my dog just bit someone-I'm worried? (homes, upkeep, move)

[SamTheCatRocks]

Well you didn't mention offering to pay the guy's doctor bills or offering to make sure he didn't need a shot. Or even calling his employer bright and early on Monday morning to make sure he was ok.

Sorry - my empathy would be for him, not for you. If your dog bit someone, you've got to be responsible. Simple as that.

[amyla]

Sorry - my empathy would be for him, not for you. If your dog bit someone, you've got to be responsible. Simple as that.[/quote]


I am not asking for your empathy-simply asking what the ramifications might be for myself and our dog.
How I chose to follow up this morning-I took his cell-is not really in question right now.

[cottercutie]

If your dog bit me you could, AT A MINIMUM, expect a visit from animal control. I would expect you to pay for any and all expenses that result from it. You may also see an increase or cancellation of your homeowner's policy if I had to endure stitches or rabies shots (these are quite painful to get I am told) or had any type of scarring or lasting pain that I would be tempted to sue you over. Or maybe I am litigious and feel like suing you for being negligent.

If I were you I would make sure you have your rabies shots up to date and documented for your dog. The only way to test to see if a dog is rabid is to put him down.

And you can't come to a forum and expect that people aren't going to tell you that you should be empathetic to the person your dog bit.

[SamTheCatRocks]

Considering the title of your thread is "my dog bit someone - I'm worried"...it would seem to most people that your "worry" would extend to the person who sustained the bite, not just for yourself.

If you are simply worried about covering yourself, call your lawyer. I'm sure he/ she would provide more insight than a message board. Just saying....

[DeadPool1998]

Originally Posted by amyla

Sorry - my empathy would be for him, not for you. If your dog bit someone, you've got to be responsible. Simple as that.

I am not asking for your empathy-simply asking what the ramifications might be for myself and our dog.
How I chose to follow up this morning-I took his cell-is not really in question right now.[/quote]

This often happens here where you drop in with a casual question and nameless and faceless people get didactic and accuse you of things. They would never talk to your face that way.

Best way to deal with the holes here is to ignore them and reward those who are helpful by responding politely to them.

Don't overblow this. Your own actions could frame this as a major issue for your contractor. It may never have occurred to him/her to ask for anything, to contacting a lawyer and making offers just escalates things. I know if someone offered me money, my first assumption would be that the offer was about a 10th of what they DON'T want to pay.

Just follow up politely and ask if the person is okay. Establish good will.

[DeadPool1998]

Originally Posted by SamTheCatRocks

Considering the title of your thread is "my dog bit someone - I'm worried"...it would seem to most people that your "worry" would extend to the person who sustained the bite, not just for yourself.

If you are simply worried about covering yourself, call your lawyer. I'm sure he/ she would provide more insight than a message board. Just saying....

You are working to bait this person into something that the thread has no relation to. If my dog bit someone, I would want to know about others' experiences with lawyers and doctor bills. That is a legitimate question, and there is no need for said question to be prefaced with expressions of concern and empathy for the victim. I presuppose that she's empathetic.

Your psychoanalytic rhetorical analysis isn't necessary.

[DeadPool1998]

Originally Posted by cottercutie

If your dog bit me you could, AT A MINIMUM, expect a visit from animal control. I would expect you to pay for any and all expenses that result from it. You may also see an increase or cancellation of your homeowner's policy if I had to endure stitches or rabies shots (these are quite painful to get I am told) or had any type of scarring or lasting pain that I would be tempted to sue you over. Or maybe I am litigious and feel like suing you for being negligent.

If I were you I would make sure you have your rabies shots up to date and documented for your dog. The only way to test to see if a dog is rabid is to put him down.

And you can't come to a forum and expect that people aren't going to tell you that you should be empathetic to the person your dog bit.

I don't believe anyone would be this officious over something like this unless they were complete inhuman a-holes. Seriously.

You don't know anything about the nature of this bite, so going on about how under any circumstances you would call animal control is bizarre. You wouldn't do that. You are just looking for a Monday morning fight.

[fatmancomics]

I agree with cotter. I've had near bites at customer's homes AFTER I've asked and then told them to put their dogs away. I always get the typical, "He's harmless" or "he's so little". I even go so far as to explain to them that dogs don't usually react well to the jingling of my toolbelt and they're still stubborn. I go into their yards with the usual, "You're liable if he bites me" and, believe me, I have every intention of calling animal control if the dog does bite. Most of them put the dog away after that last warning. Some I have to tell them that I'm not going into the yard as long as the dog is there and they won't get their services done. Those who insist, I just walk away.
Just because it's your house doesn't mean you have to be neglegent when you have someone over to do a job for you. Be responsible and you won't have to worry about anything happening to you or your dog. Be an idiot and your dog will get destroyed. Your choice.

[cottercutie]

Originally Posted by DeadPool1998

I don't believe anyone would be this officious over something like this unless they were complete inhuman a-holes. Seriously.

You don't know anything about the nature of this bite, so going on about how under any circumstances you would call animal control is bizarre. You wouldn't do that. You are just looking for a Monday morning fight.

Nor do you. And you're way off.

She asked what to expect. That is what you can expect in todays world and what you should be prepared for.

Let's face it, the dog bit someone by all estimations by the OP, unprovoked. The extent of the injury to the HUMAN was not specified.

Can she curtail a lawsuit? Probably if she calls and does a lot of sucking up. But I'd still be calling animal control to report it. Once a biter, always a biter and unless the animal is reported it will never be a "repeat offender".

[SamTheCatRocks]

Originally Posted by fatmancomics

I agree with cotter. I've had near bites at customer's homes AFTER I've asked and then told them to put their dogs away. I always get the typical, "He's harmless" or "he's so little". I even go so far as to explain to them that dogs don't usually react well to the jingling of my toolbelt and they're still stubborn. I go into their yards with the usual, "You're liable if he bites me" and, believe me, I have every intention of calling animal control if the dog does bite. Most of them put the dog away after that last warning. Some I have to tell them that I'm not going into the yard as long as the dog is there and they won't get their services done. Those who insist, I just walk away.
Just because it's your house doesn't mean you have to be neglegent when you have someone over to do a job for you. Be responsible and you won't have to worry about anything happening to you or your dog. Be an idiot and your dog will get destroyed. Your choice.

AMEN! A little common sense goes a long way!