What happens if a dog is reported for biting?

[CobwebQueen]

My son was bitten this morning on the leg at the local park, not badly at all but it did break the skin.
He’s been seen by Minor Injuries, where I was told to report it.
I know the person whose dog it is and for that reason feel reluctant to report.
I was thinking of going to see her to say the dog must be on a lead, pass on info of a good behaviourist and point out the government guidelines about being in control of the dog in public places.

What happens if it is reported though?

I know the person whose dog it is and for that reason feel reluctant to report
So?
It’s bitten your son, of course it needs reporting.

I was thinking of going to see her to say the dog must be on a lead, pass on info of a good behaviourist and point out the government guidelines about being in control of the dog in public places
You are a better person than me.

What happens if it is reported though?
Depends.
As it’s a minor bite and I assume a first time offence probably nothing more than telling her it needs to be muzzled and on a lead.

Report it , this is not your call to make . I really doubt much will happen but it’s only fair on everyone else in your community that this is dealt with in an official manner .

I would report it.

In general, I would report, but I'd also consider the circumstances of the bite, and how responsible (or not) I know the owner to be.

If (say) it happened in the middle of a game of football where the children were involving the dog in the game, and everyone got a bit over-excited or a child tripped over the dog and then got bitten, I'd not report, because I'd feel that I should have been supervising and should have spotted that things were going wrong, or had the potential to.

On the other hand, if my child was minding his own business, and then ran from a dog that came up barking and got chased and bitten, I would report. I'd also report a dog that went for a child who (for example) bumped in error it when it was asleep.

I think giving a name of a behaviourist and what the government guidelines is pretty patronising - any dog owner knows them.
As @GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman says it does depend on the circumstances. A dog only has its bite to defend itself it it felt threatened or got hurt, however accidentally. But if the dog was unprovoked then do report it.

I agree with @GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman

I’ve reported it.

Good on you for reporting it. It could save a child from being bitten again in future

I also agree with @GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman - it's so dependent on the circumstances

If the child walked up to the dog and kicked it, and was bitten as a result, frankly the child deserved to be bitten (and the child should be kept on a lead in future).

If the dog ran up to the child and bit without prior interaction, it is very likely that you're looking at a genuinely dangerous dog.

Then there's all the scenarios inbetween - a child who has been pestering the dog and the dog finally gets fed up. A dog that gets overexcited and mouths a bit too firmly. That sort of thing.

Dog bites can be a relatively nuanced situation.

Ds saw it coming towards him and stood still, he was alone.
I think if he’d been moving it would have been worse - it was an open mouthed bite, not a nip.
I believe it has bitten before.

I have dogs, and thinking about how I would react if one of my dogs bit pushed me to report.
I’m fairly certain my dogs are trained enough, and I’m sensible enough with them, to make sure a bite wouldn’t happen. If somehow it did there would be no opportunity for a second bite - the dog would be muzzled and not off its lead.
I’m angry that this happened, but relieved that ds is ok. He came home and had lots of cuddles with our dogs!

I've been bitten. Basically the police will take a report and then go and talk to the owner and possibly any witnesses. I'm in Scotland so I don't know if it's the same but in my case it gets reported to the procurator fiscal and they decide if anything happens basically.

What did your friend say about the bite? Was she horrified too?

Meant to say in my case nothing happened but owner got a telling off. I've heard of the dog going for 2 other people since then but both have avoided being bitten.

She’s not my friend. I see her around the village rather than actually knowing her well.
She brought ds home, was apologetic, I was quite abrupt and dealt with ds rather than stand and chat.

Personally I would report the dog. What if it bit another child. The owner should have that dog muzzled in public.