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The doghouse

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Original poster

So mortified...my dog nipped someone :(

68 replies

ohbigdaddio · 14/06/2019 06:02

Last night I was in the pub with my dog and he was lying on the floor, chilling out while I chatted to my friend.

The next thing l know there is a commotion - a woman shrieks, my dog yelps and she shouts "he bit me!" She rolls up her jeans and there's a little wound where one of his teeth caught her, but no massive bite mark, though he did draw blood. My dog was laid out on the floor and she must have not seen him and either stood on him full force or tripped over him. My dog wasn't snarling or growling, in fact he just went back to lying down.

l was so apologetic and the woman was furious and told me to get out of the pub. l felt truly awful and sick and left in tears saying I was so, so sorry.

My dog is a small/medium rescue with a lovely nature, very calm, placid and even a bit timid. It's ironic as l was planning to write a post about how amazing he is as I really feel he has saved me!

OP posts:
ThroughThickAndThin01 · 14/06/2019 06:08

Aw that’s a shame. Personally, I’m not sure that inside pubs is a great place for dogs. They get tripped over, petted by strangers, all those tempting smells of food they can’t eat. Maybe he was a bit stressed but not showing he was. If she kicked his head whilst he was snoozing, maybe he had an instant reaction? I’d avoid it for a while.

soberken · 14/06/2019 06:11

I'm sorry but it's just not acceptable for a dog to bite someone, blood or not.

I got bitten by a "normally placid, loving and kind dog" the 15 year scar I have on my leg will be there forever and I am still scared of dogs to this day.

I'm not having a moan at you directly OP but when I dog does this once, it will do it again and maybe not just a "nik" on an adult. Think carefully.

Scrumptiousbears · 14/06/2019 06:14

I think playing it down by calling it a nip is being unreasonable. She had a puncture wound.

Sorry OP. I also agree a pub is no place for a dog. You may love your dog. No on else has to.

RippleEffects · 14/06/2019 06:20

That sounds like a bite - wound that drew blood, not a nip.

She may have stood on him or kicked him but he bit her. I think it's important not to minimise that. It is considered an offense and a dog is considered dangerously out of control if it injures someone.

As a precaution I think you need to muzzle for the foreseable future in public - she could pursue this and ask for him to be put down. Also consider a trip to the vet to check there are no medical issues going on.

Figure8 · 14/06/2019 06:25

Were you not right beside your dog? How did you you not know what was happening?

If a dog gets stepped on, they may indeed bite, and I truly don't believe they will carry on doing it. They certainly shouldn't be out down.

Maybe treat it as a lesson learned, and don't take her to the pub again.

Figure8 · 14/06/2019 06:25

*put

Kittykat93 · 14/06/2019 06:30

If the woman stood on your dog then I can understand it being frightened/in pain and biting.

Obviously it was a horrible experience but if this was completely out of character I'd put it down to the dog just having a jerk reaction.

I do agree though that pubs especially if busy probably not the best place for a dog. Mine would much prefer to stay at home on the sofa.

Witchonastick · 14/06/2019 06:47

It’s perfectly ok for a dog to be in a pub! He was probably fast asleep and she trod on him so should have looked what she was doing.

I doubt it was a puncture wound 🙄 that would have been obvious.
A nip isn’t the same as a bite at all.

RippleEffects · 14/06/2019 06:53

@witchonastick op said the women rolled up her jeans and the dog had drawn blood - through jeans.

Sux2buthen · 14/06/2019 06:57

I disagree that it's ok for it to be there and she should've looked what she was doing. I fully expect to be able to walk in an indoor space without having to anticipate an animal, clearly laying in the wrong place and then getting injured by it biting me.
Pubs are primary for people.

Hwory · 14/06/2019 06:57

You can’t just have your dog laid out where people walk in the pub and not foresee this happening. People trip over stuff all the time no looking, staff with trays, kids running around or people with reduced vision.

Your animal was out of control and attacked someone in public. No matter the reason he could be put down if the woman decides to make a complaint. I would suggest not bringing the dogs to places like that anymore.

justilou1 · 14/06/2019 06:58

Dogs are not handbags. They should be left at home. I say this as a dog lover and owner. By dragging your dog with you everywhere you go, you are not teaching it how to be alone. You are reinforcing neuroses about it. Crowds are not suitable for dogs. Not all dogs are dog people. Not all dogs are people people. Not all people are dog people. You can’t predict what can happen in any group setting like this.

Randomnumbers7483 · 14/06/2019 07:08

A dog biting on being stood on, is totally different to a dog biting after not being stood on. It means you can absolutely NOT take him to places like pubs etc unless you can get him totally under your legs or your table so he is completely out of anyone’s way and even then I would watch him like a hawk and probably not go unless I could sit in the garden with a decent space around me and be sure no-one will be accidentally falling over him.

However, he isn’t a dangerous dog as such, I wouldn’t start panicking about re-homing or anything like that. I would just be very annoyed with myself for allowing the situation to have occurred in the first place.

