Dog bite at Pet Smart - Page 4

PetSmarts' responsibility is their employees and they will have to take care of the medical end of the bit for the employee bitten.PetSmart is peopled by young, ignorant kids and people who know little or nothing about dogs. People take their dogs there for all the wrong reasons and it is particularly sad to see the joke they pull when holding poor obedience training and the public is too ignorant to know better. Further, one is nuts to take a dog one cares about into a place like that for obvious reasons.

THE DOG IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OWNER regardless of where it is . Those of you who do not see this are part of the problem. Incidents like this could happen just outside the store where a child comes up to pet the dog. The PARENT is partially responsible for the child, but who the hell do you think will be sued if the dog bit the child? NOT the parent of the child.

Come on people, use some common sense. Again, there is NO excuse for a dog biting like this and whether it was a superficial bit or a full blown bite, what difference does that make (other than some potential serious medical bills and scarring for the person bitten).

DO NOT LET STRANGE PEOPLE or even those you know run up to your dog and do this. It is insane and unnecessary. Many dogs would tolerate it just fine, but if yours is not one, and you find out the hard way, there is hell to pay personally. Sadly, the hell to pay runs into the constant attempts to legislate dogs in society more than they already are.

Most dog bites are to people in the home, children in specific and are dogs who are known to the person bitten. It is crazy to put one's face into the face of a strange dog, but even more nuts to allow someone to do it.

Thank you for everyones input on my miserable day.  I would not want to sue pet smart for the sake of the lady that got bit.  She was a sweet lady.  She kept on saying, "don' worry about it, it happens" trying to comfort me when I should be the one comforting her.

Incident happened like this, She approaches him and does not ask for my permission.  She starts to pet him on the head and then his back going all the way down to his  croup.  Everything is going good at this point.  She then kneels down and still everything is good, she gives him a kiss, he licks her then WHOAAAAAA, WHAT THE HECK!  I try to help her but there is not much I could do.  I put him in the car and come back inside.  At this point she is ready to go to the hospital, I apologize and she says, "don't worry about it"  After She leaves this other employee asks if I got his shots up to date.   She takes my address and my vets info. so she could confirm.  I AM HOPING I DONT HAVE ANIMAL CONTROL COME KNOCKING. 

Thanks to all for their support.

Personally, I had a freak accident about 22 years ago where an old man walking by accidentaly swung his hand into my dogs mouth.  It tore the skin on the top of his hand.  The dog did not bite him. The man said the dog did not bite him.  I was the one who insisted on taking  him to the doctor as he was old and I know how old skin has trouble healing and tearing. And he did have difficulties as he was a diabetic.  The man told the doctor the dog did not bite him and it was just an accident. I felt terrible.

He was very nice about it. We still had animal control come to the house and even with current shots I had the choice of kenneling my dog or surrendering him to animal control for the 10 days. I would be prepared with all documentation and be prepared to board him as you don't want him at animal control.  In my case even animal control said "doesn't matter that the dog did not actually bite him" -

So do be prepared - I would continue to be nice and inquire about her (without the dog) etc.

 

 

 

 

The general pet public is so friggin stupid sometimes!

 

I'm with sueincc on this one too. She said it quite well.

I dont want strangers fawning all over my dogs either, they are working dogs, they are my dogs, and they are german shepherd dogs. They do not need to be groped by every random stranger when we go out for training. I have had a number of morons approach my dogs like idiots, one dipsh** actually came up behind my dog and hugged her, loudly exclaiming, "OH I LOVE GERMANSHEPHERDS!"    My poor girl just stared at me, clearly begging for the ok to get him off her herself. Thank god for good training, she got a burger that day.

The employee was an idiot, yes- but you should NEVER allow a stranger in your dog's face, EVER. A dog is still animal.

I have an idea- how about the poor people who can't have a dog of their own and want to pet the puppy (BOO HOO) go volunteer for a shelter or rescue group if they are such dog lovers?

Lovedogs,

I see you've gotten alot of reply's

I would suggest keeping in close contact with the store.    Know what they are doing, dont be caught off guard.

You may need to consult a lawyer but I wouldnt get in a panic just yet.  

The store only survives thru its customers.  They know this.

Its wasn't like a vicious attack.  Dogs dont like a stranger getting right in they're face. 

Good luck.

