it's a work in progress.
I try to grab him to control him, but sometimes I don't realize the kid is coming out of nowhere. He's only 20 pounds, but he could definitely knock a kid over. I'd hate for him to be punished because is something like this.
Just because your kids didn't approach the dog doesn't mean you didn't share a responsibility for keeping them a safe distance away from a dog you admit you don't know very well.
Did you attempt to stop them interacting with the dogs when the dog approached? Because it sounds like you were perfectly fine letting the dog get close enough to touch the kids AND sniffing?!
Every party has blame in this, I'm annoyed the dog is being solely blamed here, and now faces removal of a loving home.
The kids have had positive interactions with the dog before. All my interactions have been with my dog present as well and those have been less positive.
My kids are not the kind of kids to just immediately approach dogs, in this case everyone was just standing on the sidewalk talking and the owners gave the dog enough leash to sniff the girls.
I don't know how the kids or us could have done anything different to avoid this aside from not talking to the neighbors..
One of the most valuable thing I have taught my kids is to stay a distance from a dog (every dog, even dogs they see daily) and ask the owner, "Can I pet your dog?". Even if a dog approaches them they keep their hands down and face up before interacting and ask.
I feel bad about the bite. Reporting was the right thing to do. And maybe I am jaded but if this dog is the pet of a cop, I bet he has a better chance than Joe Schmoe of keeping him.
I really wish more parents would teach this to their kids. I'm always so scared my dog is going to unintentionally hurt a small kid that runs over to pet my dog. He's not a biter, but he's a jumper. He's not even a year old yet and doesn't realize he's being rough. We're trying to get him to calm down around new people, but it's a work in progress.
I try to grab him to control him, but sometimes I don't realize the kid is coming out of nowhere. He's only 20 pounds, but he could definitely knock a kid over. I'd hate for him to be punished because is something like this.
We live in the country so it's not an issue now, but thankfully kids always asked if it was ok to pet my dog when we lived in town. I always said no because he's a jumper and it would be so easy to knock a kid (or even adult) over if they aren't prepared. If people come over to the house he's always outside to start and I warn them he's a jumper and gauge their reaction before letting him in.
Even asking the owner beforehand whether a dog is friendly and safe to pet does not guarantee your child will not be bitten.
My kid was bitten earlier this year very very badly by a dog whose owner said, "Of course he's friendly. Come on over!" My kid was very gentle and made no sudden movements while petting his back, and he lunged out of nowhere and took a chunk out of her arm. Then he also bit me as I separated them as that fucking owner just stood and looked in horror.
So, as much as I adore dogs, I absolutely cannot be "team dog" when I hear a dog has bitten a child.
I just can't.
My kid is going to have a scar on her arm for the rest of her life, and now she is very timid around dogs and just waves to them from a distance. It's very sad.
Even asking the owner beforehand whether a dog is friendly and safe to pet does not guarantee your child will not be bitten.
My kid was bitten earlier this year very very badly by a dog whose owner said, "Of course he's friendly. Come on over!" My kid was very gentle and made no sudden movements while petting his back, and he lunged out of nowhere and took a chunk out of her arm. Then he also bit me as I separated them as that fucking owner just stood and looked in horror.
So, as much as I adore dogs, I absolutely cannot be "team dog" when I hear a dog has bitten a child.
I just can't.
My kid is going to have a scar on her arm for the rest of her life, and now she is very timid around dogs and just waves to them from a distance. It's very sad.
I'm so sorry, that's awful for both you and your daughter. I hope she regains some confidence around dogs. Save