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?

Ooops apologies for the spelling mistakes. Haven't had my morning yet! my excuse and I'm sticking to it

Why on earth should the woman not be out at 4:45pm?

Whether it's mouthing or biting, if your dog is likely to jump up at random children and make contact with them with their mouth/jaw then it should be on a lead. And you should apologise. Profusely.

I don't know Away. Gobbolino said that the subtext of this thread was that women should stay in at night. I was just pointing out the absurdity of that statement.

No Navy it bit. It just missed because he had his uniform on and two thick coats.

I reported him as the owner was originally nowhere to be seen so couldn't possibly have seen what the dog did. Sog came bounding out of the wood opening and jumped up DS. Wasn't on a lead or anything.

I love dogs and don't report on a whim. But if you're not going to responsible for your dog like this man wasn't. Of course anyone would report it.

I've read this whole thread and thing that shocks me is the blatent racism from the OP. I can't believe you tried to justify it either!

Anyway your dog jumped at someone who was walking along, in the dark, minding her own business. No wonder she reported it, she must have got a bloody fright!
And I say that as someone who owns a Jack Russell so I'm a lover of dogs.

Silly isn't it Gertrude

She said because she was a white, middle aged woman she couldn't be seen as being aggressive.

Oooh er! Where was the OPs racism?

I was trying (badly, obviously) to make the point that I fall into a category that most people would consider to be very unthreatening. I'm not quite sure how you can consider that to be racist unless of course you're looking for an argument.

But, fine, I'm a racist as well as a horrible, stupid owner of an aggressive out of control dog. Would you like to tell me what a shit parent I am too while you're at it? In for a penny, in for a pound after all.

Bit like all those silly German women who wouldn't have been mass sexually assaulted if they'd only had the decency to stay at home. How dare they be out wandering the streets

How on Earth would anyone decide to compare this to a scratch from a startled dog on a lead. What is wrong with people?

It could happen to anyone, you mind your own business, something starlets you, you jump up and hit the person next to you. Should people call you out of control and report you to the police?

Well at least you have now you said you were clumsy about trying to say what you did. But you still can't see how it was racist! I'm not looking for an argument so I'll leave the thread.

Yes Navy people say that by describing herself as blandly inoffensive middle age Boston Terrier owning white woman OP is being racist.

Sorry OP, no offence, but I think that you said?

"It could happen to anyone, you mind your own business, something starlets you, you jump up and hit the person next to you. Should people call you out of control and report you to the police?"

Of course you wouldn't be unreasonable to contact the police if someone thumped you as you were going about you normal business.

I really am hiding this thread now. It's getting more and more surreal.

Oh dear OP, that must have been scary for all involved.

I don't blame the woman for reporting, esp because if a small dog like a Boston terrier manages to break the skin, it must have been quite forceful (I am used to far bigger dogs- doberman or English bull mastiffs- and even when clawed, they've never broken the skin.) So I think it's fair to accept that the woman's experience of your dog is that he was aggressive. She was right in reporting.

OTOH, if he has no history of this kind of thing, it's a very difficult situation for you. I'd keep an eye on it, just in case he's becoming anxious or something.

There is clearly no intend and no harm was done? Really? You would report?

But was the dog aggressive?

Aggression contains intent. The dog didn't set out to maim and kill, it was an accident.

Ffs are you too stupid to realise it is not ok to say "well I'm white middle aged" therefore I'm not seen as aggressive."

Therefore the assumption is that if you are not "white and middle aged" then it's absolutely fine and ok to assume you are aggressive.

Oh yes, using insults always helps to build one's argument. Nicely done, [BoB]

Sorry, BoB.

Someone said she probably thought you were aggressive. I was pointing out that not only was I very polite and apologetic, I fit the stereotype of unaggressive. I also said that I am middle-aged. And dumpy. And speak in an RP accent.

I did not say it was okay to make assumptions about anyone based on what they look like. I don't think it is.

I assume the woman didn't think I was scary and aggressive considering she came to my front door the following morning after the vicious attack.