# So I just got bit by my neighbor's dog
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [August 6, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409 "2010-08-06T16:06:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/1 "2010-08-06T16:06:50Z")
Yeah, like half an hour ago. I was mowing my lawn, walking along the chain-link fence that separates their house from mine, when two (of their five) dogs ran up to the fence barking at me. They both leaped up on their hind legs and one of them - I don’t even know which one - lunged over the top of the fence and bit my upper arm.
It’s not a serious bite, fortunately. I’m not even sure if it broke the skin (though I do believe there was a small puncture wound, hard to tell). The area is very red and, yeah, it hurt. It’s still a bit sore, in fact.
I haven’t seen either of the parents outside yet. I suspect just the kids are home right now. At some point today, though, I’ll let them know what happened and I’ll insist on a plan that will prevent it from happening again.
We’ve had problems with one of their dogs in the past who would run up to the fence when we were near it and skid onto the pea gravel that is in the area, sending a shower of gravel over us (or our dog). He even jumped over the fence once, ending up in our yard. We told them about this and they promised to keep that dog on a lead; that lasted maybe two weeks.
And yep, he was one of the suspected biters.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/2 "2010-08-06T16:14:22Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#):
>
> We’ve had problems with one of their dogs in the past
In that case, I would report the bite to your county or state health department. They can assure the dog is up to date as far as rabies is concerned.
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### Author:  [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/3 "2010-08-06T16:15:30Z")
If your chain-link fence is anything like mine, then it’s not very tall. Some dogs can clear seriously high fences, and chain link gives 'em a toehold, so they can clear a taller fence than, say, a smooth wood-board kind.
My recommendation: make an appt. to see your doctor, as a precaution. No sense getting an infection in your arm. Also, talk to the dog’s owners (again - I see that’s already happend in the past) and see how they react, as their reaction may very well dictate what you do next.
Are you a tenant or do you own your home? How 'bout the neighbors? The solution here sounds like a taller fence, assuming you’re both going to stay put for a while. You could look into something to top the fence, rather than an outright replacement. (Heh - maybe those barbed-wire coils they use for prison fencing. That’ll make the neighbors all warm’n’fuzzy.)
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### Author:  [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/4 "2010-08-06T16:30:47Z")
We own the home. As for the fence, they were already planning on installing a tall privacy fence. In fact, they already installed one portion of it alongside their next-door neighbor’s border (we are back-to-back neighbors). In a conversation with them around a month ago, they said they won’t have the money to complete the project - meaning along our border - until next spring.
As long as just the chain-link fence remains, I don’t want that dog near it.
(peeping out the window regularly, still no one outside. Looks like I’ll have to wait until evening).
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### Author:  [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/5 "2010-08-06T16:30:59Z")
Buy one of those big cans of bear spray and let the neighbors know that you’ll use it the next time their dog charges the fence. I think the dog will learn.
EtA: It might speed up their project, too.
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### Author:  [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/6 "2010-08-06T16:44:08Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#):
>
> Buy one of those big cans of bear spray and let the neighbors know that you’ll use it the next time their dog charges the fence. I think the dog will learn.
>
> EtA: It might speed up their project, too.
Actually, I already considered this; not bear spray, but pepper spray. On shot of that to the eyes and he’ll think twice next time.
But then, spraying a dog when he’s on his own property? That might be sticky territory.
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### Author:  [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/7 "2010-08-06T16:52:28Z")
You’re just preventing the dog from entering your property by jumping the fence. The animal has entered your property that way before and it just bit you over the fence while you were standing on your property. Fair is fair and it’s not like you are doing real damage to the dog.
I love dogs and all animals, but as a runner one thing I can’t stand is being charged by a barking dog out of no where. Nice to know there is an underground fence there, after I’ve shit my pants.
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/8 "2010-08-06T16:53:08Z")
I’d really look hard to make sure that bite is NOT even the smallest puncture wound. I had one a few years ago that just barely made it through the top layers of skin. I even cleaned that sucker out really well right after it happened and again even better a few hours later. A day and a half later I was beginning to wonder if I would lose my foot, leg, or life.
If anything starts to hurt or turn red or just not seem right, get to the ER ASAP IMO.
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### Author:  [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/9 "2010-08-06T16:55:23Z")
I reported a dog bite that did bleed and later regretted the burden that the state imposed on my nice neighbors.
I think it’s a good idea to talk to the adults first unless you’re on terrible terms. Insist that they provide proof of (prior) rabies vaccination (they can have their vet fax it if they didn’t save it). Reporting a dog bite gets a lot of official machinery grinding and is a big problem for them and a small problem for you; it seems a bit much for a bite that didn’t make a (measurable) wound.
When you talk to them, you can mention that a more serious bite (to anyone) would be a more serious deal, and suggest they improve their fencing seriously. See if you feel like that approach gets results; if they scoff at you you can report it.
Does the dog rush you at times when the lawnmower noise isn’t involved?
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### Author:  [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/10 "2010-08-06T16:57:56Z")
> [@billfish678](#):
>
> I’d really look hard to make sure that bite is NOT even the smallest puncture wound. I had one a few years ago that just barely made it through the top layers of skin. I even cleaned that sucker out really well right after it happened and again even better a few hours later. A day and a half later I was beginning to wonder if I would lose my foot, leg, or life.
>
> If anything starts to hurt or turn red or just not seem right, get to the ER ASAP IMO.
