I got bit by a pit bull Saturday evening. A friend who I rehab wildlife with asked me to come over and teach some rehabbers under her, how to tube feed baby possums. When I got there, I didn't see the dog....which I know is inclined to be nervous and I have always thought he would be a biter. She was on the phone, and opened the door and the dog ran out and bit me on the back of my leg. She didn't see it. I told her but she didn't seem upset by it. I didn't make an issue of it. I know he is vaccinated, but I will never set foot in her yard if he isn't confined. It isn't a problem for me, but I would put down any dog that bites. She could get in some real trouble over that dog.

He was a rescue...and I have been around him before and I have always thought he was dangerous.

And the reason I would put him down...there are plenty of dogs that don't bite to put up with one that does. Now a little dog, like a chihuahua...probably not, but a pit bull with a dubious background...yes.

I can't see how a bite from a Chihuahua could cause the kind of injury that costs 30-100K.

I think that in some places the charges for the series used to treat possible rabies exposure after a bite from an unvaccinated animal is pretty high. There is controversy about the expense, because in some places in the U.S. and in other countries the cost is much less, but the series consists of 4 shots and one shot can cost as much as $10,000. But there isn't a lot of time for shopping around, once there are symptoms from a rabies infection, the disease will be fatal. And the liable party can be sued for medical bills even if some of the bill is paid by insurance.

The above expenses do not include emergency room bills, surgical costs or subsequent plastic surgery costs which are very expensive. And there may be ongoing pain, infections, and so on which will figure into the total bill . If the series of shots is necessary because the dog was not vaccinated for rabies, the shots themselves can cause pain and a flu-like feeling, serious enough to stay home from work and so lose wages.

I got bit by a yorkie. In the face. It cost a LOT of money to repair my eyelid and cheek to make it not look like a lump of play dough.

Dog size or breed doesn't matter. it's the location of the bite and the severeness of the bite.

Good advice Lucille. I knew a runner who was in a park, saw a small dog, a chihuahua, stopped running. The owner reassured him the dog did NOT bite, it was off leash. He took off running and the dog bit his calf and held on. It tore the muscle. Took two operations to try to reattach it and left a BIG dent in his calf.

I agree with Hot Rod...."Dog size or breed doesn't matter. it's the location of the bite and the severeness of the bite."

I just refused to renew a renters lease, because the GSD puppy would lung and growl repeatidly. Owners couldn't control it and they wanted another one. That dog was a mess. Yes. I realize it was the owners fault....and sad.

Thanks, Lucile, for writing this post. It is a good reminder that any dog can bite if provoked. People can be in denial about it. I love dogs and none of ours ever did, but it doesn’t mean they couldn’t or wouldn’t given the right conditions.

As a runner, I am always in guard against any dog I do not know. I was bitten as a kid and have always been somewhat afraid it will happen again.

OutsidePlaying, I did nothing to provoke the dog that bit me. I was lying on the sofa and it just walked up and chomped.

This is a good thing to remember. When we had our dog, I trusted her with my life, but also recognized the limitations of a dog and always treated her like she had the potential to cause a problem if she were provoked or frightened or even confused. When our daughter was born and we'd had pup for 12 years, I never left her alone in the room with the baby- she would never have done anything to hurt the baby, but you never take a chance on the potential for confusion, fear, or reaction. All dogs should be treated with that potential and enjoyed for their goodness. I've met far too many people who treat their dogs like they have the brain of a rational 30 year old human- which they don't.

Great post Lucille, thank you for writing it. We share a lot of ideas on different types of care for our pets here, but prevention doesn’t come up often at all. While it doesn’t seem like a little dog could cause so much monetary damage, in my work, I see quite a few injuries that are bite related (mostly postal workers) and you would be really surprised. Someone who suffers a bite from another’s pet and sues can expect payment for damages, loss of wages, medical expenses, attorney fees and so on. It can and does add up fast.

It’s not just you or the bite victim who suffers the consequences either, the dog could end up being put down as well. While some dogs are just prone to aggression for whatever the reason, many times, just taking the time to socialize your dog can help with a lot of situations. It’s always worth the try, not just for your wallet but for the sake of the dog as well.

It shouldn't take hearing about a lawsuit or other legal sanctions before the light bulb comes on for a dog owner to realize they MUST ALWAYS do everything and anything necessary to prevent their dog(s) from biting humans or other dogs. Duh.

Chihuahuas are notorious for being "biters". I have a good friend who had one that lived to be 17 1/2. It had diabetes and had to get a shot twice daily. It bit her twice daily for years. She wore heavy leather gloves.

A responsible pet owner will confine her pets when guests come to visit unless they are well-known to the dog/cat and have no history of any sort of aggressive behavior. My youngest Cavalier will bark at a stranger, but he's also wagging his tail. I cannot imagine him biting anyone, but when my cleaning woman comes, I put both dogs in their large crate. She does not need to worry about doors being left open - she's there to clean. They couldn't care less.

