dog bite

[seamus12]

a young 4 year old child was teasing my dog though my fence and my dog nipped his hand,when he put it though the fence the police came and gave me a warning which i am not happy about where do i stand about this

[andy hughes]

As the law stands, you are at fault for not keeping your dog under proper control.

I entirely sympathise with the fact that your dog was in his own territory, and was provoked by the child, and reacted as most dogs would, but the law still sides with the child on this issue. If this occurs again, there is a real danger that your dog may have to be put down as a danger to the public. Unfair, but still the law. Have you considered blocking your fence from ground level to say, four feet, to prevent anyone teasing your dog? Prevention is certainly better than 'cure' in this instance!

[maggie01]

oh sorry to hear about that but don't start me off

[Typhoid]

Ugh :-/ stupid child .... my advice would be to put a wooden fence up ....

[woofgang]

unfair as it may seem, its the same as swimming pools, the onus is on the owner to prevent access ie your fence shouldn't have had gaps in it that the (stupid nasty ignorant) little angel could have put hid (hideous germ infested) precious little hand through!!

not that I am at all biased towards the dog you understand!!

[sophieb]

I sympathise with you as the child's mother did obviously not have proper control ! As we don't own a dog I have always told my kids to ask the owner if they can touch a dog. Bet the kid won't put his hand through your fence again though !

[joko]

put a beware of dog sign up - then you can say they were warned, and any parents will know the dog is not safe and keep their child away.

also put wire mesh up along the bottom of the fence

[Goodsoulette]

Surely any dog should be tolerant enough of a four year old, what is a small child really capable of. I think you should take that dog to classes to learn how to behave one day he could do some damage.

[Morrisonker]

hmm, i don't think you've been poked by a 4 year old child Goodsoulette! There are few things more irritating than an inqusitive child. They would try the patience of a saint, never mind a dog. It's easy to say that a dog should be tolerent, but the child should have been taught to be very wary of animals in general seeing as they can't recognise the signs (ears back etc) when they get upset.

Surely the child was being supervised though? It's completely the fault of the parent. What idiot lets their child torment a dog then reports it when they 'poor wee angel' gets nipped? Honestly! That kind of thing makes me so angry!

[Goodsoulette]

I actually have a four year old child and i love dogs. I do think if people can easily access your animals they should be tolerant. Both sets of grandparents own dogs and one is trustworthy the other isnt. one dog would never bite, he is a well excercised working farm dog the other a garden dog really would bite you i have no dount. Dogs are pack animals and need to know whos boss, hes friendly normally just isn't good enough. How many times have we heard hed never bitten anyone before when a dog savages a child.

[woofgang]

do not put up a beware of the dog sign! My understanding is that one of the ways that you can defend your dog is to prove that he/she is previously of good character. If you put up a sign it could be argued that you were aware of your dog's propensities.

[woofgang]

no any dog should not be tolerant of a four year old, I am a human and I am not!!

[Snappy]

Even the friendliest dogs can be unnerved by small children! Especially when they rush over, hands everywhere and excitable! I wouldn't blame the dog!

[nananay]

Im not to sure of your local laws, I live in the US and I know this one all to well.....As a home owner and a dog owner you have to have signs up Beware of dog and NO tresspassing.....

The laws here are silly, If someone is even walking down the sidewalk in front of my house and trips and breaks a leg, IM at fault..... But, if I have a no tresspassing sign (in plain view, might want 2/3 signs) up then im not.....Same with the dogs..... I would call your local law office and ask what you can do to keep your dog and yourself safe from these types of things.....

Who knows what that little kid may have done to get bit....Maybe pulled dogs hair or was being mean? I am also a parent and I have always taught my kids to never approach a dog that you dont know! That makes me soooooo mad!!!!!

Another exsample.....My cousin had a trampoline in their back yard and a neighbor kid came over while they were gone and was jumping on it and broke his arm.....My cousins had to pay for the kids medical bills.. Even tho the kid didnt have permission to jump on it while they were gone......... So, get a NO TRESSPASSING sign!!! You can also call a lawyer and get legal advice....

I wish you all the luck in finding a way to protect you and your animals :)

[woofgang]

In the uk it is different, not sure that "no trespassing" has any force over here, but a beware of the dog definitely presumes ttht you knew or believed that the dog might pose a risk and therefore the defence of "previous good character" is shot to pieces. Also with pools, trampolines etc, it is the owner's responsibility to prevent access and a no trespassing sign cuts no ice at all. Heck even BURGLARS can sue us!!!!!

(wanders off muttering)

[joko]

good point woofgang. - perhaps seamus should wait until this matter is resolved and then put a sign up, to prevent it happening again

where were the parents? hard to believe that a parent would just stand there while their child tormented a strange dog! I guess they thought, that as the dog was behind a fence, it would be ok... or perhaps the smell of compo was filling their nostrils...and i don't mean compost!