Time limit on reporting dog bite?

[Bicoastal]

Vacation1, thank you for the support. Sometimes I’m intimidated by you, I admit, so this post got me all gooey inside. Aw shucks, Thanks!

[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. 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. …

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]

[trubandloki]

I think this incident and all such incidents should be reported. I believe I said that already.

The bite was communication, rude and inappropriate communication but communication. Just like the idiot on the expressway that gives you the finger as they drive past because they feel you are not driving the way they think you should.

Clearly life is not fair, in so many ways.

Curious, how big is your sister’s puppy?

[S1969]

It’s a tough call for me. If I were planning to report it, I would have done so already, I think. I probably also would have informed the owners, not just accepted their offer of payment.

I agree that it is totally unacceptable dog behavior, and worthy of reporting.

It’s impossible to say what I would have done in that instance, especially not knowing yet how injured the dog was. As the Monday Morning Quarterback, I’d probably have called AC and reported the dog after leaving the vet’s office, and then let the owners know. I would not, therefore, have expected them to offer up payment unless forced by AC, although I suppose they might have anyway.

But…having been in situations like that in the distant past (living near a public park that was used as a “dog park” by many)…I might just as likely just scooped up my dog and not even thought to get the information of the owners in order to report it.

[JanM]

Wow! The explanation of the actual attack is so much worse than what I initially thought. It’s amazing the dog who was attacked wasn’t injured a lot more, and thankfully the humans weren’t hurt. I am definitely sure that the attacking dog has a long history, and this certainly won’t be the last attack.

[Marshfield]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;7888900]
I think this incident and all such incidents should be reported. I believe I said that already.

The bite was communication, rude and inappropriate communication but communication. Just like the idiot on the expressway that gives you the finger as they drive past because they feel you are not driving the way they think you should.

Clearly life is not fair, in so many ways.

Curious, how big is your sister’s puppy?[/QUOTE]

I lean towards always reporting every incident. Several years ago, my technician was mauled by a pitbull. Two days later we learned that the dog had an extensive, extensive history of attacking both people and dogs. (Dog belonged to the neighbor of a long time client). Everybody had been too “nice” to report the dog and make trouble. Well, if folks hadn’t been so nice, I wouldn’t have had a tech mauled and a dog lunging at my throat that I beat off with an IV pole.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Your sister should have reported the attack right away. I would still report it. If a person gets bit the hospital reports it whether you want them to or not (even on your own dog). I would have been fuming (actually, knowing myself, I probably would have gotten bit when I kicked the shepherd that was savaging my puppy).

Your sister’s puppy is at a much higher risk of becoming dog aggressive from this attack. I would strongly encourage her to enroll in some group classes once her dog heals so the dog can be with strange dogs in a controlled setting. My dog was attacked when he was six months old and is no worse for it now, minus the scars, but I think classes and playing with very appropriate dogs in a controlled setting helped.

They absolutely should have that dog on a leash! So many things are avoided with using a leash. sigh

[Horsegal984]

It would have been much better to report it when it happened, while there were witnesses. Now it’s a matter of he said she said. Even though your dog is the one hurt they could easily argue that their dog was on lead and your dog was the instigator.

However I think it’s still important to report, esp an attack like this. These morons need to learn their lesson.

[red_mares]

Blame the late reporting on the holiday chaos & office closures.

[stargzng386]

Please please report it! My puppy was attacked out of nowhere by a dog that she had known and been around before. The owner was very apologetic and paid the bill so I didn’t report it. I found out a few months later that her dog had been reported after attacking another dog and she was required to walk it with a muzzle. A few months later she was walking it in the early morning at our neighborhood nature preserve off leash with no muzzle and it attacked a person and injured her leg pretty badly. The dog had to be euthanized and now animal control is out at the preserve on a regular bases after it started a huge fight about dogs on the community Facebook group. I now have to drive a few miles further to get out of my neighborhood to another park to avoid all of the drama. Bottom line if I had reported it a person wouldn’t have been injured and animal control wouldn’t be policing the park I used to walk at.

