A dogbite is a devistating and traumatic experience for everyone involved. If it's your dog doing the biting, you may feel panicked and unsure what to do. You may be overwhelmed with emotions and feel both angry and defensive toward both your dog and the victim. You may want to know how and why this happened and be preoccupied with finding those answers. While all of those questions and emotions are valid, now is not the time to entertain them. You have alot to do first, but if you follow some simple steps you can get through this.
Diffuse the Situation
Most dogbites consist of a single bite as most dogs retreat immediately after delivering a bite. However, some bites are part of viscious attacks and if this is the case with your dog, you may have to break it up. It is never a good idea to put yourself between your dog and his victim or you may end up with two victims. It's also not a good idea to grab a dog who is engaged in an attack as he could easily turn on you in the heat of the moment. Now if you're thinking my dog would never hurt me, this may be the truth, but dogs have terrible aim when they are excited and are subject to displaced aggression, that is, they may turn on their friends in a mindless fury if they are somehow blocked from their intended target.
Ideally, your dog will be on a leash and you can pull him away from the attack, but if he's not on a leash you may have to get creative. First, try to call your dog off. He may abandon his attack and come to your side if you simply call him. If that doesn't work, try to distract him. A very loud noise usually works. I have broken up fights with an airhorn. If you don't have one on hand, you could try simply yelling "HEY", blowing a whistle or a car horn, whatever is easiest to access for you, as time is of the essence. If a loud noise doesn't work, or you don't have the means to produce one, then you will need to try to redirect the aggre
ssion to another object, like a stick or a piece of cloth. If you are wearing a hoodie, for instance, you could quickly take it off and flap it in the dog's face. He is likely to attack it and latch on and then you can pull him slowly away from his victim.
Get the dog away from his victim
Once you've aborted the attack, tell the victim in a low, calm voice, to move slowly to a safe spot, like another room or a car, while you move quickly to get a leash on your dog. Loop the leash through the handle to make a lasso and slip it over his head if he is still being difficult, hold it out at arms length till he calms down. Most dogs calm down quite quickly after an attack, and begin acting "guilty", but this isn't always the case. As soon as he starts responding to commands again, reemember to use them. Let his victim know that you will be right back and move the dog to a secure location such as another room, a crate or your car. If you happen to have a friend with you, have them stay with the victim while you remove the dog.
Get Help for the Victim
Once your dog is secure, it very important to get medical attention for the victim immediately. Call 911 or drive him or her to the nearest emergency room or urgent care center. Even bites that do not look severe can become a big problem, so don't let the victim convince you that it doesn't need to be looked at. You should be aware that a police report will probably be taken in the emergency room, even if the victim does not want to press charges. You should be prepared to provide your dog's liscencing medical and shot records to the physician that is treating the victim and the police officer taking the report.
Call Your Insurance Provider
As soon as you're sure the victim is being taken care of, make a phonecall to your homeowner's or renter's insurance provider. They may be able to pick any medical expenses that the victim's health insurance will not pay for. Their goal is to make sure that you don't get sued and cost them money, so they will spend money up front to make the victim feel there is no reason to sue and they may have other helpful suggestions to make everyone feel better about the situation. Don't be afraid to call them. This is what you pay insurance for, after all, you may as well get a return on your investment. If you don't have this insurance, get it now.
Call Your Veterinarian
Your veterinarian needs to be apprised of what is going on with your dog and may have some helpful information for you. Once things calm down and you have time to ask the "Why" And "What do I do with the dog now" questions, the veterinarian is going to be the person to help you with those. Make an appointment in the next few days to have your dog examined to make sure there isn't a physical problem that led to the aggression. Your vet can also refer you to a veterinary behaviorist for more help.
Call Your Lawyer
The victim has every right to sue you and the police may charge you under leash laws for not having your dog under control - even if he was on a leash at the time of the attack. Your lawyer should be notified immediately that these possibilities have arisin so he or she can advise you as to what action you can take to protect yourself and your dog even before you are charged or served. If you don't have a lawyer, consider signing up with a prepaid legal program like Legalshield before something happens. If it's already happened, look up legal aid in your area. You can usually get advice for free.
