My child got bit by a dog!!!!

L

lorihart

Cathlete
Hi Everyone,
I wasn't a very happy mother last night,as you can imagine.And I didn't really know how to go about reporting it.I reported it to the SPCA (which in canada is the animal shelter) but I don't know if I was suppose to report it to the town police as well.
A friend and I took our two girls to the playground and we were on our way home.They were on their bikes and we were a fair ways back.I saw the young girl approaching us with the dog and she could barely control him.He snapped at us as we walked by as well.The girls had made it all the way home by this time.
When I got home she showed me the bruise and teeth marks in her arm.She was riding by on her bike and the dog just jumped out at her and bit her arm.Can you imagine??? As far as I am concerned the dog shouldn't even be aloud out of the house.It was like a wild animal on a chain.I have a big dog but he as a wonderful temperment so I can't understand why a dog would be so mean!
Anyway,you can still see the dog bite on her arm,he didn't break the skin but should I take her to the doctor? I also called the owner and I "know" who they are so I would think that the dog as had his needles and I wouldn't think he is being abused but it either needs to be laid to rest or not let out of the house.Don't get me wrong, I am a animal LOVER but I have no time for bad animals.
Lori
 
Oh my gosh that's awful! YES! Take her to the doctor's! At least you'll have peace of mind. I'm so sorry that happened. You should report it too because what if the dog does something worse in the future? What if it attacks another child?

Good luck!
 
Lori,

I would definitely call your doctor about your daughter. You probably won't feel better until you do.

It's a shame there are so many irresponsible pet owners. My dogs are aggressive to other dogs, but not to people. However, I am very firm with them, especially when we are out for a walk. That dog probably does need to be put down or never let out of the house. I bet you'll find out the dog has also bit the owner a time or two. Truth is, you really never know what an animal will do, especially when it's outside because the animal instincts kick in even more so when exposed to nature.

You need to report it. If he attacked your daughter, he will surely attack someone else in the future.

x( :-(
 
Hi Lori:

I was attacked by a dog as a teenager. I went to my neighbour's house to deliver a message from their son who could not get through to them because their phone was on the blink. I opened the gate and walked up the path to their house, their front door was open, the dog rushed out, bit out a chunk of my leg and ran away. I screamed my head off and my sister took me to the ER to make sure I didn't need a tetanus injection. I say: definitely taake your daughter to the doctor.

The dog who bit me was taken in by the neighbours because it had been abused elsewhere. I say also: report this dog, it too is probably being abused, which is not good for either it or other area children. Regard it as your civic duty.

Clare
 
Hi Lori

I am so sorry that your daughter got bitten. That is terrible. I just wanted to say that I have a border collie/ red heeler mix from the SPCA who will lunge at anything that moves quickly like a bike, roller blader etc. Its the strong herding instinct in my dog. I normally find it a lot safer to exercise my dog when there are no children around or in a disused tennis court nearby. A lot of people think that she is a nasty dog but she's actually a darling. Her breed characteristics and her own unique temperement make her different from a friendly dog like a retriever or lab.

The problem is really owners. Although there are dogs that you can't do much for, I firmly believe that in most cases of dogs behaving badly, its the owners fault. If you have a herding dog it becomes the responsibility of the owner to teach the dog appropriate behaviour or use a gentle leader while walking it where there are lots of children or fast moving objects because these breeds while go for anything that moves quickly. Its their nature and its not because they are bad.

I volunteer for the SPCA and it breaks my heart to see so many dogs being put down because they don't have the sunny, friendly disposition that is deemed as 'adoptable'. Most of these dogs are called 'aggressive' which is often not true. They just have the characteristics of their breed and would be wonderful animals if people bothered to put the time into training/ handling. Thankfully there are so many breed rescue groups who do that but there are only so many rescuers and so many more dogs.

Its really sad to see dogs that have owners but are not taught what they need to be taught so that they can adjust to life the way we live it. This is what leads to children getting bitten and horrible things like that. I hope your daughter will be fine and I'm so sorry that she had such a negative experience.
 
Definitely report it and take her to the doctor. Check into your local dog laws. In CA, we have a one bite rule. Basically a dog gets one "bite free" and after that must be put down.

Not all dogs have great temperaments and it is up to responsible owners to make sure that these particular dogs do not have access to children or people to bite. I wouldn't assume at all that the dog is being abused. Some dogs are not wired correctly, some dogs exhibit signs as puppies that they have a tendency to be biters but owners dont' realize it and don't work wtih them properly and voila you have a dog that thinks it is ok to bite. Some dogs have brain tumors and go off, some dogs bite out of fear...there are many many many reasons dogs bite. Dogs do what works. The dog probably has gotten away with a lot at home and knows that biting/growling, etc. gets him/her what he/she wants. So he continues to do it.

