Well, we were gone to church today and had a neghbor show up to tell us our dog (who has never bitten) bit their kid. We have a run in the yard that is clearly and only our front yard and I am wanting to know what the kid was doing with his bike in our front yard (it was still there), It is not near the sidewalk.

They took him to the emergency room and he got one stitch and the parents have already stated we need to pay for it. We then got a call from the emergency room to get shot dates for animal control personnel. How much is this going to cost us? I guess we will not be able to have Rocky outside? I wish we had a fence!

I will also add that our future worry is that we have no control over getting a fence (church parsonage) and have so many people over this new worry is one I don't know how we will handle. We moved from the country to the city and it stinks for him!

@RHicks:

Well, we were gone to church today and had a neghbor show up to tell us our dog (who has never bitten) bit their kid. We have a run in the yard that is clearly and only our front yard and I am wanting to know what the kid was doing with his bike in our front yard (it was still there), It is not near the sidewalk.

They took him to the emergency room and he got one stitch and the parents have already stated we need to pay for it. We then got a call from the emergency room to get shot dates for animal control personnel. How much is this going to cost us? I guess we will not be able to have Rocky outside? I wish we had a fence!

I will also add that our future worry is that we have no control over getting a fence (church parsonage) and have so many people over this new worry is one I don't know how we will handle. We moved from the country to the city and it stinks for him!

When you say that you have a run in the yard, I am assuming that it is a fenced run, chainlink? Even with a fence and even though clearly your yard, you may still be held liable. In this day and age, if you are not home to supervise, it is best not to have your dog outside where people can have access. Even if it is on private property.

As for what it might cost, if they are uninsured, medical bills can add up quickly. The steepest cost though may not be monetary, but may be the consequences to your dog.

IT was naive on our part. where we moved from Rocky could be in the backyard while we were gone with no problem because we had no neighbors but city life is different for him and I hate that for him.

As far as the cost to Rocky, I feel like I went from a pet owner with a great, friendly dog to one with a dangerous dog in one morning with no warning. Here he sits, curled up at my side as usual, with no idea he is now 'labelled' dangerous. I really want to know what that kid was doing to him. He was bit on the hand but insists he was walking by him…. his hand was not walking by.

Now that he has bitten once will he be more likely to bite again?

Since you were not at home and don't know the circumstances of why the bite happened, it is pretty difficult to say if it will happen again….. You will never know if the dog was being teased or even if the child just was trying to pet the dog. Did he startle the dog? Again, not being there, I doubt you will really ever know... A dog that is visable and "cute" will draw in a child, even adults that really don't think about the fact that they might not take to a stranger.... I think we have all seen children go to "grab" at a dog because they were not thinking or have not been taught that they should never approach a dog that is not theirs.....
I think as Lisa said, you should never leave your dogs unattended when others can get to them...

this kid was 12 years old. So I guess my dog just has to live the rest of his life inside unless we are walking him. Wow, that's rough to think about…. you can tell I moved from the country I guess since my mind can't wrap around that thought yet!

Yes it is difficult…. certainly a fenced yard is needed however if you leave your pets outdoors or they have access to the outdoors. Even in the country they should be contained by a fence.. and even then if someone gets into your yard your are most likely liable for bites if they happen...

We have our yard fenced, but with 12 foot privacy fences with padlocks on the gates...

@RHicks:

this kid was 12 years old. So I guess my dog just has to live the rest of his life inside unless we are walking him. Wow, that's rough to think about…. you can tell I moved from the country I guess since my mind can't wrap around that thought yet!

Though it is tough not having a yard that you can let your dog out into, most basenjis seem to be family oriented and are happy to just hang out with their people. Many live in apartments with no yards and are quite happy. Even though I have privacy fence, I don't leave my dogs out in the yard when I am not at home. They really don't seem to mind and even when I am at home they usually prefer to just be where I am.

