WWYD (if anything)? Nipped/bitten on the leg by a dog at a riding school

Kat_Bath

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I popped in to a riding school / tack shop near me earlier to see if they had any lunge lines in stock. Tried calling in advance but no answer. I hadn't been there before.

When we arrived, there were 3 dogs, one big black lab who was lovely and 2 JRTs. The 2 JRTs would not stop barking and while I walked across the yard bit at the front towards the office door, one of them nipped me on the calf. I was very surprised and actually wasn't sure if I'd imagined it! The office door was locked so I waited a minute to see if anyone came out from somewhere, during which they continued barking and the one bit/nipped me another 4 ot 5 times. I turned to face it so I could keep an eye on it.

A girl appeared and asked if was here to book a lesson and I said no, to see if they had a lunge line and I said also, that dog has just bitten me 4 or 5 times. She sent the dog to its bed, it didn't go and then it hung around while we looked for a lunge line.

I noticed a number of signs round and about saying "do not touch the dogs and cats" but I didn't touch any of them at any point (although I did let the lab sniff my hand when I first got out the car).

I don't know if I should, or can, do anything but it's put a very sour taste in my mouth and ruined my day to be honest. My right calf has multiple bruises down it, including a fairly big one that's come out black and blue :(

This is a yard where I understand lots of children ride. Although, I do accept it was 11.30 on a Thursday so perhaps less people around.

What would you do? Should I do anything?
 

JFTDWS

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Assuming you were in a public access area, yes, I think I'd report it, or at least complain to the owner of the shop / RS. I would also have left and not bought anything from them after that!
 

Pearlsasinger

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If the place was open for business, as it must have been if the girl tried to source you a lungeline, I would notify the dogwarden/police about a dangerous dog. You were there legitimately and didn't, I assume open any doors or gates which you should not have done. Take photos of your bruises and if you can remember the name of the girl who served you, make a note of that too. She should have offered you 1st Aid and recorded the incident in the Accident Book. The dog should not be able to get anywhere near the public, if it is liable to nip.
 

WandaMare

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I would go back and ask to speak to the owner of the place and make sure they realise how serious it is to have a vicious dog on their premises. If they are appropriately apologetic and convince you they will take some sensible action to prevent it happening again, then personally I would leave it at that. If they are uncooperative and don't take you seriously then I would consider reporting them to the dog warden.
 

pippixox

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I would go back and ask to speak to the owner of the place and make sure they realise how serious it is to have a vicious dog on their premises. If they are appropriately apologetic and convince you they will take some sensible action to prevent it happening again, then personally I would leave it at that. If they are uncooperative and don't take you seriously then I would consider reporting them to the dog warden.

This exactly.
The person who helped may of not really taken you seriously and assumed it didn’t properly nip. I know I would hate to kick up a fuss, but I would want to give them a change before official involvement.
Although if it was me I would try and find an email address first!

Take photos of your injuries
 

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

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Take a photo of your injury; and then go and see the owner of the establishment. Show her your injuries and tell her what happened.

It might also pay you (I'm being serious here) to visit your doctor and/or A&E to make sure everything is OK. Without trying to frighten you there are some horrid germs in dog saliva and it is better to be safe than sorry if you have been repeatedly bitten. Please make sure you DO get the injured area looked at without delay! Make sure you get a written report of your treatment too and any photo's that are taken.

Unfortunately these little terriers are notoriously protective, and the dog was only doing what it thought was its duty, but if this has happened to you then its very likely to happen to someone else (or has done in the past); and they obviously know there is a problem as they've got the notices up! So basically they've admitted liability! i.e. that they know the problem exists and they are happy to let it continue to exist without taking any remedial action.

As someone else has said, you should ask for the incident to be recorded in their Accident Book; which should have been done by the staff member dealing, and I cannot believe how negligent they were in not ensuring this was done.

Sounds a thoroughly tatty set-up IMO.

If the proprietor tries to brush you off then it is time to get tough and say that you intend to take this matter further - and do so!
 
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Kat_Bath

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I would report them, I’m amazed you even have to ask

Yes, I think you really should say something.

I realise now I perhaps should have been a bit more specific and asked who I should report it to! My bad. Local council? BHS (I don't think they are approved)? Any others? Google review?

I'd have booted the little f&cker after the second time...

I was quite tempted and that's quite something for me to say. But I didn't want to open that can of worms. I did round the second time and shout 'oww' fairly loudly and it went for me again!

Assuming you were in a public access area, yes, I think I'd report it, or at least complain to the owner of the shop / RS. I would also have left and not bought anything from them after that!

Luckily, for me, they didn't have any lunge lines in stock. I don't actually know what I would have done if they had...

If the place was open for business, as it must have been if the girl tried to source you a lungeline, I would notify the dogwarden/police about a dangerous dog. You were there legitimately and didn't, I assume open any doors or gates which you should not have done. Take photos of your bruises and if you can remember the name of the girl who served you, make a note of that too. She should have offered you 1st Aid and recorded the incident in the Accident Book. The dog should not be able to get anywhere near the public, if it is liable to nip.

