Meandering comment about a dog bite

[Richard]

I dont know what nice title to put there .... so I put what I put.

With the current dog thread going on, it had me thinking of something that happened and I thought I'd repeat it here and simply see what anyone had to say, if anything.

A couple years ago we added onto the house. We have 5 indoor dogs. Sometimes, when you have a puppy or adult dog of your OWN, you might "stutter step" towards it in a playful way...and sometimes it might get into a playful pose and you can wrestle around with it.

I do this with most of our dogs and then when playtime is over, I call them to me and have them sit and I pat their head....

Ok, builder was here working on house. Both my wife & I at different times, noticed him outside, facing the full glass front door "stuttering" towards one of our dogs which happened to be on the other side of the glass. The dog started getting into the red zone and barking/growling at him and he walked away giggling.

Once my wife & I compared notes, we each only saw this happen once. Did it happen more often?? Don't know, but I don't doubt it.

Ok, fast forward several months later and I come home from work. I gather all 5 dogs on their leashes and walk them to the field so they can do their biz.

The builder seems to have a question for me. Side note.... the dogs are on retractable leashes, 16' in length.

When they see him they start barking, ALL of them. I didn't think much of it.

They "jumped" in a playful way towards him, NOT in an aggressive way (just look at my avatar... she's not a killer)

Anyways, the leashes are now extended 16' out and he's 25' away, well outside this circle.

He continues to walk towards me, entering the 16' circle, all the dogs are barking at him and jumping up.

Suddenly, the specific dog that he had been taunting through the glass door, circled around behind him and sank her powerful teeth right into his calf.

He was wearing blue jeans AND insulated denim coveralls. She still broke the skin EVER so barely and you could see a good "U" shape imprint of her teeth on his calf. He ended up with a bruise on his calf the size of a good grapefruit. She's a Cairne Terrier (sp?) and although she's not a big dog, she looks to have a powerful set of jaws.

So he entered this 16' circle, gets bitten on the calf... He never said much about it other than his daughter yelled at him, saying it was his fault that he should never have crossed that line (I agree)

He never mentioned lawsuit and it's been 2 years... he simply manned up to doing something stupid both times (taunting dogs and then entering their circle while I was trying to reel them in)

Fast forward another month or so... some of his workers were here and several of them were holding several of our dogs. One of them was holding Hattie in his arms and she was as quiet & peaceful as a churchmouse. As he was holding her, rubbing her head... he asked "which one of your dogs is the one that bit the Boss?"

My wife looked at him and said.... you're holding her

We finally concluded that his taunting through the window got her to really dislike/distrust him... or perhaps she is just a good judge of character.

 

[rekees4300]

You are lucky you didn't get sued. Although state laws vary, pet owners are usually considered legally responsible for their dog's behavior, and in most bite cases are required to pay all medical bills as well as lost wages resulting from the attack. They can also be ordered to pay for the bite victim's pain and suffering. If the dog owner is particularly negligent -- such as letting a dog known to be dangerous run loose -- there might be multiple or punitive damages, as well as separate criminal charges.

 

[Richard]

This is Hattie, the one that bit him on the leg

 

[CompactTractorFan]

when you have a puppy or adult dog of your OWN, you might "stutter step" towards it in a playful way.

Yep, do it all the time...

 

[Richard]

Yes, the first concern I had was some liability....

I felt a little more assured though (perhaps erroneously) given that the dogs were NOT running loose, but rather, all were on a leash and he entered THEIR circle.

Sort of like having a dog chained to a tree with a 10' lead....and you walking up to it and putting your hand near it's mouth, 9' away from the tree.

The choice to enter that circle was yours (his) and doing so while all dogs are going ballistic isn't the smartest thing to do.

I did count myself a bit fortunate in that his daughter totally agreed with my line of thinking (not that I ever discussed it with her... it just happened that what he told me she said, dovetailed with my thoughts)

Although in hindsight, I don't think he ever really thought about pursuing anything, I think if he HAD, his daughter rolling her eyes at his stupidity made him think twice.

