Dog attack (Neighbor's)

[kwando]

My old man was attacked by a neighbors lab (mix) dog yesterday while he was riding his bike to get the mail. He rides daily to get the mail, yesterday was no different. The dog punctured his lower calf, and he said he had to kick the dog off. A neighbor gave him a ride back to my house. My old man knocked on the neighbors door and the wife answered and the only thing she said was the dog is up to date on his vaccinations and sorry.

When i got home he was still cleaning the wound. He said he was fine, and insisted that he did not need medical attention. Until I reminded him that his grandkids play outside right next to the dog. I was pumped and pissed, and jumped on the ATV to talk to the neighbor. The neighbor was very apologetic and said the dog's radio collar was off because it was digging into the dogs skin. Electric/invisible fences are nice until the battery dies. He said he was talking to his wife about how to prevent this from happening. I believe they were worried we would sue them.

My MAIN concern is right at his house is where my 5 year old son and other neighborhood kids wait for the bus daily. If it would have been one of the kids, the outcome could have been a lot worse! I hated being that neighbor, but i told the home owner I had to report it. That dog has rushed at me and the cars as it drives past, and speaking with 4 other neighbors none of them feel comfortable walking past that house. The dog will growl, bark and pace as you walk past. When i was talking to the neighbor the dog was completely friendly. The house has no physical fence and the property is approx 2 acres.

What would you have done if you were me? If the bus stop was not literally right at their house, I prob would not have called.

[Skip]

Seems like we just talked through this scenario. Sorry for your dad and I hope he recovers fast. I would have him checked out just in case (don't trust what your neighbor says about shots).

In before "if you're afraid of strange dogs you should stay inside."


ETA to answer your question: I would have called the DougCo Sheriffs (they are great here) to have the process started on a permanent solution that didn't involve me going to jail.

A little "nip" at me, no problem. Puncture wound like that on someone I care about and it's on. Thinking about it being my kids... Wow. I know exactly what you mean.

[RblDiver]

The time my sister got bitten by a dog was the only time I've ever heard my dad furious. He's been angry before (rarely), but this was fury.

Sounds to me like the guy's dog is a big hazard, and he needs to be acutely aware of this.

The only anecdote I have, which is probably not all that useful, is that at my parent's first house, the neighbors had a dog that always growled when my mom went outside (like to hang laundry). So one day, my dad got on the roof with a BB gun. My mom went out, the dog came over growling...and got beaned by my dad. Ever since then he cowered when my mom went outside! I don't know if this will be effective for that dog, but it's something to think about I suppose.

Edit: Oh, and it's interesting you mention that they were worried about you suing them. Over in Ireland where my sis got bit, apparently they have VERY strict dog laws. By the time we'd taken her to the doctor, and my dad went back out there with the local law enforcement, the owner had already shot the dog to avoid further penalties.

[Gman]

That type of incident needs to be reported and tracked. The burden and liability is entirely on the owners.

If your dad doesn't get medical attention for that wound, keep a close eye on it. Even the potential for blood clots should not be taken lightly.

[TFOGGER]

I would have the wound looked at by a medical professional, at the neighbor's expense. Puncture wounds are very prone to infection, especially bite wounds. As for the neighbor, they are responsible for controlling their animal. If they can't or won't(physical fence), then it's time to involve the appropriate authorities.

[kwando]

Sorry I left that out, it was reported to Elbert county. A Sheriff stopped by to get pictures, and a statement and told him to go to seek medical attention. He went to urgent care and they gave him a antibiotics and a few shots, and thoroughly cleaned the wound.

[MED]

I had a similar dog bite in the same place; dog belonged to my sister's ex husband. I knew the dog really well and always gave the dog attention. The dog just snapped one day when I was moving a table out of the barn with his owner about 15ft away. The surface wounds didn't hurt as much as the bruised muscle; dog was half German Shepherd and half Saint Bernard...big powerful jaw, which hurt like hell. He was family so I let it go.

However, in this case, either the owners need to take action on their own, or you need to take action against them so somebody else doesn't get hurt.

[Dave_L]

Dang man! Sorry to hear this. I love dogs but they're animals and you still have to treat them as such. I hope you can work this out and keep everyone safe. You're not the only one concerned which is a big red flag in my opinion.

[Irving]

I'm catch up on thread later, but that dog needs to go away. It'll be sad, but if you bite someone unprovoked, then you can be replaced by another dog.

[Skip]

Sorry I left that out, it was reported to Elbert county. A Sheriff stopped by to get pictures, and a statement and told him to go to seek medical attention. He went to urgent care and they gave him a antibiotics and a few shots, and thoroughly cleaned the wound.

Good news. You handled that right.

I hope the neighbor will get a summons.