A lot of dogs would do a reactive snap in this situation - you are at fault here rather than him, you shouldn’t have put him in the situation where he could have got stood on.
Don’t blame the dog for something that was really your bad judgement.

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 14/06/2019 07:11

If your dog was trodden on or kicked, it's not exactly an unprovoked matter. If you were fast asleep and someone thumped you, you'd probably lash out in the "argh, wtf" moment of confusion and might even hit them before you realised what you'd done. The fact that your dog lay back down again immediately indicates to me that this is what happened here - he didn't keep biting.

Next time, make sure your dog is fully tucked under the table in the pub so that no one can trip over him, choosing a table in a quieter area where possible. I'd not be muzzling him, and I really can't see this becoming a court matter (in the unlikely event it did, Trevor Cooper at Dog Law is the expert to speak to). Chalk it up to experience and ensure your dog isn't left somewhere he's likely to be tripped over in future.

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 14/06/2019 07:19

the women rolled up her jeans and the dog had drawn blood - through jeans.

It doesn't take a great deal of pressure to do it tbh. I once broke up a scrap between two dogs, got a single but fairly deep puncture wound (one canine tooth caught me I think) through the black jeans I was wearing and didn't realise until I came to take my jeans off that night and realised that the blood was sticking the jeans to my leg. I honestly hadn't even realised I had been bitten.

NeatFreakMama · 14/06/2019 07:22

Horrible lady, sounds like she stood on him and he had an obvious reaction to that. If he went straight back to sleeping then it's not really aggression probably so much as a reaction to being stepped on. I disagree dogs shouldn't be in pubs, I'm imagining a country pub rather than centre of town?

thepartysover · 14/06/2019 07:23

Regardless of the severity of the incident, I think it's really important to recognise it for what it is, as PPs have said. Using language like "nip" and "caught" implies an accident but there was nothing accidental in this situation. Be responsible and react appropriately (again - agree muzzle in public). Minimising this will only come in at your cost.

missmouse101 · 14/06/2019 07:31

Your poor dog. It sounds like an absolutely involuntary, instinctive action to pain and a sudden shock whilst sleeping. Nothing to do with aggression. But, I would only have a dog in a quiet corner, if at all. This sort of thing can so easily happen. Hope there are no repercussions OP and that the woman has a bit of awareness of where she is walking next time.

Original poster
ohbigdaddio · 14/06/2019 07:52

figure8 My dog was attached to my chair by his lead and was by the side of me. I had turned away for a couple of minutes, chatting to my friend. l don't know how it all happened - the pub was very quiet, hardly anyone in there, there was space around my dog for people to walk past...It seems it was a horrible, freak accident and l am certainly going to be more vigilant when out with my dog.

OP posts:
Original poster
ohbigdaddio · 14/06/2019 07:57

justilou1 This was a very quiet, dog friendly pub with hardly anyone in it. l do realise it is my fault.

OP posts:
BrokenWing · 14/06/2019 07:58

I don't blame the women for being furious, your dog bit her hard enough to draw blood through denim.

Now you know he is capable of lashing out its up to you to make sure you never put him in that position again. The could mean you don't take him places where he might be bumped/stood on, or you train him to sit tucked away between your feet so he is protected.

Is the woman likely to take it further?

PreseaCombatir · 14/06/2019 08:03

Horrible lady, sounds like she stood on him and he had an obvious reaction to that
Yeah, she had the jump because a dog but her. What a nasty bitch 🤦‍♀️

Kelsoooo · 14/06/2019 08:05

People appear to think jeans are some kind of Kevlar.

Note, they're not.

Most modern jeans are flimsy and shit. Unless she was wearing incredibly thick denim jeans, which I doubt because how bloody hard they are to get....it's easy to draw blood through them.

Only yesterday my boss was telling me about she split hers by crouching down.....

That being said, get your dog's to the vet for a check over. Make sure the woman is ok. And consider a muzzle , to protect him.

RRJR · 14/06/2019 08:09

Well if she stood on your dog and caught him then I’m not surprised he reacted like that

I’m not saying she deserved it, but I wouldn’t blame the dog either.

Grumpymug · 14/06/2019 08:14

I tripped over a dog while working in a dog friendly pub, though he didn't bite me. I was trying to clear tables and the dog wandered up behind me, only a couple of steps, but as I stepped back away from the table there was a scramble and me and the plates ended up on the floor eye to eye with a surprised but delighted (food from plates now on floor!) Labrador! Owner couldn't have cared less. People do expect staff and customers alike to step round and over their dogs and it's not on really, I can't blame your dog if he was stood on and reacted but he shouldn't have been somewhere that this could be a risk in a pub - for the dogs sake as much as anyone else. I think the woman's reaction was possibly a bit over the top, but she's been bitten by a dog and that's not a pleasant experience so I can understand, even if I wouldn't have reacted the same way.
I do think YABU - You need to be more aware of where your dog is in relation to walkways, other tables and other people and move him if there's the slightest chance he's in the way.