My sister’s pup was attacked on Thanksgiving morning. Four punctures, two need drains. Animal Control has not yet been contacted. Owner of attacking dog has said a check is in the mail for the emergency vet visit on Thanksgiving.
Sister fears contacting AC before the check arrives will result in owner never sending check. Check is already supposed to be in the mail. I say contact AC now because I don’t know if there is a statute of limitations. Anyone know? This is in Maine.
I guess it depends on what your goal in calling Animal Control is? I would have thought that by contacting the owner first, and not calling AC, it might suggest that you only wanted the bill paid and you’d forgive the attack? Therefore, I’m not sure I support the idea of cashing their check and then reporting them.
Or do you think AC has to be called?
Waiting until the check arrives to report the bite does seem a little … shady.
If your sister is going to report the bite, I’d do it now. And have a good answer to the question “why didn’t you call us on Friday?” that is not “we were waiting for the check.”
Here’s the regs regarding dog bites in Maine:
http://dogbitelaw.com/statutory-strict-liability-state/maine-dog-bite-law.html
They don’t care about the money, they just want their precious furball to be ok physically and mentally.
I am pushing for a report to be filed with AC to establish a record of the attacking dog’s behavior and impress upon the owners’ the seriousness of the act and their responsibility to prevent it from recurring. AC would also confirm rabies vacc or quarantine. My sister doesn’t think $ = no need to file a report.
On Thursday afternoon while my sister and her fiance were waiting for their dog to have surgery, the owner of the attacking dog stopped communication -probably enjoying a warm turkey dinner with loves ones.
Out of the blue, they received a call Friday or Saturday morning asking for their mailing address to send a check for the surgery bill. Color them surprised!
Simkie, thanks for that link. I had only googled Maine AC and didn’t find that page.
Yeah I don’t understand why the delay either? Rabies concerns? Bill being paid? Safety?
P.S. They can still put a stop payment on the check after she receives it so unless she’s going to wait 10 days for it to clear she might as well call now
Then maybe the delay is because they really don’t want to get the authorities involved. As muc as we wish others would take our advice about something we’re more knowledgeable about we can’t force them to. Sucks, but it is what it is.
[QUOTE=Horsegal984;7887009]
Yeah I don’t understand why the delay either? Rabies concerns? Bill being paid? Safety? [/QUOTE]
My sister is the least confrontational person on the planet. She said she is afraid filing a report will piss the owners off and they will stop cooperating. I said AC will make them cooperate, and more than they’ve currently offered.
I suspect, overall, she really doesn’t want to contact AC because it feels “mean.” Whereas, I think it is quite important to do so, who cares if they think I’m mean: so is their dog.
[QUOTE=Bicoastal;7886917]
My sister’s pup was attacked on Thanksgiving morning. Four punctures, two need drains. Animal Control has not yet been contacted. Owner of attacking dog has said a check is in the mail for the emergency vet visit on Thanksgiving.
Sister fears contacting AC before the check arrives will result in owner never sending check. Check is already supposed to be in the mail. I say contact AC now because I don’t know if there is a statute of limitations. Anyone know? This is in Maine.[/QUOTE]
Send me a PM with the town and I may be able to provide some insight. Some ACO’s are fabulous. Others are useless. ACO for my town took my dog to the shelter when she slipped out on DH. She was picked up in my driveway. All the ** had to do was look at his dog list, the one other corgi in town is a relative of mine. He then screamed at me on the phone when he called back–had his phone set to fax when I was trying to get in touch. I had another ACO fail to properly due a rabies quarantine, my tech had to go through likely unneeded rabies injections as the dog was euthanized rather than quarantined.
Your sister is well within the statue of limitations. Unlikely to be much of a ticket/consequences from this being reported if this is the first incident for the offending dog.
You haven’t stated anything about the circumstances of attack ?
I second that waiting seems shady.
If the people were generous enuff to pay for the surgery then doesn’t that indicate a level of concern & apology on their part ? In spite of this gesture you still wish further punishment ? The puppy suffered (4) punctures. I’m guessing canine wounds from a bite ? The puppy is OK weighing owners ability to care for wounds, but otherwise prognosis is good ?
Or
On some level you wish for these people or the dog to suffer further consequences.
A puppy who was attacked has a 90% chances of growing into being leash aggressive or exhibit fighting tendencies. Their dog probably exhibits these behaviors because @ one point s/he suffered an attack. Its not the easiest behavior to overcome & becomes instinctual when a dog feels threatened or need to protect. One day your sister may be involved in a reverse situation. Perhaps someday even bite a neighbors dog ?
The only “shady” behavior being shown on this thread is by the people who find it baffling that you might want both financial compensation and legal justice for a physical attack. Pursuing this with Animal Control is likely to be tiresome but the only moral avenue. AC probably won’t take it very seriously, but it will create a record, and a record of attacks is the only reason most towns will ever sanction a bad dog’s owner.
