Doubtful, even if the dog isn’t up to date on rabies it’s not that likely that a house pet would be rabid. I’m sure it bit him because the dog is terrier, not because it’s rabid. Not sure of the laws in Maryland but chances are they’d just quarantine the dog for 10 days.
For the old couple’s sake though, I hope this is the dog’s only offense.
Well, one reason to go to the ER or at least an urgent care facility is to get the bite officially reported and investigated by Animal Services. They will make sure that the dog is vaccinated and if not require it to be quarantined. The dog will also get a record requiring the owners to take steps to make sure it never happens again, like muzzling the dog when they leave their property.
Also, bite wounds easily get infected. I’ve had tiny bites that I cleaned and took care of myself that got infected and I’ve had larger bites that I had treated at an ER and was on antibiotics for that still got infected. They’re also very painful because of the crushing injury more so than the open wound itself.
Not that I get bit a lot but I’ve been a vet tech for 24 years so it’s happened a few times during that time.
I have a 70 lb pit bull/mastiff mix who is VERY strong and very intimidating looking. He is also sweet as pie and a teddy bear at heart, and I know that he won’t hurt anyone.
HOWEVER. I never let him off leash, I keep a tight hold on him when anyone is nearby, and if he so much as approaches someone on the street I pull him back and make him sit. He wears a muzzle as per the law of the land.
And if he did what the dog in the OP did, he’d be put down without a thought and there wouldn’t be anything I could do about it.
The reason this shit pisses me off is because EVERY dog can bite someone. Every dog owner MUST take precautions - they don’t need to muzzle them, but they certainly do need to make sure they don’t bite passing joggers. That is not too much to ask.
Meanwhile my dog gets attacked by other dogs (and can’t fight back), people holler “Killer dog!” at him out the window of their cars, they sneer and glare at us when we walk by, and he has never shown the slightest bit of aggression towards anyone. (Except the measuring tape. For some reason he really hates that.)
Dogs are dangerous. Owners must be responsible. If I keep my teddy bear dog under Hannibal Lecter style security conditions, I expect every other dog owner to be responsible about theirs too.
When I’m elected King, dog owners will be responsible for the actions of their dogs. Your dog bites someone like this, you’re going to be arrested for assault, just as if you stabbed his leg with a screwdriver held in your own hand. You better hope that the 100+lb nearly uncontrollable dog you got (because you want to be a big tough dude) doesn’t get out of your control and really hurt someone, because you’ll spend an awful long time in prison.
I predict that under my reign, Chihuahuas and muzzles will become very popular.
Holy crap, Mhendo. I’m glad you’re okay, and that you guys live so near to the hospital. That’s one of my big fears, being bitten by a dog while jogging. I prefer the stupid treadmill for that specific reason.
I have worked with dogs a lot. I have been bitten by dogs. Hell, I’ve been bitten by my OWN dogs because I have been DUMB enough to stick my hand in the middle of a dog fight. Dog bites HURT. The risk of infection is high, so it’s ALWAYS a good idea to get antibiotics, no matter what.
I’m glad you got treatment. The guy seemed to have had his head in the right place. Shit happens. Dogs CAN be unpredictable. ACCIDENTS HAPPEN. Dogs are animals. SOMETIMES their prey drive gets the best of them – terriers and shepherds can be particularly bad for that. Sometimes it truly is nobody’s fault – not the owner’s, not the runner’s but simply the bloody dog’s fault. You know, one of those moments when nature got the best of domestication. THAT SAID, it sounds like the owner might have known the dog had issues with things like that before, since he tightened the leash. If that’s the case, then he should either muzzle the dog, or walk it on a gentle leader that tightens on the muzzle when the leash is pulled taught. That’d just be responsible dog ownership…
His homeowner’s insurance should cover your deductible, all that, or he can pay it out of pocket. Of course, YOUR insurance might REFUSE to cover your costs and go after HIS insurance for your medical bills. That’s when all this gets FUN.
Chihuahuas can be mean little bastards. A lot of people let little dogs pull crap like biting people that gets bigger dogs put down. I never trust little yappy dogs not to chomp on my hand or something.
