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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to think DH should report the bloody dog that just bit him

50 replies

iphonedrone · 05/12/2011 14:13

He was running in the woods, old lady on a mobility scooter with two dogs on leads. One dog runs after DH (not barking) and takes a chunk out of his leg which he has just had to have stitched up.

Old lady not apologetic at all and admits the dog is dangerous "which is why he's on a lead"....but she couldn't keep hold of the lead and he got away.

DH doesn't want to report because its a little old lady and it could be her companion etc, I think fuck it that could be a kid next time and she obviously KNOWS its dangerous.

I'm tempted to report her myself, she gave DH her name and address because the dog ripped a hole in his running leggings and she said she would compensate for them!

OP posts:

Original poster

iphonedrone · 05/12/2011 14:35

Seeker, she tried that - it only bit because DH was running

OP posts:

Crosshair · 05/12/2011 14:36

Report it. The dog should be muzzled.

ReshapeWhileDamp · 05/12/2011 14:37

Of course he should report it! She shouldn't be out with a dog (or dogs) she can't control. Especially if she already knows that one of them is 'dangerous'. How does she already know it's dangerous? Should be muzzled.

Little old lady or no, the next person it bites might be her, or a child.

dancingmustard · 05/12/2011 14:38

He should report the incident.
She could at least have apologised etc..

thebigkahuna · 05/12/2011 14:44

Her being a little old lady is all the more reason to report it, she obviously isn't capable of controlling it.

There was a man who lived near me who had an enormous Newfoundland.

This man was short, fat, old and very unfit. I wouldn't normally comment on someone's apparance/state of health but it's relevant in this case because he used to walk this Newfoundland and it would literally drag him along. If it saw anything of interest it could pull too hard, he'd drop the lead and it would go bounding off.

It did this to me a few times, which I tolerated as I like dogs and could see by it's body language that it meant no harm. If I'd have been scared of dogs though, I would have been terrified. Newfoundlands are massive and only an idiot would have one in those circumstances if they were incapable of training it (which he clearly was).

She might be an old lady but she's knowingly taking a dangerous dog she can't control out in public. That's an offence. She's an idiot too.

Feminine · 05/12/2011 14:46

He must report it.

In thinking he is being kind, he is actually being irresponsible!

Faithless12 · 05/12/2011 15:28

YANBU

Faithless12 · 05/12/2011 15:30

iPhonedrone, I have a dog that barks at runners shes scared of them but that is not an excuse he should report it.

wordfactory · 05/12/2011 15:39

Report.
The owner needs to get her dog under control and she is clearly not going to do so voluntarily.

I recently met an oldish lady in the woods trying desperately to push her grandchild in a buggy and hold a very lively dog on its lead. It got away and charged at my pup, knocking it off its feet.

Now I could see that the poor lady was struggling and was probably only trying to do her child a favour (it was half term) but I syill felt it only right to say she needed to take dog and child out seperately as she clearly couldn't cope.

wordfactory · 05/12/2011 15:40

I suppose what I'm saying is that sometimes you have to remind people of their responsibilities.

ditavonteesed · 05/12/2011 15:48

definatly report, it doesnt sound like the owner has any control over the dog. I say this as a dog owner and dog lover (and one of the people that seeker is trying to start a bun fight with). I think the police will discuss options with the lady, ie more training, muzzle and it will have more impact coming from them than your dh. hope your dh is ok.

SnapesMistressofMerriment · 05/12/2011 15:48

Report, no question about it.

Ihavewelliesbutitssunny · 05/12/2011 15:52

Report it, it could be someones face that it bites next or a small child or baby. Unfortunately there are stories in the news not that irregularly of small children/babies and sometimes older people being killed or seriously maimed by dogs.

TroublesomeEx · 05/12/2011 15:53

"little old ladies" are not above the law. If she can't keep her dog under control, she shouldn't have one.

She'd have got a (polite!) mouthful from me, mobility scooter or not.

And then I'd have reported it.

WhereTheWildThingsWere · 05/12/2011 15:54

It was my ds that was badly bitten on the face last week.

He does need to report it so it is logged. There will be no question of it being put down, so he doesn't need to worry about her losing her companion. She will hopefully get some help to get it under the control that it needs to be in a public place.

I hope he is okay and the injury isn't too serious

Shutupanddrive · 05/12/2011 15:56

Please report it

HoHoOpotomus · 05/12/2011 16:06

what kind of dog was it?

