Bitten by a dog - no good deed...

[OrangeAndLemon]

Heading out for an evening run and I come across minor traffic chaos in my tiny village.

Over a hump back, single carriageway bridge a dog had decided to simply sniff around in the road. Not the safest place to make a nuisance of itself. As a pedestrian it was easy for me to move it on. Once off the road I could clearly see tags on its collar so I got down to dog level (to seem less threatening) spoke softl, and as the dog got close enough wrapped my arm around it and held it firmly. It bit me.

I didn't react just stayed calm and firm. The dog quickly calmed and let me get to the tag on its collar.

I rang the number but it wouldn't connect. I opened a little locket on its collar in case it had an alternative number. Same number and same problem; unable to connect.

I decided to walk the dog to the nearest pub and asked if anyone recognised the dog. Landlady asked inside then came back out and said it was one of the regulars who said to just let it go and it will find it's way home.

I said as I'd just got it out of the road I wasn't going to do that. She took it inside instead.

My hand hurts. No broken skin and I'm up to date on tetanus. Poor dog. If anyone has any dog bite advice, let me know.

 

[Roxylola]

Oh ouch. What a crap owner! Arnica and/or ice I think if the skin isnt broken it's just bruising I guess

 

[CorvusCorax]

Treat as any other bad bruise/crush injury, as above, ice pack and arnica. Should be OK in a few days.

 

[{97702}]

Treat as any other bad bruise/crush injury, as above, ice pack and arnica. Should be OK in a few days.

This exactly - you chose/imposed an interaction with said dog beyond what was needed.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

This exactly - you chose/imposed an interaction with said dog beyond what was needed.

Should I have done something differently?

 

[Tiddlypom]

Ouch, and well done for catching the dog. Lev’s reply was unnecessarily harsh, but maybe just getting hold of the collar would have been safer than wrapping your arm around it first. You will have inadvertently frightened the dog.

If your skin is not broken, you should be ok, but treat the bruising. You will probably leave well alone if you see a loose dog in future after this experience .

 

[Pearlsasinger]

The owner is obviously an idiot but;

Never approach a dog like that, don't put your face on a level with it, in case it attacks, put your hand out to allow it sniff you, then if you need to hold it (which you did) use the collar if it has one. If you fear it is going to run off, and it has no collar, hold it by it's scruff until you can get a belt/string/something round its neck. You are lucky that it didn't give you a much worse bite - it was obviously only really warning you.

As above treat as any other bruise.

 

[Sandstone1]

you tried your best for the dog. It would have been better to get a lead or something round its neck. Grabbing hold of a dog you dont know can be dangerous. It was probably scared and you trying to restrain would have made it worse.
You did the best you could though and a lot of people would just have left the dog so well done for helping the dog.

 

[scats]

If the skin isn’t broken, don’t worry too much. Just ice it and it should be ok in a few days.

I get bitten every now and again doing my job. It’s the ones who give no warning (Westies, I’m looking at you!) that are horrid.

You did your best to help in the situation and helped a dog that it seems other road users were going to leave, so well done.

 

[windand rain]

Big bruise but think the other advice is a bit awful if a dog is in the middle of the road you either leave it to get killed or try to help Well done on trying to help the dog probably did get a fright but it is still alive when some impatient idiot driver or uncaring sud could have killed it
I was regulary bitten when I was a postie usually by Jack russel terriers and usually by the free ranging sort not in their own garden

 

[{97702}]

Should I have done something differently?

I apologise for being “unnecessarily harsh” in my reply but yes - PAS has explained nicely in her reply, it’s not a good idea to put your arm around strange dogs when you have no idea of their temperament or reactions

 

[Keith_Beef]

Like the others wrote: let the dog sniff you (present the back of the fist, held low) and if the dog is calm, take hold of its collar.

I've caught so many stray dogs and horses in my town that that if I'm wearing a jacket I usually have a short rope with a clip on the end in one pocket and some horse treats in a paper bag in the other. In warmer weather I have a length of paracord in my pocket.

