If your dog bit someone....

We've all met those dogs who are the sweetest, calmest, least aggressive dogs ever....but they're still animals and have the potential to lash out. It happens. You may even have one of those dogs who you think would never bite a soul....

But what if s/he did? How would you react?

 

Mishka is sweet, placid ,fun loving dog but I would not trust her around toddlers that she first meets.
I've always wondered if it has something to do with theirs and her height and being a threat. Once that first contact has been established things are fine.So I am ever vigilant and dread that she would nip a youngster on that first meeting.

 

Our dog had bitten a trespasser before when I was not at home. It was a visitor of one of the tenants in the compound who does not mind the "barking" of our dog and later run when she sees the dog was approaching her.

 

I think it would depend on the circumstances. I'm sure my dogs would never bite unless they were provoked, so if it was an adult, I would think they must have done something to upset the dog.

If it was a child though, I think I would be absolutely mortified. In all honesty, I don't think I would want to keep a dog that had bitten a child. Just in case it ever happened again.

 

Benjamin, my old Thousand Way breed, did bite someone.

That was because Benjamin had this bad habit of not showing his feelings even when he is angry. He would still wag his tail and have him mouth slightly open in a smile. Then when the person he's angry with got within range he would give that person a nip on the calf. And I ended up with a nip on my wallet because I have to pay for that person's medical treatment.

 

I'd be heart broken if a dog of mine ever bit someone. Of course I'd feel responsible not only for the physical damage but the lasting emotional pyschological damage. Most people who are bitten by dogs are terrified of all dogs.

This is why in the past I was really cautious about introducing my dogs to new people even though they were incredibly well behaved apart from the occasional barking at strangers. I knew that although they were trained, dogs are still animals and it is possible for them to get spooked or act out of character. People should be respectful of this. I think it's a shame some people let their kids pull other people's dogs tails ect.. If it's their own dog it probably won't bite but you never know with someone elses dog.

 

My dog actually bit someone- nipped to be more exact. And this someone had an over reacting parent. It almost came to a point that we had to argue about how we were to deal with it. Buchi had complete vaccine and rabies shots but they still insisted. They went to the veterinarian to make sure as whether to have that person (she was older than me) given anti-rabies and even the vet themselves told her that she could try waiting for 14 days to find out if something happens to the dog. But they still didn't listen.

I promised them that if something happened to Buchi, I would willingly pay for their anti-rabies shots but they never listened to me nor the vet.

In the end, I did not pay for her shots as Buchi was perfectly fine. Aside from this, they hadn't paid rent for a couple of months now because they were living in my sister's other house (it was a compound back then).

 

Do you think the circumstances matter any there then? I mean, you assumed that an adult would've done something to upset the dog, so chances are, a child would be even more likely to upset a dog, causing it to bite, right?

 

Good that your problem got cleared up without you having to lose any money. I wasn't so lucky.

In Thailand, the law is very simple. If the dog is inside the boundaries of its owner's property, then a person who steps into the property and gets bitten cannot claim compensation. However if the dog bites anyone outside the boundaries and it cannot be proven that the person who was bitten is doing anything illegal, the owner of the dog must pay for the medical bill of the person being bitten. No buts about it. Even if the dog is fully vaccinated.

 

I do think the circumstances matter, to some extent. I tend to think that if an adult deliberately provokes a dog, and I have seen adults do some stupid things, then it's pretty much their fault if the dog reacts. When it comes to children though, most nice natured dogs, seem to instinctively know not to bite. If one did bite a child, I would be worried that it would happen again especially with a young child who may not understand how to act around dogs and not realise that their behaviour was provocative. I'm not sure if that makes sense.

Victor, I watched a TV programme today about dogs in the UK, where there is a similar situation. However, postmen, who need to go onto other people's property, are very upset that legally, they have no claim against getting bitten while doing their jobs.

 

They don't? That's really sad. Maybe there should be an exemption for mailmen. Come to think of it, why do dogs hate mailmen? I think it's a universal thing. Like the dogs in the lane where I used to live. They must have seen the same mailman for years yet everyday, when he comes, they behave like he is the vilest scoundrel on earth.

 

Here if the mail carrier feels threatened by your dog they can file a complaint with the post office they work out of. Then, you get a warning letter. If you get a second letter, they may stop delivering to your house. You either have to move your mail box to where the dog cannot get to it or you must go to the post office to pick up your mail. This happened to my brother. He had two Dobermans. The mail carrier was terrified of coming up to the porch. The dogs couldn't get out, but the barking terrified the person. My brother ended up moving his mailbox from the front of the house to the outside of the fence. It was much better than going to the post office every few days.

Victor, I was told that the reason dogs hate mail carriers is that they are strangers who come into your territory but you never invite them into the house. The dog interprets this as a threat since people you like come to the door, your greet them, they come inside, and so forth. My Lab was the gentlest dog and love people. But, let the mail carrier or the UPS driver walk on our porch and she was put into a frenzy.

 

Thank you, Melody. That's the first time I have heard of an explanation for that phenomenon. Sounds logical, too. I have never heard of anyone inviting the mailman into the house. Well, in the lane that I used to live in, the mailboxes are all outside the gate. Unfortunately for the mailman, all the guard dogs are also outside the gate.

 

I live in fear EVERY day that my dog is going to bite someone. THis is why we dont' have visitors except for people we can trust in the horrible instnace that he does bite one of them. We have another new trainer coming this week to work with him.

 

I think that's one of the reasons why they couldn't press charges. They were living in my sister's property. The house they've been renting is inside the borders of my sister's gate so they tried threatening her saying they will tell her husband about this and stuff like that but nothing happened.

They did tell my brother-in-law but since I had the vet justify my reasoning, then I was also able to explain why I wasn't willing to pay for their rabies shots.

I guess this is why it's important to socialize dogs as early as possible. But what if our dogs were meant to serve us guard dogs... I mean after all, one of the most prevalent reason why we do take care of them is for them to guard the house. Doesn't that sound like a contradictory?