So super long story short, my dog is about a year old, so still a puppy. He is very well behaved unless he gets super excited, then he is very difficult to control (mainly because he's 60 pounds).
I was out in front of my apartment in a grassy area playing with him with a ball. I know I shouldn't have him off leash, but he never runs off, and I only really play with him when no one's around. The leash obviously makes it impossible to run without getting tangled/tearing my arm off.
While we were playing, a little girl came over (12?). She asked if she could play. I warned her he was not aggressive but we are working on his jumping, which he does when he gets very excited (meeting new people). Two other girls around the same age came over. They were having a great time playing with him and having him do tricks.
About 30 mins later, a younger girl (8?) with an even younger girl (4?) came running up around the corner. The 4 year old got extremely excited to see the dog and yelled while running up to my dog. My dog got extremely excited and jumped on her. She got scared and started screaming. Unfortunately the more she screamed the more excited my dog got. Mind you, he never bit or growled, he thought they were playing. Unfortunately the poor kid was terrified, and all the little girls didn't know what to do so they just sat there. I didn't feel comfortable picking up the little girl, so it took me a few tries to grab my extremely excited dog without knocking over the terrified child. The 8 year old removed the 4 year old from the situation and my dog went back to playing with his ball like before. The 12 year old girls were a little shaken up at first, and I adamantly apologized and explained he didn't understand she was scared, he thought they were playing and got excited. They definitely agreed that he is a good dog and he didn't act out of aggression.
I noticed a scratch on her leg from one of his dew claws (all of his other claws are very dull). He didn't draw any blood but I know he did technically hurt the child. And I know it's my fault for having him off his leash, even though it was pretty much a freak accident. I'm just wondering what I should do in this situation. Should I reach out and try to get in contact with the 4 year olds guardian and explain what happened/ let them meet my dog (because he is so incredibly sweet when he isn't super excited)? Should I let it blow over? Should I reach out to management and explain what happened in case anything comes of it?
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
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Dog jumped and scratched child
ShyChai · 23/04/2019 23:12
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