# Worry over dog bite



## upallnight (Dec 18, 2011)

I have a 3.5 year old Border Collie/Black Lab cross, he has NEVER bitten anyone in the entire time i've had him (since April 2010) but today while on a walk he nipped someone on the leg.
Occasionally when he is over excited he will playfully nip at people, but never enough to actually hurt. I was walking him down the road as a man was coming in the other direction, the guy waved and shouted a greeting at someone behind me. My dog must have thought that he was greeting him and became very eager to reach him (I should point out that my dog is ALWAYS on a lead on walks). As we walked past the man my dog wagged his tail and made towards the man, thinking he was just after a quick sniff I only tightened my grip on the leash. Without warning he jumped up at the man and I pulled him away quickly.
I didn't even realise that he had made physical contact with the guy until I was a few meters away and the guy shouted "Mate, your dog just bit me!".
Of course I was quick to apologise and tell him that he had never even tried to bite a person before. I apologised again and began to walk off, thinking that it was over.
However the guy repeated that my dog had bitten him, I responded with something along the lines of "I'm sorry, it hasn't pierced the skin has it?"
Next thing I know the man wants to know where I live, on instinct I immediately flat out refuse to give him my address. He then proceeds to state that I should take responsibility for my dog and that he will find out where I live.

After a bit of research I know that he couldn't win a legal claim against me (I seriously doubt he will have any physical signs of this bite beyond a small welt that will be gone after an hour or two), what I'm worried about is his reaction, I appreciate that he was angry and shocked about being bitten (especially when my dog was wagging his tail when he rushed at the man) but he was surprisingly aggressive and his promise to find where I live has been ringing in my ears all morning.
Has anyone ever experienced something like this? Is my dog in danger? Is it likely to blow over?


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

What makes you think he can't win a legal claim? Your dog doesn't even have to bite, only give someone reasonable grounds to think it will to have a DD order put on it


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

You can't really blame the man for being shocked and angry that he had just been bitten and I am afraid that you telling him that your dog had never done that before wouldn't really have been any comfort - it doesn't alter the fact that he did bite him.

If you know who this man is / where he lives I would probably try to find him and discuss the matter - apologise and pay for any damaged clothing, plus reassure him that you are taking steps to ensure it never happens again.

I would also take measures to make sure that your dog is never in the position of being able to bite anyone again as it doesn't take much these days for a control order to be issued.


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## upallnight (Dec 18, 2011)

I meant make a compensation claim (loss of earnings, medical bills ect)
I am fully aware that he could use this to slap a DD order on me


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

What's done is done. A good training class might be the way forward


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

upallnight said:


> I meant make a compensation claim (loss of earnings, medical bills ect)
> I am fully aware that he could use this to slap a DD order on me


I would try to resolve it amicably so that any torn clothing etc is paid for...no idea about the compensation side of life, but you can claim for all sorts these days (hopefully it won't come to that). If you have good insurers plus third party liability cover I believe that it provides for most things dependent upon the company.

If it is as minor as you say then the man will probably not do anything once the shock subsides, but at least you know about the behaviour now and can remedy it so that there are no further occurances.


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## upallnight (Dec 18, 2011)

Dogless said:


> You can't really blame the man for being shocked and angry that he had just been bitten and I am afraid that you telling him that your dog had never done that before wouldn't really have been any comfort - it doesn't alter the fact that he did bite him.
> 
> If you know who this man is / where he lives I would probably try to find him and discuss the matter - apologise and pay for any damaged clothing, plus reassure him that you are taking steps to ensure it never happens again.
> 
> I would also take measures to make sure that your dog is never in the position of being able to bite anyone again as it doesn't take much these days for a control order to be issued.


I dont blame him at all, I would be angry too
I think he lives in the village but I have never seen him before. I reassured him that I would never allow it to happen again but he became more angry at this
There was no damage to his clothing that I could see.
I just hope I see him around so I can try and talk to him in a calmer manner (I admit I did become very defensive at being shouted at by a complete stranger) and try to sort it out


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## upallnight (Dec 18, 2011)

Dogless said:


> I would try to resolve it amicably so that any torn clothing etc is paid for...no idea about the compensation side of life, but you can claim for all sorts these days (hopefully it won't come to that). If you have good insurers plus third party liability cover I believe that it provides for most things dependent upon the company.
> 
> *If it is as minor as you say then the man will probably not do anything once the shock subsides*, but at least you know about the behaviour now and can remedy it so that there are no further occurances.