I once caught a Weimaraner in my daughter's primary school playground: it had followed some children and decided it wanted to play with a tennis ball that was being kicked and thrown around. This was the first dog I caught, and so I wasn't prepared... but I found in my pocket a metre and a half length of ribbon (surprisingly strong but a bit slippy to hold) that had been around a big box of something or other and that served as a makeshift lead while the head phoned the owner to come and collect her dog.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

I was worried it would slip the collar if I'd only grabbed that, or it would pull hard against a collar and choke. I was concerned it was in pain; one car driver was nervous they might have clipped the dog and it wasn't moving easily. When I got closer it was obviously just an older dog.

I haven't had a dog since I was a child. A neighbour said the dog had been in and out of the road for an hour or so and they were expecting it to be killed soon. It wouldn't have been a dangerous driver. That tiny bridge has lights because its steep and blind, you can't see a lorry at the other side, never mind a dog.

Thanks for the advice. I hope it never happens again but if it does I'll be better prepared. As one of you said, if it wanted to really fight, I would have had broken skin. It was just giving me a warning shot. I was lucky.

 

[CorvusCorax]

As mentioned, belt or jacket/jumper looped round the head is safer option or just either encourage it along with you or shoo it away from danger, hard lesson to learn but best not to put hands near the business end of an unknown dog.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

I was warming up before running...all I had was my door key and my phone, wearing just a t-shirt and leggings...nothing useful at all, not even a lost bit of baling twine!

Even my handbag would have had a clip off strap if I'd had that.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I was warming up before running...all I had was my door key and my phone, wearing just a t-shirt and leggings...nothing useful at all, not even a lost bit of baling twine!

Even my handbag would have had a clip off strap if I'd had that.

Well, fortunately the dog had a collar so you didn't need a makeshift collar, although walking bent double to hold the collar isn't the most comfortable method of locomotion. Wan't there a helpful passerby with a bit of string?

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Well, fortunately the dog had a collar so you didn't need a makeshift collar, although walking bent double to hold the collar isn't the most comfortable method of locomotion. Wan't there a helpful passerby with a bit of string?

If only. Luckily the pub was close and the dog seemed to know the way. If they wouldn't have taken it they would have at least had some string.

If no one had recognised the dog at the pub, who should I have called?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

If only. Luckily the pub was close and the dog seemed to know the way. If they wouldn't have taken it they would have at least had some string.

If no one had recognised the dog at the pub, who should I have called?

The dog warden accepts stray dogs.

 

[ester]

The owner is obviously an idiot but;

Never approach a dog like that, don't put your face on a level with it, in case it attacks, put your hand out to allow it sniff you, then if you need to hold it (which you did) use the collar if it has one. If you fear it is going to run off, and it has no collar, hold it by it's scruff until you can get a belt/string/something round its neck. You are lucky that it didn't give you a much worse bite - it was obviously only really warning you.

As above treat as any other bruise.

There's been a post on FB recently sayind definitely don't put your hand out.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

There's been a post on FB recently sayind definitely don't put your hand out.

I am not on FB and if I were I wouldn't take any notice of that 'advice' - who posted it?. I can't imagine that you take random advice on FB about stuff that you know plenty about.

It has long been accepted practice to allow a dog to sniff the back of your hand to introduce yourself. I lost count of the number of dogs that I have met over the years and not one has bitten me if i have done that. . If the dog doesn't appreciate having your hand extended towards it, it will growl a warning and you can withdraw your hand. Obviously if it is already snapping and snarling at you, you don't extend your hand. I was bitten as a 4 yr old because I threw my arms around a BT, having been told not to, so I wouldn't do that.

 

[CorvusCorax]

It depends on body language really, there are dogs on sight I know just to give a wide berth too lol.

Round here people still do let dogs roam...between that and the fact that getting bitten sucks/hurts and I'm usually always travelling with two dogs and have no room for a third, I normally just PM the local lost/found page with description/location and their volunteers will post it and a well-equipped volunteer will go out and look or someone local will post and say, that's Bonzo, he lives on that street, no harm done, etc etc.
I did follow a dobe down a dual carriageway once, he had been spooked by gunshots and legged it out of a pen.

The one exception was a skinny bully type I saw hovering around/hiding under a cabin when I was training at pitches early one morning. Went home to put Grumpy Arse away, returned, coaxed her out with food and a slip lead, put her in the van and took her to vets.
Ended up in a welfare case, so glad that I did, but she was crawling on her belly in appeasement/not trying to kill me.

