Advice from experienced dog owners please.

[ramblinrose]

Not really sure what to do about this. If anyone has any advice, I would very much appreciate it.

We live in a terraced house and share the path to the back of the house with our neighbours.
On Friday morning, my DP left for work. As he was walking down the path, our neighbours dog ran up to him and bit him on the back of his thigh. It wasn't a terrible bite,but it broke the skin.

The dog is a Staffie cross (don't know what breed she is crossed with though)

Our neighbours were very upset about this. She has never bitten anyone before, but has been aggressive with men she doesn't know.
They got her from a rescue centre and wonder if her previous owner was cruel to her.

The thing is, we have 3 sons. The youngest is 7. This dog has given us no concern as far as the boys are concerned. The neighbours also have a 10 yr old son.
What I would like to ask any experienced dog owners is whether they think this dog is likely to do this sort of thing again?
Is there a strong possibility it could attack a child?

We haven't reported this and hadn't planned to, but the more I think about this, the more it's bothering me.

thanks,

Sorry to hear this, I hope your husband is ok, did he get the bite treated? Dog bites can easily become infected and he needs to make sure his tetanus is up to date.

Are you on good terms with your neighbours? I do think it's possible that in a similar situation the dog could bite one of your boys and they need to have measures in place to ensure this never happens. The dog may be fine with children but it may not, and in any case your boys are going to grow up and your husband should be able to walk down the path in safety!

Do you think that they will take this matter seriously? If not then I think it would be perfectly reasonable to talk to your local dog warden.

Unfortunately the dog may bite again. In the dog's eyes he may have just been defending his space, but it's still a potentially serious problem.

Why was the dog loose in the common area? What are the neighbours doing about this?

If you think the neighbours will be responsible enough to keep the dog secure at their home and muzzled at all other times in public then you may want to give them a chance. Otherwise I think you need to talk to them about the dog and possibly also involve the dog warden.

Thanks for your reply MothershipG.
He didn't go anywhere to get it treated, but his tetanus is up to date.

We are on good terms with our neighbours. They are mortified that this has happened. Hopefully they will take it seriously. It would be awful if we did nothing and she attacked again.

Booboostoo.

We share the access with our neighbour, but each have our own garden.
Our neighbour was letting the dog onto their garden when my DP was walking down the path. The neighbour thinks she was startled. I think he thought this would reassure us, but having to share access with a dog who attacks when startled is not good.

'Startled' doesn't really excuse it. If the dog had barked, or tried to chase your DP, or even nipped at his trouser legs it would all be easier to forgive. But the dog bit him on the thigh (which suggests more aggression in my opinion than nipping ankles) and broke skin which is also quite significant.

Doesn't sound like a dog being startled to me to be honest, more like a dog defending its territory which could well become more serious.

The neighbour needs to fence their garden so that the dog cannot get into the common path. They also MUST muzzle the dog in public and keep it on a lead. If they are not willing to do both unfortunately you need to talk to the dog warden, maybe he can get them to see sense.

Thanks Boo
Your reply is really informative. If she is defending her territory it is a serious issue due to the shared access.
The more I think about it the more concerned I am.
My DP mentioned a muzzle to them, but they didn't really say much as a reply. Time to mention it again I think.
Enjoy your Sunday.

They need to either fence off their side, or not let the dog out the front unattended. Maybe it was just a one-off but they really shouldn't be taking the risk of it happening again, not fair on you and your family, or on the dog (given the possible consequences).

I also think it would be more than reasonable to report the situation to the dog warden if they don't take precautions to stop it happening again.

This dog is probably not a danger to children in particular, but it's not exactly OK for it to be biting adult men either - your DH should be able to walk down the path without being attacked, as should the postman or any visitors to your house!

Thanks Ephiny

We have decided not to report it, but are keeping a close eye on the situation.
I think if there are any other incidents, the neighbours will do something about it themselves. They were very shook up.

Fair enough - I would only report if they weren't taking it seriously or doing anything about it. Hopefully the incident itself will shock them into being more careful in future!

Surely your neighbours won't let it out off lead again? It seems easy to sort for them?