Really? A _dog_ bite, or another animal like a cat? My Rottweiler bite was several puncture wounds and a laceration of the thumb and webbing of the hand, and my doctor said “fortunately dog bites are very clean and I hardly ever see one get infected.”
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/11 "2010-08-06T17:04:42Z")
> [@Sailboat](#):
>
> Reporting a dog bite gets a lot of official machinery grinding and is a big problem for them and a small problem for you; it seems a bit much for a bite that didn’t make a (measurable) wound.
I would report it.
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#):
>
> We’ve had problems with one of their dogs in the past
I have dogs. They’ve never been a burden to my neighbors, nor should they be.
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### Author:  [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/12 "2010-08-06T17:07:58Z")
> [@](#):
>
> If anything starts to hurt or turn red or just not seem right, get to the ER ASAP IMO.
I will, absolutely. I was laid up for six weeks (hospitalized for one) a few years ago with a bad cellulitis of the arm that I initially ignored.
> [@](#):
>
> I reported a dog bite that did bleed and later regretted the burden that the state imposed on my nice neighbors.
I just researched the city website; if a dog bites unprovoked, they categorize it as a vicious animal, which has a lot of implications:
> [@](#):
>
> \*More serious consequences are now proscribed by this ordinance than in the past. These include containment on the animal in a six sided structure with a lock, use of a leash and muzzle in public, and requirement of liability insurance. Owners are also limited to no more than one vicious or potentially vicious dog on their property. There are also requirements for spaying/neutering, micro chipping, and obedience training. Formal tracking is required which includes notifying the police department if the animal escapes, of any changes in address, and upon the death or sale of the animal. \*
These are nice people, and we get along well with them. We even take care of each others’ animals while one of us is on vacation. I’m going to wait to gauge their response (and their plan) before I do any reporting.
> [@](#):
>
> Does the dog rush you at times when the lawnmower noise isn’t involved?
Yes. When I walk behind my garage, and the one dog is out, I get showered with pebbles. This has to be dealt with as well.
mmm
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/13 "2010-08-06T17:12:30Z")
> [@Sailboat](#):
>
> [
> Really? A _dog_ bite, or another animal like a cat? My Rottweiler bite was several puncture wounds and a laceration of the thumb and webbing of the hand, and my doctor said “fortunately dog bites are very clean and I hardly ever see one get infected.”
No, it wasnt a dog bite.
Buttt…a deep puncture wound, even if very small, is a whole different animal (heh) than a surface skin abrasion. You can (in my understanding) get the muscles and blood involved. And rare don’t mean didley if your the one suffering from teh rare.
I don’t think the OP should panic, but OTOH at the very least they should keep a close eye on it. If it starts hurting or looking bad, assuming it will get better would be folly IMO. The fact it is getting worse means your system ain’t fighting it properly in the first place.
And who knows…maybe this dog is the type to eat dirty baby diapers found in the back of eating establishments…
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### Author:  [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/14 "2010-08-06T17:14:11Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#):
>
> [We even take care of each others’ animals while one of us is on vacation.
How does the dog react to you when you care for it?
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### Author:  [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/15 "2010-08-06T17:17:45Z")
> [@Sailboat](#):
>
> > [@billfish678](#):
> >
> > I’d really look hard to make sure that bite is NOT even the smallest puncture wound. I had one a few years ago that just barely made it through the top layers of skin. I even cleaned that sucker out really well right after it happened and again even better a few hours later. A day and a half later I was beginning to wonder if I would lose my foot, leg, or life.
> >
> > If anything starts to hurt or turn red or just not seem right, get to the ER ASAP IMO.
>
> Really? A _dog_ bite, or another animal like a cat? My Rottweiler bite was several puncture wounds and a laceration of the thumb and webbing of the hand, and my doctor said “fortunately dog bites are very clean and I hardly ever see one get infected.”
Apparently human bites carry much more bacteria than dog ones and your situation seems _very_ unfortunate **billfish**. I don’t blame you for your suggestion.
As to the badly behaved neighbouring dogs **Mean Mister Mustard** , is it worth asking that Bitey Dog be muzzled if being tethered _is that just for horses?_ isn’t possible?
I’m sure your neighbours are reasonable people. Otherwise just wait 'til you’re minding the little buggers next and wreak your revenge…
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### Author:  [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/16 "2010-08-06T17:18:12Z")
Ouch. Hope you heal soon. Keep cleaning it with peroxide.
As for your neighbor there are some “dog experts” in The Pit who would be able to help them get their dog under control.
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### Author:  [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/17 "2010-08-06T17:19:59Z")
I would take a picture of it now. Just for a record.
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### Author:  [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/18 "2010-08-06T17:38:32Z")
> [@](#):
>
> How does the dog react to you when you care for it?
Actually, it’s Mrs. Mustard who tends to that. 🙂 I’ll ask her when she gets home.
> [@](#):
>
> I would take a picture of it now. Just for a record.
Good advice, but really, there’s nothing to see at this point. Even at its worst, it was just red. Still sore, though.
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/19 "2010-08-06T17:48:37Z")
Why are you waiting until you see the parents outside? Why don’t you just go over and deal with it now??
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-got-bit-by-my-neighbors-dog/549409/20 "2010-08-06T18:03:52Z")
> [@needscoffee](#):
>
> Why are you waiting until you see the parents outside? Why don’t you just go over and deal with it now??
Ummm, because he may get mauled on the way to the door?
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