Cowgirl, you’re 100% right. Dogs are, in the end, still animals! I have my baby doggie, 120 lbs. of German Shepard and something else (shelter dog - we aren’t sure what all he is), who loves people. Loves them like crazy. But he jumps on them and could hurt them. And he hates other animals. And he’d bite another dog, I’m sure. And if he got loose, he’d run like hell. So guess what? I DON’T WALK HIM. My husband or son does. I can’t control him, so I don’t put myself in positions where I’d have to. He’s almost yanked my husband off our deck when he went after a rabbit - he’d have me half way across the retention pond if he tried that with me. I can’t control him - I’m not physically strong enough, so I don’t put us in positions where I’d have to. Simple. That’s responsible dog ownership.
Hopefully Chihuahuas with muzzles, because the only dogs that have ever bitten me were little toy yappy things with owners who let them get away with growling and snapping at people because it’s cute.
Yeah, so as long as when you’re king the little dog owners get held to exactly the same standard as big dog owners, I’m cool with my neighbor with the little white vicious fluffball going to jail, allowing me and my well-behaved big dogs to walk the park in peace.
Many thanks for the sympathy, everyone. It’s actually fine now. There’s no real pain at all, and the only time it feels sore is if i put all my weight on it. The Tylenol 3 they gave me won’t be necessary at all. It looks like the bandage they put on has soaked up a fair bit of blood, so i’ll buy some more gauze and redress it today.
It’s probably the worst injury i’ve ever had (no broken bones, no bad accidents, etc.), so i guess i’ve been pretty lucky over the course of my life.
Yeah, a bite to the package would have been real nasty.
I was on 39th Street, near the corner of Charles. I guess that’s pretty much the border of Canterbury and Oakenshawe, according to the city maps. Afterwards, i walked around to One World on University and called my wife to pick me up.
I really don’t blame the dog; it was probably startled by my arrival and lunged on instinct. I was just pissed that the woman saw me coming (from a good 20-30 yards away) and made no effort to tell her husband to get a hold of his dog. And then had the nerve to blame me and chide me for swearing.
A very nice woman from Animal Control called a few minutes ago. She is going to go to the house today and talk to the owners, to make sure the dogs’ shots are up to date, etc. She asked me for the story of what happened, and i made clear to her that i didn’t think the dog was naturally dangerous, and that it seemed like a case of being startled rather than overly aggressive. I also made clear, though, that i expect to be able to travel on a public sidewalk without worrying whether dog owners have sufficient awareness of their surroundings and control over their animals.
I think it’s good that there’s an official record of what happened. Not because i want anything done to the dog or to the owners for this one incident, but because if this has happened before, or if it happens again, then the owners’ ability to own and control a dog should be seriously examined. One incident might be just unlucky, but if it happens more than once, that’s not good.
Yeah, i did consider that, specifically for the attitude-changing reason that you give, but i really don’t want to get into a lawsuit situation. I got the impression that the Animal Control people will make very clear to them that they need to be more careful. Also, if they don’t have records of the dogs’ shots, i was told that the dog might have to be put down to check for rabies; that would be a pretty severe punishment, especially if they really love their dogs.
You know, i never even considered that. I was just going to bill him for the deductible. I’m actually interested in the ethical question now: is it actually wrong for me to ask the insurance company to pay for it, especially if the guy would pony up the cash?
I’ve been in the US for over six years now, paying health insurance premiums every year, and this is literally the first time i’ve ever had to use my coverage. The last people i was concerned about in this scenario was the Aetna/Chickering Group.
Autolycus, i guess i’m just going to have to disagree with you about my outburst. I was in pain, probably a small amount of shock, and the adrenaline was flowing. I had just been bitten by someone else’s dog on a public sidewalk. If that combination of circumstances doesn’t justify some profanity and a bit of verbal abuse (i never made any move towards them, or made any threat of a physical nature at all), then i’m not sure what does. If you could maintain your equanimity under the same conditions, you’re a better man than i.
What the fuck? She responded to you by saying “you’ll have some bruising”? Those are some nasty bite pictures. Under the circumstances, I think you were polite. I probably would have descended to much worse with that type of response.
I hope you feel better and the dude comes through with the ER deductible.
Damn! That’s a nasty looking bite mhendo. Hope you heal well and with no complications.