 

[ester]

https://www.facebook.com/eurekadogservices/posts/3239508456132259

 

[YorksG]

However that's only any good if the owner is present!
In the op's case holding out a hand would have been considerably safer than putting her face near the loose dog or getting hold of it's body!
She had to get close to the dog and you can move your hand away, if the dog appears unhappy, a lot faster than you can stand up out of the way.

 

[ester]

I still think the point that the dog can sniff you without your hand in personal space is pretty valid though.

I've had an advantage that any loose dog I've picked up has either jumped in the car as soon as I opened the door, or been bribed by cat biscuits.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

https://www.facebook.com/eurekadogservices/posts/3239508456132259

What a load of bunkum! Dogs don't appreciate being patted, any more than horses do - a gentle stroke goes down much better. That is simply an advert for services that most people don't need.

OP could hardly ask the owner, she wouldn't have needed any interaction with the dog if the owner had been present, neither was she carrying cat biscuits on her run! She did however, feel the need to get hold of the dog to move it out of the traffic, so offering it her hand to sniff would have been preferable to throwing her arm around it.

 

[ponyparty]

I actually agree with some of that article, owning a breed that can be nervy/standoffish with new people. My next door neighbour INSISTS on putting his hand out, even when Frank is growling; F has taken a dislike to him as he often pops up over the garden fence for a chat - or even worse leans over it/puts his hand over ? being a guarding breed, the property boundary can be a real trigger point. I thought we’d left that sort of thing behind us when we moved house (the 3 year old child next door there used To do it); but no, seems a supposedly intelligent adult also thinks it’s a good idea to wind up a growling dog further ? I was going to invite him round for “making friends” sessions with Frank but covid has put a stop to that. If he just left F alone and stopped looming over him threateningly (to F) he’d be much more likely to take to him!

Anyway, I digress... if nobody ever stopped for stray dogs, there’d have been no George ? who incidentally I caught with an iPhone charger..! Not the best lead but it did the job ?

Well done for caring OP, and at least you know how to stay safer next time now. Hope you heal quickly!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I actually agree with some of that article, owning a breed that can be nervy/standoffish with new people. My next door neighbour INSISTS on putting his hand out, even when Frank is growling; F has taken a dislike to him as he often pops up over the garden fence for a chat - or even worse leans over it/puts his hand over ? being a guarding breed, the property boundary can be a real trigger point. I thought we’d left that sort of thing behind us when we moved house (the 3 year old child next door there used To do it); but no, seems a supposedly intelligent adult also thinks it’s a good idea to wind up a growling dog further ? I was going to invite him round for “making friends” sessions with Frank but covid has put a stop to that. If he just left F alone and stopped looming over him threateningly (to F) he’d be much more likely to take to him!

Anyway, I digress... if nobody ever stopped for stray dogs, there’d have been no George ? who incidentally I caught with an iPhone charger..! Not the best lead but it did the job ?

Well done for caring OP, and at least you know how to stay safer next time now. Hope you heal quickly!

TBH I think your neighbour deserves to get bitten, pp! Why would any-one who isn't trying to get a dog out of a dangerous situation insist on approaching a growling dog? Why don't people observe body language? Have you asked him not to put his hand out to Frank for a sniff? That is what I would do.

 

[ponyparty]

TBH I think your neighbour deserves to get bitten, pp! Why would any-one who isn't trying to get a dog out of a dangerous situation insist on approaching a growling dog? Why don't people observe body language? Have you asked him not to put his hand out to Frank for a sniff? That is what I would do.

Yep I have told him it’s really not a good idea. He seems to think he’s some sort of dog expert. He really is asking for it; but of course, it would be Frank’s (and my) fault if anything did happen. I do think we could make it work if he could just come and spend some regular no-pressure time with F but they’re over 70 and so being very careful, understandably. Just not careful about getting bitten by a dog?! There’s no logic ?

 

[JennBags]

Anyway, I digress... if nobody ever stopped for stray dogs, there’d have been no George ? who incidentally I caught with an iPhone charger..! Not the best lead but it did the job ?

And without George there would be no Colin!

 

[ponyparty]

And without George there would be no Colin!

Precisely ?