2023-06-26
While we might be in love with our four-legged friends we should not forget that they are still animals and social norms don’t mean too much to them. If you want your dog to master self-control that will require significant training. You might not think that your dog could bite someone but that is still a possibility no matter how uncomfortable it might make you feel. We will try to help you prepare for this eventuality so you do not feel like fish out of water. There are important questions to consider when we talk about your dog biting someone. How can you stop your dog? Should you call for help? Do you need to report the incident to someone? Can you be sued? Will your dog be taken away?
The consequences of a dog bite depend on the severity of the bite, the connection you have to the person who was bitten, and even your dog’s breed.
A minor bite that affects a family member might be resolved with a sincere apology and first aid to the wounded person. Of course, you will need to identify the reason for the bite and try to train your dog not to repeat this behavior.
If your dog has bitten a stranger at a public location and the bite is severe then you can expect legal ramifications. The person who got bitten can press charges and if your dog is of a larger breed that is considered “aggressive” you will not be in an enviable position. Again, you will need to identify the reason for the bite and try to train your dog not to repeat this behavior.
If you have been attacked and your dog acted in your defense then the first thing you should do is leave the area and seek help from a police officer. Hopefully, your assailant will be too scared to press on with their attack. Contact the police and file a report while the event is still fresh in your memory. Leave the police officers to sort out the rest. We will talk about his situation further down.
Dogs who have bitten people in the past and might seem like threats to the public are very likely to be taken away from their owners/handlers. The citizens responsible for raising and caring for “dangerous dogs” can and will face criminal charges.
Now, don’t assume the worst, and try to keep calm. Keeping your emotions under control and keeping all parties involved will be the best way to get out of a dog bite situation.
Be sincere and tell them that you will help them. Try to stay polite even if you have been harassed and your dog might have perceived the harassment as an attack.
Staying polite and calm will give you the best chance of keeping your dog and yourself out of legal prosecution. The person who was bitten might decide to be polite in return and have the situation sorted out without involving the police or hiring a lawyer to sue you for damages.
Make sure your dog is under control and take him/her to a nearby fence, a tree, a post, or some heavy structure. Tie the leash around the heavy and immovable object so that your dog stays away from the injured person. Tell the victim that you will move away with your dog but you will come back to help them immediately.
We strongly advise you not to flee the area with your dog (as long as you have not been attacked by the person who got bitten). Make sure to warn passersby not to approach your dog if you are located on a park trail or a busy road.
This is a very important step as you might need to seek immediate medical help. You might be interested to know that The Association of Professional Dog Trainers has a scale (https://apdt.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/ian-dunbar-dog-bite-scale.pdf) that you can use to determine the severity of a dog bite. We recommend you commit the information to memory. The scale reads as follows:
Level 1: Aggressive bite but no skin contact.
This means the dog might have bitten a person but the only contact that was made was with their clothing, a bag, or a cane.
Level 2: The teeth make contact, but do not break the skin.
This kind of bite is used by smaller dogs who are afraid and just want to scare someone. This is considered mostly a defensive bite. Also, this level includes lacerations caused by scraping teeth across bare skin which may occur during particularly energetic play sessions.
Level 3: A single bite with shallow wounds.
This ype of bite is also considered a mostly defensive bite by some dog trainers. What is a shallow wound you might ask- it is a wound that is no deeper than half the length of the dog’s canines. The victims of this bite usually lose small quantities of blood and first aid is usually enough as a response to the injury. You should expect a potential lawsuit against you as the experience can be traumatic.
Level 4: A single bite with deep wounds.
This type of bite is an aggressive one and may lead to the loss of a lot of blood. You will see one to four punctures of the skin, the wholes will be almost the entire length of the dog’s canines. You should call an ambulance and seek immediate medical help.
Dogs that do this type of bite usually have little to no “bite inhibition”. This is a term that refers to the ability of the dog to stop himself/herself from biting. Training a dog to have strong bite inhibition is hard, very time-consuming, and can be dangerous for novice dog trainers. We recommend seeking help from experienced dog trainers to address this type of problem. Needless to say, you are extremely likely to be sued by the victim.
Level 5: Multiple bites with deep wounds.
As the name implies, you have to make sure the dog is restrained and the victim receives immediate medical help. You may need to tie clothing or press a clean piece of fabric to the wounds so you reduce the blood loss until the victim can receive medical assistance.
Most dog trainers agree that dogs that do level 5 bites have little to no chance of rehabilitation. If your dog does this he/she will be taken from you and you will be presented with criminal charges. You can be fined and/or put in jail depending on your local laws.
