So dog bit someone 😓

[lollipop7]

The other day my dog bit someone's finger. Badly.
She's a cockapoo and five years old very much a beloved dog.
Like many dogs she doesn't like the post or the letterbox. A man who'd cleaned the bins pushed a miniscule piece of paper through the door and she ran at at barking. His finger was right through and holding the paper she jumped up and bit him.
She's normally nowhere near the porch. I moved to my
Mums as I've fled an abusive relationship. I've just had a baby and it's chaos. The only reason the porch door was open is that
My ex refused to let womens aid take the cats and dumped them here. Their litter tray is in the porch so we need to leave the door open. So a perfect storm of factors.

Anyway he came back two days after the bite to tell me that his finger might be infected he could lose it and his business. That he was being pushed by the hospital to report it.
I cleaned his hand throughly, washed it through with tcp and applied Avalon plus a gauze. Told him to go straight to a & e as it was bleeding heavily.

This has been an awful few
Months for me and i can't believe this has happened.
She's a beautiful dog and spends all day with us as a family. She is insured her hand are
Up to date her teeth are teguglarly checked and she's walked every day.

Has anyone been in this hellish situation?
I'm resigned to the fact she'll be destroyed which is breaking my heart as she's got me through some awful days the last few months.

How will this be resolved?
Will I get a criminal record?
I've no money to pay a fine. I dont have any savings or a job and just had a tiny baby.

Going out of my mind with worry and any advice would be most welcomed

[LilCamper]

Put a basket over the post slot so it can't happen again.

[Justbookedasummmerholiday]

I wouldn't expect pts would be an automatic police response. Factors will be taken into consideration. Try not to worry.

[Whywonttheyletmeusemyusername]

He came back 2 days later? What happened immediately after ddog bit him ??

[BastardGoDarkly]

Oh love, how awful for everyone.

When did this happen?

I'd be surprised if he lost his finger tbh, did he go to A&E?

Is she insured?

Don't be sure she'll be destroyed, this isn't a clear cut unprovoked attack by a dangerous dog.

(hug) and

[LornaMumsnet]

Hi all,

Just jumping on to say we've fixed the typo in the title at OP's request.

[Moreisnnogedag]

Hmm I doubt the hospital told him to report it - Ive dealt with a fair few dog bites and no-one has ever told them to report, its up to the individual involved. Plus I can think of only one person who's ever lost a finger from a bite and tbf there were a whole heap of reasons for that.

Have you had any contact from the police at all? I'd be wary of him asking fo 'compensation' direct tbh. I am sorry you must be terribly worried.

[Aliosa]

He wants some cash

[lollipop7]

Happened on Thursday morning
He said he was going straight to a& e but I'm not so sure he did

He told me he didn't want to report the dog or get her put to sleep but that he was going to not be able to work and might lose his business
All seems very far fetched to me but I'm naturally cynical!

I suspect he's after money more than anything else.

We put her in the garden and brought him in to clean the wound.
He told me he wasn't going to report her and that it had happened to him before

We've had police and all sorts of people in and out of the house because of my ex and they've all remarked upon what a sweet dog she is. They all know her name and love her. She's so important to us all my little boy loves her so much

I can't believe it happened

[Ttbb]

I would a actually be more concerned that he is going to sue you (obviously what he was angling for, he was hoping that you would offer him money to keep his mouth shut. If it was so badly infected that he might loose it he would be in hospital on IV antibiotics). He's trying it on.

[lollipop7]

No no contact from the police as yet

[Whywonttheyletmeusemyusername]

Agree with ttbb. ..he's trying it on. Stand your ground with him. Coming back 2 days later is ridiculous. If it was that bad, he would have come back same night.

[WhoWants2Know]

I’m not sure if there’s justification for the dog to be destroyed. Could you have reasonably anticipated that someone would poke a finger in the letter box and that she would bite it? Has she bitten anyone before?

If he had knocked on the door to hand you the paper, would it still have happened? Or would you have opened the door once the dog was under control?

Certainly put a basket over the letter box now that you know, but equally he needs to be more careful about poking things into letter boxes.

[lollipop7]

Yes well I had though the same re wound care management tbh
He just had a bandage on.

Am trying to see if my mums insurance will cover it.
The dog is insured I need to read all the policy thoroughly too.

[picklemepopcorn]

Try not to panic.

