<p>OP here. Just to update, the Animal Control officer came by for a report. He was so nice, and I am glad I called them. He will make sure the dog has vaccination records (which the owner will be monetarily cited for if he can’t produce) and will quarantine the dog. Of course he cares most about potential rabies (we have had reports about an increase in rabid animals in the area, mostly in some outlying neighborhoods) but will also address the leash laws in our city. The dog will be quarantined for, I think he said, ten days.</p>
<p>In many ways I feel sorry for this family since this obviously clueless Dad was in charge of these poorly behaved dogs on his day off. (I can see my husband, sweet as he is doing the same thing.) BUT there are issues with their dogs and hopefully they will get addressed. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone.</p>
<p>OP, please know that you did the right thing regardless of how nice the family is, etc. If you had been a child, the incident could have been much worse. By filing a report, you may have saved a child from serious injury, and the dogowner from a much larger problem.</p>
<p>About 15 years ago, my husband and sons (ages 11 and 7) were delivering fundraiser goodies around our neighborhood. My husband sent the 11 year old across the street to deliver to a house, while he watched from the car with my other son. As my son was walking down the sidewalk in front of a house (not approaching any house), a German Shepherd jumped up from the porch of a house and jumped for his throat. It was cool outside, and my son had a bulky jacket that was unzipped. He heard the dog running toward him (no barking) and reflexively turned away. The dog bit his back, leaving broken skin beneath his bulky jacket and shirt. The dog then turned around and went back to the porch.</p>
<p>The owner said the dog wasn’t normally out, and I appreciated that, but I couldn’t help but wonder what the outcome would have been if it were a smaller child, like my 7 year old. We filed a report, and we filed a claim on their insurance for our medical costs (ER trip, tetanus shot, etc.) and his coat, which was ruined. I did it primarily because most insurance companies have a one-bite policy, and I wanted to put the owner on notice.</p>
<p>I did not think it was normal for a dog to attack someone unprovoked. We were told at the ER that the CDC changes protocol frequently in their advice regarding rabies shots for people who are bitten. At that time, as long as the dog was quarantined (three weeks, I think) and had proof of vaccination, they did not recommend shots for my son. It was touch and go about beginning the shots for awhile, because animal control would not respond after hours to tell us if they had made contact with the owners.</p>
<p>I am a dog lover. I have the sweetest tempered dog imaginable. But I know that I am responsible for what he does.</p>
<p>^ justamom, very good of you to share that experience. Have witnessed similar incidents. You can love dogs but also understand that they are potentially quite dangerous.</p>
<p>Justamom, that’s quite a story. I can’t imagine how I would react if one of my children were attacked.</p>
<p>If I may ask, how did you file a claim on their insurance?? Did you call them personally and send the bill after the fact, or have your own insurance company deal with it?</p>
<p>We paid the bills upfront and got a reimbursement from their insurance company. I can’t remember how we started the claim process. Honestly, when the adjuster came by, they OFFERED us money. I’ve never had experience on filing a claim on something like that. All I wanted was to be reimbursed for my out of pocket costs. (Today, my health insurance would demand that they be reimbursed, too, but not in those days.) The adjustor basically offered us $500 plus costs, and since we weren’t interested in the money we took it. They were happy, because since we took the $500 we couldn’t file another claim.</p>
<p>OP, you absolutely did the right thing. I like dogs, but can’t believe how clueless some people can be when it comes to controlling their pet.</p>
<p>My story: about 10 years ago, I was riding my bike, when a small dog came running at me, grabbed my sock, and pulled me and the bike over! I wasn’t hurt, the sock took most of the impact, but I was just surprised and mad. The owner was right there, who said “Oh he didn’t mean anything he was just playing.”</p>
<p>I told him his dog should be leashed and almost killed me. I just rode off - but if i had to do it again, I think I would report the situation. “sorry” just didn’t cut it.</p>