Went to look at husky puppy tonight,

owner had a full grown adult on a run that went into his front yard and to the foot of his steps.

I reached out to let the dog sniff my hand - a mistake on my part - and the dog lunged at me. ended up in the e.r. with stitches in multiple places - both hands bandaged and a foul mood to go along with it. Dog wasn't showing any signs of aggression other than barking when we pulled in. He just had a determined stare when I reached out.

I'm not sure how I feel about someone who asks you to come to their house to see a puppy with an aggressive dog on a run that comes around to the front of the house and doesn't bother to mention the dogs temperament on the phone, but none the less, I should have used better judgement.

I'll be sore for a few days.

Unfortunately the owner has decided to put the dog down, something I told him not to do and he told me its not my decision. He's offered the pup for free, but I declined.

Don't think I want a dog bred from that stock.

sucks but least the owner didnt make excuses for the dog.....

Wow, sorry to hear of this, hope your going to be okay.
Owners fault, not the dog.

Good idea!

Dog bites hurt like hell and infect real easy. hope you heal fast and well.

run across a few neurotic dogs where the only fault of the owner was not putting the dog down sooner.....no clue where this dog falls on the scale.....

That sucks for both you and the dog, but once a dog has bitten once and the perceived threat leaves, he can never be trusted again. I think the owner did the right thing. I had a dog that bit a child once -- once. I put him down. Broke my heart, but I couldn't live with myself if he hurt another child.

whenever you get bit by a dog in Ohio, the hospital has to contact the sheriff so deputies met with me - and I pretty much told them what I told you - It was my fault, I should have known better.

but I think they went out there and read them the riot act anyways because the owner didn't offer the puppy until after the deputy visit - not that I care. I'm not looking for an angle here or way to get ahead. I pretty much decided I didn't want a husky the moment he bit thru my jeans and punctured my abdomen.

The deputies said they would keep the report but not file it - something to that effect - because I didn't want the owner to get into trouble.

Huskies, malamutes and the like are bad at being unprovoked biters.

Must be something in the water in Ohio. I was about ten when I got bit the first time. I was riding my bike about half way between Dayton and Vandalia when a great dane charged out and lifted me off my bike by my right leg.

I'm not sure the wife who owned the dog understood exactly what happened when we called from the hospital to make sure he was up to date on his rabies shot. We didn't give her any details other than her dog bit me.

She was like "well yea, thats our guard dog!"

Like I said, I suspect the deputies put the evening in perspective with her when they followed up.

Don't blame you for not wanting anything from that stock.

Hope the owners are not breeding either.

DAMN!

It's mind boggling that he didn't put the dog up after inviting you over.

You sure you don't want to retire to a life of leisure in the tropics?

Hate to hear you got bit and I hope you dont have any problems healing.

When 2 was young our neighbors had a husky that would do the same thing. Calm as could be, tail wagging, he would let you walk right up to him, but once you were within striking distance (he was on a chain), he would come unhinged and try to take a piece out of your hide.

There's your sign.

Sucks, but I think both you and the dog owner seem like stand up guys

I'd be more than a little pissed if somebody invited me over to look at a pup and their dog put me in the hospital.

I got no problem with people keeping dogs for protection,...even badass dogs.

But there's a level of responsibility that someone has to accept when they keep badass dogs around.

German Shepherd got me when I was around 12-13. I was helping a bud deliver papers so we could go fishing. Damn dog drug me off a porch by the leg.

8 or 9 whacks over the head with a 16 ounce R.C. Cola bottle stopped that blood line.

I went to look at a German Shepard pup once where the male dog was on the end of the chain trying to get a piece of me while the mother was crawling on my lap looking for affection.

I took that pup home and raised one of the best farm/guard dogs that I had ever seen.

Some people he would completely ignore while others would get the evil eye stare down.

And if you had a guilty conscience, you didn't get out of the car.

I like that.

When I was a kid, a little younger than you, we were playing baseball in the neighbor's yard. It was fenced all the way around except one small section. The house behind us had an aggressive dog. He would sit right by the open section...and wait for use to get close. He would then lunge forward and bit us. The dog was medium size and would get us in the thigh or buttocks. The city had a leash law which the owner obviously ignored.

Several of the players got snipped by the dog, but we avoided him as much as possible. Eventually a ball was hit close to the opening. I decided to try to retrieve it in a non treating manner. However, I unconsciously carried the bat with me.

The dog lunged forward at me. In that split second I realized I had the bat. I jumped back and thought, "does that dog know I have a bat?"

By this time the dog was well in our space, and again lunged viciously toward my thigh. I simply let the bat fall off my shoulder...onto its head. As Hank Jr. would say, "It was an attitude adjustment."

He rolled over a couple of times, pausing long enough to lie idle on his back for a couple seconds...and much to our surprise...afterward, became a perfect spectator.

Better call Saul.

I think if my dog bit someone without provocation I would have him put down too.

