So mortified...my dog nipped someone :(

[ohbigdaddio]

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!

[RippleEffects]

I don't think jeans are Kevlar but I think when the bite has drawn blood through fabric it's not a slight tooth scratch it's a bite.

I love dogs, have a soppy one lying on the sofa next to me as I type.

But, the revisions to the law for the dangerous dogs act state 'your dog is considered dangerously out to control if it injuries someone.'

If my dog bit someone, and I genuinely thought it was a one off, I'd do what ever I practically could to save her. Hopefully this women won't press any charges. But say your back in the pub tonight, with dog in same set up and she's there - if I were her I'd consider that antagonistic and a sign you were minimising what had happened and consider pursuing issues. If your walking your dog off lead and she walks past, she could feel you're minimising what's just happened.

This is why up thread I suggest a muzzle until you've determined that your dog is in good health, a vet check? and this was truely a freak occurance and not a sign of an underlying condition.

[ADropofReality]

Why are people saying "Well she stood on the dog, it was bound to react". The OP has not said she stood on the dog, the OP has just guessed that was the case.

[KnittingForMittens]

Better hope she doesn't report it to RSPCA.

[missbattenburg]

OP, you have a few odd responses on here, presumably from people with little understanding/knowledge of dog behaviour, the law etc.

You're probably better off getting advice from a professional who understands the various bite scales and can help determine the safety of the dog.

One that can observe it in public and (perhaps) pick up on very subtle signs that he is more stressed than you are realising?

Regardless, you do now know that the dog gives little/no warning signs when upset and should be extra cautious on that basis.

p.s. this: even a bit timid is a warning sign, not a safety marker. Timid dogs scare easily. Scared dogs do extreme things, sometimes.

[Fucksandflowers]

My dog can be a bit of a bastard with other dogs and has nipped a few times.
Note that she has never drawn blood. Ever.
A nip is a rapid, inhibited bite that does not puncture skin.

Your dog did not nip.
It bit hard enough to puncture the skin.

Two totally different things.

To be honest, I’d be a bit disturbed and worried that there was no warning and he went straight to biting hard enough to cause injury.

I wouldn’t take him out to a public place again without a muzzle.

And I agree with a pp that your dog was most likely extremely stressed and agitated in there but you didn’t recognise the signs.

[Nesssie]

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. what an overreaction

@AvocadosBeforeMortgages post at 07.11 sums it up perfectly.

[ginghamstarfish]

That was not a nip, it was a bite if it drew blood. I would be furious if I were that woman. People in pubs or anywhere else intended for humans should not have to be tiptoeing around obstacles on the floor, nor should waiters be tripping over dogs. So if that had been a toddler, and bitten on the face? Keep dogs away from places like that (and it's disgusting to have them in places where food is being served).

[Nesssie]

and it's disgusting to have them in places where food is being served Oh do fuck off. Also, don't ever visit Cornwall or the lake district - you would be horrified.

[Fucksandflowers]

I think gingham maybe has a point about the food.

I’m a dog lover and I’ve been abroad where dogs are allowed everywhere, restaurants included and it’s lovely.

It works because the dogs are impeccably behaved and under full control.

But I don’t think it really works in the UK because in the UK dogs are often pretty poorly behaved and there is a real entitled attitude of my fur baby can do no wrong amongst many owners.

[Fucksandflowers]

Posted too soon..

I can quite imagine dogs in the uk jumping up at tables/waiters thus getting hair everywhere and drooling and barking everywhere which i wouldn’t like around food.

[GeraldineFangedVagine]

If a dog bit me in a pub, I wouldn’t be furious but I would want the owner to assure me that they would prevent the dog biting someone else, like muzzling or taking him to the vet to have him checked. An apology goes a long way. I wouldn’t blame the dog I’d blame the owner for the dog being in a situation where it had bitten someone.

[Bookworm4]

Some completely ridiculous responses here, OP a nip can draw blood, I’ve worked with dogs for years and there’s a huge difference between a nip out of fright and an aggressive bite. I would suggest no more pub visits but muzzling him in public is excessive, if he’s quite timid the pub might be overload for him. I’d work on his confidence and not put him under pressure in busy places.

[Celebelly]

I wouldn't panic about it. As others have said, a dog nipping after being apparently trodden on and probably frightened/hurt is worlds away from unprovoked biting or an aggressive dog. Now you know you just need to be more vigilant and ensure he's kept a safe distance away so he isn't tripped over or otherwise frightened. It wasn't ideal but no one was badly hurt and it was a learning experience for you.

I don't take my dog to pubs as she's too nosey and would want to say hello to everyone, but I love seeing other dogs in pubs

[Jaxhog]

It was a bite, not a nip!! No-one should have to put up with this.

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

I'm even seeing dogs in cafes now. The other week, I had just ordered lunch when a bunch of people with 3 dogs sat at the table next to me. I moved. Next time, I might move cafes too. I did notice several people leave rather than sit at a nearby table.

Keep your dogs at home please.

