Tell me I did this right...

[Giselle]

Facts of the case:

As I was walking Giselle and Ivy, a neighbor's dog (who we've met before) was loose. Ivy is extremely leash reactive so I yelled (verbatim), "My dogs aren't friendly!!" (Giselle is friendly, but that takes too much time to spit out.)

Anyways, that wasn't even a problem because their dog came out and charged Giselle. My hands were literally tied then because I had to simultaneously protect Giselle and keep Ivy away from their dog. Obviously, I could only do one, so Giselle had to bear the brunt of the attack. The owner of the other dog immediately ran up and grabbed her and apologized. I was too shocked to reply, so I just continued our walk. When I went home, I saw a laceration about the size of a nickel on the side of Giselle's face. It looked pretty shallow, so I gave it 3 days to heal by itself.

By the third day, it didn't look right so I went to the e-vet. They just gave us antibiotics and told us to keep it clean. I sent our neighbors a letter explaining what happened, why I took Giselle to the vet, and that I would appreciate it if they paid the full cost of the bill. I included a copy of the receipt and pictures of the wound.

But I have this weird guilty feeling. These neighbors have been very nice to us and they like Ivy a lot. It also doesn't help that their dog is a Pittie. I've always been a champion of pitties (especially shelter pits), and it feels so odd now that we've actually been attacked by one. Our neighbors have not responded yet, and I just feel extremely nervous and guilty...Please, tell me I did this right...

[Karen]

You did the right thing. Don't feel guilty, and I am sure if they are dog lovers they will understand. They probably wouldn't want the police involved and the media because their dog is a pittie, so they'll appreciate you keeping it between you two.

[scrain2329]

You are 100% doing the right thing. Even if the neighbors dog wasnt a pittie, it is the right thing to keep it between the 2 of you, as well as ask them to pay for the billing.
Hopefully all is well with the puncture now : )

[bckrazy]

Omg. Poor little Giselle... she doesn't deserve to go through that, and neither do you.

Your neighbors made a mistake - and when people make mistakes, they SHOULD be accountable for any and all reprecussions of their mistake. Hopefully, when they see that bill and the statement that verifies that their dog actually hurt Giselle, they will re-think allowing their dog to roam off-leash. Don't feel guilty, at all, Sophie! You absolutely shouldn't be paying for the damage that some one else's dog inflicted, especially out of their own carelessness. I love Pitties, too, but GOD knows the last thing this breed needs is owners who allow their dogs to run amuck biting other dogs.

Gonzy says he wishes he could've been there to defend his boo!

[kt_luvs_kitties]

First off, I am sorry about Giselle, and for you. How scary!

Second, I think it is perfectly acceptable for you to ask for the bills to be covered. It is their fault their dog got loose. I know I would want to pay for ANY AND ALL damage my dog caused to someone elses property OR pets.

I would ask for proof of immunizations as well, to be on the safe side.

I also would have went to talk to them personally, because it is hard to get true emotions/expectations across through a letter. BUT nonetheless.. They should be more than willing to pay. If they are good owners, no hard feelings will come of this. GOOD LUCK! And kisses to Giselle.

[Ginger's Mom]

You did the right thing in presenting them with the bill. Since you said you had a good relationship with them I may have done it in person rather than by letter, but the fact that I am older has a lot to do with that (I don't think you should have). However, they should be responsible for the costs associated with the injury caused by their dog. Taz went after a friend's dog while we were talking about a month ago, and I offered to accompany her to the vet or pay the bill (just a little puncture under the eye-she said she would take care of it herself, no vet). They probably didn't realize that Giselle was actually injured at the time. I hope Giselle is feeling better.

[chocolatepuppy]

Did the neighbor inquire as to if Giselle was okay the day of the attack? They should have. Then you wouldn't be wondering if you did the right thing. Even if they are nice people and this is the first time their dog was loose and maybe by accident, it doesn't matter, they are responsible for what their dog did, just as any of us here would be.
I hope Giselle is doing ok.

[Freedom]

How frightening! I think you did fine focusing on your reactive dog. Poor Giselle, glad it isn't serious.

And I agree with you following up with the neighbors. I think Ginger's Mom said it well.

[moosmom]

Your neighbors should consider themselves very lucky that you are ony asking them to pay the vet costs. You did the right thing.

[Taz_Zoee]

OH my gosh, Sophie. I got tears in my eyes reading this. I cannot imagine going through that. How scary!
But I agree, you did the right thing. Unless you feel like you, along with one of your parents, could go follow up on the letter, you might just have to realize they won't pay what you requested. It would be great if they did, but you never know. I also hope it doesn't cause uncomfortableness (Is that even a word? LOL) between you now.

Poor Giselle, I hope she is feeling better soon!! Give her hugs and kisses for me please.

[Spiritwind]

I agree with everyone else. I would hope the owners of the dog would step up and pay the bills without any issues... I don't think you did anything wrong!

I had something similar happen what about 13yrs ago... I was walking my first Collie, who was barely a year old... we were walking around the high school football stadium when this guy with a Golden showed up with his dog off leash.. he was on the complete opposite side of the stadium but his dog saw mine and came charging around after us. The owner of the Golden did nothing more than walk around to get to his dog, he was in no hurry... of course by the time he got to his dog, his dog had already jumped on mine (I was 12-13yrs old at the time) and knocked him down a few steps, and though I didn't know it at the time, my dog had got bitten a couple times on the hock. I couldn't break it up myself, plus my dog wouldn't let the golden near me, he kept himself between me and the other dog.... by the time the owner got there the dog stopped attacking mine... the goldens owner asked if I was ok, didn't ask about my dog... and said his dog just wanted to play.. leashed him up and left...

As I was walking home I noticed blood running down my dogs back leg... vets were closed so we took him the next morning... it was nothing major but he was sore for a few days and limped around for a few days.

I didn't know who the Golden's owner was though... but by talking to a few other people in the general area, who have had similar issues with a Golden going after their dogs, we got the name of the possible owner and tracked him down so he could pay vet bills... took a couple weeks to finally talk to the guy but he paid the bills...

[Giselle]

Thanks guys. Well, how's this for a positive update?

The owner of the dog called me this morning to apologize and gladly offered to pay the full cost of the bill. He also said he didn't feel comfortable knowing that Giselle and his dog would have this angst between them, so he wants the two dogs to re-meet each other in a controlled setting. The ONLY reason why I'm agreeing to this is because we've met his dog twice before and she *was* very dog friendly. I appreciate his wanting to work through it, so I'll give it one shot but I'll be insisting his dog be muzzled. I also intend to use the opportunity to tell him that, regardless of whether or not HIS dog is friendly, Ivy can never be approached by a loose dog. Hopefully, I can convey my message clearly enough that we won't have to go through this again...

Giselle is doing fine. Her wound looks a little angrier today, but I know all things get worse before they get better. Here's what it looked like yesterday:

You gotta love greyhound skin It wasn't bad on the first day, but then it got bigger and redder and puss-ier so now we're on meds just in case!

[scrain2329]

Thats a great update, I'm glad that they are choosing to do the right thing. I think a re meet is a great idea on his part and a muzzle is also a good thing : ) glad everything is turning out well.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

That is a GREAT update. Sounds like your neighbors are responsible dog lovers who want the best not only for their dogs, but their communities as well.

Does the heart good to know there are such responsible pet owners out there, and they are showing exactly what a pitbull owner should be. If all owners of pits were like them, Pits would not be condemned in the way they are!

Pets for Giselle!

[chocolatepuppy]

That's great news. Now poor Giselle needs to get all better.