To be upset that the police didn’t do anything? Dangerous dog

[Koulibiak]

I can’t sleep and can’t stop thinking about what happened and what could have happened.

I had just stepped out to walk my dogs (both small, placid dogs - one is a toy breed and the other a beagle mix) this afternoon. We crossed path with a woman pushing a bike with a front trolley thing. I assumed the trolley was for a child (the type you see in Amsterdam), I didn’t have time to see that there was something inside. Suddenly a dog jumped out of the trolley and attacked my dogs, one after the other. The dog was a female Labrador, she went straight for my dogs’ necks and on top of their backs. My dogs yelped in pain, started going in different directions and tripped me.

It all happened so fast, as I fell on the pavement I thought the Labrador was going to kill us all.

Eventually the woman got her dog back, I asked her to stay while I called the police. I got my dogs back inside the house, checked that neither of them was bleeding, they are both fine.

The police arrived, the woman turned on the water works and started sobbing. I said the dog was dangerously out of control, and at the very least the woman should receive a FPN for not having her dog on a lead.

The police were so dismissive - they said they wouldn’t issue a FPN because the woman had not realised the dog wasn’t tethered in the trolley, so she had no intention of breaking the law. I pointed out that intent is not part of the offence, but they said the poor woman had a flat tire on her bike, she was very distraught, she was going to have to walk 25 minutes home (like it’s a massive ordeal?) and they “didn’t want to make her day even worse with a FPN”. They said the dog is not an XL bully or Rottweiler, so it is not a dangerous dog (obviously that’s not true).

There were so many little aggressions in the way the constables spoke to me, I actually reminded them that I was the victim and she was the perpetrator. Like they implied that my dog was also out of control (absolutely untrue), or that they have discretion and can do whatever they want. Also that they now have my details on file, like I was a suspect.

Honestly it’s made me feel so sad for all the women who try and report assaults, the mix of dismissiveness and superiority and “we don’t owe you an explanation” and “I can see there’s nothing we can say that will placate you”. Just because I was asking them to enforce the law and protect the public. It was also obvious they didn’t understand the DDA at all.

I did ask the woman why her dog wasn’t muzzled and whether she was prepared to live with her conscience if her dog killed a child or another dog. She replied “absolutely”.

I just keep reliving the few seconds when the dog leapt out at my dogs and I fell on the pavement, not knowing where the dog was or how to protect myself or my dogs… it’s like a nightmare on repeat. 🙁

You had a horrible experience, the other person was spoken to and the police were happy with their explanation. Giving them a FPN would not make a bit of difference. Give yourself and your dogs a treat and try to move on from this.

I would report this to your local dog warden. They are the ones for dog issues really, not the police. They will then have it on record in case of further incidents.

It sounds like you panicked. The dog jumped out and went for your dogs, there was no actual damage which there would have been if it was a serious attack, in the skirmish you tripped over your own dogs. You were laid on the floor thinking the lab was going to kill you all but no one was actually hurt by the dog.

I think the police took an objective view and made a decision based on that.

Wow people are really minimising this OP. I think if it wasn’t a lab and was a staffy or similar bull breed (not even xl) you wouldn’t be getting the same responses, as you know a lab couldn’t possibly be aggressive 🙄

The only dogs I’ve been bitten by including only yesterday are toy breeds! Luckily yesterday it only bit my jeans but put a whole in them. Not defending it the woman who should have had her dog on a lead, but I suspect the dog had been bitten by a similar dog

Im really surprised that the Police didn’t do anything. A similar thing happened to my friend but it was her dog she let go of the lead and he ran across the road to say hello to another dog, and that person fell over. There was no dog fight but the police turned up on doorstep twice to interview her and she had to do a dog owners course.

I would question why that woman has a young healthy dog in a cart. The dog needs to be exercised and kept engaged. Probably the reason it went for your dogs - bored out of its mind, not socialised, not trained and now just another fur baby pest. Labs are the worst for this and they do bite.

What the fuck is wrong with people on here? Is it so awful to believe what they said - she was walking along minding her own business, with two small well behaved dogs on leads, and they were attacked. Why are so many so quick to jump to blaming the victim?
Yes Op, I would put in a complaint. It might not change your situation, but it might mean that similar attacks are better handled in future.

What the fuck is wrong with people on here?

Any thread about dogs is like this, batshit

The only dogs I’ve been bitten by including only yesterday are toy breeds! Luckily yesterday it only bit my jeans but put a whole in them. Not defending it the woman who should have had her dog on a lead, but I suspect the dog had been bitten by a similar dog

This is a typical response 😆. I just assume it's deflection because people can't actually be this thick can they?

A friend of mine was attacked by an off lead staffy, it bit her and her dogs. The police weren't going to do anything until she made a complaint and she wouldn't let it drop. The staffys owner was given an order to keep it on a lead. Made no difference, he still walks it off lead.