[NCRider]

[QUOTE=stargzng386;7889540]
Please please report it! My puppy was attacked out of nowhere by a dog that she had known and been around before. The owner was very apologetic and paid the bill so I didn’t report it. I found out a few months later that her dog had been reported after attacking another dog and she was required to walk it with a muzzle. A few months later she was walking it in the early morning at our neighborhood nature preserve off leash with no muzzle and it attacked a person and injured her leg pretty badly. The dog had to be euthanized and now animal control is out at the preserve on a regular bases after it started a huge fight about dogs on the community Facebook group. I now have to drive a few miles further to get out of my neighborhood to another park to avoid all of the drama. Bottom line if I had reported it a person wouldn’t have been injured and animal control wouldn’t be policing the park I used to walk at.[/QUOTE]

I would report it but I would absolutely tell the other dog’s owner that I was going to do so. To wait until cashing the check is underhanded. It’s the equivalent of having a fender bender, accepting payment from the other party and then calling the cops. If they don’t want to pay after they know she’s calling AC, she can sue them.

[maybedog]

I am a little surprised the attending vet practice did not report it. Where I am any animal bite requiring medical attention is reported to Animal Control whether it be from a domestic or wild animal.

[Bicoastal]

Vet Recheck

The drains were removed yesterday and vet said pup is healing well :yes:. At this appt, they found there are five holes. It is difficult to tell with the coat. Three are sutured, two are open for drainage. Sister called last night concerned that the hole on the flank -drain removed that morning- was very large, too large to close without sutures, and stretches at the slightest movement. This is the web of skin at the flank where hind leg attaches to torso. I suggested she email photo to vet. Any other suggestions?

[QUOTE=maybedog;7890111]
I am a little surprised the attending vet practice did not report it. [/QUOTE]

Me too.

[QUOTE=maybedog;7890111] Where I am any animal bite requiring medical attention is reported to Animal Control whether it be from a domestic or wild animal.[/QUOTE] I thought so too, for both bites to humans and bites to other animals.

[Calamber]

Has anyone checked the vaccination (rabies) status of the dog? I mean actually see the rabies certificate? This is the place where I think the vet failed in the most major way. It should absolutely be reported for all of the reasons that others may not get off so lightly. There is no reason not to really because that will help in the collection of the bill if it does not come, and serve as a reminder to these people that they cannot let this dog off leash in an unfenced private area ever again.

[Justmyluck]

[QUOTE=Calamber;7892307]
Has anyone checked the vaccination (rabies) status of the dog? I mean actually see the rabies certificate? This is the place where I think the vet failed in the most major way. It should absolutely be reported for all of the reasons that others may not get off so lightly. There is no reason not to really because that will help in the collection of the bill if it does not come, and serve as a reminder to these people that they cannot let this dog off leash in an unfenced private area ever again.[/QUOTE]

Vets are only required to report bites to humans in their own facilities. They are not required to report bites to other animals or bites that occurred outside of their walls. The vet did not fail in anyway.

[vacation1]

[QUOTE=Justmyluck;7892335]
Vets are only required to report bites to humans in their own facilities. They are not required to report bites to other animals or bites that occurred outside of their walls. The vet did not fail in anyway.[/QUOTE]

No, they didn’t fail legally. Morally or ethically, that’s a bit more grey. A vet should probably be reporting dog attacks to animal control, particularly if it’s a client they have reason to believe is being truthful and the circumstances are pretty clearly an attack rather than a fight. A lot of very bad dog-on-human attacks have been preceded by dog-on-dog attacks. The Rottweilers that just mauled a home healthcare worker this week had previously attacked a neighbor’s husky, and their own housemate Lab.

[S1969]

[QUOTE=vacation1;7894379]
No, they didn’t fail legally. Morally or ethically, that’s a bit more grey. A vet should probably be reporting dog attacks to animal control, particularly if it’s a client they have reason to believe is being truthful and the circumstances are pretty clearly an attack rather than a fight. A lot of very bad dog-on-human attacks have been preceded by dog-on-dog attacks. The Rottweilers that just mauled a home healthcare worker this week had previously attacked a neighbor’s husky, and their own housemate Lab.[/QUOTE]

You think the vets should report? To whom? Which Animal Control? Where the animal lives, or where they were bitten?