What Not to Do
Do NOT "get rid" of your dog. The decision may be made to euthanize him, ultimately, but law enforcement may require he be quarantined first. Re-homing him may be an option depending on the situation, providing the new owners are aware of his history and capable of managing his behavior, but you still need to comply with whatever law enforcement requires first. Talk to your veterinarian and your trainer about your options.
Diffuse the Situation
Most dogbites consist of a single bite as most dogs retreat immediately after delivering a bite. However, some bites are part of viscious attacks and if this is the case with your dog, you may have to break it up. It is never a good idea to put yourself between your dog and his victim or you may end up with two victims. It's also not a good idea to grab a dog who is engaged in an attack as he could easily turn on you in the heat of the moment. Now if you're thinking my dog would never hurt me, this may be the truth, but dogs have terrible aim when they are excited and are subject to displaced aggression, that is, they may turn on their friends in a mindless fury if they are somehow blocked from their intended target.
Ideally, your dog will be on a leash and you can pull him away from the attack, but if he's not on a leash you may have to get creative. First, try to call your dog off. He may abandon his attack and come to your side if you simply call him. If that doesn't work, try to distract him. A very loud noise usually works. I have broken up fights with an airhorn. If you don't have one on hand, you could try simply yelling "HEY", blowing a whistle or a car horn, whatever is easiest to access for you, as time is of the essence. If a loud noise doesn't work, or you don't have the means to produce one, then you will need to try to redirect the aggre
ssion to another object, like a stick or a piece of cloth. If you are wearing a hoodie, for instance, you could quickly take it off and flap it in the dog's face. He is likely to attack it and latch on and then you can pull him slowly away from his victim.
Get the dog away from his victim
Once you've aborted the attack, tell the victim in a low, calm voice, to move slowly to a safe spot, like another room or a car, while you move quickly to get a leash on your dog. Loop the leash through the handle to make a lasso and slip it over his head if he is still being difficult, hold it out at arms length till he calms down. Most dogs calm down quite quickly after an attack, and begin acting "guilty", but this isn't always the case. As soon as he starts responding to commands again, reemember to use them. Let his victim know that you will be right back and move the dog to a secure location such as another room, a crate or your car. If you happen to have a friend with you, have them stay with the victim while you remove the dog.
Get Help for the Victim
Once your dog is secure, it very important to get medical attention for the victim immediately. Call 911 or drive him or her to the nearest emergency room or urgent care center. Even bites that do not look severe can become a big problem, so don't let the victim convince you that it doesn't need to be looked at. You should be aware that a police report will probably be taken in the emergency room, even if the victim does not want to press charges. You should be prepared to provide your dog's liscencing medical and shot records to the physician that is treating the victim and the police officer taking the report.
Call Your Insurance Provider
As soon as you're sure the victim is being taken care of, make a phonecall to your homeowner's or renter's insurance provider. They may be able to pick any medical expenses that the victim's health insurance will not pay for. Their goal is to make sure that you don't get sued and cost them money, so they will spend money up front to make the victim feel there is no reason to sue and they may have other helpful suggestions to make everyone feel better about the situation. Don't be afraid to call them. This is what you pay insurance for, after all, you may as well get a return on your investment. If you don't have this insurance, get it now.
Call Your Veterinarian
Your veterinarian needs to be apprised of what is going on with your dog and may have some helpful information for you. Once things calm down and you have time to ask the "Why" And "What do I do with the dog now" questions, the veterinarian is going to be the person to help you with those. Make an appointment in the next few days to have your dog examined to make sure there isn't a physical problem that led to the aggression. Your vet can also refer you to a veterinary behaviorist for more help.
Call Your Lawyer
The victim has every right to sue you and the police may charge you under leash laws for not having your dog under control - even if he was on a leash at the time of the attack. Your lawyer should be notified immediately that these possibilities have arisin so he or she can advise you as to what action you can take to protect yourself and your dog even before you are charged or served. If you don't have a lawyer, consider signing up with a prepaid legal program like Legalshield before something happens. If it's already happened, look up legal aid in your area. You can usually get advice for free.
What Not to Do
Do NOT "get rid" of your dog. The decision may be made to euthanize him, ultimately, but law enforcement may require he be quarantined first. Re-homing him may be an option depending on the situation, providing the new owners are aware of his history and capable of managing his behavior, but you still need to comply with whatever law enforcement requires first. Talk to your veterinarian and your trainer about your options.
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