[QUOTE=PonyTales;7887248]
You haven’t stated anything about the circumstances of attack? I second that waiting seems shady.
If the people were generous enuff to pay for the surgery then doesn’t that indicate a level of concern & apology on their part? In spite of this gesture you still wish further punishment ?[/QUOTE]
Payment in this situation is not “punishment” it’s fair compensation from the person who caused the damage. They’re not generous, they’re guilty. And they’re probably offering to pay in hopes of persuading the victim from reporting them and their vicious pet. I wouldn’t hold my breath about getting the money.
A dog that bites into another dog without provocation is not leash-aggressive or a fearful former victim, but a bold, assertive, violent animal whose screws are loose. Normal dogs don’t simply get one bad experience, and spend the rest of their lives preying on other dogs.
Also, the OP has been around COTH a good while; there’s no reason to think she’s a lying sociopath whose sister goes around provoking dog attacks and blaming others.
I would do a report to A/C. For one reason, to start a paper trail, or more likely, to continue the paper trail. And the rabies status will be confirmed. If the person doesn’t send the check or does a stop payment, then I would file in small claims to get the non-payment on their record.
[QUOTE=vacation1;7888316]
The only “shady” behavior being shown on this thread is by the people who find it baffling that you might want both financial compensation and legal justice for a physical attack.
Also, the OP has been around COTH a good while; there’s no reason to think she’s a lying sociopath whose sister goes around provoking dog attacks and blaming others.[/QUOTE]
I think you misunderstood my post, then.
I have no trouble with getting both financial and legal compensation. It was only the way it was worded in the OP made me wonder why AC wasn’t involved to begin with, and whether the owner of the dog thought that by paying for the medical bill that AC wouldn’t be called.
I don’t know what the circumstances of the attack were, either, so that makes a big difference. A dog fight is not the same as an attack, even if one dog is left worse off than the other.
Lots of possible scenarios could be at play here – but waiting until the “check clears” before calling AC made me think that the owners of the dog that did the biting might be taken by surprise. Who knows.
I certainly didn’t suspect the OP is a lying sociopath?? 
I agree with this. Whether you report it or not really depends on the circumstances leading up to to the problem. Did your dog wander into their yard? Were you at a dog park where dogs were running loose? Were the owners of the other dog around when it happened? Was your dog on a leash? Did your dog rush and annoy the other dog? Ect.
I would not be inclined to report. There are accidents and dogs will be dogs a bite is not an attack. If the dog got bit in the neck and is a puppy and survived the attack I would think that the other dog told the puppy to knock it off.
Drains dont always indicate severity. Puppies have a ton of loose skin the is prone to pocketing it they run into a stick. So drains in a neck don’t make me go OMG it almost died.
[QUOTE=JanM;7888446]
I would do a report to A/C. For one reason, to start a paper trail, or more likely, to continue the paper trail. And the rabies status will be confirmed.[/QUOTE]
This. From my experiences in surgical & e-vet and in dog sports, bites are reported as the ethical and correct thing to do. If the offending dog is a first-timer, there is no punishment. I don’t expect punishment. I expect AC to check that dog is current on rabies and registration and give the owners a slap on the wrist.
It was Thanksgiving. I don’t know that the other owner thinks. If the owner assumes paying the e-bill keeps AC out of it, I’d say that is shady, right?
Underneath two particular punctures is tearing of the soft tissues underneath the skin. There will be many more bills to come. Second recheck is today.
Maybe it is not intended but every post by the OP paints this other dog owner as slimy. Maybe there are details that we do not know that lead to this thought but from what was posted here nothing the other dog owner has done deserves so much disdain.
Dogs bite each other, that is how they communicate. It sucks. It does not necessarily mean that the dog owner is vile in any way.
[QUOTE=Bicoastal;7887007]
On Thursday afternoon while my sister and her fiance were waiting for their dog to have surgery, the owner of the attacking dog stopped communication -probably enjoying a warm turkey dinner with loves ones.[/QUOTE]
I mean really, how dare they enjoy a pre-planned holiday meal instead of sitting by their phone waiting for updates, gasp.
What exactly did you want them to do?
[QUOTE=Bicoastal;7887007]
Out of the blue, they received a call Friday or Saturday morning asking for their mailing address to send a check for the surgery bill. Color them surprised![/QUOTE]
So it appears that to you they are bad people for not being available and then they are bad people for wanting to pay and calling. Clearly they can not win.
I missed where the owners said this. Are you assuming this is what they are thinking? Or maybe they are paying because that is the responsible thing to do and they do not assume anything else.
I personally think your sister should have made a report with animals control immediately. Her waiting makes her look bad not anyone else.
I think the report needs to be made for reasons other than you, not because I want animal control to ‘slap them on the wrist’ but so there is a record of what happened.
I assume your sister could easily find out if the biting dog is current on rabies by simply asking the owner to provide proof.
Jingles for the puppy.