[OhJustElfOff]

I fell on my family dog as a child when he was asleep, as he turned his tooth caught my eyebrow, split the skin and gave me a black eye. In the 15 years we had him he never showed a single sign of being aggressive, but any animal, humans included, is going to react when they perceive danger such as suddenly being kicked/stood on when asleep, the fact this dog was immediately calm afterwards shows that it was not actually being aggressive

[Fucksandflowers]

the fact this dog was immediately calm afterwards shows that it was not actually being aggressive

What the OP actually said was that It laid back down after biting.
That is not necessarily calmness.
It could be shut down and stressed.
I know the last time I took my dog to a dog friendly cafe (and haven’t since) she also laid down after growling at a nearby dog.
That absolutely 100% was not calmness.
She was deeply deeply anxious and agitated and later peed herself (still lying down) when another dog tried to sniff her under the bench where she was laying.

[lioness87]

I know how you feel OP. One of my dogs bit a stranger in a busy street out of nowhere. Luckily the girl wasn't hurt and was surprisingly fine about it, but I've never taken my dog to a public place in the 2 years since- I was so so upset that she had done it and it could have been so much worse.
I'd avoid taking her to public places going forward personally, it's not worth the risk of hurting someone/ losing your dog.

[Disfordarkchocolate]

I can understand why you are upset but your dog should not have been in a place where it could be stood on (for example), it's not fair on your dog or the other customers. You need to sit where traffic is limited and keep an eye on the dog all the time to see if they are getting stressed.

[PeoniesarePink]

Firstly, I'd take your dog to the vet to rule out anything that could be causing them pain if this isn't a normal reaction. If they are losing their sight or hearing, a sudden movement can really startle them.

Secondly, you don't actually know what happened. She could have startled or kicked your dog, and it reacted in shock. We used to have an old rescue who bit DDs ankle once when she kicked him by mistake.

Thirdly, if you are taking your dog out with you, you need to be a lot more vigilant than you were. We take ours everywhere we can with us, because they genuinely love being out and as long as they are with us, they are happy. But I don't take my eyes off them for a second.

[DinosaursWouldEatYou]

Is your dog ok? The woman isn't planning on reporting her to rspca or any kind of animal control? Did she ask for your details? I really hope that dog doesn't get put down!

People saying dogs shouldn't bite or react even if they've been stepped/kicked on need to grow up. Are you saying if you were injured or punched in the face you would just roll over and accept it? No of course not!

I don't agree with dogs in pubs but then again if it is a dog friendly public place (which I'm sure they put up notifocations about?) strangers should be aware of dogs/animals lurking.

Don't muzzle the poor dog but perhaps keep her at home and pay more attention to what mood she's in when out and about.

[ChesterDrawsDoesntExist]

I personally don't think a dog should be in a busy pub on the floor where it could potentially be stood on - which of course warrants the bite of self defence. It is a perfectly understandable reaction by the dog! But yeah, perhaps dog shouldn't have been put in that position. The woman should have looked where she was walking. It could easily have been someone's foot etc. Remember, pubs are where alcohol is served. Alcohol makes people tipsy and drunk. Tipsy or drunk people are clumsy and that increases your dog's chance of getting hurt.

[adaline]

OP - you say your dog is timid - that can often lead to fearful behaviour.

Most (not all) aggression happens through fear - dogs are scared and lash out. They growl and bark and hey presto - the person or other dog backs off. So in their head the behaviour is reinforced - they think "someone I don't like is approaching me - last time that happened, I growled and they left me alone so I'll do it again."

I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a dog out to the pub but you need to be watching them at all times - get her to sit right by your feet under the table next time, on a short lead so she can't wander when you're distracted. Or, get a corner table so she has her own space away from passers by.

Unfortunately dog bites are taken seriously and you need to think about managing the situation in the future. Most dog bites occur through human error - owners don't read the warning signs from their dog, or they're simply not paying enough attention and allow the dog to be put in stressful situations.

I hope you and your dog are okay

[adaline]

the fact this dog was immediately calm afterwards shows that it was not actually being aggressive

It means nothing of the sort. If a dog is fearful it can "shut down" due to the high levels of stress it's enduring.

Lots of fearful dogs are aggressive because they learn that growling/snapping/biting keeps people away from them - which is their end goal because they're scared.

[Fucksandflowers]

People saying dogs shouldn't bite or react even if they've been stepped/kicked on need to grow up.Are you saying if you were injured or punched in the face you would just roll over and accept it?No of course not!

Thing is though, low to non existent defence drive and high submissiveness is repeatedly deliberately selected for when breeding family pets because people want biddable, wager to please tolerant pets that will accept a certain degree of manhandling so I don’t think it is too surprising that a lot of people actually would expect them to react non aggressively.

[poopypants]

Hwory Your animal was out of control and attacked someone in public.

Er no, no one or thing was out of control. If you kick a calm dog in the head it might nip you to warn you off. As the dog didn't lock on, snarl, growl or even move much, this was the least 'out of control' imaginable. I doubt many dogs would just lie there being kicked in the head or stood upon without reacting at all. That's not normal behaviour for any mammal. Including humans. A dog who is under attack will react. Even a good dog. It's basic animal nature.