This is what I am hoping will happen. I know something similar to this happened when my dog trainer's spaniel knocked a child over, after the parent calmed down and she had apologised to both parent and chile they were able to go their separate ways without drama


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

If you were shocked at the behaviour of your dog, how do you think the person who was bitten felt?

The INTENT is not the issue, it is the IMPACT of your dog's action. The fact is that you did not have full control over your dog, if you did, your dog would not have been able to bite someone.

I am always very concerned when posters, like yourself, say things like 

Occasionally when he is over excited he will playfully nip at people, but never enough to actually hurt

I am sorry but "nipping" is a euphemism for biting. All dogs should be trained that dogs teeth + human skin = disaster. 

You have allowed, either consciously or unconsciously, this behaviour to develop and continue thus, as you have failed to stop it, this behaviour is deemed "normal" to the dog.

I would suggest you are far more black and white about your dog and look at his behaviour from a detached, clinical view of the outsider.

You mention you have a dog trainer, however I would have thought that this trainer would have already identified this issue with your dog and put together a Plan of Action to tackle it.

When you mention that your trainer's dog knocked a child over, I have to wonder about the effectiveness of said trainer!

You could be pursued by through both the civil and criminal legal system and I would advise you that in situations like this, defensiveness is only likely to INCREASE the wrath of the "victim" of your dog's unwanted advances.

What plans have you put in place to a) tackle this problem and b) prevent recurrence in order to demonstrate to any concerned parties that you are a responsible dog owner who is taking steps to re educate their pet?


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## Manoy Moneelil (Sep 1, 2011)

You were wrong to walk off / attempt to walk away until the person your dog attacked gave you an indication that the verbal apologies was enough and was accepted. 

Does your dog insurance cover third party liability?


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## northnsouth (Nov 17, 2009)

Curious......Did you actually see a wound?


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

northnsouth said:


> Curious......Did you actually see a wound?


The presence of a wound is immaterial, it does not make the incident a non event any more than not needing First Aid after falling downstairs negates what happened.

In any case, in dog bites, for those that do not know, quite often the skin will not be broken but the limb can be very badly bruised which will not be immediately apparent.


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## kat&molly (Mar 2, 2011)

northnsouth said:


> Curious......Did you actually see a wound?


Thats what I thought , it sounds a bit suspicious to me?


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## northnsouth (Nov 17, 2009)

smokeybear said:


> The presence of a wound is immaterial, it does not make the incident a non event any more than not needing First Aid after falling downstairs negates what happened.
> 
> In any case, in dog bites, for those that do not know, quite often the skin will not be broken but the limb can be very badly bruised which will not be immediately apparent.


Thank you.. but I do not require your advise... I asked the OP if she saw a wound!


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

northnsouth said:


> Thank you.. but I do not require your advise... I asked the OP if she saw a wound!


Than you , but I was not giving you any _advice_, I was posting some information that might be useful for those forum readers who are unfamiliar with a) dog bites b) their consequences and c) the law.


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## Suek (Apr 1, 2008)

smokeybear said:


> In any case, in dog bites, for those that do not know, quite often the skin will not be broken but the limb can be very badly bruised which will not be immediately apparent.


I got 'bitten' by a GSD once and I thought at the time that he hadn't broken the skin, that it was just a bruise, but when I got home it was a full on bite, I have the scar to prove it :shocked:


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## northnsouth (Nov 17, 2009)

When my OH got bitten by a rottie he fainted!!
When I saw the wound I nearly did too....
When he got bitten by GSD I nearly called off the Wedding!!


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

northnsouth said:


> When my OH got bitten by a rottie he fainted!!
> When I saw the wound I nearly did too....
> When he got bitten by GSD I nearly called off the Wedding!!


