Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

DC was bitten by strange dog, owner has now contacted me

482 replies

Villanelle · 14/04/2021 14:03

Yesterday my DC was bitten by a dog at the park. He was playing in the play area, went down the slide and then started running after his younger sibling, the dog came out of nowhere and started chasing him. It caught up to him and bit him on the leg and back. He was hurt (puncture wounds, bleeding and bruised) but not enough to need stitches, thankfully. It was terrifying though and could have been so much worse. It was a big dog, like a Weimaraner, and totally out of control in a children's play area, the children(!!) walking it had to drag it away.

We contacted the police but they're going to contact us again in a couple of days.
It was posted about on FB by someone who witnessed it. I didn't reply to it but somehow the owner of the dog has contacted me. They haven't apologised or anything, just given me their phone number and told me to phone them.

I want to shout at them for being so irresponsible, I'm so angry. I don't know if I should reply to them or just leave it up to the police/dog warden. I don't want to argue with them, of course, but I don't think they realise how awful the situation was?

OP posts:
GoodbyePorpoiseSpit · 15/04/2021 10:49

Came on to post the same article @LillianGish
Very interesting and made me think of this thread. It’s a really shit situation all round for both people and dogs.

SoupDragon · 15/04/2021 11:12

There is woodland, take your dog there no need to use fields.

Footpaths often run through fields.

poppycat10 · 15/04/2021 11:35

@AyyX

Why are there so many stories of dogs being off the lead and running after children.. it sounds so common now. Dog owners need to take more responsibility and control their dog properly. Especially in a children’s play area!
Because there are so many dogs and owners don't see why they should keep them under control because they are their fur babies and part of the family.

No. They are not. They are pets and should not be imposed on people who are not interested in them.

And before people say that applies to kids too, I did always try to make sure my son did not inconvenience others when he was young and would eg never have let him start running around or screaming in a restaurant,.

mimi0708 · 15/04/2021 11:45

I would be so mad if that happened to me OP. Glad your dc is okay. And agree to not engage and just pass the details to the police. They need to learn some lesson Nd their dog shouldn't really be let lose on a play area where it could potentially harm kids. Some dog owners are just really irresponsible and they don't think that other people don't like dogs. I was waiting for a bus once in Camden and this very big dog running without a lead just run straight to me, thought he was going to bite me in the face as he was standing up in two feet to me his head almost on my chin , but good thing he only licked my clothes. Had to go to work with a really yucky jacket. Anyway owner didn't even said anything, thought it was hilarious, but I didn't like it one bit.

Porcupineintherough · 15/04/2021 11:54

Actually @Quincie woodland isnt the ideal venue for off lead dogs in spring either. Very disturbing to wildlife, especially ground nesting birds. RSPB and the wildlife Trusts are asking people to keep their dogs on leads during the bird nesting season this year precisely because of this. Look for the "Not all birds nest in trees" campaign.

JeanClaudeVanDammit · 15/04/2021 12:07

why are there so many stories of dogs being off the lead and running after children.. it sounds so common now.

It is. It’s really, really bad at the moment. I have a 3 year old DC and I feel like I’m on high alert all the times in playgrounds, parks, beaches, National Trust properties etc. because I’ve always got to keep an eye on what dogs are around, whether they’re next to their owners and whether their owners look like they give a shit where their dog is. It’s so not relaxing.

My DC wouldn’t dream of running up to a dog, but even if they did, dog owners can easily stop their animal being harassed by children by keeping them on a lead or calling them back immediately in areas where there might be children. Then if a child comes up to their dog they can just ask them not to, or move the dog away to prevent it being touched.

If children are able to run up and touch your dog, it’s because you have left your dog unattended too close to children.

Donotgogentle · 15/04/2021 12:18

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/apr/15/dog-bite-britain-the-problem-with-the-pandemic-puppy-explosion

The Guardian article linked up thread has contact details for a solicitor who specialises in suing owners for dog bites.

I’ll will definitely pursue this if I ever get bitten again.

Tistheseason17 · 15/04/2021 12:25

Where I live you cannot even suggest dogs should be on leads for any valid reason - you would be bullied horrifically on local FB page.

There is a minority who spoil it for fab dog owners.

I do wonder if this dog actually has a history of biting others so owner is trying to stop OP reporting.

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 15/04/2021 12:32

@GappyValley, thanks for that. They do seem to have a worse rep than most similar breeds, though I know some lovely ones.

Derbee · 15/04/2021 12:39

I don't want the dog PTS, I want the owners to apologise, be responsible

If other people have had problems with the same dog, the owners are never going to be responsible. Any dog that attacks a child in a park, and has form for other attacks, probably needs to be PTS

murbblurb · 15/04/2021 12:41

The responsible thing to do with a dog that is out of control and bites is to destroy it. The owners have ensured that by lack of attention and correct training. These animals can injure, even kill, and cause further injuries when they knock down pedestrians or cyclists.

MrsAmaretto · 15/04/2021 12:52

That’s awful @Villanelle your poor children, they must have been so scared and so must you have been. My heart really goes out to your son, no wonder he’s scared.

You’ve done the right thing ignoring the message and passing it onto police, it sounded quite aggressive and would have upset me.

RainingBatsAndFrogs · 15/04/2021 13:08

My gym leggings were badly snagged yesterday by a dog that hurtled across the park to ‘greet’ me. I shouted at it firmly to get down, and the women with it, miles away, just laughed.
It was a spaniel type dog.

So sick of this.

BitchesBeBest · 15/04/2021 13:10

Then if a child comes up to their dog they can just ask them not to, or move the dog away to prevent it being touched.