Wow, a dog owner taking responsibility for his dog is pretty much once in a lifetime. All aggressive dog owners blame everyone else or deny any risk. Yes, all dogs are pack animals protective of their turf. I was chased by a pit bull and a weiner dog on the same run last week. Just very rare to hear of an owner assuming responsibility. And yes i would put the dog down. Aggression cant be tamed in a dog.

Wow! Sorry to hear this. I hope you heal quickly!

Ed

You handled the situation well, I hope you heal well.

Exactamundo....


Bites can hurt like hell, especially on the hands.I have been VERY fortunate in my chosen profession to have almost never been bitten....almost. Got a couple unintentional bites when doing bite work ( dog missed the sleeve....) Got another unintentional on a dope search....dog got excited and meant no harm. Then I had a Malinois get me last spring, with intent. For whatever reason that one didn't hurt, bled like hell though

I'd have to live in an igloo before I let someone give me a husky.

Sucks about the bite.

When I was in 3rd grade, a schoolmate walking home from school was mauled to death by a Malamute/Husky that escaped its kennel. The owner had 3 other Huskies that appeared just as vicious as the one that got loose and killed the boy. The owner refused to do anything about them.

Somebody took care of the problem Huskies one day when the owner was gone.

Glad to hear the owner in this case did the right thing...

when my brother was about 10 yrs old he was bitten my the neighbors husky.

Caught him behind the knee in the fat and layed him open good. took 65 stitches to close it back.

To this day I don't care for them, and that was 20+ years ago.

Sorry you got bit.

I class huskies as being about like ferrets; one of them pets you have to accommodate yourself to rather than the other way around. Given any sort of freedom they'll inevitably do what they were bred to do: go out and run for miles and miles.

I've been hit twice once by a German Shepherd on a chain and I got in his ring of space and once by an Australian Shepherd who while running from wasps thought I was chasing one of his people.

Both times on the thigh. They both hurt pretty bad.

Mike

Leave sleeping dogs lie.

That includes the ones in kennels or tied to a line. Or on the other side of the fence. I'm always amazed by the amount of people that will cross my street to put their hand over my fence and pet my lab.

Yes, he is friendly. No, he has never bitten anybody. But what in the earth's holy fugg makes people feel as though they HAVE to pet a dog?

I always tell my kids to just walk past the goofy fuggers.



Travis

Yep. Ive known of tough men who have had a hand or forearm bite from a big dog and be somewhat crippled the rest of their life.

Had a German Sheppard male guard dog at dads shop. Nicest dog you would ever met. He would let you walk up and pet him, tail wagging, just sitting there minding his own business on a chain. Once you were finished petting him and you turned around to leave, he would nail you in the calf or hamstring.

I don't know how many people I had to tell to "back" away from the dog. I learned my lesson to not walk up and pet guard dogs as a kid. Only took once.

Granted the dog that bit the OP was not on a leash and should have been.

Hope you heal fast! Here's my adventure. At the age of 7, while waiting in the neighbors back yard for the neighbor kid to finish his lunch and come out and play, not knowing any better, I kneeled down and started to pet their German Shepard. I can remember the dog starting to attack and then my memory goes blank until I reached the back door of our house and saw the first drop of blood hit my shoe and then hearing my mom and sisters scream at the sight of my bloody face and neck. Unfortunately for me they had just given that dog a nice piece of steak and it took exception to my proximity. The dog was on a fairly long leash attached to pole and thank heavens I somehow was able to get away. It went for my neck missing my jugular vein by a 1/4 inch or so, missing my voice box barely and ripping three gashes through my cheek and missing my left eye by a fraction. I'm sure it hurt, but I have no memory of that (adrenaline) other than while getting stiches, I do remember being scared for my life when I first got home as my mother was trying to slow down the bleeding. Took about 2 hours plus to get 65 stiches. I love dogs but I've been very cautious of them, especially German Shepherds ever since. This dog had already bitten 3 or 4 other kids before it got me. I saw and petted the dog regularly before the bite and figured we were buds. Guess not. The family didn't want to put it down, but my father "convinced" them to, and he would have taken care of it himself if they hadn't.

Especially true in Montana where theres a cow dog in the back of every farm truck.

The herding dogs all have a possessive streak...its THEIR truck. Stick your hand in there and they'll bite it. Owner walks up with you and introduces you, and the dog is your best buddy ever...

I've been bitten a number of times, but God must have been watching over me because the bites were never too serious.

I worked at a veterinarian the summer after eighth grade. We would get dogs in for observation after they had bitten someone. We kept them in a separate ward. If they lived 16 days, I think it was, then we knew they didn't have rabies. One of those nasty curs got me good about his 15th day and then promptly died that night. The doc's were then double pizzed at me for getting bit because now they had to autopsy the brain. Whatever he died of, it wasn't rabies!

I'm been bit too. Hell,...who hasn't been dog bit?

But what KFWA has described is a serious fuggin' mauling by a serious fuggin' attack dog,... that resulted in a lot of blood and stitches,...and it's going to result in a hell of a hospital bill to somebody. Not to mention a lot of serious pain.