I have two vets, both of which are outside of my own township; one in the nearest city, and one in a rural town about 45 minutes away from the 1st – I’m about equal distance from both. If my dog was attacked near my house, it would be a completely different Animal Control unit than either one that is in the area of my vet clinics.

Sounds pretty unfair to dump this responsibility on the vets, if the owners are unwilling to make the call themselves.

And, since I doubt that the local Animal Control units share dog on dog bite information with each other, I’m not exactly sure how this would help prevent future attacks. Or maybe they have a “most wanted” dog posters like the FBI on their walls? Sure, in theory, they might be able to prove retroactively that there had been other reports, but I doubt it - not unless they were within the same Animal Control unit.

[vacation1]

[QUOTE=S1969;7894496]
You think the vets should report? To whom? Which Animal Control? Where the animal lives, or where they were bitten?..Sounds pretty unfair to dump this responsibility on the vets, if the owners are unwilling to make the call themselves…And, since I doubt that the local Animal Control units share dog on dog bite information with each other, I’m not exactly sure how this would help prevent future attacks. Or maybe they have a “most wanted” dog posters like the FBI on their walls? Sure, in theory, they might be able to prove retroactively that there had been other reports, but I doubt it - not unless they were within the same Animal Control unit.[/QUOTE]

That’s an odd set of objections. It would inconvenience health professionals? These are people who already have a set of ethical and legal responsibilities toward the public health (aka, good luck not vaccinating Rover against rabies); it’s not unreasonable to expand that to include dog attacks. More Americans have died of dog attacks this year than have died of rabies in the past decade. As public health hazards go, violent dogs are far more dangerous than unvaccinated ones. The agencies don’t work together? They actually do, if they’re pushed. But sure, they don’t always work smoothly together. That can change. And should change, as we’ve seen in cases where violent dogs rack up victims in multiple towns and counties. Whaddya want, Wanted posters? No. It’s really simple. Microchips. Average owners are happily chipping their dogs as a safety measure if the dog is ever lost. We should be requiring the microchipping of every dog so their reported history is available immediately to anyone with a scanner.

[make_x_it_x_so]

One problem with a vet reporting it is that they were not present during the attack, so I’m not sure how much weight their report would hold.

If it turned out someone was lying about their dog being bitten by another dog (not saying this is what happened at all in this case, just a hypothetical), and the vet reported it, it seems to me like they could be charged with slander or malpractice.

[Marshfield]

[QUOTE=Calamber;7892307]
Has anyone checked the vaccination (rabies) status of the dog? I mean actually see the rabies certificate? This is the place where I think the vet failed in the most major way. It should absolutely be reported for all of the reasons that others may not get off so lightly. There is no reason not to really because that will help in the collection of the bill if it does not come, and serve as a reminder to these people that they cannot let this dog off leash in an unfenced private area ever again.[/QUOTE]

The owner is the one who needs to contact animal control. The veterinarian can then verify extent of injury, etc for the ACO. But since the incident may have occurred in a different town than the veterinary practice, it’s up to the owner to contact the correct ACO. The ACO is also the one who has authority to demand that the owner produce proof of rabies vaccine.

[Calamber]

I did not say that the vet should check the rabies status but why did he/she not even mention it? It would be pretty clear that the dog was attacked by another dog, vet’s can certainly tell that. I really don’t see how it matters whether it is reported in the area where they live or the attack happened. Someone needs to check the rabies status on the dog, and animal control (both where the dog lives and where the attack happened, if they are different) should also know that this dog was running off leash and badly mauled a dog, before it happens to a child, another dog or a person. I am somewhat baffled that the vet did not even ask if the dog which mauled yours was reported to anyone because if that happens, AC will check into the vaccinations status. Also really puzzled that this did not occur to the OPs sister because if a dog mauled mine, the next thing after the vet visit would be a visit to get the rabies cert, either by me or AC.

I had a rescue young dog who bolted out my front door and nipped a woman on the leg who was walking by. I ran into the house to get his rabies certificate and showed it to her. Thankfully she was a very understanding person and did not wish to pursue it further, but, wow, dog mauled and no one contacted for either reason of preventing it from happening again or checking vacs status? I don’t get that.