incident at the dog park

[cazareeforie]

@qody I personally think it’s 50/50 fault and would put 50/50 of the bills. He 100% should not have had his dog unleashed, but your dog also should not have bit the other dog in a public park that’s for everyone to use safely. If it was your own yard, I’d agree 100% his fault, but it’s not. Your dog could have just as easily bit his inside the dog park.

I hope you’re taking this as a wake up call that your dogs need training, it’s not just the bite, it’s the excessive barking and apparent lack of recall too, and if you’re missing the basics I can’t help but think of what else you’re probably missing.

 

[maggiecutajar]

@cazareeforie Why should be have his dog leased in an off lease dog park?

 

[cazareeforie]

@maggiecutajar Because he was walking TO the dog park and not yet in. Dogs have to remain leashed until they are actually in the dog park.

 

[maggiecutajar]

@cazareeforie Oh come on, he drove his car right up to the dog park and let the dog out to walk the few meters to the fenced off area. The dog who did the biting was IN the fenced off area. If the dog had been walked on lead to the fence, and then let into the fenced off area, he still would have been bitten.

 

[cazareeforie]

@maggiecutajar And then it would have 100% not been his fault. Or he would have actually been walking and OP could let him know not to come in because of their dogs behavioral issues. It doesn’t matter how far away the guy parked. The only place a dog should be off leash is in designated areas it is allowed, otherwise anything that happens will always be partially his fault. It’s basic dog ownership. Leash your dog unless in designated off leash areas.

 

[maggiecutajar]

@cazareeforie I'm sorry but that's so twisted. What you're saying makes no sense. He had his dog off lead outside the fenced off area, so he did something wrong, sure. But the thing that he did wrong has nothing to do with the fact that OPs dog injured his dog. Maybe the dude doesn't pay his taxes either. It doesn't matter how many bad things he has done if they aren't relevant to the damages caused. OPs dog bit the dudes dog. It would have happened the same inside or outside the fense. OPs dog bit another dog, OP is responsible.

 

[cazareeforie]

@maggiecutajar Okay, I’m not arguing with you about this. You obviously have your opinion but legally, he was also in the wrong. You can’t argue with stupid.

 

[maggiecutajar]

@cazareeforie You're not arguing with me yet you just said 'you can't argue with stupid'. Thanks for stooping to insults in a dog thread and showing your true colors

 

[deedeeonwheels]

@qody What an unfortunate incident.
If the other owner let his dog out of his car in a ON lead area then he is at fault too.
You are at fault too. No dog that shows anti social behaviour should be at a dog park, this includes fence fighting. Off lead parks are for owners that have complete control of there dog, this includes recall. It is clear that you had no control of your dogs.
I would say you need to go 50-50 in cost if his dog was indeed let loose in an ON Lead area.

 

[qody]

@deedeeonwheels Understand and fair. I would agree. I wish the other owner did as well.

 

[qody]

I'm so frustrated about it all, and saddened about his dog. I understand why he feels that way. I'd do anything to protect my dog if he was injured. But I also wouldn't have made the choices he did and I think I would have been more open minded about that vs to jumping to deny any fault whatsoever. He seemed to be largely worried about not getting his new Mercedes dirty and that he didn't have money (or maybe just didn't want to pay) for any vet care needed.

 

[qody]

I wanted to re-clarify the situation in case I didn't explain it properly:

Correct. My dogs were playing alone with each other in the large fenced in dog park, 9:00 p.m. when the park is usually uninhabited. After 20 minutes or so a car begun to approach. My dogs had begun to bark when we saw the car approaching, so I had begun to wrangle them up to put them on the leash and leave the park so that the next person could have privacy. My dogs and I were inside of the fenced area.

A guy pulled up, opened his car door, and let his dog jump out of the car unleashed. his dog immediately ran up to the fence. One of my dogs ended up biting that dog through the fence.

The man stated that is absolutely all my fault and that I need to pay for any vet bills that the dog may need. I could see that there was a wound so I tried to help rinse the dog clean. I asked him if his dog was on a leash or anything, because I couldn't understand how any of the dogs could come through the fence. I explained that I had tried to take steps so that we could leave first and was not expecting his dog to come out without a leash on, especially considering the barking. At that point he put his hand up and said absolutely not. This is not my fault at all. It's your fault... I exchanged my name and phone number. Who was upset that there may be dirt or blood in his new car and that he did not have any money to pay for any vet expenses.. possibly he just did not want to pay any possible expenses. We spent about another 10-15 minutes doing that.