Now,..if he had gone onto someone's property unannounced and suffered the consequences, I'd say that he just used bad judgment and paid the price.

But this was a pre-arranged situation where the dog's owner knew that someone was coming over to their house, yet left their attack dog out and running.

I'm not sue happy. If I'm walking across your yard,..trip on a tree root and break my leg, I'm not going to blame you for having a tree root poking up out of the ground.

If you invite me over to consider a commercial transaction,..and you have an attack dog running the property and don't tell me about it,..and the attack dog sends me to the hospital,...Your stupid ass is gonna buy me a new Corvette,....minimum.

Fug stupid people.

I've seen a malinois bite 3 officers one night and didn't hit the perp once...fkin crazy dog. Pavlovian response to sirens.
Hate those fkers.

Any dog can bite in the right circumstance. Got called in to work today to help with a sewage backup in the basement and I was in a biting mood. Miss Lilli the rat terrier has never made an aggressive move in her 15 years and still I'm cautious with her around strangers. I can read her mood and intent, they by and large can't.

I greet strange dogs by squatting down at a non-threatening distance, hands in and a few quiet words, and let them make the first move. Absolutely non-threatening and gives me a chance to gauge their attitude and how to approach - or not approach.

Around here, a dog only bites once. Never again. Never mind the breed. No exceptions.

The dog was evidently kept as a guard dog, so was just doing its job..

I tend to agree with Bristo on this one in that the
owners are the real dump asses here, with the dog having to pay the price for that stupidity....

Dogs have good sense ...............who to bite.

He's bit people before. I have no doubt. End of story.

I have a dog, but not that kind.

Had a big dog attack me once in my teens coming back from an afternoon hunt. Stupid neighbor kept him tethered on a sliding rope to a clothesline all day long outside. Had to shoot him. No choice. .22LR in the neck. Wasn't the first time he'd got off and attacked somebody.

Been dog bit before by dogs from property I had not traversed. Had a white Shepherd put his canines clean through one ass cheek once. Four holes, blood from flowing from all of them. Momma of the house snatched him up and paid for all medical.

Lots of people haven't been dog bit.

The vast majority of Americans haven't been dog bit.



Travis

Based on internet posts I think I'm one of the few people in the world that likes killing dogs.

Kinda surprising in my opinion.




Travis

Like every older American male that was once a paperboy, I got bit a few times, but never got hurt bad enough by a dog to have to go to the doc's. It was always the smaller dogs that bit me, like one Pomeranian that would hide in the bushes and nail me from behind on the Achilles's tendon and break the skin. Quite painful.

Finally one day I caught him running across the open yard to get to his ambush spot. I flung the heavy Wednesday paper full of grocery store ads his direction and my lead was spot on. That newspaper weighed more than he did, and knocked him sideways tumbling a couple of yards. After that he never got within 20 feet of me and barely even barked at me.

The worst bite I got was from a Cocker Spaniel that had never been aggressive towards me, but was standing next to the owner this particular day and nailed me as I handed the man his paper.

The bite broke the skin and ripped the bottom of my pant-leg half off. The owner and I were both rather stunned. I was halfway down the block continuing my route before I realized that the owner hadn't really even apologized, and he also didn't offer to buy me a new pair of pants, then, or later when I came to collect for the monthly subscription.

My parents weren't too pleased, mostly about the ruined pants, but they were so used to me or one of my three brothers coming through the door nearly every day banged up and bruised from some mishap that nothing was said or done about it. We were always current on our Tetanus shots, anyway, from frequent trips to the doc for stitches or other injuries, so it was just another day in the life of adventurous boys.

I had a paper route, and I taught a few dogs to leave me alone.

Yep. Don't like 'em, don't trust 'em. Unless you've got sleds that need pulling, they're pretty much useless over-haired biting mutts.

You left out neurotic, Doc. Too many bred for their looks, not brains or temperament.

Much like Border Collies, they are high-energy dogs who need a focused job or they lose what little brain they have.

Ed

Yep, and they can tote a lot of fleas.

didn't read all the responses so sorry if already mentioned. But i find almost any dog gets more protective when fenced in or on a leash of some sort. at least that's been my experience. when a dog finds its self restrained, they tend to get more protective. no excuse for what happened, and yea it sucks for both you and that dog. i too glad to hear the guy was a stand up owner and not try to make excuses. he really screwed up.

I stand corrected. Sorta reminds me of my ex-sister-in-law, who was apparently bred (and then surgically enhanced) for looks, and had schidt for brains/temperament... and curiously, kept Akita's.

This

My brother owned a beautiful husky, it killed every cat that came in the yard . He was also prone to jumping a 6 foot wooden fence every opportunity. It came to the point where my brother had to walk him in the backyard on a leash. When he escaped he killed every cat he could find. They can be peculiar at times, my cousins husky could not be approached by anyone except immediate family unless you wanted to be bitten.