Sorry to hear about the bite. I'm a big dog lover, but people always have to come first!!

Colleen
 
I agree with everything prfitness and colleen has said. It's too bad the owners can't be put down for being so irresponsible!

you know what i mean...
 
There are laws against dog bites, In America all dogs by law are required to wear a collar with a rabies info. You need to find the dog and the owner of the dog and find out if that dog had it's rabies shot. And yes you do need to report it to the police because this dog shows signs of a dangerous animal. The owners need to be more responsible with a dog of this magnitude, The owner can be held accountable for that attack. Just last week there was a little boy riding his bike when some rotweilers got loose and attacked the boy and the owners got charged and the dogs have since been euthanized.
 
My son was bit by a dog a couple years ago. I would definately report the dog and take her in to a doctor. When my son was bit it broke the skin, so I took him in just to have the bite cleaned. The doctor called the police, and that percipitated a whole sequence of events. We needed to verify the dog was current on it's rabies shots, which the vet could not do. Then the dog needed to be quarentined at the vet for observation for 10 days to insure there was no rabies. I really wasn't thinking rabies at all when I took my son in to the doctor. I learned a lot about rabies on the way. I guess survival rate of rabies is about 0 percent, so even though chances were just about nill we had to go through all the precautions.

I'm sorry this happened to you and your daughter. That is awful. At least by getting the doctor/police involved the dog owners will have some consequences as well.
 
You should bring her to the doctor. Both of my sons were bit by my mother in law's dog. One of the bites was just a nip when it was a puppy. The other bite (my 2 year old) was very bad. He got 24 stitches in his face & head. She promised she would lock the door in a bedroom while my little guy was visiting, but she let the dog out to play ball with my son. UGH! She still has the dog & we don't enter her house anymore.

The doctor treated both boys with antibiotics as a proactive measure. My little guy had to see a plastic surgeon.

We reported the dog at the hospital and doctor's office. The ASPCA contacted my MIL to make sure it had all it's shots. I called the health department about a complaint. They said that all they can do is make sure the dog was healthy. They couldn't do anything about the dog. This dog has gone on to bite at least 2 other people (all in the face). I don't understand how anyone can keep a dog that bites. I know that I would not keep that dog.

I hope your daughter is feeling well!

Colleen
 
Wow, there are alot of horror stories.
I cannot beleive that your mother in law kept her dog! I wouldn't even go visit if this were the case.Is her dog more important then her grandkids?
The dog reminded me of something with rabies.He was awful.Pulling on the chain,barking, and he was leaning towards anything that moved.I would have hated to see what he would have done if he wasn't on a leash.There were numerous people walking by him and behind him and they were looking at him with wide eyes.You rarely see dogs like that.The dog actually seemed like something that has been teased or tormented.Either way it is not a anice dog.
My bodd put one her dogs down resently.They got the dog at the SPCA and seemed friendly enough,till he bit his owners a few times.When they would go to put his leash on or bring him in the house by his collar(when he wouldn't listen) he would snap at them.Finally they said enough.And without thinking twice they put him down.
I left a message last night with the SPCA.Told them what had happened, left a message, phone number and the phone number of the people who own the dog.No one as called me back yet.
I already called the DR today and he didn't have any openings so I think I am going to call back and make an appt.for tomorrow.Just to make sure.I am hoping then to that the DR will make a report to the police or someone.
I think that a dog gets two-three chances here.I am leaning towards two.
I wouldn't be so mad if she had stopped to touch the dog b/c you aren't suppose to touch strange dogs but she was just riding by.I am EXTREMELY surprised that she didn't stop.She loves animals.The dog was even snapping at people just walking by...us being one of them.
Anyway,thanks for all the info.
Lori
 
Hi Lori, sorry to hear about this. The same thing happen to my son a few years ago. The lady was out and didn't say a thing about it. My son was on his way to school on his bike. I got a call from the school telling me. Well anyway I sign my son out of school and took him to the dr. I call the police when I got home. They went to her house and the dog bit the police also but it was his boots. The police called some Animal or Vet not sure but the dog had to be watch for the next 10 days. Thank goodness the dog had his rabie shot. We even sued them and got $1500. It might want to look into this.
 
Oh my! What a scary thing! I have two dogs and I would die if they bit someone. They are nice dogs and they love people and children, but they are big and they're animals so their behavior is somewhat unpredictable. If a dog bits someone for no reason the owner is responsible for everything (yes that includes medical bills). I'm sorry this happened to your child.
 
