i've been bitten by a Dog,what should i do?

ooter

i was bitten by a Dog in a completely unprovoked attack recently.i was standing outside the gates of a property talking to a friend of mine.i'd been standing there for a good 20 mins and the Dog in question was inside the gates/fencing running around the garden.then,for no reason at all,he came from behind me,stuck his head through the bars and bit me on the back.it was very painful and drew blood.
i immediately knocked on the door of the owner.i was already very annoyed but her reaction made me furious.she took no responsibility at all for what her dog had just done,she actually accused me of doing something to provoke the Dog.anyway,i had to go for a Tetanus jab and am still on antibiotics.
i've been thinking about it a lot since it happened and i've come to the conclusion that i should report the Dog.if i was to hear in the future that this Dog attacked a young child i would be furious with myself for not doing something.
could anyone give me some advice on how i could go about reporting this Dog?
cheers

landser

report her to the dog warden. If you are injured, you could take a claim against her.

ooter

does anyone have any phone numbers for Dog wardend?
i've checked the DCC website but can't find any numbers

quazzy

Found a few bits of info from google

Dublin City Council

http://www.dublincity.ie/sitetools/faq/faq_environment_and_culture/dog_warden_patrol_request.asp

South Dublin C C
http://www.sdublincoco.ie/index.aspx?pageid=57&deptid=5&dpageid=275

Hope they help.

The owner of the dog should be responsible for the actions of the dog - so keep receipts of the medical costs and send them the copies with a request to be reimbursed.



Regards,
Q

Gurgle

ooter wrote:

stuck his head through the bars and bit me on the back

tbh, you're going to have a hard time prooving that the owner didn't take all reasonable action to prevent her dog biting someone. He was enclosed on private property, and you were obviously very close to the railings.

If he was running around on the street, or even on a lead tied to something in a public area, you'd have a case.

Not justifying her actions or attitude btw, seek legal advice.

ooter

Gurgle wrote:

He was enclosed on private property
seek legal advice.

try telling that to a young child who may be walking by one day,close to the railings,and end up getting bitten on the arm or somewhere even worse.
tbh i don't have the time or money to go down the Legal route

Dyr

ooter wrote:

i was bitten by a Dog in a completely unprovoked attack recently.i was standing outside the gates of a property talking to a friend of mine.i'd been standing there for a good 20 mins and the Dog in question was inside the gates/fencing running around the garden.then,for no reason at all,he came from behind me,stuck his head through the bars and bit me on the back.it was very painful and drew blood.
i immediately knocked on the door of the owner.i was already very annoyed but her reaction made me furious.she took no responsibility at all for what her dog had just done,she actually accused me of doing something to provoke the Dog.anyway,i had to go for a Tetanus jab and am still on antibiotics.
i've been thinking about it a lot since it happened and i've come to the conclusion that i should report the Dog.if i was to hear in the future that this Dog attacked a young child i would be furious with myself for not doing something.
could anyone give me some advice on how i could go about reporting this Dog?
cheers

Im a bit fuzzy here, A dog bite's ye from behind the gate and you then opened the gate, and walked up to knock on the door to complain? thats a wide gate if a dog can stick its head right through it though

ooter

Bambi wrote:

Im a bit fuzzy here, A dog bite's ye from behind the gate and you then opened the gate, and walked up to knock on the door to complain? thats a wide gate if a dog can stick its head right through it though

i never said i opened the gate and the Dog didn't stick it's head through the gate,it stuck it's head through the railings surrounding the property.the grounds that the Dog was running around in were next door to a Guesthouse.
i found out from passers by that the Dog belonged to the owner of the Guesthouse.the front door of the Guesthouse was next door to the house that the Dog was running around in the grounds of.
i knoked on the door of the Guesthouse and the woman confirmed that she was the owner of the Dog.

daveg

My wife was bitten a fee years ago while she was out walking (close to our home). She came home very upset and I was very angry. I called to the house she described and realised it was a chap I worked with. I told him about the situation and he promised to tie the dog up. Was a very unpleasent situation as I work with the guy.

He is now my boss

Gilgamesh

lock yourself up when it is a full moon

mjffey

ooter wrote:

if i was to hear in the future that this Dog attacked a young child i would be furious with myself for not doing something.

So you wouldn't be upset if the dog bit me (46) or some other grown up?

FranknFurter

You didnt see the dog coming in time to move the few inches it would have taken not to be close enough to somones fence for a dog to stick its muzzle through? It crept stealthly up to you?

I dont mean to be rude, but I cannot help wondering how close you would have to be to somones fence for a dog to bite ya?

(If the gap was big enough for his whole head it would be big enough for him to get through, most dogs muzzles (nose & mouth) are inches only in lenght so you would have had to have been almost against the fence?).

