My dog jumped up at a woman yesterday and scratched her and she's reported him :(

[Geretrude]

I have an 18 month old Boston terrier. He is very loving and sweet natured normally - no aggression at all. Yesterday when we got home in the dark, we got out of the car and my DS was holding his lead and a woman was walking past the end of the drive as DS came out with the dog. For some reason, he growled at the woman and jumped up at her. I grabbed his lead, pulled him away and apologised profusely.

She's just come round and shown me a scratch on her hand which she said is a bite (it isn't - it's his claw), she's had to have a tetanus shot and that she has reported him.

I've spoken to a friend who is a dog trainer and asked her to recommend a local behaviouralist because obviously this is awful and I need to stop him doing it. I think he was frightened of her but that doesn't make it okay.

But fucking hell :( What's going to happen now?

Why is that funny?

Is it possible to ever say 'I was uncomfortable about that dogs behaviour ' without being labelled a dog hater? Or to ever suggest that maybe it wasn't a 50:50 problem?

Frankly, I view the term dog hater in much the same way as fur baby. It's quite offensive. They are both the extreme and are used to shut down the argument you don't agree with.

I was standing waiting for my dd, minding my own business, when my phone rang in my pocket. I have the crickets ringtone for my dd. A bulldog was walking past as it rang and it jumped up and bashed me with its head. Apparently it thought I had a bird in my pocket.

Oh how we laughed.

I agree it can't have been pleasant, Exit but surely it was an accident. Was the bulldog on a lead?

my dh was bitten by a dog, had to go to hospital, nobody suggested the police, it was his fault, he put his finger at the dog who was at the fence of his house. the owners did apologise but it was dh's fault.

The owners of the dogs who have bitten my son would never accept that it happened either. I am not a liar though.

Yes it was on a lead, and we all laughed.

Didn't bother me in the slightest.

Sorry, I misread your post.

There was a scratch. I pulled him away. But the dogs mouth made contact with his skin

Second time there was a bite, yes, but we didn't see until we got home as it was on his arse. The woman told me at length how she would happily leave the dog with her toddler grandchildren.......

Sorry, forgot to say he was wearing gloves on first occasion

Misson I agree with you but there are a couple of posters on this thread who have invented wild scenarios which have nothing to do with what happened other than a dog and a person being involved. I think we can put them in the dog hating category.

When you say either are you referring to me nishky?
My dog didn't bite the woman. She didn't tell the police he bit her either.

The second one no, because we didn't realise he had been caught. The first was an organisation that welcomed children so I reported it to the equivalent of Ofsted

Not aimed at you op but a general comment- the scratch on his hand did not look like a bite. But it was

Goodness if it had been a child it could have been a far worse injury.
Aggressive dogs are a bloody nightmare and yes a dog that jumps up and scratches someone is aggressive.
Not surprised she reported it. If you can't control your dog, don't have a dog.

Nishky - there is no way it was a bite. The woman said it was not a bite. She told the police it was a scratch.

I'm just going to keep repeating this until it sinks in.

• • • so if people believes that owners should be able to control their aggressive pets as a public safety concern then it makes them dog haters?

Well yes it you have a dog that scratches people , people will hate your dog! You got that right! 😂

He has done it once. In the dark, in circumstances he has never been in before because he was startled. That doesn't make him aggressive.

Of course, as I have said repeatedly, he shouldn't have jumped up. But he is an animal.

I won't ever ever let him out of the car again without checking there are no pedestrians in the vicinity.

I will talk to his dog trainer and work on preventing him reacting like this again

But he is not aggressive. He did not attack the woman. And the police have said that, having spoken to both me and the woman.

Like I said, happy to PM anyone with the number of my local nick if you feel an injustice has been done.

I'm afraid the growling would be read as aggressive even if it was a fear response. I'm being a bit dense here! If the dog was on your drive then how did it jump up at the woman?
You sound like you are taking every possible step to prevent this happening. It is bloody scary though if you aren't used to dogs. Walking DS to school. 6 years old. GSD jumped up and grabbed his arm. No marks. Not a bite as such. Playful? But it scared the shit out of him. He was startled and extremely wary of dogs for a long time. Took a lot of work for him to get past that. Stupid bloody owner!

OP, I'd step away from this thread if I were you. The RL matter is sorted. You know your dog isn't aggressive and you are taking all the right steps.

Enjoy your Boston - they're fab little dogs

No need to be rude op. Nothing needs to sink in with me. I have already told you it wasn't aimed at you. Shall I repeat that until it sinks in

You're right Yvaine. I will

These threads always go go a bit weird