Lori, I'm sorry to hear about this. I agree with everyone. Take your child to the doctor and report the dog. I hope your daughter is well and won't develop some kind of phobia from this experience. My son used to be scared of dogs. When he was 18 months old and I took a walk in our neighborhood with him in his stroller, we were chased by a dog. It was eventually restrained by its owner, who was very apologetic, but my boy never forgot that experience. He'd cling to me every time he saw a dog, no matter how far away it was from him. Now that he's older, he's realizing that not all dogs are ornery. It can be hard for a child...

Pinky
 
oh that's terrible! go to the doc just to check. some dog are just way too aggressive. I was taking the garbage out at work a couple months ago and the neighbors police dog started barking and running at me- if it wouldn't have been for the owner seeing it and yelling at him he would've threw me down for sure!!! good luck
 
Lori I am WAY behind on the posts here, so I just saw this. Is your daughter all right?

Carol
:)
 
Lori - Thank goodnes that dog didn't break your daughter's skin.
It happened to me about 3 years ago. When I was walking one of my golden retrievers, a monster of a mean dog attacked my Agnes, dragged me and the mean dog's owner (both Agnes and meanie were leashed). I kicked the dog, trying to get him off of Agnes and he bit me in two places on my calf. Thank God, Agnes wasn't hurt.

I ended up having an open wound on my leg for two month, plus major "road rash" on my knees from being dragged--they won't stitch up dog bites because it could seal in infection. Anyway, the dog bit down through all my layers of skin, exposing what was beneath (gross). The smaller teeth marks healed faster. Suffice it to say that I have some awful scarring from the bite.

We, too, have a "one bite" law here in VA so there was nothing I could do legally. CONTACT YOUR LOCAL ANIMAL CONTROL. Arlington County(where I live) was extremely helpful--they went out and had a chat w/the dog's owner, and made sure meanie had his rabies shots. They also keep track of the dog, just in case it bites anyone else or attacks other dogs. If it had hurt others, I think they would have confiscated the animal (not 100% certain, but I think I recall that they said they would).

I'm amazed at how many people have big mean dogs now and let their children walk them (how can a 75 pound child control a 135 pound rottweiler?). I no longer walk my goldens because unfortunately, there are way too many irresponsible dog owners who can't/won't control aggressive dogs.
 
Lori,

I agree w/everyone else. Take your daughter to the doctor just so he can take a look.

Unfortunately, I feel 90% of all dog bite incidents are preventable by the owners. Most agression and behavioral problems are caused by people who unwitingly encourage this type of behavior thru lack of expericence.

I can't imagine letting a small child walk a large, agressive dog! Where are the girl's parents that think this is acceptable!

My family and I own a large dog and if my daughter has a friend coming over for the first time, I make sure I tell the parents that I do own a large dog and I keep the dog separate from the children until she gets used to them. (i.e. some kids are afraid of dogs, which sometimes may bring out agression).

I don't know this dog, but I agree with the other poster who remarked that her dog nips at moving objects like bicycles and the dog probably was more afraid of the passing bicycles than the kids and then acted (in it's mind) to defend itself. This is still no excuse for this to happen and the owners should be addressed to prevent this from happening to another person.

Take care.
 
Hi Lori,

I'm so sorry to hear that you child was bitten. Nothing pisses me off more than seeing a child (or in some cases adults) being dragged around by a dog they can't control. If you are going to have a dog, invest in the animal and get it some training. And remember that not all people are dog people, I have the most beautiful dog in the world (don't we all;-) ), but I know that not everyone wants to pet him so unless people come up to me, I keep my dog away from them. I also carry a stun baton because I too am afraid of myself or my dog being attacked.

I hope this doesn't have any long lasting affects on you daughter. There is one little girl in my apartment complex that freaks out every time she sees a dog. Even if the dog is too far away to bite her and is on a leash, she runs in the other direction screaming, "NO, NO, No!!!". I feel so bad for her.;(
 
Hey DeeDee

How long is your stun baton? Is it a pain to carry around? What volts is it? Have you used it yet? If so, was it effective?

The reason why I ask is because my dogs and I have been attacked several times on our country roads - the owners are usually total flipping idiots so talking to them does not help (believe me). I now carry bear spray (for when it isn't windy) and a telescoping metal baton for when I can't use the spray. The telescoping baton will probably kill a dog if I have to use it as it is solid metal and comes out to 26 inches - even slight force with this thing will probably severely hurt a dog. I would rather not harm a dog like that (but I will if I have to). That is why I am curious about the stun baton. The only reason why I have not seriously considered it is because they are very long (at least the ones that would be effective against attacking dogs are long) and I think would be way bulkier and heavier to carry than my metal baton - keep in mind that I have 2 full grown GSDs so I don't carry anything in my hands - my baton and spray are on a leather belt around my waist - the idea of a long stun baton flopping around on my waist and legs isn't something I like. Therefore I thought your opinion would be good to get =).
 
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