Im not saying the owner is right in her action re the dog, *but* if you were leaning on the fence or within a few inches, then the dog is going to see you as intruding or going to.

B

mjffey

FranknFurter wrote:

You didnt see the dog coming in time to move the few inches it would have taken not to be close enough to somones fence for a dog to stick its muzzle through? It crept stealthly up to you?

I dont mean to be rude, but I cannot help wondering how close you would have to be to somones fence for a dog to bite ya?

(If the gap was big enough for his whole head it would be big enough for him to get through, most dogs muzzles (nose & mouth) are inches only in lenght so you would have had to have been almost against the fence?).

Im not saying the owner is right in her action re the dog, *but* if you were leaning on the fence or within a few inches, then the dog is going to see you as intruding or going to.

B

I have to agree with you.
Of course we don't know the situation exactly, but I have two Irish wolfhounds and a terrier crossbreed. They are behind fences with a heavy duty 1.3 meter high cattle gate. If someone was leaning aginst the gate and my dogs would bite, well, then sorry for that person, but he was just to close for comfort. (of course they would never do that when I would be talking to that person)
My dogs will defend their territory. That's natural and that is what I want them to do.

ooter

i only posted this thread on here to get some advice,not to defend myself.i can't believe some of the people on here.
the garden that this Dog was running around in is on one of the main roads in to Dublin City Centre.hundreds if not thousands would walk past this garden every day,many of them children.if it bit me it could easily bite someone else.maybe it already has,i don't know.when i spoke to the owner she said the Dog was "just a family pet," not a guard Dog.if that's what it is there should be a sign on the railings warning people of this

FranknFurter

No ones attacking you.
We are just interested in how freely the dog was being allowed interact with the general public. For example how close somone would have to be to the property before being in trouble with the dog.
Its even more important if it is in fact, on a road with hundreds of people every day passing, as you say there is.

The fact that you said:

stuck his head through the bars and bit me on the back.it was very painful and drew blood.

is bound to make one wonder how close you had to have been to the property as most dogs, if they can fit their head though the rest can also follow.

Not attacking you at all, just trying to get an idea of your situation, you were looking for advice after all.

b

Alfasudcrazy

Take no notice of the people who doubt your story - the fact is you were on a public road and were bitten and injured.

First call should be to the Gardai and report it - you may be asked do you wish to make a formal complaint and make a statement. If you want something done by the Gardai you must make the statement. The Gardai still have powers under the control of dogs act. Have any medical details ready to include in your statement.

The Gardai can sometimes regard such matters as trivial but you should insist you wish the owner to be prosecuted and follow up on the progress being made in the case.

I have no confidence in dog wardens - they just don't give a damn. :mad:

Last week I was bringing my two Doberman pups for a walk and as I passed a neighbours house their dog emerged from their property through the open gate and attacked my dogs who were terrified (they are only 10 weeks old) I was furious as it was their first walk on a public road and I wanted to train them to be confident etc.
While trying to defend my dogs (worth €500 each) the dog bit me on my ankle. I was wearing shorts and sandles. Luckily the dog bit on the ankle strap so the injury was small but still painful.

I reported it to the Gardai as I too was furious at the lack of concern of the owner when I called to their house to complain. I had intended to demand prosecution by the Gardai and to claim in a civil suit - but then the nrighbours started to allege I beat the dog and had owned pit bull terriers (which I never did) so I just settled for the €60 charge the hospital charged me for the tetinus injection - which I had to wait 4 hours for. :mad:

muletide

The dog was on private property you were against the privatly owned gates of that property. The dogs natural instinct was to protect its turf. How do you expect a territorial animal to react. The owner has no liability the dog was under control on private property. Why do you lean against strangers gates for 20 minutes. Go buy your own house and hang out there.

And you were so threatened by this dog that you went up to the front door -- hmm I smell a rat

If it is compo you are after try Dublin bus they are an easier target... stop picking on innocent dog owners

Alfasudcrazy

Im afraid the days of it being OK for dogs to bite people either on public or private property are long gone. I know of cases where burglars have successfully claimed for injuries against the owners of dogs who bit them when they were 'on the job' :eek:

Also some insurance companies will refuse house insurance if it has a dangerous dog (as in one of the prescribed breeds) resident there. :rolleyes:

muletide

Alfasudcrazy wrote:

Im afraid the days of it being OK for dogs to bite people either on public or private property are long gone. I know of cases where burglars have successfully claimed for injuries against the owners of dogs who bit them when they were 'on the job' :eek:

Also some insurance companies will refuse house insurance if it has a dangerous dog (as in one of the prescribed breeds) resident there. :rolleyes:

Yes but surely the house owners are indemnified if a "Beware of Dog" sign is displayed. Just like alot of businesses do. I look forward to the day a burglar meets my dog

Alfasudcrazy

All those 'beware of dog' & 'cars parked at owners risk' signs etc are worthless legally.

muletide

Alfasudcrazy wrote:

All those 'beware of dog' & 'cars parked at owners risk' signs etc are worthless legally.