Oh no, he wasn't bitten THERE was he?


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## northnsouth (Nov 17, 2009)

Very nearly .... for a dog lover he has had a few tangles ,the joys of his years as a postie....


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## kat&molly (Mar 2, 2011)

The opening post sounds like it was a scam.


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

kat&molly said:


> The opening post sounds like it was a scam.


That had never crossed my mind as I still tend to believe people .....but in this age of compensation culture I suppose that it becomes more likely that scams may occur......


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## northnsouth (Nov 17, 2009)

Dogless said:


> That had never crossed my mind as I still tend to believe people .....but in this age of compensation culture I suppose that it becomes more likely that scams may occur......


Us dog owners are becoming easy targets.. IMHO


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

I would be desperately trying to find this guy, apologise and offer to pay for damage to clothing and as mine are insured ask if he intended to make a claim, scam or not! I would bend over backwards to please this guy as i'd be terrified i'd get reported and my dog taken and put in kennels. 

A guy on my Malamute forum had his Mal taken because he jumped up at a passing woman and scratched her arm, she made a complaint and his dog was taken  admitted it was his second minor offence  luckily after twelve weeks he has been allowed to have him back home but the case is back in Court later this month and no one knows where it will go from there.

I'd be telling this guy I would muzzle my dog in future and take him training to prevent any more incidents. 

You should find him before he finds you as I think the police would not be best pleased that you failed to give your address so as this could be handled correctly, a bit like when you have a car accident you have to give personal details. 
I do agree that you shouldn't just accept that your dog nips , puppy behaviour in a full grown dog is unacceptable and as you have now found potentially dangerous! :frown2:


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

It might also be useful to remind people that failure to notify your insurance company of any such incident can invalidate your insurance and any claim you may make for ANY condition.

Worth thinking about I think.


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## Sammy123 (Nov 9, 2010)

kat&molly said:


> The opening post sounds like it was a scam.


What makes you believe it was a scam? New poster?

So is everybody saying that I can walk down the road, a dog jumps on me and I can just make it up that the dog bit me and DD can be put on that dog? I am sure some sort of proof is needed at least. I would definitely want to see the wound! Wouldn't take just someone's word for it! Maybe that guy just made it up! :skep:


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## Sammy123 (Nov 9, 2010)

Malmum said:


> I would be desperately trying to find this guy, apologise and offer to pay for damage to clothing and as mine are insured ask if he intended to make a claim, scam or not! I would bend over backwards to please this guy as i'd be terrified i'd get reported and my dog taken and put in kennels.
> 
> A guy on my Malamute forum had his Mal taken because he jumped up at a passing woman and scratched her arm, she made a complaint and his dog was taken  admitted it was his second minor offence  luckily after twelve weeks he has been allowed to have him back home but the case is back in Court later this month and no one knows where it will go from there.
> 
> ...


I find this so pathetic! It seems like most people today are just waiting for something to happen just that they can get some effort-free money they believe they are entitled to! Pathetic and so sad! :frown2:


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

Sammy123 said:


> What makes you believe it was a scam? New poster?
> 
> So is everybody saying that I can walk down the road, a dog jumps on me and I can just make it up that the dog bit me and DD can be put on that dog? I am sure some sort of proof is needed at least. I would definitely want to see the wound! Wouldn't take just someone's word for it! Maybe that guy just made it up! :skep:


There doesn't even have to be a wound; the Act states that there can either be an injury or be 'reasonable apprehension' that an injury will be caused.


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## Sammy123 (Nov 9, 2010)

So do they just take a word for it? Surely at least you would need some witnesses? Sorry, I just find it unbelievable to be that easy for someone to accuse your dog of attacking.


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## Manoy Moneelil (Sep 1, 2011)

http://archive.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/cruelty/documents/ddogslawyouleaflet.pdf


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## saunterer (Aug 1, 2012)

Dog bite laws can vary greatly depend on local jurisdiction. It is important that you research the laws in your area so you will know what to expect. The following conditions typically apply in dog bite cases. The dog bite victim may choose to press charges and/or file a civil suit against you. In these cases, you should immediately hire an attorney.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

duplicate post


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