Yes, open to the public, no gates to open. I also wasn't able to open the office/tack room door. It got me the first time on the approach to the door and I did try it, as you would.

I would go back and ask to speak to the owner of the place and make sure they realise how serious it is to have a vicious dog on their premises. If they are appropriately apologetic and convince you they will take some sensible action to prevent it happening again, then personally I would leave it at that. If they are uncooperative and don't take you seriously then I would consider reporting them to the dog warden.

I don't particularly want to go back. It's not somewhere I'd ever touch for riding and the tack shop actually wasn't that great so I have no reason to go back for anything in the shop. She could have been the owner for all I know. I don't think it has a very good reputation as it stands... Would it be something I could email about and ask them what they plan to do to prevent this from happening again before I report them? I really don't want to get in to any confrontation. My heart rate was so high when I left - I've never really felt like that and I've never actually been attacked by a dog before.
 

Pearlsasinger

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I would go back and ask to speak to the owner of the place and make sure they realise how serious it is to have a vicious dog on their premises. If they are appropriately apologetic and convince you they will take some sensible action to prevent it happening again, then personally I would leave it at that. If they are uncooperative and don't take you seriously then I would consider reporting them to the dog warden.


And if the next person the dog bites is a child and it's not a nip on the leg but a broken finger that is the result, How you you feel, knowing that if you had acted correctly, you could have stopped that happening?

OP, you need to report it o the dog warden/police
 
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Kat_Bath

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Take a photo of your injury; and then go and see the owner of the establishment. Show her your injuries and tell her what happened.

Unfortunately these little terriers are notoriously protective, and the dog was only doing what it thought was its duty, but if this has happened to you then its very likely to happen to someone else.

If the proprietor tries to brush you off then you can say you have a photo of your injuries and you intend to take it further - and do so.

I totally understand the protectiveness. I don't know if I've just been very unlucky!

And if the next person the dog bites is a child and it's not a nip on the leg but a broken finger that is the result, How you you feel, knowing that if you had acted correctly, you could have stopped that happening?

Well, exactly. I know they have a lot of kids that ride there.
 

Pc2003

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My mum went to view a private livery yard a couple of years ago owned by an old man. On arrival he mentioned to watch out for the dog. My mum paid little attention as the dog seemed fine and she ignored it. When they went to look at the stables it ran up behind her and starting biting at her legs. She screamed out but the old man pretty much ignored it. My mum swiftly left and that night her leg was really badly swollen and bruised. She ended up writing a letter to the old man and his wife and explained how the dog bit her and how he had ignored it etc. The wife responded by sending my mum a huge bunch of flowers and apologetic saying how the dog was horrible and she had been on at him for years to get in pts. Based on my mums letter the family rallied round and had it pts. It later emerged it had bitten the post man and a delivery man.
So I think you should absolutely tell the owners. They need to know
 
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Kat_Bath

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Reported.

I emailed the address for the stables provided on their website and I explained what happened, I requested they enter it in their accident book and made them aware I will be reporting it to the police, the BHS and the council. I also asked that they take action to prevent this happening again. I didn't ask for a follow up or leave a phone number as I'd rather not get in to any kind of dialogue. I don't know them at all and I will be doing my best to avoid visiting them again, so I felt if I asked what action they will take before reporting it, I wouldn't know whether or not they had done anything about it so I've just reported it.

I called non-emergency police and reported it - they said as it's a dog attack in a public place, they may send officers out to see me. I've emailed the BHS and also the council in which the riding school sits as it should be licensed by them.

Thanks all for your advice and suggestions. I do feel a little like I've overreacted as I only have a couple of bruises but I have never been attacked by a dog before and I would hate to think it could happen to someone else, especially a child so thank you for confirming I should have reported it.
 

Kat_Bath

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My mum went to view a private livery yard a couple of years ago owned by an old man. On arrival he mentioned to watch out for the dog. My mum paid little attention as the dog seemed fine and she ignored it. When they went to look at the stables it ran up behind her and starting biting at her legs. She screamed out but the old man pretty much ignored it. My mum swiftly left and that night her leg was really badly swollen and bruised. She ended up writing a letter to the old man and his wife and explained how the dog bit her and how he had ignored it etc. The wife responded by sending my mum a huge bunch of flowers and apologetic saying how the dog was horrible and she had been on at him for years to get in pts. Based on my mums letter the family rallied round and had it pts. It later emerged it had bitten the post man and a delivery man.
So I think you should absolutely tell the owners. They need to know

I'm glad something was done about it, however horrible the situation. I've never been attacked by a dog before and I'm not easily phased by bolshy or badly behaved animals but I was so shaken. Even just calling the police then, I was shaking - what a pansy!
 

