what would you do if

cameragirl21 wrote: ok, i hope this doesn't cause any controversy here. my friend's son got bitten by a dog when he was at the park with his dad...the boy is five years old. anyway, the dog was a shepherd type big dog and it was on a leash, the boy didn't listen to his dad when he was told not to touch the dog because it bared its teeth when the boy approached it and he grabbed the dog by the tail and the dog bit him on the face.
because he was bleeding badly, the dad grabbed the boy and took him to the ER...they never asked about the dog's health. the dad says it appeared healthy and that the owner was friendly and helpful but bottom line, they need know IMO if the dog has rabies.
so i asked my friend (her name is Alison, i've mentioned her here before) about what they're going to do and tbh, i'm a bit surprised that the dad didn't inquire about the dog but Alision says he was caught off guard and eager to take their son to the ER and she also said that men don't think like women to ask about these things. i studied rabies and other infectious disease in depth in school (because i thought i was medical school bound) so my first reaction would be to ask for the owner's phone number and the phone number of his/her vet...not only do you want to know that the dog is vaccinated but you also want to ensure that the dog remains healthy after the bite because any rabid animal that bites someone or some animal and passes on the disease will die shortly thereafter.
also, if you get bitten on the face, neck or anywhere near the brain there is little time to start the vaccines but if you get bitten on the hand or foot, you have a little more time.
her dh does not think they need to go thru the rabies shots but i think they do, Alison isn't sure. i may be a bit paranoid but i'm very wary of rabies because once it sets in there's really nothing that can be done and it's a miserable disease because people/animals become hydrophobic and typically thirst to death, which is why you may see a rabid animal that's foaming at the mouth, due to thirst.
any thoughts on this?
btw, i hope i didn't insult any men here by repeating Alison's assertion that men don't think of these things the way women do, those are her words, not mine.

mom2my2cuties replied: Well I think that you are thinking responsibly - and you are right, men and women don't think the same in these situations at all.

That being said, this is an animal bite, and in most states it is required that you report this to Animal Control (Hospital is supposed to do this) because they will fully investigate. The owner may be leary of giving out his contact info however, due to the fact that a lot of pet owners don't realize they aren't liable for ALL bites thier animal makes. If he had him on a leash, tried to remove dog from said situation and stop the child from getting in reach of the animal there is nothing this owner could have done. But it will need to be investigated by the proper authorities.

What I don't understand and this may just be me - Why didn't the father or the pet owner get in between this child and the dog. I know with my dog who is a large yellow lab/Chow Mix (Chows are known for agressiveness) if Augie is even acting remotely agressive or stressed I either don't take him near where people and other animals are at or make sure that they know to keep away and will get between him and the oncoming animal/person.

hawkshoe replied: My first concern would be for the attention to my childs injury. Honestly, I probably would have at least gotten the dog owners phone number, but I am pretty sure I would not have asked him about rabies. That would be something I would think about after I was sure my childs injuries were taken care of.

Calimama replied: I would take him to get the shot. Although I admit I probably wouldnt have thought to get the owners number at the time.

Boo&BugsMom replied: This hits home for me because I was bit in the face by a viscous dog when I was 11. I got 75 stitches in the side of my face. Remarkably healed well after I got older.

Here the law is any pet has to be vaccinated for rabies. It's the only required shot in WI. Not sure what it is elsewhere. But, that doesn't mean people will keep up on it so I always think it's better to be safe than sorry. Whether it be getting the rabies shot (assuming there are no side affects if it's not needed), getting the information from the dog's owner, or reporting it with animal control.

Tish...the dog that bit me just happens to be a Chow. The family had two...the viscious one that bit me and another one that was very tame and quiet.

holley79 replied: Probably with everything going on and the amount of blood you are talking I probably wouldn't have been in the right frame of mind to think to get the owners info. I know here in the state of FL the hospital is to report all animal bites to AC.

luvbug00 replied: Here rabies shots are requirements. no kennal or groomer will take an unrabies vacc. dog. I"m gonna go out on a limb and say i think it's the fathers fault it even happend. Forget listening to his dad. his father should have gone up and grabbed the little guy befoere he even got close to the dog , for not listening, not for trying to pet a strange dog which btw causes me to ask. why is a child at a dog park without knowing you DO NOT waltz up and tuch a strangers animal without asking? which also makes me say that most dog parks arround here dogs are NOT on leashes which makes it a not so safe place for children. ok I'm done just my opinion and yes i would make him get a shot.,

grapfruit replied: Better safe then sorry. Get the shots. I know they're painful, but it's better then finding out too late that the dog was rabid. I know there's a relatively short time line w/the disease. Why wait until it's too late to treat it and all you can do is watch your son die. No thanks.