Bad news to go touching any strange dog about the head – many hate it (as I discovered the hard way when still a kid!) Badpuppy pretty well sums up standard scenario but then you’ve got your local ordinances as yellowrose said. Two elderly Jehovah came knocking late last year. The woman took a mad shine to a young female of mine (pretty well fully-grown though): “Oh she’s so beautiful and I just love German Shepherds you know... Such a lovely coat, please let her out; I really want to touch her, please, please ‿” Didn’t care for it but when hubby joined in I finally relented and still busy closing kennel door and back turned, the excited bitch jumped up high knocking her to the ground, pretty hard too. The husband loosed a torrent of unholy abuse, screaming I’d hear from their lawyers and the police “no matter what” all the way out to the front gate: I never did though. There’s must to be a lesson here!

lovedogs   :  SORRY TO DISAGREE WITH TWO MOON:    STAY AWAY FROM PETSMART    YOU DONT HAVE ANY BUSINESS WITH THE EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP ON THIS.....SHE DID WRONG  BUT YOU LET HER....

KEEP YOUR DISTANCE...ONLY ASKING FOR TROUBLE......giving your personal info to the store was the first mistake...the woman told you dont bother and dont worry.....Petsmart does nothing to control the people in the store and many a dog in there have not shots , not registration and how in the world would they know who you are and where you live.........it is an open battlefield......Never offer info not needed....You know your dog is safe and has shots.....Sorry you have to go thru this  but in the cruel world     ....Animal control doesnt care how it happened nor who or hwy......the law says    you were in the wrong.....You could have prevented the call by walking out   saying your sorry and never go back with the dog........not being dishonest,,,being a smart cookie........As old as I am,,I have learned the law and how it usually hurts the honest , law abiding man long before it breaks the pocket book of the crook or the ignorant law breaker......I dont have 500.00 to give to a health unit or a vet for one of  my dogs biting someone.....so I dont ever admit anything,,,,One time my 5 month pup scratched my 30 year old sons eye,,while he had her on his bed roughhousing with her....Three days later his eye was so swollen and infected, he had to go to the ER..... I drove him and when ask how it happened my son said a pup did it....it looked like a bite but it wasnt....so the doctor went to the phone and called the Sheriff dept and reported it right then....Outside my truck says    Caution K-9 on all sides and on tailgate....so he was standing there and I , of course, was ready for him as well...He ask who I was and I told him and he ask where the puppy was that bit this man...I laughed and said...SIr  , that man is  my son and the pup was only 5  months old and did not bite him...it scratched him with his no. 12 size paw....Ok but I need to have the pup brought to the Sher. office and I need to see his rabies tags and registration and on and on and on...I opened my truck door and got in and closed it and told the Sher..deputy....Im sorry sir.,,but that pup is not even in this county and is 300 miles away....He looked at my drivers license, which was in the town and county I have lived in all my life  because I own a place there also...He had no clue who or where I lived...and I didnt have the pup with me so home I went.....this was a baby and my own son....They dont care....bites reported demand their action....I have been bitten by my dogs so many times it isnt even countable,,,,would I go to the dr or ER ,...no     and I wouldnt tell them a dog did it anyway...if I had to go......Bag balm and hot soapy water and peroxide   do the trick..

 

yellowrose of Texas,

You're absolutely right--admit nothing--apologize for nothing. Oops, my cell phone is vibrating--gotta go outside and take this call where I can get a better signal--any excuse. Don't return to shop at this store again.

When A/C came knocking at my door last month, the officer asked for my driver's license. Why? I had just come out of my house (because the jerk had been banging on my garage door)--I had not been driving. Sorry, buddy, I don't know where it is. My first mistake was opening the garage door to someone I was not expecting--I thought it may have been my sister (even she usually calls me on her cell phone when she is outside my house).

Remember that you have the right to remain sllent and not to incriminate yourself. As I posted in a previous thread:

"The makers of our Constitution undertook to secure conditions favorable to the pursuit of happiness. They recognized the significance of man's spiritual nature, of his feelings and of his intellect. They knew that only a part of the pain, pleasure and satisfactions of life are to be found in material things. They sought to protect Americans in their beliefs, their thoughts, their emotions and their sensations. They conferred, as against the government, the right to be let alone - the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men. To protect that right, every unjustifiable intrusion by the government upon the privacy of the individual, whatever the means employed, must be deemed a violation of the Fourth Amendment. And the use, as evidence in a criminal proceeding, of facts ascertained by such intrusion must be deemed a violation of the Fifth."

--Justice Louis Brandeis OLMSTEAD v. U.S., 277 U.S. 438 (1928)
 

 

I once had a similar situation occur with my dog at the beach. This lady wanted to pet him, which was fine, but when she decided to get down on her knees in front of my dog, I told her I wasn't comfortable with that. She obviously thought I was strange, as did my mother who was with me. It didn't matter to me, and even though my dog was happy for the attention, I wasn't willing to allow a situation with so much potential to go bad to continue.

People like to talk to dogs in high pitched voices and get right into their faces. As the owner, I would suggest you prevent people who behave this way from petting your dog. If they don't listen, remove your dog from them.