I have seen a move towards children being a bit better around dogs - in terms of asking to stroke them if that's something they want to do. However, I have also had situations where the children have 100% run over to me and failed to leave a dog (small puppy) alone when I have asked and have had some fairly dirty looks from nearby parents for asking them to call their children back/off.

As I say, this seems to be getting better (or my dog just got bigger and so attracted this behaviour less) but short of physically restraining the child, it sometimes is not as simply as move away or ask them not to. I am typically someone who doesn't walk where other people tend to be and would always keep an abundance of distance (more than 10m or the maximum allowed by the space) - including reversing back the way I came rather than walk the dog near a child. Partly because I don't know if that child is scared of dogs and partly because I just don't want the hassle of negotiating passed if they DO like dogs.

None of that excuses a dog out of control in a public park - which is not somewhere I tend to walk my own dog so as to try to avoid problems like the one above.

VeganCow · 15/04/2021 13:11

Hope your lad is ok. Years ago my dog was attacked by a lab, it was going dark and owner got dog on lead but only when i got home saw the flap of skin ripped away on his side. Emergency vet stitched him up and next day I tracked owner down, who couldn't apologise enough and he promptly drove to the vet to pay the bill. Thats the kind of reaction you expect.

TheWindOnTheMoon · 15/04/2021 13:13

A similar thing happened to DS. We were in the park and DS was playing. He was about 9 at the time, and these two dogs ran straight at him. No leads, no sign of owner. DS, who normally loves dogs, was terrified, and ran. One dog grabbed him by the leg and bit him. He was screaming. The owner, a woman, finally turned up, but ignored what had happened. I went after her and told her what had happened & she tried to put the blame on DS, saying he must have done something to provoke her dog Angry. I took photos of her, the dogs, and injury & reported it to Police, who went round to her house with dog warden & gave her a warning that if dogs did same again they would be taken away. DS is still a bit scared of dogs after that.

PhilCornwall1 · 15/04/2021 13:18

The family down the road from us had a dog that was like a sodding horse. It managed to get out and went charging away from him and no way he could keep up. He was yelling at me to stop the dog, which obviously I didn't and he ran up having a right go saying I'd let it get away, so told him to fuck off as the thing was his responsibility to control, which he obviously couldn't do.

If I'd tried to stop that thing and it ran into me, it would have put me on my arse!

murbblurb · 15/04/2021 13:32

Btw anyone who is bitten - get yourself to minor injuries for a check, a tetanus jab and antibiotics. You'll have a journey, a wait and the chance of picking up covid but you must do it. Make sure the police are informed of the attack, the owner may eventually reach the four strikes and you could save someone else. Because the owners will do nothing unless forced in our 'not my fault' country.

Countrylane · 15/04/2021 13:41

I have a dog, and I love her to bits, but if she behaved as you described, I would have to think about having her PTS. If she harmed a child in the way you describe, I'd have no idea what she could do next, and you just can't walk around with a dog who might seriously harm someone else at any point. There's a really interesting article in the Guardian about the rise in dog attacks in the last year.

Countrylane · 15/04/2021 13:43

Dog owner behaviour like this also really pisses me off, because it's spoiling it for responsible dog owners. People have every right to walk around and not be leaped on by dogs (yes, some dogs are "being friendly" but a) the random bystander may not know that and b) even if they are being friendly, I don't want to be jumped up at)

DianaT1969 · 15/04/2021 13:50

The NHS website advises that you should see a doctor if it punctures the skin - not to wait for signs of infection.

MusicWithRocksIn1t · 15/04/2021 14:34

It sounds like you have done everything in the right way OP, I just wanted to say that I hope your little boy is OK and gets over this horrible incident soon.

Motherofmonsters · 15/04/2021 16:55

@Orangelizard

100% agree with MayorGoodwaysChicken.

I don't understand why Britain is so backwards with its dog laws. Other countries have clearly marked out separate areas for dogs to be off lead so that only people who choose to have to interact with them.

Some of the large breeds we have in the country now are ridiculous, there is no way the person walking them could hold them back even when they're on lead.

Our park had a separate caged dog area for dogs to be walked, it's right next to it so you can stand in it and see the park. Today there was a dog sprinting around the play area, I had no idea whose dog it was but they weren't anywhere close
Moonwatcher1234 · 15/04/2021 17:41

Six months ago, I was in active labour and walking around a little green near my home to really get it going before going into hospital. A dog ran up to me growling and going crazy so my husband shouted at its owner, strolling along in the distance, to come and get his dog under control. The guy and his wife finally ambled up (by this point I was in tears) and started demanding we apologise for shouting at him to come over. I told him I was in Labour and to leave us alone and take his dog but he would not stop banging on about how friendly his dog is.

His wife eventually pulled him away. Some dog owners really are the pits.

longtompot · 15/04/2021 18:22

My DC wouldn’t dream of running up to a dog, but even if they did, dog owners can easily stop their animal being harassed by children by keeping them on a lead or calling them back immediately in areas where there might be children. Then if a child comes up to their dog they can just ask them not to, or move the dog away to prevent it being touched.

If children are able to run up and touch your dog, it’s because you have left your dog unattended too close to children.

No, you teach your child to not go up to a dog. You would soon be having a go at the dog owner if your child got hurt. I have had so many toddlers walking up to my dog over the years, and like you with trying to keep a lookout in parks for dogs, I am always on the look out for kids and try to walk away. It's even harder sat outside a pub or cafe and having determined small ones coming to say hello, as you can't easily get away.

OP I hope you get some success with the police and this dog. It really annoys me that some people think it's ok for their dog to go into a play park, especially as all the ones I have seen say they are dog free areas. I also hope your dd is ok and healing well. The mental recovery will probably take much longer.