Pearlsasinger

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No you haven't over -reacted. It is more than possible that other people have also been nipped and bruised and thought it wasn't really bad enough to do anything about it. The dog should be under control and kept away from anywhere where there is public access. Just think how you would have felt it you had seen a headline in the local paper 'RS Dog attacks child' and realised that it was the same dog that you hadn't reported.
 

AdorableAlice

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I'm glad something was done about it, however horrible the situation. I've never been attacked by a dog before and I'm not easily phased by bolshy or badly behaved animals but I was so shaken. Even just calling the police then, I was shaking - what a pansy!

No you are not. Well done for reporting it, your actions should, I hope and assuming the regulators do their jobs, prevent a child being bitten.
 

babymare

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Our neighbours nasty little jack bit my husband on back of leg and we rung non emergency police. They took it very seriously and called and spoke to owner. It's now on record and any further incidents reported will result in action.
 

MasterBenedict

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Some posters above have said that if it was in a public place they would report it (probably because it is more likely to reoffend being easily accessible), but please be aware that the dangerous dog act does actually cover any place including all private property. I am a dog warden and would always recommend to report any incident no matter how small, as you never know what the dog may have done previously and as pointed out above, it could stop something more serious from occurring in the future.
 

Dave's Mam

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I was nipped last week by my YO's dog. He's old & cranky & her dad was walking him I suspect after they thought everyone had left. I was walking to my car & the little git refused to recall & bit me on the back of my thigh. I was wearing really thick winter jods so no injury. Not yet decided on my action. It scared the crap out of me.
 

tankgirl1

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I'm a bit divided on this tbh. As in whether to report to the authorities as a first point of call, or whether to speak to the owner and warn them that you'll report if they don't take any action :/
 

Arzada

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Reported.

I do feel a little like I've overreacted as I only have a couple of bruises but I have never been attacked by a dog before and I would hate to think it could happen to someone else, especially a child so thank you for confirming I should have reported it.

I don't think that you have. I know of a JRT attack on a child, who was with parents, visiting a riding establishment in which the dog went for and got the small child's face.
 

Quigleyandme

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Having a dog is a responsibility and a privilege and people who ignore their dog's bad behaviour or fail to train and control them give me the itch. A local farmer painted "no dogs thanks" on three ewe carcasses and left them in his gateway fronting the road. I think it was the third time dogs had killed his sheep. Any dog, no matter the size or breed, that freely bites people who are not harassing it or it's owner is rogue in my opinion and should not be loose.
 

Merrymoles

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What is it with JRTs? I have a couple of really big (friendly) dogs, and JRTs are forever trying to attack them! They seem to be all attitude, and no sense.

I like JRTs but think they need firm boundaries set as puppies and to understand their place in the world (as do most dogs really). They are feisty little things who need to be occupied and busy and I have known some that routinely nipped. In my view it's always a lack of training so owner's fault.

Just to lighten the thread, when I was quite little, I was terrified of my great aunt and uncle's JRT. She used to bite my feet. I realised later that she was a pup and I had slippers with squeaky dogs on them, so she wasn't biting my feet at all, she was trying to squeak the "toys". Later, I grew to adore her and walked her miles on my own, even being still quite little.
 

MissTyc

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I was bitten by a prospective client's dog - skin broken and very bruised. I was hesitant to enter a field where it was running free, but lady called to me to come in. I mentioned I was anxious of the dog but she laughed it off and said there was no risk. I came in and a few moments later was bitten. I didn't report it, but I did have very stern words! And also didn't take her on as a client, even though she begged. But I can't work with someone I can't trust!
 

WandaMare

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And if the next person the dog bites is a child and it's not a nip on the leg but a broken finger that is the result, How you you feel, knowing that if you had acted correctly, you could have stopped that happening?

OP, you need to report it o the dog warden/police

When you say 'if I had acted correctly' I'm not sure what you mean? Isn't whether I report the dog a decision I am free to make...

The reason I would speak to the owner first is that I would want to establish all the facts before I made my decision, for example, was the dog allowed to wander freely or had there been a particular exception where it had run loose. Also, the OP was ok to carry on shopping for her lunge line so in this instance I think a quick word with the owner would be sufficient, but that's just what I would have done, which is the question the OP asked in this thread.
 

Fransurrey

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I don't think that you have. I know of a JRT attack on a child, who was with parents, visiting a riding establishment in which the dog went for and got the small child's face.
Exactly. Imagine the scenario where you have a toddler with you and walk into a tack shop. You're not expecting loose dogs anyway, but an aggressive one?

Wandamare, I believe the point Pearlsasinger is making that it could just as easily have been a child or a worse injury. I often call into tack shops on the way home from work for example and may be wearing a skirt with court shoes. I nip from a JRT in that instance would cause quite a bit of damage. This time, the OP was lucky (ish), but has a duty of care to help prevent this from happening again. The authorities won't rock up and seize a dog with no previous history, but will instil the seriousness and ensure the owner DOES implement preventative measures in a way that a 'quick word' wouldn't.
 
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