Since a rabies vaccination is required in ALL 50 states, one should have the tag on the dog's collar of if ones dog doesn't wear a collar, it should be in a file that can be found very quickly. Not only does one not want to pay for rabies shots for someone bitten, one also doesn't want ones pet quarantined for a long period at ones own expense. Interestingly, there are no "philosophical" or "religious" exemptions for a pet being vaccinated for rabies.

Besides being vaccinated for rabies, dogs around here must have a license as well. You can get in trouble for that.

My fear is always of dogs running loose when I have my dog on a leash. I'm not afraid for myself, but for my dog.

My niece's dog was running around their neighborhood (another thing I don't like) and she bit someone, not badly but enough that the neighbor she bit wanted damages and suggested my niece's home owner's insurance would most likely pay. So my niece called the insurance company and yes, they would cover it as long as she got rid of the dog. Sadly she did. And then when the insurance came up for renewal, the insurance company cancelled their policy. It was their family dog, a golden retriever mix.

This happened in a town in my area.

https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/40179809/wattsburg-boy-continues-to-recover-following-dog-attack

Yes. By all means, if you love your dog, keep them confined.

I have had pit bulls, pit mixes and a couple GSDs. The acreage that they romp on has an 8 foot tall, double layered fence that also runs 18 inches underground. There is not a gate from the outside. To get to them, you have to go through the house and then another gate. If you get bitten at my house, honey it's your fault.

Chihuahuas are notorious for being "biters".

My dad had a chihuahua and every time he bit one of us, he would looked shocked and say, "Oh, he's never bitten anyone before!". It happened at least 3x in my presence. We put up with it b/c he loved the dog so much.

Daisy, sadly it seems that your father’s response to his dog biting isn’t uncommon and it’s a situation that I find so baffling. When I see someone doing that, I just want to shake them and scream wake up!!! It’s your responsibility to contain your dog and protect the people who come around it.”

Excellent advice, Lucille. It doesn't matter the size of the dog, especially if nerve damage is involved. My sister was bitten by a dog many years ago, and had to have emergency surgery on her hand. She is a graphic artist. It was an unprovoked attacked by an unleashed dog. You bet she sued, especially since the owner was not accountable. I was bitten by a rescue dog I adopted. He was sleeping on my invalid Mother's bed and I reached out to pick him up to put him on the floor. He viciously bit my arm and broke my skin and left a huge mark. I stupidly tried to keep him, but the next time he bit me was when he jumped up onto the easy chair I was sitting on and attacked. Luckily I was wearing a thick bathrobe, so he didn't puncture the skin. We brought him back to the pound that afternoon, where I'm assuming he was put down. My husband and I were devastated, because we spent a lot of time and money (private visits with a pet behaviorist) to try to save his life, but he was just too aggressive. I find it hard to believe the shelter did not have an inkling as to this dog's real nature.

Had I not had insurance, the expense of my rabies vaccines, tetanus vaccine, and human globulin injection would have been $22,200. This was with no surgery, stitches, or even a band-aid needed. I could see expenses going over $30,000 very easily in the US.

I find it hard to believe the shelter did not have an inkling as to this dog's real nature.

I have talked to people who simply will not, under any circumstances, put down a dog. Their mantra is 'it's all in the way you treat them'. and when something goes wrong they assume that the owner was at fault and provoked the bite. There are 'no-kill' shelters that will not put down any dog.

Sleeperblues I cannot imagine a better home for any dog than yours, you are knowledgeable and sensible. I cannot imagine you provoked those bites in any way, and I too think that as stressful as a shelter environment can be, that they may have had some inkling of his personality.

I go out of my way to avoid all dogs. I've been bitten a few times and do not want to have it happen again. It's amazing how many irresponsible dog owners there are.

This post made me think of an incident with our dog when I was a kid, maybe about 5. My parents had her before they had me; she treated me as if I were her own pup and was very protective. I was playing with one of my little friends who hit me in the face; in the blink of an eye, she bit him. I remember my parents being very worried about his injury, the legal aspects, and whether or not they'd have to put her down. In the end, his parents, who raised hunting dogs, concluded that he should have known how she would react. Yipes, in retrospect.

Lars, it makes me sad that you feel the need to avoid dogs entirely. Of course, I don’t blame you, under the circumstances, I’d probably feel the same way. Sometimes, a few bad apples can really spoil it for everyone.