[QUOTE=Bicoastal;7888568]
It was Thanksgiving. I don’t know that the other owner thinks. If the owner assumes paying the e-bill keeps AC out of it, I’d say that is shady, right? [/QUOTE]
No, not shady - it all depends on how things happened. If the owners and dogs were otherwise normal and this was just a “wrong time at the wrong place” for the dogs, then I wouldn’t have any problem NOT reporting it to AC…and if my dog was the biter, I’d be offering to pay the vet bills (or part of them, depending on circumstances).
If the owner of the bitten dog gave a “oh, dogs are dogs, these things happen” to their face, accepted payment for the vet bills, and THEN called AC…that’s a different story.
Circumstances
So here’s the story, since many think reporting to AC depends on how it happened.
My sister, her fiancé, and their dog were at their neighborhood beach where they walk every morning. This is a beach in winter in ME. I visited once and observed some people want to chat a little, there is one group of 3 dog owners who walk together daily, and the majority of folks do their own thing. My sister keeps to herself and has half joked that group must think she’s a $itch.
Thanksgiving morning a car pulls up with a couple and three dogs. They turn their dogs loose: dogs take off in all directions. The owners yell ineffectively. My sister doesn’t like what she sees and hears. She thinks a black Shepherd-looking mix is acting aggressively. She tells her fiancé this and requests they get even further away. They cannot leave the beach and walk home because those owners are at the access ramp exit.
She thinks she is now very far away. Her dog is at her side. Then she see a black blur bee-lining towards them. He slams into her 7mo dog, rolls him, and repeatedly bites him. Her dog is shrieking. The other owners are seemingly miles away and screaming. Her fiancé dives in and throws the dog off. Dog attacks again. Fiance dives in again, gets dog off, and this time pins him until owners arrive and leash it.
Her dog circles her while yelping. Owners’ ask if her dog is ok and she says “I don’t know” and keeps walking. Fiance decides to get their name and number. They get home and call me.
[QUOTE=PonyTales;7887248]
A puppy who was attacked has a 90% chances of growing into being leash aggressive or exhibit fighting tendencies. Their dog probably exhibits these behaviors because @ one point s/he suffered an attack. Its not the easiest behavior to overcome & becomes instinctual when a dog feels threatened or need to protect. One day your sister may be involved in a reverse situation. Perhaps someday even bite a neighbors dog ?[/QUOTE]
I have re-read this para a few times. I have a leash aggressive dog. He became that way after being attacked three times while he was leashed. Two of those attacks were very close together and nearly on our doorstep. Poor guy! I train, teach, and compete. I understand.
Are you saying because the attacking dog may be dog aggressive, and now her pup has a 90% chance of being aggressive, to give it a pass? Give it a pass because now my sister’s dog will become that offending dog? Like pay it forward?
As her trainer said after hearing the story and seeing the wounds, “that dog needs to be muzzled.” Even simpler: a d@mn LEASH!
After reading the comments this thread received shortly after I posted it yesterday, I decided to not repeat the AC convo with my sister, since it seems the majority think I’m overreacting.
Maybe I am. I’ll take my COTH lashes and learn. I am definitely the dog owner equivalent of a COTH AA hunter or Advanced eventer, not the single string of barbwire fence, a Parellite, and a bicycle chain bit :lol:. I feel like, overall, I’m hearing lighten up.
Marshfield, thank you for the info! I shared with my sister yesterday.
IMO, I would be calling animal control on that incident. Aren’t there leash laws?
I posted before how my Dane was attacked by an escaped bulldog (old type, the thing was huge). I really didn’t want to report the incident because I felt bad for the neighbor, but… the bulldog had gotten loose earlier in the week and attacked another dog. I remember that bulldog getting out when it was a puppy so obviously the owner was not doing anything about the escapee, and now the bulldog was dog aggressive.
No one had ever officially filed a report on the dog. AC has very little to no authority if no reports have been filed at least in my area. At best they can give the owner a talking too. I would be stunned if the attacking dog has not attacked before, but the people felt bad and didn’t report it…
With a first offense, all animal control could do was fine the owner. I think the owner must have given the bulldog back to the breeder because I have not seen it again.
ETA: I did file the report.
[QUOTE=trubandloki;7888600]
I mean really, how dare they enjoy a pre-planned holiday meal instead of sitting by their phone waiting for updates, gasp.
What exactly did you want them to do? [/QUOTE]
I meant to illustrate how unfair it all is. Of course that is why they didn’t answer the phone: it was Thanksgiving evening. :lol:
The owners who behaved irresponsibly got to enjoy Thanksgiving while the owners who behaved responsibly didn’t. It sucked. Life isn’t fair.
It is above-board that those owners volunteered a check. That doesn’t make it fair.
This dog did not bite to communicate. The dogs were not interacting at all. One dog traveled a big distance to attack another.
TheHotSensitiveType provided a perfect example of why one reports these incidents. A system of reporting was created for this reason, among a couple others.
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