Ask Me Help Desk - My family dog bit my aunt

I have a pit bull who is very loving and has been in our family for four years. He is around my children and their friends and cousins. Many, many people have been introduced to him and he has always been very well behaved. Two years ago he suddenly started exhibiting dog aggression so I took him to a behavior training course. I learned about changes that I need to make as a responsible owner and things have been great. He is still dog aggressive but that's natural and I no longer allow him to run free at the dog parks or anywhere. Things were going very well until last weekend. I just moved into my mom's house and my aunt lives in the house next door. Since the yard is so big and pretty remote from any other neighbors, I felt safe to let him off the leash one night and play with him. My aunt was in her driveway but we didn't see her because it was dark. When she said hello, my dog snapped and barrelled down the hill barking at her and charging towards her. He would not respond to my calls. He toppled my aunt over and tore at her pants which left some scratches on her leg. There was no major injury to her but it scared both of us. She has decided to call the police who called animal control.They came and asked me questions and I told him that I had decided to put my dog up for adoption since he did not listen to me at all and it frightened me. He said that he felt we were over-reacting. After informing me that the SOP is to quarantine my dog for 10 days and that I needed to pay the licensing fee for this county he said good day. Now my aunt is claiming that I need to file some report or else I will get charged with a misdemeanor. Does anyone know what she's talking about? What are my responsibilities as an owner? I am willing to do whatever it takes to prove that I am taking responsibility for my pet.

Your subject line says the dog bit her
Your post says the dog knocked her over.

IF the dog knocked her down BUT didn't bit her, it could be that the dog was worked up with playing and ran down to 'include' her in playing and meant no harm.

The police/animal control should have told you if you have to file any report other than the one they would have written up. You definitely need to get the license that could have been a fine right there in itself. Also make sure the shots are up to date especially rabies.
When you play with him you maybe should have him on a long chain and hooked on a line that runs across the yard to limit his ability to go out of boundaries.

If the animal control officer said that you were "overreacting" and "good day", then that's your answer as far as anything legal is concerned. Your aunt may be in a position to press misdmeanor charges against you. That's not to say that she will but at this point the only way there's going to be any legal action involved is if she initiates it.

Hello m:

Couple things. You are not guilty of a criminal offense by owning a dog who bites somebody. You are civilly liable for any injury the dog does, however.

The next thing is: THE ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER IS NUTS!! COMPLETELY BONKERS!! DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM!! Saying that YOU are over reacting because YOU can no longer control your pit bull is absolutely irresponsible and unconscionable.

In my view, what you need to do is to make sure your dog never has access to people again. If that means putting it down, then do it.

excon

PS> I know you don't like my advice. But, consider the next time your dog knocks somebody over and takes a bite, it might be a child - YOUR child. And, he may not stop with one bite.

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You are not guilty of a criminal offense by owning a dog who bites somebody.

Not so fast here. Actually, in a lot of localities it is a misdemeanor offense to allow a dog to run at-large. I've known people who've been fined after their dog bit someone. And if a dog were to seriously injure or kill someone, the owner could be held culpable.

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You are civilly liable for any injury the dog does, however.

Absolutely. And in our sue-happy society, watch out! Probably his only saving grace is that the victim is his aunt and not a stranger.

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The next thing is: THE ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER IS NUTS!! COMPLETELY BONKERS!! DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM!! Saying that YOU are over reacting because YOU can no longer control your pit bull is absolutely irresponsible and unconscionable.

Yes, this struck me as irregular as well. I went by what the OP said but it did seem like a very cavalier attitude for an animal control officer to have, especially in light of the fact that he was investigating a report about a dog that had just bit someone, a pit bull at that.

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In my view, what you need to do is to make sure your dog never has access to people again. If that means putting it down, then do it.

Unfortunately, this may be the case. Pit bulls are bred for fighting and violent behavior. Even the "non-fighting" type or a dog that is only part pit bull can become violent and aggressive at any moment without warning, even if unprovoked and even if they've never exhibited aggressive behavior previously. Owning a pit bull is never a good idea. Despite their high commercial value and their showing on the fancy runways, it is far more desirable to own a plain "mutt" for a pet as opposed to a pure breed of any type. Remember, nature intended for the gene pool to be mixed and that is true for all species. When breeders fail to do this, they end up creating and perpetuating dogs with genetic defects of various sorts. Examples would include the aggressiveness of pit bulls or the constant drooling of St. Bernards. Not to mention my wife's West Highland Terrier. An attractive dog to be sure and I'm sure we'll make a lot of money studding him out. But he's very aggressive towards other animals (not humans) and, even though he's over a year old, still refuses to housebreak. And lastly, you do need to consider the fact that the next victim could be one of your children or a neighborhood child.