Lucille, thanks for the kind words! I've had 3 shelter dogs, and two of them have had "issues". The first as above, and the second one was a lovely standard poodle I adopted from a different shelter. While she was a sweet dog that would never bite a person or another pet, she was a runner. And when I say runner, I mean it was impossible to catch her until she tired out on her own, many times overnight. If she somehow escaped, we could never catch her. I found out later that she was returned to the shelter the first time she was adopted. So they knew she was a runner and that she was returned because of that, and let me find out on my own! We ended up having her for many years, until she was old and decrepit and could no longer run, but I always felt deceived by that shelter. She died of cancer 2 years ago at the age of 15.

While I’m not condoning the practice of holding back information at all, I suspect the reason they do it is because they hope the family taking dog will get “attached” and learn to live with the problem like Sleeper did. That’s what happen to my sister as well.

Years ago, she adopted two small llapso mixes; the cutest things ever. Each time she adopted, the agency swore the dog was in perfect health. The first one did fine, but shortly after bringing the 2nd one home, her Vet told her the pup had heartworms. My sister didn’t have the heart to take her back and ended up spending 1,000’s to get her well. A short time later, she found out that the same dog was also diabetic; cha ching! They’re wonderful dogs though and she wouldn’t trade them for the world but....the agency should have made her aware so she could have made an informed choice.

To not fully disclose all known medical information and behavioral insights concerning an animal offered for adoption is deceitful and inexcusable. I think everyone understands that many (most?) animals in such situations aren't perfect snowflakes but all information concerning an animal's special needs, problems and household suitability needs to be provided on the front end.

If they don't know, they don't know. But there's no excuse for withholding information. I would think that any shelter operation so sleazy as to do this regularly would develop a reputation that would keep people away.

I am like Lars, in that I avoid other people's dogs. I have no desire to pet them or interact with them in any way. But, I was raised like that. It was always stressed to me, growing up, to not pet someone else's dog. I don't understand the compulsion people have to do that. If I am in Petsmart, or some place that people are allowed to bring dogs, and there is a dog right in front of me, I might remark that it is pretty or cute, but I would never touch it, any more than I would kiss someone else's baby. But, hey... that is just me....I realize I am odd. And I do like dogs....and I have several.

Marilyn I wish more people had that attitude. I really really really dislike when people just walk up and pet my dog. Even if they do ask, I'll say no, he/she doesn't like strangers and they will say,"oh, dogs love me." Or something similar and pet them anyway. Once at the vet, me and sammy were sitting in the waiting room, a woman and her three kids came in and the kids made a beeline for sammy. Sammy loved people,especially kids. But they didnt know that. The mother did nothing to stop them. When I said something to her, she said that if you're going to have your dog in public, you should be okay with kids petting them. And if he doesn't like being pet, I shouldn't bring him out at all. Huh? This was a vets office, not a dog park or pet store. The nerve and entitlement of some people man. And to top it off, one of the wretched brats yanked his ear so hard he yelped. I wanted to yank a chunk of hair out of the little brats skull. Or at least the moms. The staff there knew me very well and told me to come to the back. The vet wasn't ready for us yet, but they let us sit in an empty exam room to wait our turn. When we left,they were gone. They didnt have a pet with them when they came in so I have no clue why they were there.

I haven’t run into a problem where people just come up to our dog willy nilly to pet her. It’s actually the opposite, she always shows an interest and if given the chance, she’d run up to every person she sees to greet them, that’s one of the many reasons as to why I leash her anytime we take her off of our property. When we’re walking her and someone is approaching us, I take her off the path and put her in a sit/wait position until they pass. She’s socialized and extremely docile, but no one else knows that. It really bothers me when a dog owner will take up the entire path with their dog(s) and not restrain them further so we can pass without feeling anxious.

I know my 80 pound German Shepherd as well as I know myself. She's loving and obedient, consistent and predictable, because of her personality and a lot of training when a puppy. She's as gentle and kind with little children as well as with adults, she loves all people. My little grandkids pull on her, fall on her, do all kinds of things I try to stop. She doesn't care and will move away if she doesn't like what's going on. She's also very loyal (a typical Shepherd trait) and vocally protective of us and I wonder what would happen if there were ever an intruder or if we were threatened.

I don't know your dog. How will they react when the 80 pound Shepherd lets out a loud, threatening bark (after which my dog will do nothing at all)? How will your dog react when a large, muscular dog approaches? I don't know, you may not know either. For that reason, always with little dogs and often with larger dogs (unless I can tell they're well behaved and under control), I step out of the way when another dog approaches and when asked, I'll say "Please stay back, my dog can be aggressive with other dogs". It's untrue but I say that to protect MY dog, not the other dog.

People MUST first ask before petting another dog. When asked, I always say "it's okay to pet her gently, don't move too quickly". Also a fib, my dog will take a caress from anyone, anytime, but I say that again for her protection.

Some family members have a big boxer that is gentle as can be, would lick before he'd bite. When walking the dog, children often come near and ask, "does he bite?" My relative always answers, "I don't know." Safety first.

