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Original poster

dd was bitten by a dog at a kids party today

138 replies

Moomin · 22/04/2006 22:42

The dogs were kept indoors for most of the party then someone let them out towards the end. Dd1 who's 4 loves dogs and was stroking them in the garden. At the end of the party she went indoors to use the toilet. One of the dogs was standing in the kitchen from what we can gather and dd went to stroke her again and the dog went for her and bit her face.

dh found her crying hysterically and realised what had happened. The skin on her cheek was punctured in one place and was bleeding a bit, the rest of her cheek was swollen. He came out to tell me carrying her and i think i was in shock. The parents of the kid whose party it was were apologetic but not horrified. They have 3 kids under 4 and apparently the dogs have never done this before. I think i was in shock. we decided to go home not to hospital as we had the baby with us too and i rang nhs direct when we got in. Her tetanus is up to date but Dh took her up to primary care on the advice of the nurse on the phone and they prescribed antibiotics just in case.

the dad rang dh to see how dd was. I think i still can't believe how close she came to being really badly hurt i feel quite numb. I was so angry when we left i could hardly speak. It was all so fucking middle class, dh saying to them not to worry and them saying oh dear but not too loudly in case we spoiled the end of their ds's party (well that's what it felt like)

OP posts:
hunkermunker · 22/04/2006 22:49

Oh, Moomin, you poor thing - poor DD, what a shock!

misdee · 22/04/2006 22:50

your poor dd moomin.

hope you are all over. how bad is the wound now?

fastasleep · 22/04/2006 22:51

Oh no poor DD I hope she's not scarred for life now Sad that's awful, have you thought about doing something about the dog - sounds dangerous...

you must still be reeling, and DD..well.. poor wee thing! Sad

Wembley · 22/04/2006 22:51

Oh Moomin that's awful. I hope your little girl is ok. Not impressed with the reaction of the family - I would have been horrified if my dog had done that to a child, to anybody! Angry

twokids · 22/04/2006 22:52

how horrid I do your ds is ok

Dior · 22/04/2006 22:52

Thank God it was 'only' a small wound, and not her whole face Sad. I know what you mean about being British about it. Surely the police or some authority should be involved?

hunkermunker · 22/04/2006 22:57

Yes, think the fact that the dog has never done it before is not relevant - any dog who bites has never done it before...the first time...

Original poster
Moomin · 22/04/2006 22:57

i don't think it will scar or if it does, it will be a tiny little round mark. Have thought of all sorts of things tonight - like reporting dog to police but not sure what would happen. I was waiting to see if the parents rang to check on dd and if they didn't i'd take it further but they did, or at least the dad rang dh's mobile. If it had been me, I'd have been mortified - we have a dog and she went to live with my dad after she snapped at dd once - nowhere near her face but enough for us to see that even the mildest dogs can turn if they're provoked (this was after dd (18m at the time) had pulled her ears. Dd hadn't done anything to the dog today apart from approach er. I think it was stupid letting the dogs near the kids when there were so many of them running round with food etc. The dogs may have felt territorial or something.

i don't know the people very well at all. Dh used to work with the mum and still sees her for coffee. I also don't want dd developing a phobia about all dogs. i feel like crying

OP posts:
cataloguequeen · 22/04/2006 23:02

God thats terrible...hope dd recovers soon, don't worry little bubs always bounce back...you're in shock, call those people tommorow and you or dh give them a good cussing!!!(get ghetto can't be middle class in some situations)

Janh · 22/04/2006 23:02

moomin, I was bitten in the face by a dog, aged 4; I also loved dogs and it happened when I went to use the toilet and the dog was there on the way (in a hotel, not a private house). The consensus was that I bent down to the dog suddenly and it didn't know me and reacted to me as a threat. (Mind you it was a Scottie, not the best tempered dogs in the world. What kind was this?)

Without witnesses to what actually happened, and given that the dogs are OK with their own children, I don't know what you can do about this - of course you are angry and upset but it sounds like a grey area legally.

I hope DD is OK, heals up quickly and is not too upset by it. My bites left scars but they haven't bothered me and I still like dogs, fwiw.

Cam · 22/04/2006 23:05

Moomin, poor you and dd. I feel very strongly that dogs should not be anywhere near a child's party.

My dd was once invited to a child's party where the "house dog" was particularly unfriendly. I actually phoned up in advance to make sure the dog wouldn't be there - didn't go down too well but I felt it was necessary.