Level 6: Death of the victim and/or flesh consumed.
The victim is fatally wounded and no medical assistance can save the injured person. Your dog will be taken from you and you will face criminal charges. If your dog has a history of bites and you have a record of caring for aggressive dogs there is nothing good on the horizon for you.
Now that you understand what the severity of the bite means for you and the victim let's move to the next step.
Try to locate a water source- a fountain for drinking water (a clean one); a public toilet; a local restaurant; or a bottle of water will do. Pat the wound dry with paper towels, a tissue, or a clean cloth if you have any. Apply modest pressure to stop further bleeding and make sure the wound is clean.
If the bite is level 3 you should seek medical assistance. The wound should not be too severe and you can simply drive to the nearest medical ward. Call a friend, a family member, or a trusted colleague who is willing to take your dog home. Escort the injured person to the hospital and ask to pay for any medical expenses. This is something that might persuade the injured person not to press charges as long as you have been polite, you kept calm and you have been sincere with your apology.
The doctor treating the injured person may ask about the vaccination records of your dog so make sure you have them on your phone. Bites at level 3 may get infected so the injured person is likely to be prescribed prophylactic antibiotics (you take this type of antibiotic to prevent an infection from growing). In rare cases, the wound might have to be stitched or stapled.
This is an important step that will help convince the injured party that you take responsibility for the incident and that you want to stay in touch. Make sure to exchange full names, phone numbers, and email addresses.
We strongly recommend that you ask any witnesses to the bite incident to give you their contact details like name and phone number. Having contact with these witnesses will be very useful if you are called into court to answer for the incident and if any police officers come knocking on your door.
Call a lawyer and explain to them what happened. Ask about potential consequences and how to best handle the situation. Sometimes the family of the victim will file a complaint or launch charges against you. If your polite, caring and respectful attitude towards the matter has not convinced the victim not to press charges you have to be prepared to defend yourself and explain what happened. Make sure to call the witnesses to the incident and let them know that a legal inquiry is taking place.
If your dog bites someone you will have to notify your pet, home, and/or renter’s insurance company. Events like these have to be reported or you will be fined and may encounter significant problems with your landlord. Staying open to questions and being honest is the better strategy. You may even receive support from your insurance company depending on the plan you have for your home and for your dog. Some instance policies include coverage for medical expenses that involve injury to another person or property. I know filing the claim can be rather annoying but it is worth the try.
There are cases when your dog might bite someone to protect you. Dogs are loyal, loving, and sometimes very protective of their owners. You might have heard the story from December 2021 where a dog that recently gave birth to a litter of puppies in a field near the Saristal village, India protected a baby who was left to die in the same field. Fortunately, the baby was found by the villagers and it received aid. Another story that gained popularity in December 2022 was published on CBS News and it was about a family dog named Artemis. She protected two small children who got lost in the woods behind their home in Louisiana, US, and lead them back to safety.
If you and your dog are assaulted and your dog bites the attacker it is strongly recommended to flee as quickly as possible. Most attackers are likely to be dissuaded from pursuing you when you have a courageous guardian by your side. As stated earlier, you have to report the assault to your local law enforcement. The more details you can recall the better chances are for the police officers to capture the attacker.
However, the first thing you should do after you have reached a safe place is to check your dog for any injury. Try to move your hands over your dog’s body and see if he/she will whine when you gently press his/her body. If you notice signs of pain or bleeding call a trusted friend or a family member to pick up the dog and take him/her to a veterinarian for a full checkup. It may be hard to leave your dog in a moment like this but if your dog has received an injury he/she has to be taken for a medical examination while you are reporting the attack to a police officer while your memory is fresh.
A dog that has bitten someone in your defense will not be considered dangerous if there was only one bite. However, a dog that mauls another person even if that is in your defense will not be looked upon favorably by the law. You might face a fine and even restrictions to your public access with the dog. These restrictions may include that your dog has to wear a muzzle, you might have the dog pass a temperament testing and you may be allowed to visit only one or two dog parks. You may also have a file created for the dog in your local police department.
If your dog has bitten someone you have to be prepared for unpleasant conversations with landlords and insurance companies, and maybe you will have to comply with warrants from your local police department. Monitor your dog for a potential increase in aggression level and see if he/she might become more protective. Over-protection is a serious problem for some canines and should be addressed as soon as possible. Do not put off training for your paw partner or you might face unpleasant consequences. We all love and cherish our pets but we should be realistic in our expectations. You should not forget that training and positive reinforcement are very important for making your favorite canine safe for your family and society.