The dog I had was like Elmer's dog in that she was large and gentle as can be with a vicious sounding bark. Even so, I didn't appreciate others approaching and touching her with sudden, fast movements without asking first. She never was too keen of strangers grabbing her around the tail area which children often did. It concerned me because even a gentle dog will bite if provoked or threatened.

Like Lars, I avoid dogs other than my family's pets. My surrounding neighbors all have big dogs. These dogs jump and bark at the door. I used to bring over vegetables from the garden. no more.

My husband was bitten by a client's dog (Border Collie), unprovoked. People were incredulous that he didn't sue, but he was quite upset by the experience and just wanted to put it behind him, plus it only cost us a $30 co-pay. It really changed his entire attitude toward dogs, he does not trust them anymore at all and will avoid interacting with them, even with friend's dogs.

I suggest an immediate doctor visit and that you look into whether the dog was vaccinated for rabies, and if the neighbor is not forthcoming, involve the local animal control who might have a record, otherwise follow your doctor's suggestion about starting the rabies series. Talk to a local attorney as bite treatment costs can be high.

Just between you and me, if this goes to a jury I don't think they will agree that these are paw prints.

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Jake, you have been to the ER, right? It's imperative that you do so.

Within an hour I went to the hospital and got my building manager involved. The guy refused to give me his name or unit number but we have cameras so they know who it is.

Good morning, jakeseacrest! So happy to know that you took care of yourself yesterday. That's a bad bite. I'm pretty sure that the hospital has to report dog bites and that law enforcement has been notified and maybe have already confiscated the dog.

I hope that the dog owner has been able to provide necessary documents regarding inoculations and has taken responsibility. Will he be able to continue to live there, with or without the dog?

I visited an antique fair today where I saw a woman towing around a smallish terrier type dog, which I thought was somewhat inappropriate for the venue.

But then I saw a little girl about 3 years old following after the dog, which was trying to avoid the child. She kept grabbing its head and putting her face right in the dog’s face, which I thought was asking for trouble. If the dog had bitten the girl’s face it would have served her right, but the dog might have been blamed.

I have no ideas where her parents were, but they should have been teaching her not to chase down and grab strange dogs, especially not to put your face right in the dog’S face.

Wow, pictures don’t lie, that’s definitely a bite! It’s good that you sought medical treatment, but from a legal perspective, in addition to that, you may want to consider having a police report written up so it’s well documented. And who knows, maybe the dog has a history on file already. If it were me I’d want to know if that was the case.

Whoa, sorry that happened Jake. At least it didn’t take a hunk of flesh. Glad you went to the ER . I hope they gave you a tetanus shot. Yes, you must find out if the dogs vaccinations are up to date. I’ll bet they are not.

When my friend was bitten when we were outfor a walk, we called the police. They found the owner. The dog had been vaccinated but there were other complaints about the dog, so the police were able to take action. It affects the owners homeowners insurance. It’s good to have a record.

"It affects the owners homeowners insurance."

So, this is the victim's opportunity for vengeance? Why would this be anyone's business or concern?

I did file a police report and my building managers said that they found out who the guy is. They said that either the dog or the tenant has to leave. I’ll fiind out this week. Thankfully my tetanus is up to date and last October my building required proof of vaccinations for every animal in the complex. I hope this guy complied. Now it’s just dealing with this pain and being sick from the antibiotics

Jake if it were me I'd want to put my eyes on the proof of vaccination, and I'm sure the building manager's office will help. There is no cure for rabies, but if started immediately the rabies series confers some protection. If you were exposed via the bite and have rabies, once there are symptoms it is too late to do anything.

The chances are small that a pet dog has rabies, but they are not zero.

Antibiotics have a way of doing that. It’s good that you filed the police report, having the owner’s name and the dog’s aggression on file is important. Now if the dog bites again, they’ll see it’s history.

You haven’t mentioned anything about this yet Jake, but that guy needs to cover your medical expenses. Everything from the doctors visit to the cost of the antibiotics and any decent person would have been offering to do that already. If I were in your shoes, I’d make him aware that I expect him to cover those costs and let him know that the way he responds would determine whether I see an attorney or not.

Elmer, really? Vengeance? In fact, it would protect the the homeowner. If the dog bites another person, the owner may be sued. Having adequate coverage protects the homeowner and assures that the victim of a bite is paid for costs related to the injury as well as pain and suffering.

You said:

"there were other complaints about the dog, so the police were able to take action. It affects the owners homeowners insurance. "

The subject here seems to be the dog owner's homeowners insurance, unless I've misunderstood. I asked why that was anyone else's business.

...and Judge Judy is a dog owner and dog lover:

jakeseacrest, how are you doing? Hope your wounds are healing nicely!