help!!My child was bit...?

Question

My child (not even 2 yet)was bit at my friend's house,by their dog.I don't know what to do.I have already brought him to the hospital.I didn't even see it happen.All of the sudden,I heard my son crying.I will admit I was not watching him.He ended up having a lot of stitches.My girlfriend is upset!!She told me as well as my friend's not to bring my son over.The reason is because this has happened before with their dog.I'm stuck..please help.I have already gotten a lawyer and will be sueing.Will I be blamed for everything?What do you think should/will happen to me and my friends?by the way,I'm pretty sure the dog is part pitbull

dog has his shots
and they put the dog in a seperate room knowing that my son was over..somehow the dog got let out...
what makes it even worse on my part is that I was playing a video game.I have no clue how it happened.All I know is that there was a dog toy around.so what happens when they (lawyers)ask me what I was doing?do I tell them that I was playing a video game?I feel so bad

why my child?they have their 2 kids around their dog all of the time.dog loves them!!i don't understand.

Answer 1

When my husband was five he got bit by a dog. He provoked the dog by petting it while it was eating. That didn't stop the dog's family from destroying it before the ambulance ever got there. I don't know about whether you were watching it or not, but if you knew the dog had a history you probably should have been more vigilant. The dog should have already been destroyed after the first time.

Answer 2

First off,calm down and breathe.
You were not wrong if you weren't watching the instant the dog bit your child unless you were drunk or high on drugs.
Now,it really doesn't matter what kind of dog bit your son but as a 2yr I am sure he played his part in this ordeal.
2yr old's are too young to be left alone with any dog.They don't know what to do and what not to do and they pull ears,pull tails etc and the dog is only trying to get this to stop and biting is the only way they know to do it.
You need to see that the offending dog is watched for the possibility of rabies to ensure that your son does not have to have rabies shots which by the way aren't as bad as everyone will tell you(My 16month granddaughter had to have them and they were just plain shots. . not shots in the stomach like they use to do).
Your son is not to blame either so for your friend to tell you not to bring your son back is really radical on her part.
This dog apparently is moody and is dangerous and it is the owners responsibility to oversee this animal and since this is the second incident (as far as you know,could have been more) this owner is afraid that she will have to have the animal put down regardless of it's breed. She's also afraid of having charges filed on her for failure to control her animal esp since she already knew the dog had bit someone else and that this animal has the temperment that it has.
I doubt that sueing is your answer as this person probably doesn't have anything anyway. Get her to pay the hospital bills,those now and those that might occur in the future due to possible plastic surgery when you son gets older leave it at that.
(Your son is young enough I am sure that most of the scars will lessen as time goes by but it is possible that they may not.)
All in all you have probably lost this person as a friend so be ready for that.

P.S. I don't believe that all dogs should be put down for a one time biting incident but I do believe that if the animal bites once,they certainly need to be maintained so it won't happen again.
I have had many dogs over the years and they haven't bit anyone but that doesn't mean I don't watch them and warn people of how to approach the animal and what not to do around them. . .my 17mo and 3yr grandchildren as well.

Answer 3

Unfortunately this is not a responsible thing on your part. However, as your lawyer will direct. The dog owner is responsible for damages. It it is sad that this will divide your friendship. If this was my dog. I would have humanly put the dog to sleep the very day if possible or the next day. I would give you all my insurance information so your could file a claim. Regardless of the possibility of this dog being a pit bull type. This dog could have been a tiny ankle biter that can harm someone so breed is not the problem here. I would have never said no you could no longer bring your child over. Real friends do not do that. And as much as I love my dogs, and all my animals. If one were to harm someone or something. They would be put to sleep. I am so sorry your child is hurt from this. Blessings and good luck.

Answer 4

Why are you suing your friend? You should have been watching your child. If you knew that the dog has bit someone before you should have not went to her house,been watching your child or even ask your friend to put the dog out side (depending on temp.) or in its cage or even in a different room. This really happened because of your stupidity. I never would be so stupid as to let my children alone with a dog that I did not know. This same situation happened with my grandmother Akita mix a bunch of time eventually leading to the dog having to be euthanized. And please don't go blaming the pit bull breed if your only "pretty sure the dog was part pit bull" This breed already has a bad name and we don't need it to get worse especially based on "pretty sure"

Answer 5

I sorry to hear about your son. But, it was your fault since you were not watching your child. How do you know that the child didn't hurt the dog, and the dog bit in self defense. The dogs breed does not matter at all. I think that it will be considered your fault because you were not watching your child, and your friend told you not to bring the child over. I would drop the case, you may spend all of the money on lawyer fees and then get no money.

Answer 6

What does pitbull have to do with anything? Any dog that is 100% or even 25% pit bull SHOULD NEVER have a bite history!!!

You are foolish for leaving your child alone. Plain and simple. That is your own damned fault. As a parent, you should know better. Like someone said, would you leave your child alone with an alligator? So why would you leave your child alone with a dog? I dont understand, that after you were told not to bring your child, why you still brought your kid over. Setting yourself up for failure, I am assuming.

Why are you suing? It was your own damn fault for leaving your child alone. Let alone with a dog you knew was faulty at temperment. You wont get a dime, and you would lose a friend. Awesome way to start the day, eh?

That dog needs to be destroyed. No ifs ands or buts about it. A human aggressive pit bull needs not exist. Before the animal bites again and then your friend really has hell to pay. Save the aggrivation and have the dog humanely euthanized.

And perhaps you should seek out a parenting class. Where they teach you how to raise your kid. Because you are doing a sh*tty a*s job.

Answer 7

Yes, it was your fault. You should NEVER leave a child alone with a dog, even a familiar dog. Toddlers don't mean to, but they can pull ears, poke eyes and fall on dogs that are sleeping, getting bitten.

It is also your fault because you knew the dog had a bite history, and yet you let your baby unsupervised with him. Would you leave your child in a room by himself with an alligator?

It doesn't matter what breed the dog is, they can all bite. In fact a few years ago a little baby was killed by a pomeranian.

I'm sure that your lawyer will tell you that you that you can get a big cash settlement, but that means going against thier lawyer- who is going to tell you what I have told you- you left a baby in a room alone with a dog with a known bite history. Yes, it is your fault.

Answer 8

I'd imagine the dog doesn't bite 'his' kids because they probably know how to act around it. Nobody in their right mind would take a 2 yr old over to the house of someone with an aggressive dog, let alone neglect to watch the child. Accidents do happen, that's why you have to watch your child constantly. Of course this will happen when your back is turned, otherwise you would have prevented it. Would you sue your friend for your child drowning in her pool while you weren't watching him? Would you sue her for him electrocuting himself? How about him pulling a pot of boiling water on top of himself? Grow up, take responsibility and be thankful it wasn't worse.

Answer 9

Watch the wound. I know someone whose child was bitten and it made a real mess of her face because, for whatever reason, the skin cells changed. Anyway, I don't understand why you've gotten a lawyer involved if this person is really a friend. I'm sure you're friend feels bad and something needs to be done with the dog. Couldn't you tell her that after knowing the dog has bitten two people, it's in her best interest to have it destroyed...and that if she won't follow through, you'll call the dog officer?

I'm sure you're scared and upset that your child was hurt today, but suing someone...particularly someone you're calling a friend in the same paragraph you're bringing a lawyer into...seems really severe.

Answer 10

Part pitbull or not it definatly isnt the breed. You should have been watching your kid if it was a little puppy. Kids that age dont know that dogs have to have boundaries and I dont see it as being fair that you are putting all the blame on the dogs owner. Or the dog for that matter. And if you were told not to bring your kid over there....than why did you still do it?