Daughter attacked by dog what happens next?

[JustAnotherUsername2]

I've name changed/altered a few details because its identifying

DD (teen) was attacked by an unaccompanied large dog on a main road. It managed to drag her to the floor. She had to be helped by members of the public to get the animal off her, she did do a good job of defending herself though, by kicking out and although clothing/shoes are ripped/ have teeth marks and some other property is damaged, the only physical injury is thankfully very small. Police are involved as dog also tried to attack others and from what we were told, several police officers struggled to contain the animal.

Police were excellent and took a statement, we have a crime number etc. DD is generally OK obviously shaken up. We were told we would hear from the police going forward, but I guess my question is what happens next? If this had been a smaller child, or circumstances were different, the outcome could have been horrific.

We dont know if the dog is owned or a general stray (seems unlikely).

Agree with @Notyetacatlady .. if there’s not really much of an injury I doubt anything will be done. I also speak from experience.

Check back with the police officer you dealt with but there is a high chance the dog will be kept in police kennels until the outcome of any investigation.
It may be returned with restrictions (eg lead and muzzle) or it may be destroyed, depending on the outcome - but not till it’s been thoroughly investigated.

Sadly I don't think there's anything she can do. Even if the owner is found then they can deny ownership and if it is not put down it will no doubt continue to attack, maybe a small child next. I am always astonished that this kind of thing is taken so lightly by the police and public in general.

If 111 said she's fine then she will be. Tetanus booster is at about 11 I think and they last 10 years.

So sorry this happened, OP. It sounds absolutely terrifying!

I would try and sue. I’m not normally someone to say that but your daughter might end up frightened and need support, it might not show straight away. Also you want the damaged clothes and shoes replacing, why should you be out of pocket? Finally, what’s to say the owners won’t just get another dog and the same thing happen though their maltreatment or lack of training, the actual act of being sued might scare them into acting appropriately.

My neighbour claimed off another neighbour's home insurance after getting bitten by their dog.

She had a £1k to cover damages to clothing and some counselling sessions. She didn't attend these until she realised nearly a year later how shaken up the attack had left her.

Hope your daughter is okay.

So sorry yo hear about that OP
Rarely, I've not seen a stray dog for many years.
Ask the police for CCTV footage
I think you can ask the coucil but they may tell you to go via the police

I fear dogs that are on one of those long leash where the owner allows the dog right up to you as I fear dogs.
I hope she soon gets over this.

It's terrifying. Why can't the owners be jailed when this happens, it's bad enough they don't pick up.their dogs poo. I hope your Daughter's gets better soon.

No need to wait, you can contact them directly.

What happens next depends on a whole host of things.

However your DD is in a stronger position than many as she has witnesses, visible injuries and the police are involved - I suspect the dog will be put under a "control order", which basically means it needs to be on a short lead and muzzled in public at all times.

Saying that, those orders are rarely enforced unfortunately.

My son was bitten by a dog a few years ago that dog was with th e owner but the owner couldn't control the dog and ran off ,I did inform the police but they said unless I could give them a name and address there was little they could do
?regarding a Tetnus I too My son to the gp,son was about 10 at the time and the go said he would have had a enough tetnus, shots with his normal childhoods vaccination program to cover him I till he was an adult

I agree.
I'm so sorry for your daughter this kind of thing is very frightening, the animal is clearly not suitable as a domestic pet

Why wasn't the dog destroyed? I've want confirmation from the police it's been destroyed at the very least and the owner (if there is one) prosecuted. A small child could have died as the result of such an attack, this shouldn't be taken lightly and that dog should not be allowed to attack anyone else.

Probably not very much, the dog will be destroyed and the police will try to identify the owner.

Not much more from your DDs side though

As others have said, you'll probably be contacted by some kind of support service in the next couple of days. If you haven't heard from the police after a week has gone by, I'd suggest contacting them for updates. Take photos of injuries/damage to clothing etc. Be aware that your daughter might be nervous about being out alone for a while.