I think the thing that gets me from the story is the woman’s apparent lack of sympathy. Like Contrapuntal said, the only acceptable thing to say was “I’m sorry and maybe, how can we help you?”
Glad that you’re mostly OK. Hope the dogs check out OK and are up to date on the shots, etc.
The thought going through my mind on reading what happened to mhendo and seeing those pics is – if that dog did that to his thigh, what would happen if a small inquisitive child got in the way? That wound is about on the same level as a kiddie’s face.
The dog’s owner should have some explaining to do to animal control officers.
I go about 210 lbs. and not exactly a weakling and my Dobegirl’s about 80 lbs, needless to say no weakling either. Having said that, she’s managed to pull me clean off my feet a couple of times. Once when she saw a strange-looking bird (for her anyway, it was a heron, fairly common here if not so much in the city) and the other time when some asshole was walking his Boxer without a leash and he (the dog, not the a-hole) made a beeline towards us (her, really)…and as it well-known amongst dog-lovers, Doberman’s don’t exactly take well to other dogs. Never mind one charging at them. I barely managed to pull her off before she took that Boxer’s head-off…he did scamper off rather quickly I might add. I also pulled a mhendo on the dickhead – who turned-out to be an American in med-school here. Fuckin’ more of a reason he should’ve known better.
Mind you, she wears a choke-chain on our walks, yet she still managed to do this.
But – and there’s always a but – both incidents happened about the time she was about a year and a half old or so; she is four now. And I (as any other dog-owner should) LEARNED from them. And what was it that I learned you might ask? That I need to be 110% aware of the circumstances around us when I walk her. Meaning that I’ve never had a problem since. If I see anything – anything at all – that I think might startle her/make her lunge, I shorten-up on the leash and hold on with both hands. No way she’s dumping me if I do that. And BTW, I’m not talking about a mean dog here, she’s sweet as can be, as soon as I say it’s OK she’ll play with any stranger like they’ve been life-long friends…but she’s still an animal and she is still a Doberman and instincts can take over at any time. Again, something everyone should know about their dogs.
Moral of the story: can’t control your dog, don’t own one. Period.
And my sympathies go out to the OP. That gash not only looks nasty but mighty painful as well. I let-out a long “fuuuuck!” just looking at it.
Locally, a woman got bitten by a small dog, so she just washed if off, used a little anti-biotic ointment and sucked it up. Months later she was released from the hospital after losing a few fingers and getting permanent kidney damage. You never know what infection you are going to get from that little dog bite. You should go to the doctor/hospital for any type of bite…cat, dog, horse (that one hurt!), vampire…and get antibotics.
To the OP: Ouch! From my experience with animal bites, that will start hurting more today than yesterday. And it will heal slower than you’d like. At least its not in a really bad place, like your hand or ass.
Another vote for “people should control their dogs”. If you have a dog you can’t control, for any reason whatsoever, then it’s your fault if they do something wrong. Period. I’ve always had large dogs; if I can’t handle 'em then that’s my problem, not yours. Swearing would have been the least I’d have done in your situation.
In all likelihood, your insurance company will refuse to pay the bill. It’s considered the dog-owner’s responsibility. They’ll probably send you a letter asking about the circumstances and then go after the owner. It would be a lot simpler if you just had him pay the bills. He can then file with his homeowner’s for coverage if he wants to.
The only consideration little dog owners get is the fact that a yappy puffball isn’t likely to cause the same level of damage as a vicious big dog. As a result, the DA and judge aren’t going to be looking at a report of 200 stitches, months of rehab, and disfiguring scars because your Shih Tzu bit someone’s ankle.
One of the first things we learned in dog training, lo those many years ago, was how to hold the leash to limit the damage to your own body, and how to hip check the leash if the dog lunged so that you still have a working shoulder the next day. You (general you) have to be vigilant when walking your dogs and be ready to stop them from doing something stupid, whether it be dashing out in traffic or lunging at the poor jogger going by.
I have a flighty Golden (she’s not even 2 yet) and I’m always aware of what’s going on around us when we walk because she’s likely to try to scoot away from any perceived danger…especially the extremely dangerous and wily garbage can. If I didn’t pay attention to her and hip check her when she bolts, I wouldn’t be able to move my arms anymore.
