My dog bit an old lady.

[Milliemoons]

And I feel so awful about it. He’s a chihuahua, he’s tiny but he still drew blood. He’s never done it before. It was super windy, I had my newborn in a pram and my three year old who was running off and I took my eye off him for one second and he just launched himself at this poor lady.

He was off lead but he usually is and I’ve never had a problem (he’s 7). We were in a public park where dogs are permitted off lead. Needless to say I won’t be risking that again.

She was really worried about needing to go to the doctor to be vaccinated (I assured her he was fully vaccinated and healthy). I apologised over and over but the poor woman was shaken up.

I just keep thinking about it. DH says not to worry, I apologised and I reassured her I would not be allowing him off lead again.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Tetanus is a soil borne infection, not in dogs mouths.

She could be at risk of infection but it's very unlikely. If it were a cat bite, the risk of infection is very high.

Dog owner here for 15 years, and a mother for 10. Your dog is a serious danger to your children and everyone else they encounter. Rehoming will just pass the problem on - do the right thing and have it out to sleep. I wish the woman had taken your details and called the police at the time.

Eh?

My aunt was bitten on the ankle by a small dog 8 years ago, and the wound developed into an ulcer and has never healed. It has been very debilitating for her.

If my dog bit someone, I would have the dog put to sleep. It would break my heart, but that’s what I’d do.

Unfortunately, most dog owners don't think their dog would bite anyone. Unfortunately, some dogs do. All dogs should be on a lead in public places.

The last thing this woman needed was to be trapped in a car with the dog that had just bitten her.. Nevermind the difficulty for OP of having a three year old, newborn and dog to take care of.

That might be OK for now but when dc1 is 4yo they will be too old for a buggy (arguably at 3yo already borderline too old), but may still need hand holding.

Besides it isn't literally just walking with all 3... that's just how this accident happened.

As I say, it sounds impossibly difficult to do anything in the kitchen, or go to the toilet, etc, because the dog can't be trusted and neither can the 3yo, and in under a year the newborn will start to crawl.

I also had a 3yo and a newborn at once, and I remember that not being easy to juggle, but my 3yo was luckily a very compliant non-bolter and I didn't choose to have a volatile dog as well (or any pet).

I know some families with dogs that make it work because either their dog is a very docile type or their kids have a bigger age gap (or just one) etc.

Op has taken too much on.

Winner of the most stupid comment on Mumsnet today 🤦‍♀️🙄

A close family member had an also small breed dog and she always seemed OK. She nipped someone randomly in a shop and because it was so out of character, excuses were made. Not too long afterwards, she bit family member's baby in the face, totally unprovoked. The child has a scar forever now. Would have been much worse had Dad not been in the room at the time. The dog was put to sleep

Your dog needs to be put down. Totally unacceptable and your DH saying you shouldn’t worry is part of the problem.

The last thing this woman needed was to be trapped in a car with the dog that had just bitten her.. Nevermind the difficulty for OP of having a three year old, newborn and dog to take care of

Ffs. Obviously she would need to pass her caring responsibilities onto someone else and then take the woman. If the woman was elderly the chances are that she does not drive and may not be able to get herself to hospital.

I feel for both of you but honestly you weren’t in control. When my kids were little my dog was always walked on lead unless there was another adult there too. I don’t think you need to muzzle, but you do need to keep him on a short static leash unless two adults there, and save off-leash for dog parks etc.

Its a tiny breed of dog not a lion. You should keep him on a lead when in public. A dog protecting his pack is not instantly a danger to his family.

While this is a very unfortunate incident, thank you OP for not trying to make excuses and for taking responsibility.

So many dog owners are arrogant and entitled and when off-the-lead dogs have attacked me (once drawing blood and snarling, several times jumping, messing up clothes and once knocking me down) I’ve either had them blame me or make light of it.

You sound like a thoughtful person who has clearly learned from this upsetting incident.

Unprovoked attack, sorry @Milliemoons but I would be having the dog pts.

What if next time it is your children... chihuahua or not it could kill a baby if it bitnon the right place.

I appreciate there was nonintent or previous history. But you should never trust it again, anywhere or with anyone.

I was bitten while jogging. Was a border collie and the owner said I scared her dog ! needed a tetanus jab and was due on holiday the next day. The jab made my arm hurt so much it put a dampener on our break. I’m glad you apologised profusely. You really should have helped her home and checked on her. I understand you had your hands full and panicked. Your dog needs to be on a lead.