I was attacked by a neighbour’s dog about 11 years ago. It was a large Alsatian, kept chained up outside their house as a guard dog. Not a pet! Every so often it got loose. I saw it one evening, went to let them know, and it ran out of their garden onto the pavement and attacked me. The owner was there and pulled the dog off me - like OP’s daughter I was left with torn clothing and minor injuries, mostly bruising and some teethmarks.

When I reported this to the Police they already knew the dog’s name as there had been other similar attacks. I checked a couple of times with Police before I moved away, but no update. The dog was still there, albeit more securely chained, when I moved away more than a year later. The Postie refused to deliver their mail, big strapping men crossed the road to avoid that house, and it was a couple of hundred yards away from a High School so loads of children walking past all the time. They also crossed the road to avoid.

It's highly unlikely the dog will be destroyed, especially if this is the first instance.

I'm not saying I agree with it, just that it's the way things seem to go.

The dog won't be destroyed for ruining clothing, by the dounds of things your daughter didn't need medical attention. It's vert hard to prove the dog attacked your daughter. The courts have to be 100% sure the dog wasn't provoked ( not implying this) they also have to consider why the dog was out and things like that. I hope your daughter is OK and look into getting a tetanus if dog broke skin.

Sorry this happened, other than staying in touch with the police, maybe try not to worry about doing something about it, or what could have happened if... and just concentrate on supporting your daughter, remaining calm and stoic and allowing her to talk through it.

(I was knocked over and bitten by a large tied up dog outside a shop as a young teen, and can report from the future that apart from some minor scarring on the backs of my legs I have remained a dog lover ever since, no lasting damage, there's one snoring next to me right now 😊hopefully she will be right as rain too)

Oh your poor DD. I’m glad it’s being taken seriously. I was attacked by a dog a few years ago and it was genuinely one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. Again my injuries were fairly minor (although very painful regardless) and healed well - I did need antibiotics as one got infected so definitely keep a close eye on it. I would think that given the nature of the attack and the repeated attempts the dog will likely be pts.

Obviously everyone is different but if she is upset and if you are able, I’d contact your GP and ask about options for support for your daughter. I thought I would be fine but I was extremely anxious after it happened to me and did start to feel quite afraid of dogs and would have nightmares and I guess flashbacks, where suddenly I’d play the whole thing through again in my head over and over which was scary. I felt really silly for it as I was “ok” but looking back now I think it had a big impact and I wish I had asked for help after it. I did sort of “gentle”exposure therapy with people who had calm, friendly dogs which definitely helped although I still do feel panic sometimes around certain dogs. Sending you lots of unmumsnetty love because it’s a horrible thing to happen.

Thank you for all the lovely messages of support and advice, I am hopeful DD will be OK going forward, we are letting her talk it out and have reassured her (she actually felt extremely guilty for kicking out at the dog to get it off her, it had her on the ground at this point) we do have a little more information that suggests it may not be a one off. Keeping an open mind at the moment and will see what kind of updates we get over the next week or so.

Sounds like she got off lightly, if it was a German Shepard and she came off without injury then she was lucky. I was attacked not too long ago by one , it bit me 3 times in about 10 seconds before the owner managed to stop it , there is no kicking them off you just put your arms out as a natural defence. If it hadn’t been restrained it would have ripped me too shreads. People say oh I would have done this and I would have done that , but the truth is it happens so fast you don’t have time to think about anything.

I got of lucky too and walked away.

hope your daughter is ok .

I expect the seized dog will be placed in a kennels, awaiting a court date which can take many months, if the owners don't go ahead and PTS already. (this is what happened when I worked in kennels)

In terms of individual recourse, I guess you'd need to take civil action?

I would probably contact Victim Support directly to initiate the process of accessing support. It's an independent charity. They will assess needs and explain what support can be provided in these circumstances.

I’m so sorry that happened to your poor DD! She will be shaken up for a long time. Glad she is ok and her wounds weren’t worse.