Need advice.. Joe accidentally bit me

Holly33

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Aug 23, 2013
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Joe
So, my parents are visiting my siblings and I from out of state . I took the day off to spend with them and they wanted to see Joe and take him for a walk. We went to a local state park and Joe was having a blast .. Laying in the water and being his "hippo" self... We started to go for the walk and I noticed a dog coming quickly at us.. I yelled for the dog owner to grab his dog.. Joe gets anxious around dogs who are off leash, especially when in a contained area (we were on a short narrow path that leads into the larger path in the woods).. The other dog owner called his dog but the dog ignored him..Joe was growling and not happy... so I put myself between him and the charging dog...trying to protect Joe.. the other dog wouldn't go away.. Joe ended up biting me on the leg during the chaos .. My Mom ended up grabbing the other dog and ended up getting bit also (the owner did nothing) We aren't 100% sure who bit her .. My Mom and I both went to the hospital, luckily they were able to clean up the wounds and give us tetanus shots and antibiotics .. My Mom has a small wound that required cleaning and band-aids.. I have the outline of Joes mouth in puncture wounds on my thigh.. So my question is do I report this incident to the police? I have pictures proving that that the other dog was off leash.. The other owner didn't even have a leash with him .. And he had zero sympathy or empathy for what happened ..my Mom was bleeding and he seemed to care less..Its his dog who caused the situation but it's my dog who bit me and possibly my mom..Joe was reported to the local board of health .. It's standard protocol here.. Joe was scared and trying to protect us. .I'm so upset and worried .. Any advice?


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Bulldozersma

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Oh I am so sorry for the situation you're in and I'm glad that both you and your Mom are going to be ok.
As far as calling the police, do you think that they will think that Joe may have been the more aggressive one??? I just hate for him to get a bad "rap" you know???
 

Davidh

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Well the other owner should have done something, plus did you get his name? Does his dog even have a rabies shot? If you do call the authorities, I would first check your local laws. Some times they will quarantine your dog and if they feel like it, they can put them down. So I would report his dog biting your mom, and say nothing about Joe biting you. I would have had your mom call the police right then and there, to report his dog, but I know you needed to get to the ER and get checked out.

We have been bit before by mistaken identity from breaking up dog fights. I never have gone to the ER, but my wife did once to get some antibiotics and when they asked her what happened, she told them she got into a barbed wire fence, so they would not report our dogs. This was a long time ago and was not the bullies we have now.
 
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Holly33

Holly33

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That's what I'm scared of.. My Dad wants me to call because he was there and he knows that Joe was "not at fault".. He has the pictures of the dog off leash (no leash) and spoke to the owner ..But I don't want to get in a situation where Joe becomes the bad guy..it could become a situation of "he said, she said".. And may not be worth it .. But I have that part that makes me angry .. he isn't a responsible owner. ..He broke the law and had a dog off leash.. His dog wouldn't listen to his commands.. I have been in that situation a couple times before but the owners usually call their dog ..the dog listens .. They leash their dog and that's it.. Joe is fine.. We walk by each other and all is good ..


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ddnene

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It sounds to me like Joe was protecting his family, that other dog is at fault (well actually his STUPID owner). Personally I wouldn't call the police because I would hate for Joe to get in trouble… which is really unfair.
 
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Holly33

Holly33

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We have the other owners license plate ( my Dad took a pic) .. He didn't give us his name or license .. But my mom was bleeding a lot and I was more concerned about getting her to the hospital ..


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Holly33

Holly33

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Thanks.. Your responses confirm my gut feeling that I shouldn't contact the police


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brutus77

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Just my opinion, but I don't think it's a great idea to call the police. This jerk could easily turn this around on you and Joe could pay the price. It won't change what happened. I would just move on. God forbid they put Joe down it's not worth the risk to me.
 

tyree213

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Legally in most states if their dog is off leash all that other extra stuff is out the window. That other dogs owner was negligent.
 

agingermom

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Hence, many of us dont go to dog parks. I think you are making the right decision but it is a hard one since it was your mom. Im sorry you had to go through this
 

Julzz9170

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I'm not sure but I think when you go to the er with a dog bite wound the er reports the dog bite..I'm also not sure about the law from state to state but in New Jersey they do..last year Fatso bit my daughter while I was at work..she was giving him cheese curls and he was in a frenzy and jumped up to grab it from her and she got scared and moved and got a puncture wound on her wrist..when I took her to the er the nurse did me a favor and said it was an unknown dog..this also happened to a friend of mine with a small poodle mix after the dog bit her and she went to the er and animal control came to her house to quarantine her dog..you need to say it was the other dog that was not leashed that bit you and your mother when you pulled them apart..I see people with unleashed dogs almost every day when I am walking my boys in my neighborhood and it very frustrating to me because I know how strong my dogs are and what will happen if they get into a fight.
 

brutus77

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I still think this is a big chance to take when absolutely nothing will happen. Just move on and stay away from dog parks.
 
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Holly33

Holly33

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Thanks for all of the advice. I'm not going to do anything, it was a "state park" basically just a forest owned by the state. We were just going for a walk. They did report Joe to the Board of Health, I'm less concerned about that because I read the laws/regulations this morning and they only quarantine if there is a chance of rabies. He is all up to date on his shots.


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Vikinggirl

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Hi, I'm so sorry you had this experience with Joe and your Mom. It want Joes fault, but obviously the other irresponsible dog owners fault. I also agree that calling the police might get Joe in trouble. I am not familiar with the laws in the States, but here in Canada, when a dog bites someone, they quarantine the dog for 3 weeks. I wonder if the other dog owner has a license for his dog? Here in Canada not having a dog license, and having your dog off leash are both against the law, and you can be fined for not having them. Maybe you could go through the city bylaws and have him fined for not having his dog on a leash?
 
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Holly33

Holly33

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Joe
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Thanks.. I think that is what will eventually happen...the other owner may be fined for having a dog off-leash but not related to this situation .. It will hopefully protect future dogs/owners in a similar situation


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