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Original poster

Dog attacked my husband! Feeling very cross about irresponsible owner

237 replies

BaitandSwitch · 27/05/2019 18:45

My husband takes a regular walk around the local park and fields and today he came home with some face bleeding.
What had transpired was that a regular dog walker had let her dog off the lead - which bounded up to my H and jumped up at him. In the process drew blood from 4 places - 1 claw clipped the inside of his nostril, and three sites around the nose and cheek. He naturally was in a state of mild shock. I asked what the owner's reaction had been. He responded he sees her and that dog regularly and the dog always makes a beeline for him and jumps at him. The owner laughed it off apparently saying, " oh he always goes for you".
I feel so angry and upset - how dare she have such a cavalier attitude and not keep her out of control mutt on a lead? I feel inclined to accompany my H on his next walk and give her a piece of my mind if I see her. I have just had to get this off my chest.

OP posts:
mrscampbellblackagain · 27/05/2019 19:33

If a dog scratched my face and drew blood too right I would get very cross. I don't care how 'friendly' the dog was - the owners should control it.

Honestly, this place gets more insane by the day.

Roussette · 27/05/2019 19:35

BTW are there dog mind readers on here. How does anyone know what was going through the dog's head... was he attacking or excitable. Either way, it's an out of control dog.

adaline · 27/05/2019 19:36

I am gobsmacked that posters seem to think it's OK for a dog to jump up like this.

Nobody has said it's okay, have they? They've said it's not the same as an attack, which it isn't.

If you can't control your dogs, they should be muzzled.

How would that help with an excitable dog jumping up?

If a dog scratched my face and drew blood too right I would get very cross.

Isn't it up to her husband to decide how upset he is? He doesn't want to press things any further so that should be the end of it.

BenWillbondsPants · 27/05/2019 19:37

I am gobsmacked that posters seem to think it's OK for a dog to jump up like this.

I don't think anyone really thinks it's OK at all. The OP said that the dog 'attacked' her husband and then that she thinks the dog hurt him accidentally, there's a big difference in intent there. I've asked the OP for clarification of what happened twice, with no response. Of course it's not right for a dog not to be trained so that it hurts someone.

Roussette · 27/05/2019 19:42

Nobody has said it's okay, have they?
Yes they have. Many 'techniques' with what to do with a dog that jumps up. Posts saying the dog 'happened' to jump up, just to give it a tickle and not saying it is unacceptable.

How would that help with an excitable dog jumping up?
See my previous post. Was it just jumping up or was it attacking? I wouldn't trust an out of control dog not to bite, if the owner can't stop it jumping up and drawing blood on someone's face in 4 places.

mrscampbellblackagain · 27/05/2019 19:42

Actually I don't think whether the dog did it accidentally or not is that important. The dog drew blood, the owner seemed to find it amusing. This is not acceptable at all.

Roussette · 27/05/2019 19:44

TBH if I had my nostril cut, and scratches on three other places on my face, I would feel that the dog attacked me, especially when I got home and looked in the mirror!. I know many won't agree with that. It's not being playful or affectionate.

kaytee87 · 27/05/2019 19:45

@BaitandSwitch if you actually read what I said. I questioned the size of the dog. I didn't say you lied Hmm

adaline · 27/05/2019 19:49

It's not being playful or affectionate.

Dogs can easily scratch in play, especially young ones.

Anyway, nobody here has said it's acceptable, but there's a difference between undesirable behaviour and a full-blown attack.

Dippypippy1980 · 27/05/2019 19:49

Baitsamdswirch but it wasn’t a child. It was an adult who should have been able to handle this himself.

If you were his mother you would have been within your rights to speak to the owner, but it was a grown ass man who can surely fight his own battles.

BenWillbondsPants · 27/05/2019 19:53

Actually I don't think whether the dog did it accidentally or not is that important. The dog drew blood, the owner seemed to find it amusing. This is not acceptable at all.
@mrscampbellblackagain
Again, I don't think anyone has said it is acceptable, unless of course I've missed those posts, so apologies if that is the case.

I do think it makes a difference in that a vicious dog who attacks people should really be put to sleep. If a dog hurts someone accidentally during play, then the dog needs training and taught how to behave. It sounds like the owner does too.

LakieLady · 27/05/2019 19:55

It does sound like a bizarre injury, tbh.

I have a tiny mark on my top lip from getting caught by a claw when playfighting on the bed with one of my dogs when he was a pup, and I was once headbutted by an enthusiastic staffie who jumped up as I bent down to make a fuss of him, but I've never, ever been whacked in the face when standing because a dog has jumped up.

The owner definitely shouldn't have laughed. I'd have been mortified if a dog of mine hurt anyone, unless the person was a burglar or attacking me.

Roussette · 27/05/2019 20:01

Even if it wasn't a child, what about someone who has a fear of dogs, or like my elderly NDN who was jumped up at and his arm was bandaged for weeks because he is old, you don't heal easily at 80 something. He was an adult who couldn't 'handle it himself'. The dog jumped over a low wall and jumped up at him.

Fucksandflowers · 27/05/2019 20:03

I think your very unreasonable to claim he was attacked when it was actually nothing of the sort!

My DH has had a dog actually go for him, as in bite and rag his foot and leap up at his face and shoulder to try and bite him.

A friendly dog jumping up just isn’t comparable. It really isn’t.
Although I would still report her as she should have better control.

Cocobeanstalk · 27/05/2019 20:03

I feel the dog didn’t intentionally hurt your dh but the women was totally unreasonable. Unfortunately there’s no teaching people like that. I work with dogs and there owners daily and some of the stuff you see what people think is acceptable....Angry

Cocobeanstalk · 27/05/2019 20:04

Sorry their *

Buccanarab · 27/05/2019 20:09

Really struggling to picture how this went down so I've attached a diagram of how it sounds like it happened. Can you confirm OP?

Dog attacked my husband! Feeling very cross about irresponsible owner
Flupibass · 27/05/2019 20:10

The tone of most people’s replies is really weird.
Surely a dog should not jump up at a person for any reason ever.
The dog ( owners fault) is badly trained. There are so many reasons why a dog shouldn’t jump up. People should be allowed to go for a walk without having to cope with a dog jumping at them, what if they’d had recent surgery, weaknesses, wearing nice clothes, on the way to work.? Ok this particular dog didn’t savage or have bad intentions but it’s still absolutely not on.

MrsBobDylan · 27/05/2019 20:11

If your dh doesn't want to make a fuss you should let it go op.

TotHappy · 27/05/2019 20:13

FFS what's the point of saying it wasn't a child?! If it were the claw could take it in the eye, r even if face just scratched, scare the shit out of it! Therefore the point of reporting is to get the woman to prevent the jumping!

missyB1 · 27/05/2019 20:13

Buccanarab
I love your diagram!!! GrinGrin

Nomorepies · 27/05/2019 20:14

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on the poster's request.

Roussette · 27/05/2019 20:17

Ummm he was in minor shock and probably just wanted to get home!

I would be too. It's like if you fall down stairs, or fall flat on your face or whatever, you are disorientated and in shock.

Butchyrestingface · 27/05/2019 20:23

No thanks though to the person who suggests I lied about the dog's paws reaching all the way up to my H's face.

I don’t think you lied about that, especially if your husband was hunkering down to say hello.

But you certainly appear to have widened the bandwidth of ‘truth’ in your thread title. Wink

thatmustbenigelwiththebrie · 27/05/2019 20:27

If a dog "accidentally" jumped and clawed my face I'd want it putting down. That's not ok.