Dog accused of hurting another dog at the dog park

    • Bronze

    Dog accused of hurting another dog at the dog park

    This is kind of a long story, but I would like to ask you all for your advice on this matter.

    Today, we went to the dog park with our dog and my friend's dog. I watched my friend's dog, while my husband kept an eye on our dog. They were never out of our sights and we kept track of them the entire time that we were there. My dog was playing with a group of dogs, when there was a bit of a commotion. My husband had already started walking over to check things out. When he got there, he found that a dog had been injured and its stomach had a big gash on it. As he approached the site, the injured dog's owner was telling another man that his F***ing dog hurt his dog and to get it the F out of here, then he turned and saw my husband. At that point, the man that was being yelled at and his dog took off. Then the man asked if this was his dog (ours) and said that our dog had injured his dog. Never one to ignore his responsibilities, my husband asked about the dog and saw the injury. He offered to drive them to the emergency vet and when the man asked for his phone number, he gave it to him. The man declined his offer to drive him to the vet and just took his phone number and said that he would call us with the bill.

    However, we're not sure our dog did it. As soon as my husband reached the site of the accident, he grabbed our dog and held onto his collar, after checking the injuries on the other dog, he brought him directly over to me and briefly explained the situation. I leashed the two dogs and started checking my dog for injuries of his own and blood. There wasn't ANY blood on him at all. Not on his face, not on or in his mouth, not on his paws or the rest of his body. If he had indeed injured that dog, he would have had some blood on him. He wasn't licking his mouth or face or cleaning himself in any way after the incident. Thankfully, he did not have any injuries of his own either. It is true that he was playing with and chasing the dog, but there were 5 other dogs playing together. I overheard some witnesses talking about the incident (they didn't know that I was behind them) and they said that it looked like the dog was running and it tripped and flipped over, when it got up, it had the gash on its side. They did not implicate any of the dogs that were playing with the injured dog.

    I know I'm his mom and my word doesn't mean much here, but my dog does not hurt other dogs. He is not aggressive in any way and he's one of the most submissive dogs I have ever seen. He likes to play wrestle and play chase and he's been very well socialized. He has played with hundreds of dogs and he has never hurt any of them. If I thought that he was aggressive in any way, I would never bring him to a dog park. I could really use your advice here. It's not that I'm trying to skirt our responsibility as a dog owner and we cannot prove 100% that he didn't hurt the dog, but there are so many things that don't add up for me. What should we do? Do we have any recourse?

    Thank you all for your help!
    • Gold Top Dog

    What a crummy situation. I'd be reluctant to take responsibility if I felt sure my dog had no part in the other dog's injury.  I  think you should contact an attorney. Maybe an offer to pay a part of the medical would be a possibility. It would also leave you open to more liability. On the other hand, if the injured dog's owner witnessed the event and says your dog was involved, I'm not sure you have any way to refute it at this point.  

    I know this is no help to you now but your story is why I don't take my dogs to dog parks. Good luck to you.

    • Bronze

    Thank you JackieG! I have done some research online about dog owner liability, but so far, I have only found information on cases where a dog injures a human. I really hope we don't have to get lawyers involved, though it may be prudent to start looking. The thing is, the man was accusing a different man and a different dog before my husband got there, so I'm not sure the dog's owner even really knew what happened. I think he saw his dog hurt and panicked, it's really hard to think when someone you love is hurt. Thank you again!

    If any one has any legal advice, it would be really helpful!

    <3

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    • Gold Top Dog

    Hi dog parks can be a crazy place, the one I usually go to is policed pretty well by a good group of regulars. I would think if there is no proof that your dog did anything I don't think they can do much. Thankfully there was no blood shed and no emergency room visits. Even the most dog friendly dog can sometimes be pushed to their limits by certain dogs I've seen it happen. Maybe the best advice for now is just find other play dates for your dog with dogs you know and feel comfortable with. It's important for dogs to be dogs and play with other dogs. Please keep us posted.

    • Gold Top Dog

    There are 2 liabilities for you to consider. 1. Is having the municipal authorities declare you dog aggressive/ harmful. This could result in restrictions being placed ie muzzle, leash, no dog parks etc. If the man made a report, you can expect a visit. Most often, without proof the owner is given a warning and the incident is recorded - first bite free. 2. Financial liability is also an issue. If the man wants to be compensated he would have to prove it was your dog. You might want to try to find others who witnessed the altercation. He would also want to prove negligence. The fact you were in a designated off leash park, where owners aren't expected to have 100% control and the fact your dog has no aggression or bite history works in your favour.   Good Luck.

    • Bronze

    Thank you so much for your advice! Fortunately, the injured dog's owner called us and admitted that there was no attack. He was understandably very distraught and upset when he saw his dog hurt, but he calmed down and called us 2 days later. We were able to talk it over calmly and both sides were able to present their sides and we were able to come to an agreement without involving the authorities. I still feel that my dog did not directly cause the injury, but my husband wanted to make sure that we ended on good terms with the injured dog's owners and he was able to work out a compromise.

    For the time being, we have decided to take a break from the dog parks. It's a shame though!  

    Thank you again everyone for your advice and comments!

    • Bronze

    Thank you so much for the information! I really appreciate it.