Am I meant to report this dog?

[Hellenabe]

We recently went to visit someone who has a dog. The dog seemed fine then lunged at my child and bit them. I was watching and it just turned on them for no reason. We went to the hospital to get the wound sorted and they said someone would be in touch. No one has been.

Am I meant to report it? Child is OK apart from wound, owner is a decent person. I don't want the dog put down but at the same time, I believe it shouldn't be around children.

How recent? Middle DD was bitten by a strange dog on a walk several years ago and we reported to police. They were very good but still took a couple of days to get in touch.

If it's within a few days then it may just be in the system otherwise google your local police and check if you can report it online. They won't do anything drastic like apply to have the dog put down if this is a first incident but will probably advise the owner on steps you suggest like not being around children. Lots of forces ask people to sign voluntary agreements with the risk they can apply for a control order if they don't agree.

Did the owner realise the wounds inflicted? Did they apologise and have they been in touch since to say anything?

@custardbear yes they were panicking and very sorry. This might be outing but these are dogs brought from abroad/strays etc

@OllytheCollie is it police matter or council matter?

As you say that the dog's owner is a decent person, I would talk to them first, and explain that the hospital said they would report the incident, as that is their procedure when they treat dog bites. Then depending on various things, like the dog's breed, it's size, it's age, whether it has ever done anything like this before etc, you can judge by the owner's reply whether you think it is something you should report to the police, and whether if the police do talk to you, you think you should down play it down at all. Good luck in making the right decision in this particular instance OP. 💐💐

@TheLadyofShalott1 hi, I did tell them and they were panicking and asking what questions I was asked. The hospital have said I'll get a call but I never did. So I guess I'm wondering whether to follow up.

How long ago did this happen?

The police should follow up dog bites but depending on the man power they have, it could take a while.

If you want to follow it up yourself then there's no harm in calling the non-emergency number or reporting online.

Does the owner have children?

If not, I would just take sensible precautions to keep my children away from the dog.

I would report any dog that bit my child (unless my child had been hurting it or something that caused the reaction. Which I wouldn't allow them to do anyway).

The dog could bite another child. At the very least it should be muzzled on walks and separated from any children entering the home. OP, I’d give it a couple of days and chase it up.

Police. Dog bites in the home are still a police matter.

I appreciate this may be a first bite and the owner may well take sensible precautions from here. There is nothing wrong with letting the police have that conversation with them. I say that as a dog owner and parent. I would expect to talk to police if my own dog bit. Police officers who handle these cases see loads of them so are better placed than us to assess the risks and advise on how to reduce them in future.

Tbh the fact they are rescues from abroad would increase my concern personally. They may be assessed by behaviourists but inevitably they will know less about the dogs early life and what might cause it anxiety.

It doesn't need to cause friction, dog bites are usually automatically reported by the hospital so if the police attend you just say they did that.

You don't want it on your conscience if this dog hurts another child.