I would take photos of the bike in YOUR yard..get all your vet records for the authorities to see and be prepared to pay the medical costs, I would do that gladly and quickly.
I my area, a dog is given one bite. After that the humane society labels it a dangerous dog and it can be taken and put down.
I would pay what bill the kids owners present and pray that the insurance companys don't hear about it.
That is where the real trouble lies, they can decide YOU have a dangerous dog and put all sort of conditions on your ability to get home insurance.
So, make nice even tho it wasn't your dogs fault Never leave a dog outside without you being in the yard, and pray that it all goes away.
Hugs dear.
Hard lesson to learn.
We have dogs and they can bite even if they are NOT at fault, we have to make sure they and you are safe from stupid kids/folks.
Hugs again.

yup, lesson learned here!

Would it be possible to put a fence just around the dog run? To keep people back?

I will occasionally leave one or two of our Bs in the back yard if the weather is great, and I will only be gone for less than an hour or so….but we do have a privacy fence, and live in the country.

I would be far to afraid to leave a dog exposed to any old person walking by in the city (or in the country). After having worked in a zoo for over ten years, I have seen to many people do too many stupid things to think that they will use common sense around animals. I don't want to subject my beloved pets to other people

Rocky will be fine with only supervised outside time. And I wouldn't let one unobserved bite incident change the way you feel about your dog. He is still the same dog Dogs will bite if pushed too far, it doesn't make any given dog a nasty dog.

Sorry you had to go through this....

rocky bit my boyfriend once. REALLY bad. there were holes in his arm and hand so deep that they wouldnt stop bleeding and were bruised. he went to the ER and they made the animal control people come out to see rocky.. something liek 10 days later…. i guess they check for rabies or something because they die after being infected for like a week or so. idk its some disease that makes them aggressive. I was home alone when he came.. and he didnt even come into the house. he saw rocky running around and said okay i just needed to make sure he was alive... and left...

it shouldnt cost you anything, besides the copay.. right ? i know dan had to pay $200 for a shot and some bandaids... they couldnt stitch anything because it was such a jagged cut.

Rocky&Mia both have runs in the back yard that aren't fenced. & i'd have to fight that situation because if the kid was in your yard it isn't your fault. you know? but then again im sure they'd say their kid didn't do anything to your dog.. your dog is just aggressive. or you dont have a no trespassing or beware of dog sign. people are so crazy sometimes.

The problem is that now, with all the "dangerous" dog media, you dog, can be seized and put down even if your dog is in the RIGHT!.
Your insurance company can make you pay a "bond" or whatever they decide $3000. is what I am hearing…so you can have home owners insurance.
That means, if there is any claim to your policy, even if your right, your will lose that $$ and you will lose your home owners insurance.
The bottom line is that the authorities can come in, take you dog and charge you.
So, you have to be smart...even if YOU and your dog isn't at fault.
Sadly, its getting ugly out there for dog owners and to be ok, we have to be better and the best...to keep our dogs safe.

animal control came by yesterday and we have to quarantine rocky for 10 days then take him to the vet. He said it is our liability regardless of the reasoning just like if we had a well at our property that a trespasser fell into. He was nice but I am still not sure about the guys insurance.. we also found out he is an excop and a newspaper reporter here in town. almost funny but not in a good way!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, I think that it is because dogs are treated like pools. There is a legal phrase not exactly sure what it is but something like a "acttractive hazard". Basically it is expected that these things are attractive to children and so normal means of preventing access are not considered enough to keep you from being liable.

I do think it is a different matter if an adult is bitten when trespassing on your property.

I was just quoting our animal control officer.

I am sure that liability will vary state to state.

Please keep us informed.
It's not fair, but it is what it is…

Hi–sorry to hear about your incident. Homeowners policies do differ according to state law. Medical insurance and Emergency Room care are subject to state laws as well. I audit hospital accounts and have worked in an ER. I can tell you all dog bites treated in an ER are reported and it can affect how the policy pays for treatment (or, if they pay depending on the circumstances). Good luck with all of this and I hope it can be resolved in a civil manner.

Anything new?

we had to quarantine him for 10 days and have him cleared by the vet. We have not heard on the doctor bills so I am assuming their insurance paid… which is what they said would be used if it worked. The boy was over here the next day so I know there are no hard feelings. no more problems with Rocky.