Dog Bite

goodburger

i was bitten by a dog in april and now have a bad scar above my ankle. I am furious because now i have to deal with the scar and the owners dont care enough to keep their dog locked in the back. Their dog barked at me as i was walking past their house while i was out for my walk and as i got to their drive way the dog ran out onto the road and attacked my leg, the owners were luckily in the front garden adn had to pull the dog off my ankle. they didnt even offer to replace my trousers or pay for my tetanus injection. I want to sue them out of anger more than anything.

kerrysgold

Poor dog. Did you ever bother to find out what the reason for the dog biting was before you put him down? As has been said so many times there HAS to be a reason, dogs don't just lash out. Whether it's triggered by pain, a neurological problem, fear, dominance etc. There is ALWAYS a reason.

The Sweeper

Just to point out this is one of those ancient resurrection threads, brought up again by goodburger who's just recently been bitten. The OP's issue was years ago.

Our man in Havana

New posts split from old thread to form a new thread.

lightening

wow... just shows you how often dogs actually bite. That was a very old thread.

Sorry to hear about your leg goodburger, I hope this doesn't jaundice your view on the thousands of other dogs you have met that didn't bite you.

Very irresponsible of the owners, you should certainly be looking for your medical expenses and your clothes bill. Maybe a call from the Gardai to ensure it doesn't happen again. I have some permanent scarring, see your doctor or a health shop for various silicone's and gels.

lostinnappies

legally you are allowed to report the dog to the guardi and have him put down.... not that i would but perhaps the threat of this would be enough for them to keep the dog under control a little more. Next time it might not be an adult the dog bites.

Beth

The owner of a dog which causes an accident or causes serious damage to property is liable for costs. That's part of being a dog owner.

Another part of it is keeping the dog under control. By law, dogs are to be kept under effectual control in public. That doesnt mean they cant be off-lead, they can be (certain breeds cant), but they must be able to be kept under control while off-lead (verbal commands or hand signals)

so yes, you can bill them for your clothing, and your medical costs.

Did you report it when it happened?

Tabitharose

sorry to read this - if it's of any consolation in relation to the scar I got bitten on both hands - rather deep bites - about 18 months ago & the scars have finally completely faded

Sigma Force

In fairness it's not up to OP to find out what is wrong with the dog, it's the owners responsibility to control the dog and find out what is causing it.
OP didn't mention putting the dog down and unless the OP requests it that may or may not happen.

This is serious enough to report it, esp. if the dog is still allowed out the front and is aggressive, what if a child walks by and gets bitten or the same thing happens to OP again. The owners of the dog haven't made any effort to make up for it so they need to be told outright that this isn't acceptable.

It's not the dogs fault but the dog is the one that may be punished in the end, however if the OP makes an official complaint and the people are warned first and told to keep their dog under control etc. Then that should solve the problem. Which would give the owner and dog a second chance.

If they still don't comply then what can you do sadly the dog gets punished at the end of the day eventhough it's something that could be solved probably easily enough. Some dog owners just don't care though.

EGAR

April of this year? You will find that you stand on shaky legal ground because you waited so long to report it. A good solicitor can have the case thrown out because of the period of time. To claim distress/pain/costs so long after the actual bite can be very very tricky legally. Unless you can prove that the owners had promised compensation but didn't come through.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Anyone else here refer to the gardai as "FILTH" ?.

lostinnappies

Mairt wrote: »

Anyone else here refer to the gardai as "FILTH" ?.

no because my dad was one lol,

nearly

This is probably in poor 'taste'... but maybe the dog was bedazzled by your name, GoodBurger...

Ok, that was a really stupid joke...

But in all seriousness, my brother has a feral dog who bit my father a month ago. I've pleaded with him to put the dog down. My grandmother had a rotten evil poodle that tortured us, growled at us, and snapped at us growing up. Snoopy was a one-woman dog. I guess the love of possessive evil dogs runs in my family.

I hope you get the situation sorted. That must have been horrifying. I feel sad for you if it is as some suggest, so long after the fact. What a drag. You're probably only getting up your courage now! That is a really intimidating situation to be put in.

User21027

My son was bitten in the arm and face by a Staffordshire terrier while on my estranged aunts floor. Reported the attack to the Guards, my solicitor and the relevant Dog Warden. They all say their hands are tied as it happened on private property. The dog warden informed me the dog has been reported 3 previous times. The Guards and warden all wish they could do something, but say they cant.
If i kill the dog i'll be prosecuted for cruelty to animals and tresspass though. Go figure. Stupid Irish Law.