You need to report it to the police yourself on the non emergency number and I would definitely try and track the lady down.
An older person’s skin is very fragile and if the wound is not looked after properly it can become a real mess, my grandmother bumped her skin and broke the skin and it took an awfully long time to heal, antibiotics and almost leg ulcers so your dog despite being tiny could actually cause this lady a lot of problems and distress.
I have dogs myself, and used to work in the animal care industry for a number of years and usually small dogs were the ones that would bite if they were spooked etc I would definitely book a vet’s appointment to get him checked over and and be totally honest about the circumstances. if you have pet insurance you will be covered third liability although now he has bitten your policy won’t be renewed by the company next year.
Personally and I know people would disagree but I would never let that dog anywhere near the children again, they should be separated at all times when the dog is not under your direct control.
In the 8 years I worked at a veterinary practice we put down 3 dogs for similar incidents. They were traumatic so I remember them clearly despite the passage of time. The three dogs were much loved family pets, each had bitten in an unprovoked attack and the trust had been broken. Would the dogs have bitten again, perhaps not, but their owners just wouldn’t take the risk and the vet agreed it was kinder to put them down surrounded by their families then getting into further trouble and being seized etc
You are now on notice that your dog is unpredictable, size is irrelevant and I personally would not being taking it out in public without it being muzzled and at home it would not be around the children. If your circumstances don’t allow this then I would look to rehome through a reputable rescue although with a bite history not many will take them and if this is the case I would PTS.

This ⬆️. Owners never think it will happen, until it happens.

It’s not really clear from your post why he bit her. Did he literally just run towards her and bite her with zero interaction?? Or was she bent down over him and he was afraid. Or was he caught up under the pushchair or.. I’ve literally never ever ever seen a dog bite with no other surrounding ‘stressors’ and I’ve never seen a dog go straight to bite. There will have been a reason; and then your dog would have given some signs he was afraid and these weren’t seen. You need to know what it was that frightened him and then never let that happen again- eg hands in face, someone approaching too quickly, someone approaching you or your child, him afraid of something in particular. If he isn’t aggressive or has any other issues I wouldn’t worry about it but I wouldn’t let him off the lead and I wouldn’t let anyone approach him that he didn’t know. So many people ignore the signs that a dog or their own dog is afraid.

Your irresponsibility is astounding, you have your dog off a lead with a toddler and a baby in a pram! Fully vaccinated and healthy, doesn’t stop the other woman getting an infection from your dog’s bite! Dogs mouths are full of germs, I’ve treated some awful wound infections from dog bites, regardless of how small, so she was right to be worried! You may find she decides to report it as although in an area where dogs can be off leads your dog clearly was out of control!

The stressors could simply have been the weather! However, why on earth did she have her dog off its lead when she had a toddler running around and a baby in a pram! This was never going to end well on a windy day! However small her dog was out of control and chihuahua’s can be vicious little dogs!

He is aggressive though, he has ran up and bitten a lady who was walking along minding her own business.
The owner should be worried, her dog was off lead and out of control in a public place and under the dangerous dogs act a dog doesn’t even actually have to bite for this to be evoked.
There could be any reason the dog launched itself (OPS words) she could have been using a walking stick, her coat could could have been flapping in the breeze. The reason is totally irrelevant, the dog was off lead and not under control. Telling someone not to worry about it and there would have been a reason in the worst advise possible.
Yes there will have been a reason unless the dog had a brain tumour which could be diagnosed by an mri but the reason doesn’t matter….that attitude is why responsible dog owners struggle in places, let alone irresponsible ones.

I couldn’t have put it better myself! A small bite from a dog can lead can lead to a nasty infection! I can’t understand why walking with a baby and a toddler her dog was even off it’s lead!

I have been bitten twice, once simply walking past a dog in a pub, and secondly queueing up to pay in a cafe.
The first one was a huge gash on my calf (was wearing shorts, and profuse bleeding. I was in shock and the dog owner was defensive )’ you must have startled him’
Because I was there with s group of friends on boats so didn’t want to make fuss and spoil the day, do just mopped up the blood up the blood. Should have got the pub to call the police /absolutely would of of happened again -could have seriously maimed a toddler.
As it , as in cases above, the next day the leg swelled and I went to hospital for a tetanus and huge injection of antibiotics. I generally recover quickly from injuries, but the years later I still have a scar.
The second time the owner said the dog must have smelt food on my hand (which was by my side) / ridiculous ‘excuse’ (like blaming the wind! That’s inventive!
Dogs should definitely be muzzled in cafes/pubs.
The OP and her DH are clearly downplaying this awful incident.

When I read these stories my heart just breaks for the vulnerable infants whose parents won’t keep them safe in their own homes. I very much hope that as and when this incident (or the inevitable next one ☹️) makes it to the police, social services are automatically informed so that someone can ensure those children are safe in their own homes.

For those saying the dog just needs to be on a lead, how does that protect the newborn baby and toddler whose parents are making them share their home with a dog that is now known to bite entirely unprovoked and so quickly the adults can’t stop it? That dog would never have crossed the threshold back into the house my children live in.