whos responsible and how do i make a claim

[soniag]

hi .my lovely collie cross was attacked by a rottweiler this week and we are both in shock as never in 8 years has this happened to her,we have been walking all over every day for two hours average per day and my dog has been to vets with appalling injuries to her left side .we are not even sure its going to heal properly and are off to the vets to have it restitched as it came apart today .poor lara .anyway it jumped its owners fence and ran onto public ground right onto a playing field and then came over to my dog and ran and attacked her.if i hadnt shouted and charghed at it im sure she would be dead .our vets bill is 478.00 at the moment but tomorrow it will go up .the owners are saying they arent going to pay me back so how do i stand and how do i retrieve this huge amount of money. also i believe that rottweilers are not safe yet have never had an issue with big dogs as my boyfriend has two beautiful dobermans .

[jules77]

Sorry to hear about poor Lara, hope she gets better soon.

You could try Ann Harpwood at Justice for Dogs to see if she can offer any advice.

http://www.collienet.com/justicefordogs.htm

[dot.haukes]

I hope you rang the police and the RSPCA

[bednobs]

1) is your dog insured?
2) i can't belive that dog owners would act like this! they give dog owners a bad name. If my dog bit another dog or person i would be absolutely mortified, and make reparations asap,
3) is it worth reporting to the police (or at least thretening to) unless they cough up? - most people would not want their dog reported to the police as there is a chance it could get ut down.
4) biting your dog is bad enough, but what if it had been a child?
5) Are the owners disputing it was their dog that bit yours?

[seadogg]

You have tried the police? Also it would be handy if the incident was witnessed. Have you checked "Dangerous Dogs Legislation" in Google?.

Years ago it was nearly impossible to win a dog on dog case but things have changed. I dont suppose these people have the right home insurance for the job from what you say.

A bit late, but some people carry a stick. We are all sickened for you and wish you well.

Just a few quick thoughts. Hope someone comes up trumps for you.

[lankeela]

Here's a link to the DEFRA website, with some information on Dangerous Dogs legislation. You should report this dog to the police, and also to the local authority.

[lankeela]

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/domest ic/dogs.htm

[soniag]

thankyou for your support.yes i did report it to the police and they said it wasnt for them to even collect the dog off the street where a lady had got hold of it but the dog warden unfortunately the owner came and retrieved it before the warden had replied to the call.the rspca also said it wasnt there job as it was a natural thing for a dog to do to another dog .what rubbish .and whos to say if it wouldnt have bitten myself if id had hold of my dog .,or my autistic daughter if she were holding her lead at the time . the dog warden has come out but said it was between myself and the owner to sort out .i just thought that other people may have had a similar situation for advice . the defra site looks interesting and was helpful thanks .

[kita1]

This leads on from the link lankeela gave:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/domest ic/ddogslawyouleaflet.pdf


You could take out a private prosecution - might be worth consulting a solicitor (or your local CAB they give advice for free).

[Ava77]

Hi Soniag. Who/what number did you call at the rspca that told you that?

If a dog has escaped and is aggressive (and, just to point out, there are also some lovely natured rottweilers out there), the rspca would want to be made aware of them - at the very least they can then monitor the situation in case it's a regular occurrence.

If you could tell me who advised you of this, I'll look into it.

[soniag]

i rang the rspca no in the phonebook which gives you the main rspca no which i thimk was an 0300 no.i spoke to a lady whom takes calls but there wasnt a specific category for attacks on dogs.she said it was normal dog behavior .the dog warden came out yesterday and said he may notify therspca as the owners also have three other dogs .thankyou for the reply .are you working for the rspca ?

[soniag]

went to the vets again as laras skin has died and the wound is open .needs to be cleanedeach day and a gel to be applied,along with flushing the other hole that the vet left for the wound to leak as its infected when the dog bit her .50.00 bill today and the vet said he may need to restitch it .going back in 3 days .havent heard from the owner ,

[Ava77]

Yes, I work for the RSPCA.

Sounds like the National Control Centre number - they aren't RSPCA staff, and whilst they do receive training, occasionally some of the individuals who take the calls aren't really up to scratch. Moving to the call centre enables the RSPCA to handle more calls than the previous system, but there are downsides such as this.

It might be an idea to contact your local branch, tell them the situation, and ask them if they can fill in an 'NCC complaint form'. This will enable to look into both the situation with the dog, and help prevent erroneous advice being given again.

Hope that helps, and that your dog recovers soon.

[Ava77]

Or, if it's more convenient, go to:

http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?page name=RSPCA/RSPCARedirect&pg=AdviceCentre2

and click on 'make an enquiry online', giving as much detail as you can.