In your situation I would report the incident to the police - they will know what to do, eg. who deals with this type of thing.

Not surprised you feel shaky, it could have been worse, hope you work out what to do for the best.

Original poster
Moomin · 22/04/2006 23:08

they were kind of posh-looking hounds of some sort, biggish and a kind of tan colour. I do feel there's a kind of class thing going on with it all - i might be wrong. But the family and most of the kids were all much posher than me & dh, kids all at private school, the house was a listed-building huge beamed cottage, you get the picture, and i get the impression it just wouldn't have done for me to start shouting and getting all upset. Most people didn't even realise what had happened, they just thought dd had hurt herself as it happened indoors and everyone was outside.

OP posts:
fireflyfairy2 · 22/04/2006 23:11

I was bit on the leg by my friends dog when I was 12. Her dad got the dog put down as he said that once they taste human blood they want more though this was a hunting dog so may be different.

Your poor child, I'm sure you are livid!

Kathlean · 22/04/2006 23:11

Wow poor you and poor DD.

This is going to sound harsh but........ your daughter could have been seriously injured, depending on the kind of dog maybe dead.

Does it matter that it is the first time it has bitten someone? How lucky will the next child be if it happens again?

I think you need to report it at least that way you will have a clear conscience if it does happen again.

Alipiggie · 22/04/2006 23:15

I think you should report it too, dogs that bite once can do it again. I watch ours like a hawk when children around that she doesn't know. She's a wonderful good natured dog, but you never know what another child might do. I too would have been mortified if my dog bit another child. Surely someone must have seen what happened!!! Big for you little one and you and I hope you all recover soon.

spacedonkey · 22/04/2006 23:18

Sorry to hear this moomin - what a horrible shock

Similar thing happened to my dd - a lump of her top lip was bitten off by her friend's dog. Similarly the dog had never bitten anyone before. Dd had to have surgery. We didn't prosecute, but dd never went to that house again. I wonder now if we should have taken action.

Dior · 22/04/2006 23:19

Hijack - Hi SD!

spacedonkey · 22/04/2006 23:19
Dior · 22/04/2006 23:20

Sorry Moomin BTW...fine thanks SD.

amber5 · 22/04/2006 23:21

Moomin, how awful and i do hope your dd is ok. fwiw, i was bitten by our own family dog at my brother's party. I was 10, the dog was a 9 year old staffordshire bull terrior. i obviously knew him very well and was very trusting and confident around him. However i think people just do not realise that although you trust your family pet - this is still an animal and may behave as such in certain circumstances. at our party there were a number of noisy children crowding round the table full of food, Rocky jumped up to join in and i grabbed him from behind to pull him from the table - i must have made him jump, because he turned round and bit my face. i needed stitches above my top lip and have a quite visible scar still. i felt awful for the dog as i knew it was my fault more than his and i desperately didn't want anything to happen to him.
However, looking back at it now and having read your post, goodness knows what would have happened if he had bitten one of the guests.
I must say it hasn't put me off dogs and i own one now, BUT i don't ever leave her alone with my kids and always put her out if others come to play. And it horrifies me when children who don't know us come up to her an touch her without asking me. Like a previous post says - no dog has bitten before the first time.
Sorry for long-windedness Blush

Original poster
Moomin · 22/04/2006 23:22

yes, my first instinct is that i don't ever want dd going there again. I think i will regret it if i just let it go - i can't decide if i'm over-reacting or whether everyone else was under-reacting. I think i will talk to dh about it then maybe ring the police in the morning. Dh just said he is grateful nothing worse happened. I feel much more strongly

OP posts:
Original poster
Moomin · 22/04/2006 23:25

i did say to dh in the car on the way home 'i've a good mind to ring the police' and dd said 'oh no the dog won't be taken to prison will she?' I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...

OP posts:
Dior · 22/04/2006 23:26

No way are you over-reacting. I think that the family should have been more rective to the situation. They probably felt that to play it down would make you think that it was not their fault. I understand that you didn't want to upset the party, but I think you should still do something about it legally.

Janh · 22/04/2006 23:26

You certainly aren't over-reacting, moomin - it could have been much worse after all. I think you should speak to the family again though, before you go to the police, if that is what you decide to do.

Dior · 22/04/2006 23:26

'reactive' even!

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