I was walking down the road with my shih tzu on a lead . A woman stopped on the opposite side of the road and opened her boot. She had 3 Chihuahuas who ran across the road and attacked my dog , snarling and nipping him. I picked him up and they carried on jumping and trying to bite him. She couldn’t catch the dogs and had to call for her son. Any dog can be dangerous.

Although it shouldn't have happened, and I'm sure it was alarming for you- I think you are over dramatising the event.

The dog didn't attack you, you fell over. Your dogs weren't hurt, if it had been a serious attack and not a handbags at dawn scenario then they would have been injured, with the size difference if the dog had intended to hurt them and not just intimidate then it would have done so.
Sadly even if you dogs HAD been hurt the dangerous dogs act wouldn't apply as it is for dogs attacking humans, the police don't get involved on dogs attacking dogs.
Possibly if it was a dog deliberately being set on others but tbh even in that case it's very hard to get anywhere.
Calling the police would never have occurred to me and as you discovered, was just wasting their time. Dog on dog is out of their remit.

What should have happened is her apologising profusely and being aware enough to prevent it happening again. A dog in one of those carriers will feel very vulnerable and is much more likely to react to other dogs appearing suddenly. And the owner would be unable to see him reacting and turn it away or manage the behaviour as she could have if the dog was on a lead and she was paying attention.

not relevant to whether op is unreasonable but just wondering what kind of masochism would lead someone with a flat bike tyre and a 25 minute walk home to keep a healthy young Labrador in the bike basket as they walked instead of making it walk too!

I’m surprised she waited for the police TBH.

I am a huge dog lover and an ever bigger Labrador lover and I don’t think YABU OP.

That woman doesn’t have control of her dog. Why on earth she was wheeling it around in a fucking trolley when it wasn’t old or infirm god only knows.
The DDA means the officer should have done more, absolutely. What is going to prevent this woman stopping her dog from attacking?! I despair at the number of ineffective dog owners, they give all dog owners a bad name IMO.

Incidentally, when I am out walking I rarely ever see a badly behaved dog. Big or small they all seem very well behaved. Even the ones off lead. The woman who walks three daschunds near me make me smile as they just look generally annoyed they got dragged off the sofa

"They implied my dog had been out of control"
Maybe the other ladies version of events is different to yours.
There was no blood drawn from this dangerously out of control dog. The only injury is your dogs knocking you over.
None of us were there to know what really happened. Nor were the police. I imagine it's a he said she said scenario and the evidence - no injuries to your dogs, other person says yours were reactive, she is happy to wait around to have it sorted you are happy to make her wait in your and your traumatised dogs presence, makes the other person story that her dog wasn't dangerously out of control seem more believable.

She was in the wrong and should have had her dog on a lead. However, at the same time, you are way over reacting.

If this dog had been serious, your dogs would have had injuries. A lab is a big dog.

This is a normal dog scuffle. Not something you want happening on the street, but it is normal dog social behaviour.

We've humanised dogs so much, we have forgotten what dogs do. Can't tell serious aggression from a telling - off. Can't handle a minor altercation.

I agree with this. I absolutely love labradors because of their (on the whole) gentle nature. But I’m not stupid enough to think that it’s impossible for a lab to be reactive!

The constable wasn't interviewing you, he was taking either your statement or your initial account. They said they have your details not because you are the offender, but in case of further incidents. Is not a dangerous dog breed in that sense they can't fine her, no injury occurred. Never ever seen a vicious labrador in my life, not saying it not happened just that you might be economical with the truth and only give us your version of events. I would like to hear the same story from someone staying on the side, not involved. Plus, you said about the owner that the waterworks came on, like she was faking. Maybe she was indeed distraught. I think you are a bit precious.

IME they like police-splaining to you incorrectly, and the thing they don't like is being caught out, like OP did. You only have to read the recent lodger thread here where the police abuse their position as the perceived legal authority and it's 'what i say, goes, cos police officer'. Maybe part of the training is say what you like with unwavering confidence, and the uniform will do the rest.

That's bull, you don't know what the police actually said just her version of events. For example she also said she was interviewed, there is no way she was interviewed.

What's bull exactly? I said IME, and my experience with the police is not 'bull' thank you, nor is it your place to label it as such when I gave no details whatsoever.

I have no idea what happened here, but as I stated clearly in the post, it aligns with my experience of the police. HTH.

The fact that you used the term "police-splaining" is bull! You can give your opinion without using these ridiculous terms.
Edit: you say about me labelling you did the exact same thing first by using that term

In my experience the police don’t care about dangerous dogs.

My neighbor has one (a big malinois cross mastiff) It lunges at the fences. Lunges at strangers. Lunges at windows teeth bared at anyone who walks past. She can’t walk it. Won’t muzzle it. It has almost bitten numerous people in the street.

But because it hasn’t and it’s on a flexi lead they won’t do anything. They would rather wait until it savages someone…