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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Dog bit me, DH saying it is my own fault

191 replies

Toastedsesame · 18/07/2021 16:15

Playing in the garden with DS age 3 and DH. We were playing water balloons / water fight. I grabbed hose without thinking and started spraying DH, then my DS had s go, by this point our (usually well behaved) dog was getting wound up and leaping at the hose. I saw her leap close to DS with jaws open so I grabbed hose from him to turn it off and the dog leapt at me and bit my hand. It felt like my whole hand went in her mouth and she bit down hard on one of my fingers. I was annoyed and shouted that I was pissed off with the dog and that I've had enough of her (just a few things lately, like eating cat poo and puking it inside, barking at nothing in the night and waking us all up) I'm 25 weeks pregnant so a bit moody and sensitive. ALSO it could have been DS's hand so I was in shock.

DH is now in a mood, saying I know what happens when the hose is sprayed and than it is my fault for being silly - I accept that, it is. But since he hasn't been over to check I'm actually ok or said anything to me, just taken DS inside to watch a film.

Yes the dog has form for being excitable and I should have known but wtf why is he being such a dick about this?

OP posts:
EvilPea · 18/07/2021 17:01

Sorry you wound the dog up it’s your fault.

Eating cat poo - your fault for not keeping it out of her way

These are all normal dog things you need to prevent.

elevenses75 · 18/07/2021 17:01

Op dog didn’t break the skin @Magicpaintbrush

Twoforthree · 18/07/2021 17:01

The dog was playing. It wasn’t deliberate. Learn from this and nip situations in the bud before they develop.

Don’t feel guilty. See it as a lucky warning that means you now know how to safeguard ds in the future.

middleeasternpromise · 18/07/2021 17:03

It sounds like you have been reviewing the dogs fit in the family generally? If so perhaps your husband is worried you are going to make a case for not keeping it and he wants the dog to stay. Not really a good enough excuse for not showing some care for you when you have been bitten - I can see why this has upset you. Changes in the family do make us look at how the arrangements work - sadly many pets get re homed when new family members come along. Its not easy on dogs when change happens, can you consider some of your pets other qualities that made pick the dog in the first place, maybe you could find fondness for it again?

Whiskycav · 18/07/2021 17:03

Op this was your fault. You admit you are getting pissed off with the dogs behaviour in general. If my partner was doing something that was winding the dog up letting it get more and more excitable and our of control and then started shouting at the dog when the dog reacted in a predicatble way I would tell him to grow up. Dogs bite at water from hoses. Op admits she knew the dogs was getting over excited.

Ops dh didn't have to prepare her, or warn her because she is also the dogs owner, an adult and knew this would happen.

Op can turn her hose on and play with her child.....when the dog is inside.

Travis1 · 18/07/2021 17:07

So you caused the dog to bite you, then you bitched you were fed up of the dog? I’d have left you to your misery as well tbh

rwalker · 18/07/2021 17:08

It was your fault but not the end of the world move on . TBH i wouldn't expect to be asked if I was alright I'd speak up if I wasn't .

Daphnise · 18/07/2021 17:08

I think the clue is your own words "Without thinking".

And you then had the consequences of your thoughtless actions.

Perhaps rather than blaming others, accept that you were wrong. and don't agitate dogs around children again.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 18/07/2021 17:09

Whilst he could have been more helpful he's right.

You forgot your dog. That could have have far worse consequences to you, your child and the dog.

Ours doesn't like the hosepipe. We are careful to give him room to get away when we use it. He is quite capable of biting when scared or so wholly over whelmed by it.

You seem to have been lucky. With no broken skin your dog must have inhibited it's bite, if only slightly.

You have to be hyper vigilant with dogs. They rely on you to be, after all!

Floralnomad · 18/07/2021 17:12

It’s a bruise , I’m sure if your finger was hanging off your husband would probably check on your well being . He is probably a bit cross that you flew off the handle and started shouting at the dog in the garden , presumably where neighbours could hear you when it was entirely of your own making .

IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves · 18/07/2021 17:13

It doesn't bloody matter whose fault it was. What kind of twat doesn't check their partner is ok and offer, shock horror, a bit of sympathy, after they got bitten?

Seriously, wtf is wrong with some people? It's not a lot to expect from someone who's supposed to love you!

wetotter · 18/07/2021 17:14

Highs of 29 degrees and a pregnant woman and a toddler have a hose on and it’s All Their Fault

In this case, yes it is. The dog should have been popped indoors, because it is known how he reacts to hoses. OP admits in the opening post that it is her fauot for acting without thinking.