(Poor your DP -he should report)

Scuttlebutter · 05/12/2011 16:10

Two of our three greyhounds always wear muzzles when out on walks. Not because they are a danger to people, but because of their desire to chase small furry creatures, but the happy byproduct of this is that we know that if by any mischance the lead gets dropped, they cannot harm anything. This also prevents them from picking up waste food in the park. The muzzles are light, comfortable and the dogs are perfectly happy wearing them, and they don't prevent them from breathing, panting or drinking. It's really not hard.

A word with the local DW is definitely in order. And there's no reason why a dog owner in a mobility scooter shouldn't be able to attend obedience classes.

If the woods where the incident took place are publicly owned you could also consider asking your Council to impose a Dog Control Order and to step up DW patrols in the area. One of the reasons why reporting it is a good idea is that it then shows the local authority the true extent of dog bites/incidents in the area - they are generally massively under-reported. Many local authorities are cutting back on DW posts as they believe there is little public support/need for them.

Original poster

iphonedrone · 05/12/2011 20:58

He's going to phone the dog warden tomorrow and report the incident. His leg looks gross, but they stitched it and gave him some antibiotics so he should be fine.

He's going to call her tonight to let her know he will be reporting it, thanks for all the prods in the right direction! I think the thing that pushed him over the edge is that our kids play down there all the time and the dog gave no warning at all, just ran and clamped on!

OP posts:

Original poster

iphonedrone · 05/12/2011 21:08

and for the people that asked it was a white terrier.

OP posts:

crashdoll · 05/12/2011 21:20

I hope your DH does report it. Perhaps ask him how would he feel if (god forbid) the dog seriously injured another person and he could have prevented it? They won't force her to put the dog down but it should be muzzled in public to prevent others.

NoOnesGoingToEatYourMincePies · 06/12/2011 09:40

We have a little terrier and she likes to try and chase joggers, which is one reason why she's kept on an extendable lead when we are out and about, and the lead is shortened when we see a jogger in the distance. She's never tried to bite anybody, and she never chases a running child, but I wouldn't want to be chased by a dog and take the owners word for it that it wouldn't bite if it caught me, so I wouldn't expect anyone else to be okay about it either. Saying it's because your DH was running is no excuse.

I'm glad he's planning to report it now because if anything she sounds like she needs a little help herself. Our area has a volunteer group that walks dogs for people who are ill or disabled, so perhaps if there's one near you that does the same she would benefit from that to help her walk the dogs.

ddubsgirl · 06/12/2011 11:32

As a dog owner he needs to report it next time it could be a child or more than just needing a few stitches pls pls report she knows the dog is dangerous then it needs to be muzzled

Pandemoniaa · 06/12/2011 13:43

I have a small white terrier too. Fortunately, I got him when he was a tiny pup and at the very first sign of people chasing - a cyclist as it happened - I put a lot of work into training this tendency out of him. If my training hadn't been successful then he would have had to be walked on a lead.

I love dogs but it is totally unreasonable to be in charge of one that you cannot control. I know that it can be difficult, especially for elderly people whose dogs might be their only companions, to accept that a beloved pets is a danger but sometimes the only way to reinforce this sad fact is to report them. For sure, no bitey dog should ever be allowed to run free.

So YANBU in insisting that your DH reports what sounds like a very nasty bite. I doubt it will lead to the dog being put down but would expect the owner will be told to keep the dog muzzled and on a lead. A second bite is unlikely to be treated with clemency, however so if the owner really loves her dog she will ensure that it doesn't repeat the offence.

SirCliffRichardSucksEggsInHell · 06/12/2011 13:54

We had an incident with a dog yesterday. Walking ds to school on the pavement and this massive dog - face like a bulldog only much much bigger comes running out from a bridleway straight up to us.

I stood very still and told ds to do the same, but the dog was on a face level with ds and was trying to lick his face which frightened ds. The dog's owner, who had another huge dog with her came up and said sorry, to which I replied "yes well he should be on a lead, it's quite intimidating you know" and she had a go at me, saying that if I had given her chance, she was trying to take the lead out of her pocket - given her chance! The dog didn't give us chance! What's more is that the pavement we were walking on is right next to a busy main road so her dog could have been killed whilst he was loose.

Her defence was that he was a puppy, which is all the more reason he should have been on a lead.

But at usual, it is us who are at fault for not understanding that a very large and intimidating dog merely wants to slobber all over ds' face whilst we are quietly making our way to school. How very unreasonable of us.

I'd rather the old lady was without one of her two companions than a child critically ill in hospital.

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