If this has happened before, then he should know to wear gloves. It’s happened to my son when he puts things through as well. You learn not to let it happen to you!

This isn’t a dangerous dog, it’s a situation you need to be seen to take steps to resolve, ie cage over letter box etc.

[WhoWants2Know]

I just saw that he said it had happened to him before. So he could have reasonably anticipated it.

Presumably he carries insurance for his business. So if he needs compensation, then he can claim it from them.

Did anyone else even witness the incident? Can he prove that it happened with your dog at your house? If not, it could have been any dog and he’s just spotted you as a soft touch because you’re vulnerable.

[Whitney168]

He will try and sue you, which will be done through your insurers, but your dog will not be ordered to be PTS.

Put a cage over the letterbox to ensure it doesn't happen again, and bear in mind that your insurers are now likely to exclude any further incidents from their cover so to be honest it might be an idea to consider training your dog to happily wear a muzzle outside for safety, as (dog lover though I very much am) no-one can ever guarantee that any dog will not bite.

[BatteredBreadedOrSouthernFried]

TBH I wouldn’t be so sure it was a bite. Yes it was a bite in that she broke skin and he was hurt but I suspect she didn’t even realise there was a finger there at all. If she usually goes for the post then that’s all she was doing. She thought she was grabbing some paper. That’s not an aggressive dog. She didn’t know there was a human there. And it can be easily prevented again by using a letter box basket as advised upthread.

I suspect he has been telling whoever he can that he was bitten and they’ve all been whispering in his ear to sue you.

[WhoWants2Know]

Don’t claim on your mum’s or your pet insurance with only his word for it, and several days later at that!

If he actually wanted compensation from somewhere, then he needed to have alerted you to the incident when it happened, and sought medical attention straight away. He’s a CF.

[Tedster77]

Someone stuffed a load pizza pamphlets/junk through my brothers letter box and his jack Russell did this - there was blood everywhere. The dog has never been in the slightest bit nasty - she jumped up
to shred the paper and his fingers were in it. My brother basically told him tough shit you shouldn’t have had your hand in my property. Then he called the police to check and they said don’t worry the dog won’t be pts. I think this man is after money.

Something similar happened to my colleague when she put a letter through a door after a no access visit and although we had to fill in an incident form etc still nothing came of it (mind you I had a safeguarding case where a guy set a Ridgeback on me and nothing came or that either!!).

Sounds like you’ve been through an awful time. X

[Justbookedasummmerholiday]

DO NOT GIVE HIM CASH
My nasty fucker exh was a delivery man and handed a parcel to a woman over the fence. Her dog SCRATCHED his nose, he deliberately lied to gain cash, the 2 dogs went into police kennels, they sold their house for legal bills, it was actually the hospital that had to rebuild it after failed initial surgery - caused by a flesh eating bug - but he failed to disclose that.
All stated because they gave him cash and was seen as an admittance.
How do you know it was your dog anyway??
He is a fucking chancer so tell him to fottfeof. ..

[BastardGoDarkly]

Hang on, I think everyone is being a bit harsh here.

As far as we know, it did indeed happen at ops house, the wound went right through, and was bleeding profusely.

He hasn't even asked for cash, he may have just been (understandably) worrying out loud about the repercussions of this bite.

Chances are op won't hear from him again, but I'd feel awful in that situation, and would do everything I could to ensure it never happened again.

[Steeley113]

He’s after cash. If it was so infected he may lose it, he’d be admitted for IV antibiotics (I say this as a nurse who has dealt with many dog bites). I’m pretty sure you can’t sue if you put your fingers through a letter box, I had many posties come in with finger wounds stating they didn’t dare report or tell Work as they are explicitly told not to put your fingers through because of this. Buy him a bottle of wine and some chocolate and get a cage over the letter box then don’t give it another thought.

[Valerrie]

His fingers shouldn't have been through your letterbox. All post and delivery people know not to do this, so it was entirely his own fault.

I'd ignore all correspondence and attempts to contact you. He can't prove a thing.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

For gods sake don't even think about having her pts.

It is totally, totally unnecessary. Do not be bullied on this.

Put a cage over letterbox so she can't do it to anyone else.

[Butterymuffin]

If he'd gone to A&E straight after, he'd have a discharge slip showing what treatment he'd been given and what advice. If he does make noises about suing, ask him for that.

I can't see how it's likely he would lose the finger. The advice about the post cage is good.