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Originally Posted by meldae

I have a pit bull who is very loving and has been in our family for four years. He is around my children and their friends and cousins. Many, many people have been introduced to him and he has always been very well behaved. Two years ago he suddenly started exhibiting dog aggression so I took him to a behavior training course. I learned about changes that I need to make as a responsible owner and things have been great. He is still dog aggressive but that's natural and I no longer allow him to run free at the dog parks or anywhere. Things were going very well until last weekend. I just moved into my mom's house and my aunt lives in the house next door. Since the yard is so big and pretty remote from any other neighbors, I felt safe to let him off the leash one night and play with him. My aunt was in her driveway but we didn't see her because it was dark. When she said hello, my dog snapped and barrelled down the hill barking at her and charging towards her. He would not respond to my calls. He toppled my aunt over and tore at her pants which left some scratches on her leg. There was no major injury to her but it scared both of us. She has decided to call the police who called animal control.They came and asked me questions and I told him that I had decided to put my dog up for adoption since he did not listen to me at all and it frightened me. He said that he felt we were over-reacting. After informing me that the SOP is to quarantine my dog for 10 days and that I needed to pay the licensing fee for this county he said good day. Now my aunt is claiming that I need to file some report or else I will get charged with a misdemeanor. Does anyone know what she's talking about? What are my responsibilities as an owner? I am willing to do whatever it takes to prove that I am taking responsibility for my pet.

I investigate a LOT of dog related injuries every year - a LOT of them!

My thoughts are (and you may not want to hear them) - now that you are on notice that your dog can behave in this matter if it happens again you are 100% liable. That includes pain, suffering, medical bills, corrective surgery. And your homeowners insurance can refuse to further insure you so you'll be paying the bills yourself. I don't know if your particular company knows you have a dog and checks with the local authorities to see if there are any reports when it's time for renewal. It's your choice whether you want to expose your children to this dog - but I wouldn't be exposing their friends (or cousins).

The thought that you are thinking of finding another home for this dog when you've had it for some years and can't control it is simply passing the buck - and if the dog attacks/bites under the care and control of the new owner you are 100% responsible unless you have told them every detail of every problem. This also does the dog no favor - pulling it out of its home and placing it with strangers is NOT going to improve it's temperament.

Everyone has a thought on Pits and I certainly have mine but NO dog should suddenly "lose it" and then "barrel" anywhere, knocking people down. I'm sure your animal trainer told you that Pits can become problems when they become mature - usually around 2. Sudden the aggressive nature comes out.

You are not taking responsibility for your dog if it is off the leash - sorry, but you are not, no matter what the circumstances. A responsible owner also licenses the dog, doesn't wait for Animal Control to tell them it's necessary.

I'm not unsympathetic to your problem. I have two German Shepherds, over 100 pounds each, so I know the problems and pitfalls and how much care and time it takes to train and supervise them. They also can be aggressive dogs and I've always found it's half in the breeding and half in the training - I've never had a problem, never even had a complaint.

No one ever thinks that their dog is going to be the dog that rips the face off a child - but you have now been warned. (And I have seen horrendous dog attack injuries)

I will say that the #1 breed for dog bites I have investigated is - believe it or not - labs because there are more of them and when people don't know what the breed is it's classified as a lab. The worst bite I've ever seen was an Akita, the second worst a Pit. Akitas and Pits seem to attack - other breeds seem to bite (and judging by the injuries there is a difference).

Hello again:

I said the above, not because the dog is a pit bull. I said it because it's a big powerful dog that has exhibited aggressive behavior, and cannot be controlled.

excon

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Originally Posted by meldae

I have a pit bull who is very loving and has been in our family for four years. He is around my children and their friends and cousins. Many, many people have been introduced to him and he has always been very well behaved. Two years ago he suddenly started exhibiting dog aggression so I took him to a behavior training course. I learned about changes that I need to make as a responsible owner and things have been great. He is still dog aggressive but that's natural and I no longer allow him to run free at the dog parks or anywhere. Things were going very well until last weekend. I just moved into my mom's house and my aunt lives in the house next door. Since the yard is so big and pretty remote from any other neighbors, I felt safe to let him off the leash one night and play with him. My aunt was in her driveway but we didn't see her because it was dark. When she said hello, my dog snapped and barrelled down the hill barking at her and charging towards her. He would not respond to my calls. He toppled my aunt over and tore at her pants which left some scratches on her leg. There was no major injury to her but it scared both of us. She has decided to call the police who called animal control.They came and asked me questions and I told him that I had decided to put my dog up for adoption since he did not listen to me at all and it frightened me. He said that he felt we were over-reacting. After informing me that the SOP is to quarantine my dog for 10 days and that I needed to pay the licensing fee for this county he said good day. Now my aunt is claiming that I need to file some report or else I will get charged with a misdemeanor. Does anyone know what she's talking about? What are my responsibilities as an owner? I am willing to do whatever it takes to prove that I am taking responsibility for my pet.

I'll add a PS too - I don't think it's entirely "natural" for dogs to be dog aggressive. Sometimes the aggression starts there and then when the dog gets tired of scaring other dogs it moves on to people - when I talk to people it is not uncommon for them to tell me that Fluffy never really liked other dogs.

And then there's the time Fluffy injures another owner trying to get to another dog.

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Originally Posted by s_cianci

Not to mention my wife's West Highland Terrier. An attractive dog to be sure and I'm sure we'll make a lot of money studding him out. But he's very aggressive towards other animals (not humans) and, even though he's over a year old, still refuses to housebreak.

Please neuter this dog and do not use him as a stud. I find it inconceivable that you talk about the genetic problems with purebreds (including aggression), and then just casually drop in that you are going to breed an aggressive male. How do you think these problems are propagated in the breed, except by breeding dogs that have them?