It really wasn't fair on either the dog or the DC.

diddl · 18/07/2021 17:14

@summersflowers

I’ll buck the trend. I wouldn’t be happy.

I think your average family pet should be able to withstand a water fight or a hose being on without biting someone.

I also can't help feeling that way, although our dog is very calm.

That said, owners also need to be responsible about seeing that their dogs are wound up but carrying on-especially when there's a young kid in the mix!

Bluntness100 · 18/07/2021 17:16

Ok so all the dramatics, it didn’t bite you, thr dog was getting excited and tried to grab the hose.

SalsaLove · 18/07/2021 17:17

It’s never the dogs fault. Always owners or strangers not understanding or giving a crap. Then the dogs suffer the consequences for just being dogs.

SalsaLove · 18/07/2021 17:17

@Bluntness100

Ok so all the dramatics, it didn’t bite you, thr dog was getting excited and tried to grab the hose.
This!
GrandmasCat · 18/07/2021 17:18

Erm… if a dog is excitable and happy to bite it’s owner, you are guilty of not training properly.

But having to act in certain way to avoid your dog attacking is ridiculous, as excitable as the dog is, that is not a safe dog to have around.

Get you hand checked ASAP, find a dog behaviourist tomorrow morning. Your OH is an idiot. Fancy that, having to pussy foot around an aggressive dog in your own home.

vodkaredbullgirl · 18/07/2021 17:21
Hmm
Naunet · 18/07/2021 17:24

@GrandmasCat

Erm… if a dog is excitable and happy to bite it’s owner, you are guilty of not training properly.

But having to act in certain way to avoid your dog attacking is ridiculous, as excitable as the dog is, that is not a safe dog to have around.

Get you hand checked ASAP, find a dog behaviourist tomorrow morning. Your OH is an idiot. Fancy that, having to pussy foot around an aggressive dog in your own home.

Again, it was an accident, not an attack. Accidents happen, you know, like when parents drop their babies, they’re not automatically abusive.
RandomHomoSapien · 18/07/2021 17:25

Your fault. Your DH is right to be pissed off with you. Sounds like your dog didn’t bite you, he was biting the water, which all dogs do.

And poor dog, I feel so sorry for him having to live with someone who clearly finds him an inconvenience 😢

RubertRoo · 18/07/2021 17:26

I think you need to put the dog inside during times when they might get over excited. If I'm playing with a ball in the garden with DD my dog ignores us, as soon as DH joins in, dog does bonkers and trying to get it, leaping up, barking etc...
So we have to put her inside when DH comes out to play as it over excites her and not fair on her really. She's a strong dog and could knock over DD without thinking so just for the safety and happiness of everyone really.

elevenses75 · 18/07/2021 17:27

@GrandmasCat this dog is not aggressive and yes training a dog to respond to you positively in high arousal is a good idea but it takes time and in the meantime not letting your dog behave that way would be a start.

You train for the environment not in it, and you behave in a way that doesn’t wind a dog up if it’s known to get excited- there is a difference between excitement and aggression, if the dog was biting aggressively the op wouldn’t just have a bruised finger. There was no broken skin.
Sensible dog owners do not expose pets to things that they are frightened or anxious of it’s not pussy footing about and the dog is not aggressive. The op caused this reaction buy her actions! It was preventable and yes trainable if you have the skill/trainer to help you.

DogInATent · 18/07/2021 17:27

I was annoyed and shouted that I was pissed off with the dog and that I've had enough of her
...
DH is now in a mood, saying I know what happens when the hose is sprayed and than it is my fault for being silly

He's probably worried that you're planning on using this to get rid of the dog. You're in one of those adult stand-offs where both of you are feel aggrieved/worried about different things. Someone needs to make the first move and put the kettle on.

diddl · 18/07/2021 17:28

"shouted that I was pissed off with the dog and that I've had enough of her"

It would really upset me if my husband said that about our dog & although I might ask if they were OK I wouldn't want to be in their company for a while.

GrandmasCat · 18/07/2021 17:29

@naunet, frankly, it does take quite a bit of bad training for a dog to bite its owner. The only kind of accident this can be described as is “an accident waiting to happen”

I would understand if it was just a nip but a proper bite? Feck no, even a dog know where the line is drawn.

I am not saying they need to rehome the dog or put him down but they certainly need to get the behaviour sorted before it happens again.