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Original poster

My dog was just attacked by another dog - how do I get the other dog's owner to pay

96 replies

yogz1976 · 04/12/2022 14:34

My brother-in-law was walking my dog in the park earlier (on a lead) when a labrador (off lead) ran towards them, picked up my dog (a chihuahua) in it's jaws and was mauling him like he was a rabbit. Also caused injury to my BIL from getting bitten himself. He is at the vet now. Suspect punctured lung. My BIL got this guy's telephone number, but now he's telling us he has no money, and that his dog had never bit anyone before.
Need some practical advice please. What can I do? We are looking at a vet's bill of £2000 potentially. How can I make this owner pay?
Sorry if my post is a bit confused. I'm still in shock, but I want to act quickly.

OP posts:

Latenightreader · 04/12/2022 14:36

Could you report the dog to your local council or dog warden? I’m not sure whether they would be able to make the owner pay, but they might ensure no more dogs are attacked.

BiteyShark · 04/12/2022 14:39

Is the dog insured? Because I would be firstly contacting my insurance for legal advice.

I am assuming not if you are looking at a bill yourself. In that situation you could try a small claims court.

Dreamscomingtrue · 04/12/2022 14:40

Do either of the dogs have insurance for health cover/injuries?
Sometimes things like this are covered under some household insurances, public liability, if a dog runs in the road & causes an accident.

Wanderingoff · 04/12/2022 14:40

small claims

doesn’t your own insurance cover it though?

Skiphopbump · 04/12/2022 14:40

If you have insurance claim on that and pass on the owners details, your insurance may then make a claim against the other dog owner.

LightDrizzle · 04/12/2022 14:40

I imagine it’s a small claims matter, but I hope someone more informed will be along to help.

You must also report this to the police, his dog attacked another dog and bit someone whilst not under his control. Don’t be fobbed off. Seek a crime number.

Your poor dog and your poor BIL. If you do make a claim, I’d include future costs for a qualified dog behaviourist as your dog may need help after this event.

Marcipex · 04/12/2022 14:41

I don’t think you can, dog-on-dog attacks aren’t a crime.
I really hope you can, but I don’t think so.

Dreamscomingtrue · 04/12/2022 14:43

You should report the incident to the police. Although they don’t usually get involved when it’s a dog on dog attack they do when it’s a person that’s been bitten.
Your brother in law might need a tetanus injection, they usually last about 10 years.
so depends when he was last vaccinated.

Original poster

yogz1976 · 04/12/2022 14:43

No, he is not insured. I would happily take this guy to small claims court if need be. Anyone tried that already ?

OP posts:

Original poster

yogz1976 · 04/12/2022 14:45

I'm guessing contacting the dog warden will be a waste of time ?

OP posts:

MintJulia · 04/12/2022 14:46

Wanderingoff · 04/12/2022 14:40

small claims

doesn’t your own insurance cover it though?

This. But if the man is telling the truth and has no money, he can't pay.

I hope you have pet insurance.

MontyDonsBlueScarf · 04/12/2022 14:47

Definitely report to the dog warden, not the police. Something similar happened to us and the dog warden took it very seriously. After being visited by the dog warden the owner of the attacking dogs paid our insurance excess. It ended up with restrictive conditions placed on how the attacking dogs were exercised.

I hope your dog recovers quickly.

MintJulia · 04/12/2022 14:47

yogz1976 · 04/12/2022 14:45

I'm guessing contacting the dog warden will be a waste of time ?

You need to let the dog warden know. Next time it could be a toddler.

For all you know, this may not be the first time.

stillvicarinatutu · 04/12/2022 14:49

If your bill was bitten it's a criminal offence under s3 of the dangerous dogs act - report it on 101 or online - the police are duty bound to investigate all dog bites if a person or service animal is attacked - the fact your bill was bitten is enough to get police involved. I bet owner will find money then ....

olivehater · 04/12/2022 14:50

Contact the dog warden. The owner is not responsible enough to have the dog. If your BIL has been bitten as well there is cause for having the dog put down. What if it was a child next time?

stillvicarinatutu · 04/12/2022 14:51

Let police know - they will visit and assess the risk from the dog - it's a process and a set risk assessment so the dog won't necessarily be seized or destroyed but it will hold the owner accountable.
(Police officer here )

NellesVilla · 04/12/2022 14:54

Sorry to hear about this, OP and hope your little angel recovers soon.

You really need to get pet insurance ASAP. I saved £12,000 when my little one was run over -at the Supervet- worth every penny.

💐

Lovemylittlebear · 04/12/2022 14:55

So sorry this happened to you. Report to police and dog warden. Police will have to listen as your brother in law was bitten. Otherwise if it was just dog then just dog warden. This happened to us 10 years ago. A dog ran out the house and attacked our dog which was on leas and on pavement. My husband tried to fight the dog off and carried our dog bleeding heavily back to the house. We could have lost her. Just missed an artery. The couple did not pay our vet bill. We asked for the excess of the insurance to be paid but they did not pay. I was just about to give birth so couldn’t handle stress of pursuing. The weirdos posted a baby grow round with dogs on. WTF

Ihatethenewlook · 04/12/2022 14:57

Marcipex · 04/12/2022 14:41

I don’t think you can, dog-on-dog attacks aren’t a crime.
I really hope you can, but I don’t think so.

The bil was bitten so he certainly can. Report to the police and warden as you will need a police report for a small claims court. And then the small claims court to get the money back

Ihatethenewlook · 04/12/2022 14:58

How bad is your bil injuries? Phone 111 for advice, he may need to go in for a tetanus shot. This will probably help his claim too

Floralnomad · 04/12/2022 14:59

Definitely report the attack and your BILs bite to the police and the dog warden . For all the posters saying it could be a toddler next it really doesn’t work like that , a dog can tell the difference between a dog and a person and it’s not a natural progression that all dogs that bite dogs will also bite humans . ( although it may of course just be a very dangerous dog ) . Hope your dog gets well soon @yogz1976 , and if you’ve not got insurance you should really look into getting some .

Strangeways19 · 04/12/2022 15:16

I know of someone who was taken to court because their dog had bitten someone - the attacked person was attempting to get the dog PTS - this failed - I don't think the owner had to pay any money but it's right that if a dog bites a person it's a crime so report.
The owner of dogs needs to take dog to training ASAP. Don't believe that he's never done this before.
If you don't have insurance I don't know how you will be able to claw the money back. Unless you are successful at small claims court

Sindonym · 04/12/2022 15:21

Contact the police. They will have a dedicated dog related issues officer. My dog was attacked by a staffie that ran out of its property and attacked my dog on the pavement. The police negotiated and the owner paid some of the vet bill (he had a huge house and I thought should have paid the whole lot tbh).

More importantly it meant the police had details about the dog and any more complaints could lead to an order.

TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 04/12/2022 15:22

Floralnomad · 04/12/2022 14:59

The dog bit the BiL so this dog has already moved on to biting humans…

BuffaloCauliflower · 04/12/2022 15:24

Why isn’t your dog insured? This is a basic part of responsible dog ownership.

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