What was so funny is, when the other guys were holding Hattie & petting her.....she was as calm as can be (like normal) and they were wondering where that 'bezerk' dog was.... imagine their surprise when he was told "you're holding her" lol

 

[NorTracNY]

Richard,
It's probably best just to live your life and hope others can do the same. Luckily it appears that the worker is doing that. Remember that ANYONE can sue ANYONE for ANYTHING. That doesn't mean they're in the right to do it or that they will win. Only the lawyers win.
Recently around here a local elected state official filed a lawsuit (actually claims his lawyer filed it and not him) against a contractor and a homeowner. He was tresspassing on property that had a house was being built on. The front door was locked so he went around back and found a basement door opened. He tried climbing a latter and fell hurting his knee. The homeowners didn't want to embarrass him, so they didn't press charges. The day after the statuite of limitations for tresspass were up, he filed the lawsuit. Anyone want to vote for this trash of a "human" being?

 

[bigtiller]

If a dog bites once, you can bet it will bite again. Unless it is my dog. I can't afford that kind of lialibility so it will be taking a long dirt nap just as soon as I can make it happen.

 

[beppington]

Fast forward another month or so... some of his workers were here and several of them were holding several of our dogs. One of them was holding Hattie in his arms and she was as quiet & peaceful as a churchmouse. As he was holding her, rubbing her head... he asked "which one of your dogs is the one that bit the Boss?"

My wife looked at him and said.... you're holding her

Alternate answer: Huh? What?

 

[nybirdman]

I think that most people that get bitten by a dog(that is normally docile) have and innate fear of dogs...and the dogs pick up on this.This fellow was showing his bravery while behind a glass door.Almost any dog is going to protect his home and owner..may not bite but be defensive.I had almost the same circumstance happen..a contractor(very good friend) entered our house while we were not home,the dog is an 80lb.German Short-hair..very protective
my friend didn't get bite but learned a lesson.

 

[beppington]

I felt a little more assured though (perhaps erroneously) given that the dogs were NOT running loose, but rather, all were on a leash and he entered THEIR circle.

I do see what you're saying, but I'm not sure how well the logic of an imaginary "no-fly-zone" circle holds up. First, if your dog is on a 10' leash you're holding, & he's behind you or off in some other direction, if I approach you from the front, how could I tell where the 10' circle is? Second, don't people generally assume dogs are safe & pleasant, such as you describe yours, unless actual signs, or the owner, or the dog's obvious barking/ growling indicate otherwise? So, how would they know to stay out of the circle, even if the circle's location was very obvious, unless you tell them? If you're standing there smiling, talking to me, but you're dog's barking, how do I know for sure whether or not I should come within the circle to talk to you at a reasonable say 5' distance?

I'm not sure a dog on a leash that bites somebody is really any different than a dog running free that bites somebody. In fact, if there was a difference, a**holes who actually want their dog to bite somebody would just put a leash on them & take them over by that person, & after say, "My dog's on a leash, nothing you can do about it."

Edit: I guess what I'm saying is that it's probably less risky to just assume people will do the wrong or dumb thing. Also to assume that you're dog will bite someone, even though you don't really wanna believe it.

 

[Western]

Last night on our local news.

A woman was walking her small mixed breed dog in a suburb, as she past one of her neighbors homes 5 Pitt Bulls started barking at her from behind a window in that neighbors house, the Pitts broke the glass, went through the screen and attacked and mauled the puppy. The woman and another female neighbor where bitten pretty bad trying to separate the dogs.

The Pitts where taken by Ft Worth animal control for a 10 day quarantine, standard for Texas to watch for rabies.

The dog owner faces several thousand $$ of fines, didn't say if the ladies would sue, But the Animal spokesman said "The dog owner was responsible for the attack since he had the liability to control them at ALL times"

So I think even on a leash, your liable for damages caused by your pet, but it does seem "dumb" for some one to approach a obviously upset dog.

I think you got a "freebee" from your construction guy, right or wrong.

 

[bigtiller]

Having a dog on a leash is not enough to protect the owners lialibitily. The dog has to be under control. That means the owner and the leash has to be strong enough to keep the dog beside him even when the dog does not want to do that.

A 16 foot leash is just about as bad as letting it run free. And does nothing to remind the dog who is in control.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I have a large dog that bites intruders. Do NOT walk in the door of my house without being introduced to the dog, or you will bleed. Outside the house he is protective, but hasn't bitten anyone. Away from the house he is a friendly puppy. I adopted him when he was 7 years old, so don't know what his training has been, but acts like he is a trained guard dog. If so, I don't know the command that will make him stand down.

Once he has been introduced to someone, he files them as friendly and never threatens them again. My wife doesn't worry about being by herself at night. We keep him in the house and make sure he is under control before opening the door. I don't worry about burglars much either.

 

[Mace Canute]

My male GSD is very territorial. The yard is his and anyone entering is greeted by what appears to be their worst nightmare...he's 135 lbs and has a very deep bark and is visually intimidating. Outside the yard he is exactly the opposite; he almost totally ignores anyone walking by, just casually checking them out as if he has seen them walk by a thousand times before. It's funny, if I come into the yard through the front gate with a friend, he does his "song and dance" routine but if I enter through the garage, he doesn't, he almost totally ignores them then too. My little woofer is starting to slow down now. He will be 11 this coming June and between arthritis and hip dysplasia problems, he isn't the pup he used to be.

 

[dmccarty]

...
Ok, builder was here working on house. Both my wife & I at different times, noticed him outside, facing the full glass front door "stuttering" towards one of our dogs which happened to be on the other side of the glass. The dog started getting into the red zone and barking/growling at him and he walked away giggling.
...

Sounds like he might have have teased the dog on more than one occasion. If he did, he was asking for it from the dog.

Years ago in the city house it was garbage day. Kelly was in the garage which had a garage door with glass windows. The garbage cans were just outside of the door waiting for pickup as usual for garbage pickup day.

For some reason I was home and I heard a strange knocking noise from the garage followed by Kelly barking. Kelly happened to be outside. There was a doggy door in the back of the garage so she could go from the garage to the backyard. I opened the door to the garage and found Kelly barking at the twit of a garbage man who was knocking on the glass windows in the garage door. My guess is that he did this every week. I gave him a look and he scurried off.

I never heard him do this again nor did the wife but we certainly were not normally home at that time.

Later,
Dan

 

[beppington]

Sounds like he might have have teased the dog on more than one occasion. If he did, he was asking for it from the dog.

I wonder if that would matter much to a judge.

 

[wdchyd]

My In-laws had a nice dog that would bark at the mailman everyday when he'd deliver the mail in a box next to the front door......

Then one day the mailman had a letter to hand carry (probably certified) and the dog attacked the mailman and bit him right at the opened door.........

Looking back the dog seemed to be the most gentle dog, but it seemed to the dog that he was teasing him.....and he got a taste of him......

You just never know what they're thinking.....

 

[beppington]

You just never know what they're thinking.....

Exactly. As a teen, my friend's mom had a little poodle mix of some kind. It was a real nice dog, would sit in your lap & let you pet it, etc. But every now & then, for no apparent reason we could ever figure out, that dog would just go nuts for about a second & a half, snarl-barkin' & acting like it was gonna chew you to pieces (even though it was pretty small), & then walk away. A few minutes later, all was back to normal again. No idea what would go thru that dog's head.

 

[SandburRanch]

:

You just never know what they're thinking.....

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On the local news recently an elderly couple had a nice old Rottweiler they kept in the house as a family pet. The elderly lady had a stroke and went down. When the husband attempted to attend to her on the floor the dog attack nearly killing him before he could get away and out of the house for help. Mans best friend? Not always.

 

[boggen]

the dogs over the years. were all friendly. except some folks. each dog was different. but certain folks. if they were not held back. and the person did just a hair thing wrong, it would of most likely been painful if a family member wasn't there with the dog.

my mom's friend dog. she is a little ankle bitter only men though. just goes up and just touches teeth at the ankles then backs away.no hard biting. maybe a little tug at bottom of your pant leg.

if ya been around enough animals, ya know most of them have there own personalities to them. some are just plain stubborn, while others just go along. certain things tick some folks off and different things for other folks. and same goes for animals. at least in my experience.

for example: i took my dog over to my mom's, and she has the big round exercise ball. He hates it. as soon as he realizes it is near him. he gets grumpy. but everything else he is just fine with.

dogs are many ways like human kids. taunt them enough. and they will get ya back somehow. or less parent / owner intervenes.