My dog "allegedly" bit my neighbors child (cul-de-sac, house)

[funeral979]

Yesterday evening my son and the neighbors little boy (he is 6 I think) were playing in front of our home and also in our garage. At one point my son went inside to grab something. The neighbors son tried to open the door and come in the house, but my mom who is staying with us right now was at the door and told him he could not come inside and my son would be out in a minute. The boy tried to push his way inside, at which point our dog (a toy poodle) got excited and jumped up and scratched the boy. Shortly afterwards the neighbor rings our bell very concerned wanting to know if our dog was up to date on shots and everything. I give him the necessary paperwork and he invites me into his home (we were on good terms) to see his son. It just looks like a little scratch, and there is no blood, but the boy looks really upset and the neighbor wants to take him to the emergency room. I say ok if that is what you want to do and let me know how it goes.


This morning there is a letter on my porch from the Harris County Veterinary Public Health with an animal bite report. It looks to me like I will have to have the dog quarantined for 10 days for observation even though her shots are up to date. On the animal bite report under breed description it says "bulldog" So now I am really irritated and give them a call, and they said that was the information given to them. In addition they said that in their notes it stated that the kids were playing in our cul-de-sac and the dog ran out and bit him. This was certainly not the case, and furthermore our dogs under no circumstances are let out of the house without a leash. The lady from Public Health is supposed to call me back, but I was told that even though I have the proper documentation, the dog could still be quarantined (at my expense).


Can anyone give me advice who has had to deal with this department before? Is it really going to be my word vs. my neighbors? The dog was in our home when it happened and doesn't look anything like a bulldog....and the "bite" did not even break the skin. Really would appreciate any input. Thanks!

[PinkLadyK]

Ugh, I can sympathize. Years ago, my persnickety cat and my husband's stubborn grandmother had a teeth-meets-skin incident. Her wound did get terribly infected and she had to go to the ER, where they collected our info and told us we had to quarantine the cat. I can't tell you how you go about disputing it, though, because ours wasn't a case of he-said/she-said, but rather a "dammit grandma we told you NOT to pet the cat."

One thing they did say was that we could quarantine at home if we had the space. I'm not sure if that is an option for dogs, but maybe you can ask?

That being said, I think you should try to dispute. You may even be able to say that it was some other dog since yours clearly isn't a bulldog and wasn't in the street. They must have gone to the ER for the report to be filed? Surely they weren't nasty enough to file a report independently? Either way, your neighbors sound like a pain.

[funeral979]

Originally Posted by PinkLadyK

Ugh, I can sympathize. Years ago, my persnickety cat and my husband's stubborn grandmother had a teeth-meets-skin incident. Her wound did get terribly infected and she had to go to the ER, where they collected our info and told us we had to quarantine the cat. I can't tell you how you go about disputing it, though, because ours wasn't a case of he-said/she-said, but rather a "dammit grandma we told you NOT to pet the cat."

One thing they did say was that we could quarantine at home if we had the space. I'm not sure if that is an option for dogs, but maybe you can ask?

That being said, I think you should try to dispute. You may even be able to say that it was some other dog since yours clearly isn't a bulldog and wasn't in the street. They must have gone to the ER for the report to be filed? Surely they weren't nasty enough to file a report independently? Either way, your neighbors sound like a pain.

Yes, I think the lady told me they got the report from the emergency room, which is why I don't understand why they said it was a bulldog when the breed is clearly written on the animal health statement. This is why I am concerned that I have been given this report from Harris County Animal Control without anyone even contacting me for my side of the story.


These neighbors are the nicest, quietest neighbors on the block so I am frankly taken aback by their actions. The mother was not home at the time, so I think that the dad overreacted and started this chain of events. There is also a slight language barrier so maybe that is the case as well.

[diverge]

Originally Posted by funeral979

The neighbors son tried to open the door and come in the house, but my mom who is staying with us right now was at the door and told him he could not come inside and my son would be out in a minute. The boy tried to push his way inside, at which point our dog (a toy poodle) got excited and jumped up and scratched the boy.

So the boy trespassed.

Originally Posted by funeral979

It just looks like a little scratch, and there is no blood, but the boy looks really upset and the neighbor wants to take him to the emergency room. I say ok if that is what you want to do and let me know how it goes.

This morning there is a letter on my porch from the Harris County Veterinary Public Health with an animal bite report. It looks to me like I will have to have the dog quarantined for 10 days for observation even though her shots are up to date.

If you go to the hospital with a dog bite the hospital will contact the Sheriff's Office. A deputy shows up an does the paperwork and takes pictures. The neighbor had nothing to do with any of that. He just showed up to the hospital with a dog bite. I've been through it.

Edit: I've been through it in Fort Bend County. The county just wants to make sure the boy will be OK. If this is the only incident then nothing will happen to your dog.

[K LoLo]

Agree with diverge. Once someone says they have a dog bite, they have to report it as such. This could even be if you went to get stitches for your dog playing with you, and it broke the skin. They still report it as a dog bite.

[Lbjen]

They pribably didnt realize what would happen when they went to the ER, I doubt that they intended for all of this to happen. Hopefully they don't come at you with the ER bill on top of all this too.

[SpringBrancher]

Ignore and if someone shows up, tell them you don't own a bulldog so there was nothing to do. They can't take your dog if it doesn't match the report. At least that's the thought. Don't confirm any part of the story and just say "no bulldog here, bye." These bureaucrat types will mess with you to no end if you give them an inch. I have a neighbor who told a city inspector who was nosing in on a small backyard project that he would call the police. The inspector left. They just wanted to raise his prop taxes.

[Soviet]

Stupid kid. If your neighbor doesn't let you in the house....DON'T GO IN THE G-D HOUSE!!!! Gah!

[HookTheBrotherUp]

This may be a dumb question, but do you have a surveillance system?

[Army_Guy]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

This may be a dumb question, but to you have a surveillance system?

If OP doesn't, last week was the time to get one.

One of the great CYA things a homeowner could have.