I love dogs, and cats and horses and all kinds of critters.
I also sincerely try to hurt a dog when they come after me. I go from love dogs to almost feral myself in a snap. I don’t find the two incompatible. But it can often be easier to handle a bad dog than a bad owner. More legal constraints…
I was bitten in the back by a dog that never barked. The girl I was dating said it had happened before. Made a nasty welt but didn’t break the skin. I was very angry the rest of the day.
In most areas the dog will have to be euthanized if the owner cannot prove the vaccination status. At the very least the dog should be quarantined and the owner should pay all of your medical expenses plus lost wages etc. If they are a homeowner their liability insurance might cover it.
I would suggest you talk to the animal control officers in the area where it occurred (or the police.)
(Oh I just saw you said a deputy came… good.)
Yes - a deputy from the county sheriff’s office came and got the details. They are supposed to let me know about the vaccination status. This is a small rural area (yes, it happened in town, but a tiny town, and apparently this house wasn’t technically in the town itself, but in the township). There is no “animal control” here. Sounds like I can pursue them for my medical costs - I’ll have to file an FOIA request to get the police report, and probably go through small claims court. I’d definitely rather not, but ER visits are not cheap, and unless they have to pay something, nothing will change. My friend’s golden retriever was attacked by a pit bull (the golden was leashed) that had a history. In the same general area, although I think they were inside the village limits. They got the vet bills paid for, but I’m pretty sure no other action was taken. The dog was already a rescue. I’m not sure why people who adopt rescued dogs with a history of violence feel they belong in neighborhoods in town. Seems risky to me. Anyway, I don’t want to be the reason a dog gets euthanized, but I don’t think that will happen anyway. He might have to hurt someone really bad first.
I’m a HUGE dog lover, but any dog that is human-aggressive needs to be put down. No question. You will not be the reason if this happens. The dog is wired wrong. Just imagine if that dog gets teeth on a tiny human, or otherwise really hurts a person. You could be the reason this never happens if you press for this dog to be euthanized. I know I would. At the very least the dog should never be allowed off that person’s property or permitted to be unsupervised even if contained by a fence.
Not all dogs deserve to live. And too many owners are irresponsible a-holes. I’m really sorry this happened to you.
YOU would not be the reason. The person responsible would be the owner who did not have the dog vaccinated and did not control their animal.
It’s very unlikely a dog would be euthanized for this type of incident. Usually if the dog’s vaccination status is unknown, it has to be quarantined at an animal control facility for 10 days. Depending on the municipality, a dog that bites someone (particularly if it has bitten more than once) may have to be registered as a “dangerous dog,” which comes with additional rules about containment and muzzling.
I just read the ordinances where I live and what you say is correct. The animal would only be euthanized if during the quarantine it showed signs of rabies.
@JCH_ski sorry for alarming you unnecessarily.
Own me, not at all?
My buddy was visiting with his really sweet 125 pound Ridgeback. The dog was on the couch snoring so our kinda mean black cat (Otis) jumped up and stood in front of his face. The dog woke up and jumped over the back of the couch to avoid confrontation.
We used to have a neighbor with a 110 pound male Chesapeake Bay retriever that liked to visit us. Otis used to lay in the open doorway and yawn while Barkley jumped up and down while keeping a safe distance since he was terrified of Otis. As Otis got old he allowed Barkley to enter our house which Barkley did very cautiously.
Only mentally flawed or very very young dogs do not understand when they are facing another creature willing to have the fight. The smallest cat we ever had was the terror of any neighbor dog that tried to enter our yard.
Our first cat taught our first puppy many valuable lessons. MANY valuable lessons. Including bowling her over repeatedly while out for a walk on the trail behind our house. That taught her respect. Our current pup has no such tutor, and we’re a little afraid to get one now, as she plays pretty rough. And I’m not sure I could handle then ensuing chaos if we got a kitten.
We have 2 cats who are sisters. The smaller one stays on top of the cat tree when Honey is around. The big one loves on Honey and encourages play but when she’s had enough, the dog knows to back off.
Having recently lost Tulliver a month shy of eleven years old, we’re down to two golden retrievers. Twelve year old Kazoo at 92# has become something of a house dog; he has to be coaxed outdoors for play and walks. Five year old Glenlivet is my adventure dog. He has 25,000 miles in his sidecar now, including last year’s six week 11,000 mile ride from Vermont to the Pacific Coast and back in a delightfully meandering route. As a pup he enjoyed paddling with me but he quickly outgrew the cockpit. I’m considering adding a solo canoe to the fleet.
Camping in the Smokies with my parents, a young couple had a tandem bike with their sheepdog in the sidecar.
If you are going to bring dogs in your boat, teach them to lie down on the bottom of the boat. I do not want them sitting in the seats, walking around or even sitting. That makes canoes much less stable and more top heavy.
On a raft or drift boat they can wander around all they want.
My dog thinks I can walk on water. I think my BC is the best dog in the world. We have an agreement.
