We have a very peaceful, friendly dog. He takes unintended "abuse" from young children without any reaction. If he thinks a person is hurting another person (like while wrestling or something) he grabs a wrist and growls, never snaps or bites. He runs at dog parks often, and if he sees other dogs start fighting, he sticks his nose in and breaks it up. He loves other dogs. They can even eat out of his bowl with no reaction.
There are a pair of neighbor dogs who aren't socialized at all and who snap at him and try to bite his face him every time they're near him. After a few incidents, our dog did start snapping back..."self-defense" if such a thing exists in dog world.
Our dog is ALWAYS on a leash, and 99% of the time, in our sights. Today, my boyfriend put him on the leash out back, went to get the mail out front, and returned immediately to the back door where the leashed dog was waiting to be let back in.
Unbeknowst to us, in that brief time, he had broken his leash (rusted due to the vast quantities of melting snow lately), gone into the other neighbor's yard, the dogs got into a tussle, and the other dog suffered a minor puncture to his neck. No stitches or anything. The vet cleaned it and gave him pain meds.
Only a teenage daughter was home when it happend, so she panicked and called 911, who came with animal control.
The police officer said it wasn't severe at all, and actually acted like he thought they were making a big deal, but he had to do his job. The animal control guy called it a freak accident and seemed to think that as long as we go apologize there wouldn't be a citation. The neighbor did tell the officer that our dog's lead was attached to him and that as soon as she yelled at him, he stopped immediately and retreated.
They commended us for obviously being very responsible dog owners, for adopting a stray, for the heavy leashes they saw, for proof that the dog has annual check-ups and is up to date on everything, including shots, his license, etc.
How serious is a first offenses like this? Is it still recorded as a first offense if no citation is issued? Even if it is, is it weighted less if no citation is issued?
I'm not concerned because I think he is a problem animal in any way. I'm concerned because fluke accidents are the story of my life.
There are a pair of neighbor dogs who aren't socialized at all and who snap at him and try to bite his face him every time they're near him. After a few incidents, our dog did start snapping back..."self-defense" if such a thing exists in dog world.
Our dog is ALWAYS on a leash, and 99% of the time, in our sights. Today, my boyfriend put him on the leash out back, went to get the mail out front, and returned immediately to the back door where the leashed dog was waiting to be let back in.
Unbeknowst to us, in that brief time, he had broken his leash (rusted due to the vast quantities of melting snow lately), gone into the other neighbor's yard, the dogs got into a tussle, and the other dog suffered a minor puncture to his neck. No stitches or anything. The vet cleaned it and gave him pain meds.
Only a teenage daughter was home when it happend, so she panicked and called 911, who came with animal control.
The police officer said it wasn't severe at all, and actually acted like he thought they were making a big deal, but he had to do his job. The animal control guy called it a freak accident and seemed to think that as long as we go apologize there wouldn't be a citation. The neighbor did tell the officer that our dog's lead was attached to him and that as soon as she yelled at him, he stopped immediately and retreated.
They commended us for obviously being very responsible dog owners, for adopting a stray, for the heavy leashes they saw, for proof that the dog has annual check-ups and is up to date on everything, including shots, his license, etc.
How serious is a first offenses like this? Is it still recorded as a first offense if no citation is issued? Even if it is, is it weighted less if no citation is issued?
I'm not concerned because I think he is a problem animal in any way. I'm concerned because fluke accidents are the story of my life.
Last edited:
