My dog bit somone Need Help

bigworm36 · 09-05-2011, 02:53 PM

So my dog is 2.5 years old, and I pretty much take him everywhere with me to get my oil changed, to eating outside at restaurants and even into Lowes since he was a puppy. He is not an aggressive dog but protective. I also do training with him and is trained very well. Anyways I was at starbucks today and I was sitting outside at a table. My dog was in a down position on laying right next to me just people watching like all the other times. A guy was walking behind me and stuck his hand out in front of my dog as he was walking by ( I assumed going to pet him) and as he did that my dog bit him before I could say something. I was at first mad and went up to him and asked why did you ask to pet him first, when I should have apologized. His hand was bleeding but didnt look like stitches were needed. I then got yelled at by his wife and her friend telling me how could I bring such a crazy dog out in public and so on, and went into starbucks and told them I had to leave cause my dog was aggressive. I then gave them my information and my dogs micro chip number and they said I will be hearing from animal control. They said they love dogs and have dogs but I should not have him in public. My dog has never bit anyone and after they left I had two people come up to me saying that my dog or I did not do anything wrong, one being a retired police officer sitting right next to me outside. They gave me there information and said to call them if I need anything. I really dont know what else to do, was I in the wrong, I dont want to loose my dog.

fuzzybunny · 09-05-2011, 03:23 PM

First off, I want to say how sorry I am that you're going through this. I can only imagine your stress right now.

I think the guy should have asked before putting his hand down in front of your dog because your dog was likely startled and perceived him as a threat since your dog was in a down position and he came up from behind and bent over him.

With that being said though, not everyone is educated on dog etiquette and this is a situation which happens all the time when in public. People want to see your dog and will stick their hand out while walking by.

I can see both sides of the situation. If you're dog has the capacity to bite when startled then that's not a good thing. What if it was a child walking by?

I don't think you're going to lose your dog but you will most likely have AC pay you a visit.

bigworm36 · 09-05-2011, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuzzybunny

First off, I want to say how sorry I am that you're going through this. I can only imagine your stress right now.

I think the guy should have asked before putting his hand down in front of your dog because your dog was likely startled and perceived him as a threat since your dog was in a down position and he came up from behind and bent over him.

With that being said though, not everyone is educated on dog etiquette and this is a situation which happens all the time when in public. People want to see your dog and will stick their hand out while walking by.

I can see both sides of the situation. If you're dog has the capacity to bite when startled then that's not a good thing. What if it was a child walking by?

I don't think you're going to lose your dog but you will most likely have AC pay you a visit.

He is good with children I can that I dont believe that would have happened if it were a child, the guy did not reach over him he just started to stick his hand out in front of him as he was walking by. Other people have walked by while I was sitting there with no issue. I do appreciate your response that helps with the stress of them not taking him. I have never had anything like this happen so I am not sure on how to handle it.

Jax08 · 09-05-2011, 03:43 PM

I'm not sure what to respond on this one. It doesn't sound like the guy really did anything to provoke your dog and that your dog reacted inappropriately to the situation. I think the situation may have ended differently if you had asked about the guys welfare instead of yelling at them.

codmaster · 09-05-2011, 03:49 PM

Tough situation for you!

I have had similar things happen as we were walking thrugh a park with a soccer tournament - some guy walking from behind us (never saw him!) and he walks by us and reaches out and pets baron on the top of his head three or four pats! Fortunately Baron thought it was kind of cool and just wagged his tail but i could see him reacting differently to this also.

Some folks just act kind of wierd sometimes.

You might want to talk to a lawyer just in case to find out what the law and your rights might be where you live.

Jax08 · 09-05-2011, 03:50 PM

And the first thing I would do is NOT post about it on a public forum!!!! All this can be used in court!!!

debbiebrown · 09-05-2011, 03:59 PM

its a hard situation.....i can certainly understand the OP being upset and getting mad, sometimes thats a first response, maybe not the right one, but a surprise situation can definitely cause that reaction with some......

if your dog has not ever shown anything like this before than it could be a fluke thing, but it does also show he is capable of reacting to a surprise hand out on front of his face......

i doubt you will lose your dog, he was leashed, right? and he does have current Rabies Vac? you may see the AC person, but i don't think it would go more than that........

its something you might want to be aware of when out in public now that its happened, there are alot of stupid dog people in this world and you do kinda have to keep an evil eye out.........I do have a potential bitter, i do go out in public, but i also pick where i go, and am aware of my surroundings.........not much fun, but thats the way it is............but, in your case, it really sounds like a fluke, but something to make a note of.............LOL

fuzzybunny · 09-05-2011, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigworm36

He is good with children I can that I dont believe that would have happened if it were a child, the guy did not reach over him he just started to stick his hand out in front of him as he was walking by. Other people have walked by while I was sitting there with no issue. I do appreciate your response that helps with the stress of them not taking him. I have never had anything like this happen so I am not sure on how to handle it.

You know your dog best so has he showed any signs in the past that you can recall where he demonstrated fear/nervousness/protectiveness towards strangers? Knowing the trigger can help you work with your dog. Something about that situation made him uneasy and he reacted.

I would contact a trainer and discuss what happened with them. You have nothing to lose and if AC shows up at your door perhaps it will help because it will look like you're taking the incident very seriously and doing all you can?

carmspack · 09-05-2011, 04:08 PM

this is like so many stories we see and hear all the time. Think back to the home depot store where an employee stuck their hand into the cart where the lap dog was.
People are unpredictable , so you can't let your guard down no matter how good the dog is.
I also see people taking there dogs everywhere and then the dog sits , bored, waiting around. If you are out with your dog be out with your dog. Not walking and talking on the cell phone , not spending the hour , which should be for the jog or training session, at a restaurant or doing grocery shopping. Not at the oil change . See it here taking the dog for a Sunday drive . Those are things you need to do, there's nothing in it for the dog. There is more to bonding than being carted around. Worse ! in my daughters subdivision saw a woman out for exercise (good idea) proud as punch , smiling at me as I drove by , with two overweight pug , beagle crosses sitting in a two-dog carriage . Those dogs were in dire need of the walk.
Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs

wolfman · 09-05-2011, 04:17 PM

I'm sorry to hear this. Certainly not a good situation, but by the sounds of it it was difficult for you to head it off.

Seeing as your dog had never acted like this before leads me to think it might have been startled or felt protective. I hope everything works out for you and you don't get a lot of aggravation over it.

09-05-2011, 02:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
bigworm36 Junior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 25	My dog bit somone Need Help So my dog is 2.5 years old, and I pretty much take him everywhere with me to get my oil changed, to eating outside at restaurants and even into Lowes since he was a puppy. He is not an aggressive dog but protective. I also do training with him and is trained very well. Anyways I was at starbucks today and I was sitting outside at a table. My dog was in a down position on laying right next to me just people watching like all the other times. A guy was walking behind me and stuck his hand out in front of my dog as he was walking by ( I assumed going to pet him) and as he did that my dog bit him before I could say something. I was at first mad and went up to him and asked why did you ask to pet him first, when I should have apologized. His hand was bleeding but didnt look like stitches were needed. I then got yelled at by his wife and her friend telling me how could I bring such a crazy dog out in public and so on, and went into starbucks and told them I had to leave cause my dog was aggressive. I then gave them my information and my dogs micro chip number and they said I will be hearing from animal control. They said they love dogs and have dogs but I should not have him in public. My dog has never bit anyone and after they left I had two people come up to me saying that my dog or I did not do anything wrong, one being a retired police officer sitting right next to me outside. They gave me there information and said to call them if I need anything. I really dont know what else to do, was I in the wrong, I dont want to loose my dog. Last edited by bigworm36; 09-05-2011 at 02:55 PM.

09-05-2011, 03:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
fuzzybunny Elite Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Ottawa Posts: 1,811	First off, I want to say how sorry I am that you're going through this. I can only imagine your stress right now. I think the guy should have asked before putting his hand down in front of your dog because your dog was likely startled and perceived him as a threat since your dog was in a down position and he came up from behind and bent over him. With that being said though, not everyone is educated on dog etiquette and this is a situation which happens all the time when in public. People want to see your dog and will stick their hand out while walking by. I can see both sides of the situation. If you're dog has the capacity to bite when startled then that's not a good thing. What if it was a child walking by? I don't think you're going to lose your dog but you will most likely have AC pay you a visit. __________________ Carolyn Jazz, Shiloh Shepherd, 2.5 years old, CGC HIC Bunny, GSD X, 5.5 years old

09-05-2011, 03:59 PM	#7 (permalink)
debbiebrown Crowned Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: maine Posts: 7,598	its a hard situation.....i can certainly understand the OP being upset and getting mad, sometimes thats a first response, maybe not the right one, but a surprise situation can definitely cause that reaction with some...... if your dog has not ever shown anything like this before than it could be a fluke thing, but it does also show he is capable of reacting to a surprise hand out on front of his face...... i doubt you will lose your dog, he was leashed, right? and he does have current Rabies Vac? you may see the AC person, but i don't think it would go more than that........ its something you might want to be aware of when out in public now that its happened, there are alot of stupid dog people in this world and you do kinda have to keep an evil eye out.........I do have a potential bitter, i do go out in public, but i also pick where i go, and am aware of my surroundings.........not much fun, but thats the way it is............but, in your case, it really sounds like a fluke, but something to make a note of.............LOL __________________ url

09-05-2011, 03:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 14,314	I'm not sure what to respond on this one. It doesn't sound like the guy really did anything to provoke your dog and that your dog reacted inappropriately to the situation. I think the situation may have ended differently if you had asked about the guys welfare instead of yelling at them.

09-05-2011, 03:49 PM	#5 (permalink)
codmaster Crowned Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: California, US Posts: 4,759	Tough situation for you! I have had similar things happen as we were walking thrugh a park with a soccer tournament - some guy walking from behind us (never saw him!) and he walks by us and reaches out and pets baron on the top of his head three or four pats! Fortunately Baron thought it was kind of cool and just wagged his tail but i could see him reacting differently to this also. Some folks just act kind of wierd sometimes. You might want to talk to a lawyer just in case to find out what the law and your rights might be where you live.

09-05-2011, 03:50 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 14,314	And the first thing I would do is NOT post about it on a public forum!!!! All this can be used in court!!!

09-05-2011, 04:08 PM	#9 (permalink)
carmspack Knighted Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: ontario - Posts: 3,316	this is like so many stories we see and hear all the time. Think back to the home depot store where an employee stuck their hand into the cart where the lap dog was. People are unpredictable , so you can't let your guard down no matter how good the dog is. I also see people taking there dogs everywhere and then the dog sits , bored, waiting around. If you are out with your dog be out with your dog. Not walking and talking on the cell phone , not spending the hour , which should be for the jog or training session, at a restaurant or doing grocery shopping. Not at the oil change . See it here taking the dog for a Sunday drive . Those are things you need to do, there's nothing in it for the dog. There is more to bonding than being carted around. Worse ! in my daughters subdivision saw a woman out for exercise (good idea) proud as punch , smiling at me as I drove by , with two overweight pug , beagle crosses sitting in a two-dog carriage . Those dogs were in dire need of the walk. Carmen Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs

09-05-2011, 04:17 PM	#10 (permalink)
wolfman Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Toronto Canada Posts: 45	I'm sorry to hear this. Certainly not a good situation, but by the sounds of it it was difficult for you to head it off. Seeing as your dog had never acted like this before leads me to think it might have been startled or felt protective. I hope everything works out for you and you don't get a lot of aggravation over it.

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