This morning he calls and says that he wants vto take dog to vet, I'm absolutely responsible for any vet bills, and that I could choose the vet of my choice. And that the dog could die from infection.

 

[qody]

I posted this as a reply, but I also wanted to put it here as well:

I'd just like to add that this is why I'm asking around. I want to hear every aspect and opinion. I care that his dog was hurt. I feel like I took every single precaution that I could on my end other than not being there at all, and it was very unexpected. It's a dog park that we've frequented for 2 years without incident, other than my border collie being very noisy and excited. (This is the reason why we started coming at night after sundown when usually no one else is there.) If it's completely my fault considering all of that, I definitely want to do the right thing. Either way I want to do the right thing for this dog. The way that the rest of the situation was approached, I don't feel very easy about it all, and I wanted to make sure as it's not an experience I've ever had.

I thank you all in advance for any insight and opinions. Whether they be taken negatively or are positive. I just appreciate anyone taking the time to contribute to the conversation.

 

[aibbycatalan]

@qody You're welcome. I hope you're able to make a decision that you're comfortable with.

 

[longfellow]

@qody It's not your fault but it is your responsibility. A big part of off leash parks are for dogs to socialize with other dogs. It's so good for them and they love it so many dogs are excited to be there. That high energy can be a little overwhelming to some dogs and they might feel threatened and choose fight over flight. That being said it is an off leash park and a place that is meant to be shared not a 1 at a time situation so his dog not being on a leash doesn't really matter in my opinion. It isn't any different than if he had gotten inside the park first then your dog bit his. You really should pay his bills unfortunately but get in contact with the vet to be able to keep a record and make sure you aren't getting taken advantage of. I doubt his dog will die people are often quite dramatic about their dogs since they are like their children or best friends. Dogs can be tricky and you aren't a bad person for this happening but you should probably talk to a dog trainer to make sure it doesn't happen again.

 

[qody]

@longfellow Thank you for sharing your wisdom

 

[qody]

As an update, he is messaging me to find him a vet and then arrange 100% of the payment on his behalf.

 

[qody]

I think it's been misunderstood somewhere that I never offered or intended to help toward any vet cost needed if they are needed. I've only asked here for opinions and clarifications on how each party was responsibleand shared the details of what happened in depth.

 

[qody]

Thank you everyone for your input. As a first time experience I had no idea on the liabilities at play and and thankful for everyone who answered on every side of the equation. As an update I arranged for payment of the primary vet bill today. I don't know what is in store ahead and that makes me nervous. But I'm glad that all the dogs are being taken care of.

Thank you for your time

 

[aibbycatalan]

@qody I think the other owner is 100% at fault. This isn't a my dog bit your dog issue. This is a who was following the rules/ laws and being a responsible owner issue. You followed the rules. He did not. Your dogs were inside the fence and off leash legally. His dog was not. An owner truly concerned about their dog's safety would have made sure to bring their dog in on leash and assess the situation before releasing them. If the assessment is that your dogs are too hyper or aggressive, that needed to be addressed with him standing outside the fence with his leashed dog and asking you if you thought this was an issue. It's his responsibility to keep his dog safe and decide if they should proceed inside. He did none of this. Also, dogs are going to be dogs. It is our responsibility to train our dogs not to bite but ultimately they are not human and think differently than us. There is always a risk taking your dogs into a place with other dogs. You didn't mention if you consider your dogs to be aggressive, only that they bark. If you do, I wouldn't admit it in a public forum like this. It's not uncommon for dogs to be aggressive through the fence but not aggressive once the fence is gone. Also, was his dog aggressive? Was he there late at night to keep his dog separate from other dogs? I don't think the dog aggression is part of the argument of whether you should pay the vet bill. It boils down to a legal argument of who followed the law and who didn't.
Edit/ PS: I'm in no way saying that it's ok for dogs to bite. Even though it's the crux of the issue, it's not the determining factor in how you got there so I didn't address it.
My knee jerk reaction is you're getting conned. What kind of person cares more about their car than their dog? If you can't afford your vet bills because you want to spend money on other things, don't have dogs. What kind of person would let their dog off leash to run at other dogs when they've already had an incident? This sweet dog already had an injury to it's face in the past? Protect it!! This man did none of that. It sucks that you are in this predicament and I do feel bad for the dog that got bit but the owner can afford the vet bill and is 100% responsible regardless.