dog bite

[tamborine]

2weeks ago the cops said my dog may have bitten someone and the cops would return with the bitten person to check if it was my dog. As yet they haven't returned!

Surely if the cops suspect my dog as dangerous they wouldn't take this long to respond?

[Teleph0ne]

I would say that they have found another dog to blame or have dropped the case

[tamborine]

You'd think I'd be informed - meanwhile have had my dogs stay hidden.....not risking them put down.

The person would have tresspassed to have been bitten by my dogs!

[ummmm]

Surely your dogs can bite anyone who trespasses?

[tamborine]

no ummm.........even tresspassers have same rights as burglars - no harming anyone. I do have warning signs but that's like a red flag to a bull ;)

How long do I keep dogs hidden - naughty I know but I never saw this happen and my dogs have acres to run away if frightened.

[fredpuli47]

It's only a criminal offence (Dangerous Dogs Act 1991) if a) the dog is in a public place
and b) is dangerously out of control
If the police think now that it was your dog but the incident wasn't in a public place (a place to which the public have access such as the highway or, perhaps and sometimes, a pub car park) then it's not a police matter From what you say, it wasn't in a public place.It may not have been dangerous either, of course, though it's not the law that a dog has one 'free bite'.It may be obviously dangerous and out of control but only have bitten once or not, in fact, have succeeded in injuring anyone !

There's a civil proceeding, not criminal, in the magistrates court too (Dogs Act 1871).It proceeds by way of 'complaint' by the aggrieved party. They have to show that the dog was dangerous and not properly controlled. The dog can be on private or public property.That's not a police matter (though they may be interested in the presence of a dangerous dog, that's purely a matter of interest, nothing more)

Thre's another crime which is committed by the kind of thug who goes into somebody else's private property with a dangerous dog but that doesn't seem material here!

I take it your dog is not 'a pit bull type' ! There's special provision for those, under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

[fredpuli47]

By the way, about warning signs.Mine says 'Dogs loose within.Ring [mobile and farmhouse numbers] for an untroubled entry'.It's carefully worded.It doesn't say 'beware' or anything else which could be interpreted as meaning that the dogs are, or might ever be, capable of biting anybody,let alone dangerous. Anyone should be careful not to give any other impression, for otherwise they may be said to be admitting to a danger.My notice assumes that anyone entering might be troubled, as good citizens, to be met by dogs who escaped into the street or be surprised to be met by dogs who ran up to them as they entered.It's telling them that dogs are there, no more.
Chances are that my dogs are in the house, not out in the grounds at all, but you can't be too careful!