Boo&BugsMom replied: I just want to add that I have a few family members that have gone to dog parks around here. They say it's no different than taking your child to Chuck E Cheese or something, only this is the doggie version. Meaning...parents/dog owners don't watch their dogs, don't care what their dogs are doing, etc. It's remarkable that sometimes the lack of parenting even stems to their animals. If that's how irresponsible some people are, I wouldn't take a chance and get my kids the shots needed because who knows how well they really take care of their animals.

cameragirl21 replied:
well, i agree it was the father's fault but not for the reasons you list, which i'll get into in a minute. first of all, in the father's defense, it wasn't a dog park, it was a regular park where no one really walks dogs, it's unclear why the dog was there but he was on a leash.
the father was at fault IMO because he wasn't paying attention...he was talking to a friend of his and told the boy not to touch the dog but didn't do anything beyond that. idk, i think telling a child not to do something is not always enough, especially because kids are curious by nature. also, since the dog appeared agressive by baring its teeth, i think the dad should have taken the boy away from the dog and they should have hung out in another part of the park. i grew up with a very agressive German Shepherd dog and i was continually amazed at how lackadasical some people were, even after i told them that he does bite and they shouldn't pet him and he snarled and barked at them.
rabies shots are requirements everywhere in the US i think and i doubt the animal has rabies but you can never be too careful with rabies IMO and i would take him regardless because he WAS bit and on the face, close to the brain. sometimes people get all panicky, like i knew this lady who got rabies shots for all three of her children just because a bat got into their house...that's a bit extreme IMO because as far as they knew, no one was bitten by that bat. i hate panic for no reason but when a child gets bitten by an agressive dog and there is no information on that dog available to the parents then it's time IMO for rabies shots.
just fyi, everyone, it's not just one shot, it's a series of at least 6 shots in the stomach of all places (unless that's changed since i studied this in school in the 90s) and it is painful but it causes no side effects if you get it and weren't exposed to rabies. IMO it's not nearly as painful as dying of rabies.
as to why the dad didn't stop the boy from betting bitten, he wasn't paying attention and the dog owner was just minding his own business, walking his dog, i don't think it's his fault either.

luvbug00 replied: ahh ok sorry I assumed it was a dog park. ahh well everyone learned a lesson here..even me so i hope the little guy gets his shots and feels better.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Well I've been on the other side...meaning the dog's side before. And I must say, in the heat of the moment, when your dog has bitten someone, you are primarily thinking of the person that got bit and that's all! It's a scary thing to have happen and I applaud the guy that helped the parent take his child to the ER. We have an akita shephard mix and he is what I consider "leash-aggresive". He is a loving dog at home, but when on a leash outside, he will growl and snap if someone comes close, especially with other dogs. I was walking him one day and a jogger came up on us fast without me seeing her. Not her fault, but my dog got spooked and he bit her hand when she passed. Both her and I freaked. I tried giving her my number and reassured her that he is updated on all his shots, but all she wanted to do is get home and clean the wound. I don't blame her. So I reported it to our vet and never heard anything from this lady since.

Anyhow, I really don't think ANYONE is to blame here. As long as the dog was on a leash, he has the right to be there. I do think it's important to teach kids how to approach animals, but as parents, we know that our kids don't ALWAYS listen to us. Accidents happen. Being someone who owns an "unpredictable" dog, I know to not get close to people when walking him, but again, kids come running up to my dog sometimes and I can't always watch their every move. BOTH parties just have to be responsible is what I'm trying to say. Inform your kids, but also keep a tight hand on your dog's leash too.

I would get the kid a shot to be on the safe side. But I wouldn't take it any further personally.

CantWait replied: Well I think any of the facts behind it are not the question. I think had Anthony or Robbie been biten in the face, I would have not been in the right frame of mind either to ask questions, I would have insisted though on any vacinnations etc at the hospital just in case.