earlier today my mom was returning home from her usual walk.. this time she took our dog (mixed mini-poodle). she was walking down the street when a dog from the other side of the street ran outside of a house and bit our dog in the stomach... we just took her to the vet and it costed 200 bukks to analyze her condition... we have to return later to see whats up with the dog... what is the right thing to do in this situation? (the dog that attacked was a german shepard)
2006-09-12 10:19:05 · 22 answers · asked by benjeh... 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
SUE THE OWNERS FOR THAT MONEY BACK.... at least, that is what I would do. Talk to a lawyer to see if you can...
2006-09-12 10:22:08 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am very sorry about your dog. Unfortunately, interdog aggression is not uncommon. You need to go to the house where the shepherd came from, and make sure that it was their dog, first of all. If it is, get proof of rabies vaccination from the owner. You should approach the owner calmly, as they may not even be aware of what happened, and this may not have happened before. If they get mad, or are unreasonable, then you can be that way too.
Even if the owner is willing to work with you on the bills, you should still report the incident to animal control. This will impress upon the owner that they need to be very careful of their dog around other dogs.
As for suing the owners of the shepherd, you could probably get the cost of the vet bills, but whoever suggested that you might get punitive damages is completely wrong. In most states, you can get reimbursed for the cost of the animal, but not for pain and suffering. It is not up to the judge.
Hopefully your dog recovers fine, and all goes well.
2006-09-12 10:34:45 · answer #2 · answered by clovicat 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would make the owner of the German Shepherd pay for your dogs vet bills. If the owner is a responsible owner he will have no problem with this, if he fails to do so i would take him to court for it. It is not right for him to have a dog that will leave it's yard to attack another dog like that off leash, (what if he had attacked a kid instead of your dog?) I would also do like the others said and report this insident to animal control so that they have a record of it if anything else should happen in the future.
This dog needs to be labled as a vicious dog and others need to be protected from him in the future.
Where I live a VICIOUS DOG includes:
1. a dog that has attacked, bitten or caused injury to a person or has demonstrated a propensity, tendency or disposition to do so;
2. a dog that, while running at large, has attacked, bitten, killed or caused injury to a domestic animal;
3. a dog that, while running at large, has aggressively pursued or harassed a person;
4. a dog that, while running at large, has aggressively pursued or harassed a domestic animal.
2006-09-12 10:53:05 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That would be a small claims case if you wanted to pursue it...Just recently (a month ago or so) on of my neighbors had her little Yorkie outside chained to a pole in HER front yard and a neighbor's little girl from another street had their Pitt bull out for a walk on a leash and the little girl was on roller blades...
The pit bull attacked the Yorkie in the Yorkie's yard and killed it. The Yorkie's owners were out there trying to get the dog off and couldn't get it off, the Pitt bull owner (little girl) was yelling for them to leave her dog alone...in the meantime, the Yorkie died, and the police were called out.
Since it was a dog and a dog, there is nothing they could do. If it would have been a child, it would have been a different story. The sad part is that the people that owned the Pitt bull never even apologized.
2006-09-12 10:37:50 · answer #4 · answered by Peachz 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As several others have mentioned you need to report this to the police right away. Don't approach the other dog's owners until you have already filed a report. The police will be able to get the dog's vaccination record and their presence may pressure the other party to pay the vet bill up front. If the other owners do not pay then you will have to go to small claims court but you need to have the police report to prove your damages.
2006-09-12 10:51:52 · answer #5 · answered by Greyt-mom 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This happened to me, my Boxer got attacked by a German Shepard as well, a couple of years ago. Quick thinking made me respond pretty fast, and I gave the German Shepard a HARD kick in the ribs. That pretty much ended it, the Shepard limped away with probably a broken rib.
When its your beloved pet, the attacker doesn't matter. Don't do a half heated kick. You've got to just wail on the offending dog like its a soccer ball. Remember, the attacking dog is after your dog and is distracted, its pretty easy to get a kick in, just do it quickly and HARD!
Its REALLY important to keep your hands out of it. This is how people get bitten. Drop the leash, this gives your dog a chance to defend itself and it frees you up to be onguard.
2006-09-12 10:37:10 · answer #6 · answered by Paul Z 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with Theophane. If the owners of the shepard refuse to pay, call the police and file a police report, then have animal controll haul the dog away. There will be a hearing as to weather to have the shepard put to sleep because of it being a menace, or hazardus dog. Then sue the he** out of the shepards owners for not being responsible dog owners.
2006-09-12 10:33:05 · answer #7 · answered by tiggerpat66 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You need to take the vet bill to the dogs owner and let them know that you are going to contact animal control. You absolutely need to let animal control know what happened. If this dog has attacked your dog off of his own property he can be deemed a "dangerous dog". He will then be required to be restrained on his property at all times. If this dog attacks another animal or person in the future then they will have a record and the people can be sued.
Good luck to your sweet poodle, I hope he heals quickly.
2006-09-12 10:24:22 · answer #8 · answered by i have no idea 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your dog was on a leash and the other was NOT on a leash, tell your Mom that she needs to
First, call the Animal Shelter or Dog Warden to report the attack and ensure that the dog had his shots
Secondly, speak to the owner and explain that the owner is liable for the damage done.... the Vet bills, meds, etc
Hope I helped and I hope your dog is ok. Let us know.
2006-09-12 10:26:12 · answer #9 · answered by rolahey 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A similar thing happened to our dog on our street, I was walking down the street with my dog and a neighbors dog was loose it also attacked my dog ripped her open on the leg it cost 400 in vet bills we asked the neighbor that owned the dog to help with the expenses and they would only pay half fair enough I guess seeing both dogs were off the leash.
2006-09-12 10:28:13 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hi!
Bill the owner of the German Sheperd. If the owner won't pay, call Animal Control and then take the owner of the German Sheperd to small claims court. Make sure you take pictures of your dog's injuries to show the judge... and have the vet paperwork handy as well...
:)
T.
2006-09-12 10:23:03 · answer #11 · answered by Theophania 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