Could you show me a reference to where this is stated, or quote some case law or precedence.

luckat

Ooter, of course you shouldn't have been bitten; of course the owner should keep the dog in control; of course you're perfectly right that a child or another adult, or indeed another animal, could be bitten.

And isn't this quite typical of how the soft word turneth away wrath, and the harsh word doesen'teth? If the owner had apologised, brought you in and put disinfectant on your bite, you'd have been much less shocked, and much less likely to go to the cops.

If it were me, and I was worried about others being bitten, I'd report the owner to the Gardai for having an uncontrolled dog, and put in a formal request that the railings and gate be lined on the inside with chicken-wire, so the dog can't bite through them. I'd duplicate this with the dog warden. After that, I'd let it be.

hadook

From what I've heard "beware of the dog" is like admitting you think your dog is going to do something & can be used against you.

I have "caution, dogs running loose" and "please shut the gate" on my my front gates & bamboo screening along the fence & gate so a) that they can't reach out & b) next doors toddler can't reach in. My dogs have never shown any inclination to bite anyone and have always been well behaved around strangers & kids. The reason I have fort knox fencing is because I won't allow them to be put in a situation where they might.

I do think that the original dog should not have been left in a position where it could bite someone but at the same time people should be able to make minor decisions about their own safety. :rolleyes:

kerrysgold

Alfasudcrazy wrote:

Take no notice of the people who doubt your story - the fact is you were on a public road and were bitten and injured.

First call should be to the Gardai and report it - you may be asked do you wish to make a formal complaint and make a statement. If you want something done by the Gardai you must make the statement. The Gardai still have powers under the control of dogs act. Have any medical details ready to include in your statement.

The Gardai can sometimes regard such matters as trivial but you should insist you wish the owner to be prosecuted and follow up on the progress being made in the case.

I have no confidence in dog wardens - they just don't give a damn. :mad:

Last week I was bringing my two Doberman pups for a walk and as I passed a neighbours house their dog emerged from their property through the open gate and attacked my dogs who were terrified (they are only 10 weeks old) I was furious as it was their first walk on a public road and I wanted to train them to be confident etc.
While trying to defend my dogs (worth €500 each) the dog bit me on my ankle. I was wearing shorts and sandles. Luckily the dog bit on the ankle strap so the injury was small but still painful.

I reported it to the Gardai as I too was furious at the lack of concern of the owner when I called to their house to complain. I had intended to demand prosecution by the Gardai and to claim in a civil suit - but then the nrighbours started to allege I beat the dog and had owned pit bull terriers (which I never did) so I just settled for the €60 charge the hospital charged me for the tetinus injection - which I had to wait 4 hours for. :mad:

I'd like to know why you are offended by being ''accused'' of owning a pit bull? how ridiculous.

anyway, to the person who started this thread, you were obviously very close to the fence..too close. if the dog was acting strange, why didn't you just walk away?
personally, i think its you're own fault you got bitten. the dog was on its own land, its not as if it came out specially to attack you.

Alfasudcrazy

kerrysgold wrote:

I'd like to know why you are offended by being ''accused'' of owning a pit bull? how ridiculous.

I am not offended at all - pit bull terriers properly brought up are the sweetest and most loving pets.:cool:

The negative aspect in relation to pit bull terriers was from the other person - obviously referring to a little jack russell we had years ago from when I was aged 4 to 18. He again was the most loyal and loving dog we ever had but drove away intruders with a venom that is still remembered even today - so much so that people think it was two pit bull terriers we owned.:rolleyes:

That little jack russell survived many attempts on his life - including being shot. Must post a pic of him sometime.

ooter

unbelievable!
as the song says "how can i protect you in this crazy world."

elivsvonchiaing

From the legend of Romulus and Remus we have to work out was it a legend or was it true?

I believe it was true. http://www.fpp.co.uk/Auschwitz/stories/Defonseca1.html I believe this really happened.

I can't believe what happened in Leicester; I agree what I heard on the radio this evening; Some people should not be allowed to have dogs.
Dogs that are well-fed do not behave as predators to humans - these dogs were abused imho!
I believe these dogs who are now deceased were starved and neglected!
It is the owners who should now be charged with animal abuse.
A dog that is well-fed and looked-after even its pure wolf - will not do this!!!!!
There is no way in hell the dog's owners should walk scott-free from this!