A dog just bit DH!

grannyweatherwax

He was coming back from the mailbox and a neighbor in our complex had her dog on a leash and it ran up and bit his leg! He has a huge bruise now, although no broken skin. I am really upset. I think it's partially hormones.  He usually takes our daughter with him to the mailbox and she didn't go this time because she was in pajamas already. I can't stop thinking about what would have happened if that dog bit her instead.

I am complaining to our office tomorrow! People can't just randomly let their dog bite passerby. Now I am afraid to let him take her for walks. It's her birthday today and I was so happy! Now I'm on the verge of tears because of this dog.

I think I will have another piece of birthday cake and watch Supernatural on Netflix to calm down.

peitri

I definitely agree that you should tell your complex about the dog. In my town, we've had dogs put down for attacks on people. I know it's just a bruise and the dog didn't break the skin, but still. Next time, it could be worse, and/or it could be a child. Enjoy your cake and Supernatural! Try not to think about it till morning when you complain.

lp0

What the hell was the owner doing if this dog was on leash when it bit your DH?

grannyweatherwax

superspecialsnowflake said:

Wait, the dog was on a leash? Was the owner not paying attention when the dog lunged?

She was talking to her friend who was walking with her! Yes, it was on a leash! I am really upset, DH was just walking by with the mail. He even gave them room on the sidewalk and the dog lunged. They said "he's never done this before". 

esdime

Yeah. Get you. I was 8 weeks pregnant and a Rottweiler bit my leg, broke my skin, antobiotics, tetanus and what not to follow. I have always loved dogs and now I find myself thinking they are all dangerous. Once you have been bitten it changes your outlook

frankierokx

Omg glad his skin didn't break. What did the dog owner do?

Skylight21

pirategirlpink said:

superspecialsnowflake said:

Wait, the dog was on a leash? Was the owner not paying attention when the dog lunged?

She was talking to her friend who was walking with her! Yes, it was on a leash! I am really upset, DH was just walking by with the mail. He even gave them room on the sidewalk and the dog lunged. They said "he's never done this before". 



Just because he hasn't done it before doesn't mean that it can't happen. Do you know what kind of dog it was? You say "in your complex" was this outside or in a hallway? Sorry your husband is bruised but glad to hear that your D wasn't with him this time

m88bloom

I don't really believe in "bad" dogs only "bad" owners. Was it a small dog?

nofcksgiven

You need to put this on record and demand to see a shot history. If the dog isn't up to date on shots, then the owner has to have him quarantined.

You'd probably have better luck with just filing a police report than getting animal control involved. It'll be on record and the owner will be on notice.

Generally, although not always, a dog has to have prior bad acts before it'll be taken or put down.

grannyweatherwax

Skylight21 said:

superspecialsnowflake said:

Wait, the dog was on a leash? Was the owner not paying attention when the dog lunged?

She was talking to her friend who was walking with her! Yes, it was on a leash! I am really upset, DH was just walking by with the mail. He even gave them room on the sidewalk and the dog lunged. They said "he's never done this before". 

Just because he hasn't done it before doesn't mean that it can't happen. Do you know what kind of dog it was? You say "in your complex" was this outside or in a hallway? Sorry your husband is bruised but glad to hear that your D wasn't with him this time

It was outside on the sidewalk. It was a small dog, I'm not sure if it had a breed. DH said it looked cocker spaniel mix maybe. It had the curly hair. Couldn't have been more than 30 pounds of dog.

grannyweatherwax

frankierokx said:

Omg glad his skin didn't break. What did the dog owner do?

She said she was sorry and told DH that the dog never bites. She had limited English, so there wasn't a lot of discussion. DH was nice to her & just walked away, he likes dogs a lot and hates confrontation. If the dog bit me or DD he would have been a lot more angry! He checked to make sure the skin wasn't broken and then just came inside.

lba0614

That's weird. Not a normal situation for sure. 

I personally wouldn't call the police or anything, seems overkill to me (just my opinion). Now that the owners know the dog may not always be nice, I'm sure they will keep better watch over him. 

My opinion might be biased though, because growing up I had an aggressive dog. He never hurt us, but he bit our elderly neighbor (luckily she didn't press any charges or anything) before we realized that he didn't like all people. 

After that we always warned people, and if we ever had to take him in public in close quarters with other people we would muzzle him (and yet some people still thought it was a good idea to try to pet him). 

So I guess my point is, sometimes you should give people (and the dog) the benefit of the doubt and don't overreact too much. I totally understand it could have been your child, and in that case, yeah, I'd be pissed too. Just be glad it wasn't.

And this is the reason that I am ALWAYS weary of dogs, no matter how nice they look, no matter if the owners are with them, I always am very cautious. Granted, it sounds like the dog might have kind of snuck up on your husband, which is obviously not his fault. 

Lyzza350

Curious what you decided to do?

grannyweatherwax

Lyzza350 said:

Curious what you decided to do?

DH said he didn't know who the neighbor was that the dog belonged to, he wouldn't be able to point her out or anything. Our apartment complex is large, so its hard to know. So we can't report it because we don't really have much to go on. Plus DH loves dogs and I know he doesn't want to make a big deal out of it. I wasn't with him, or I would be making a bigger deal of it. I will still call the office tomorrow and let the manager know what happened in case it happens to someone else.  Hopefully the owner will be more watchful now and maybe get the dog some training. Sometimes people don't train small dogs well because they think the bad behavior is cute. I don't think biting is cute.