To sue or forgive? (Reston, Fairfax: house, pit bull, costs)

[leavingwash]

I believe that it is more of a "training" issue and if you could work with the owner to get someone knowledgeable involved most likely there would be no further issue. Not the same thing, and not to negate what happened your child, but there was a "similar" issue on Dog Whisperer and it was a different breed - but similar. The dog would chase bikes or cars - it was more fear based than aggression. As another poster indicated, the dog was probably not socialized correctly and certain things are triggering a fear reaction. Muzzling the dog when in public is another great option which would allow the family to keep their "family member" while also protecting the neighbors...this of course assumes that the owner is responsible enough to work with you. Which I would hope is the case so that a dog does not get put down needlessly.

[CleoShahateet]

Since your child could have been seriously injured and another child might be hurt something needs to be done whether it is training, a good fence, a muzzle AND an giant Mea Culpa from the owner! No animal that bites or does harm to a child can be ignored.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by VRE332

Arm your kid with some pepper spray and the next time it happens the dog will think twice about it.

Not necessarily true. We tested, numerous times, the effects of OC on police dogs. Granted they (police K9's) are more driven but OC (pepper spray) did not stop a single dog. We tested about 50 total. We filled large rooms with the stuff and i mean a lot. I put a decoy on a 3rd floor and every dog easily worked through this and made the apprehension. I always to tell people that OC may or may not stop a dog. Most dogs likely but no guarantees.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by FCNova

A weiner dog that goes bad will nip your hand. A pit bull(or other large super aggressive dog) can go for your kid's throat. If you look at dog fatalities you'll see its not weiner dogs. I have family members who own pit bulls and are super defensive about them. I know it's pointless to get into arguments about it. For some reason they seem unable to grasp the simple concept that their dog is more dangerous than most because of the damage it can inflict. An owner of a big dog like that needs to be extremely responsible with how they train and control it. Any dog owner should be responsible but the owner of a shi tzu isn't walking around with a potentially deadly weapon.

Again, pit bulls are not bad dogs. I'm not making a statement about your pit. However, they get the pub they do because when they go bad it can end very, very badly.

Really? You may not know the damage small dogs can do to people, especially kids. Yes a Pit, or any large dog may do more damage quicker but small can and DO cause some serious damage.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

Really? You may not know the damage small dogs can do to people, especially kids. Yes a Pit, or any large dog may do more damage quicker but small can and DO cause some serious damage.

We can argue how much damage a weiner dog can do if you want, but it doesn't change my point. Large dogs are far more dangerous when they turn. Especially dogs like pits or rotties because of their incredible bite power. I don't even understand why this concept causes so many people to argue. Seems so simple.

Worst case scenario if your kid is attacked by an improperly trained weiner dog : nasty wound and stitches.

Worst case scenario if your kid is attacked by an improperly trained pit/rottie : lets not even talk about it

[Middlin]

Yes Christine that was my point. I believe the bite should be reported.

[marie5v]

Originally Posted by FCNova

We can argue how much damage a weiner dog can do if you want, but it doesn't change my point. Large dogs are far more dangerous when they turn. Especially dogs like pits or rotties because of their incredible bite power. I don't even understand why this concept causes so many people to argue. Seems so simple.

Worst case scenario if your kid is attacked by an improperly trained weiner dog : nasty wound and stitches.

Worst case scenario if your kid is attacked by an improperly trained pit/rottie : lets not even talk about it

I also can't understand why people want to defend these breeds so much. Of course it's not the dog's fault, but in the end it doesn't matter. There are idiots who continue to breed these dogs for money, and idiots who buy them because they are "cool" and "tough" dogs, who then encourage the worst in their behavior. I grew up with a lot of those idiots - guys thought it was cool to have a pit bull, doberman, or rottweiler. They had to have something that had a reputation for killing or hurting people. And they weren't happy if the dog didn't at least growl and look scary. It's all because of the people who breed and buy the dogs, but many of these dogs are still dangerous. And with the exception of a rescued animal or someone who ended up with the breed or a mix of it without really intending to, one has to wonder just why that person decided a good pet to have would be a large, poorly socialized dog with tremendous bite power and a reputation for killing kids.

[leighland]

Even with the most vicious dog, Its the owner, not the dog. Too bad the owner can't go to jail and the dog can go to a loving home.

Get a hospital/doctor report-get report copy
report to animal control-get report copy
Keep a log on the dog date and time-all actions positive and negative and esp. how long he is left on a chain or outside by himself. Also note if and quality of food left for him outside.

Good Luck!

[Carlingtonian]

I'm not even going to read the other responses. SUE THE BASTARD. Oh--and I'm a dog owner and dog lover to an extreme degree. But letting a pit bull attack someone's kid cannot be tolerated. If you can't control your own dog, then you shouldn't have the dog. It would be one thing if your kid was trying to pet the dog and the dog nipped her--but *chasing* her when she was 6 feet away? That's an aggressive dog and a negligent owner.

Hope your daughter is OK; sorry it happened.

[mdcrim]

Oh lord, who cares what kind of dog it was- talk to the neighbor, see if they offer to make it right for your kid (medical reimbursement, sincere apologies and concern, offer of whatever it takes to guarantee if doesn't happen to anyone else, such as a muzzle, training, etc). If the neighbor sucks in their response to you, they have homeowners insurance that should cover your lawsuit so go for it!