I'm freakin out!

[meganO]

Hi all! I'm brand new to this site, but I'm in a real bind. My little dog is kind of a jerk and she nipped a person in the calf today when we were walking about the neighborhood. I was horrified and embarrassed and endlessly apologized and asked if the woman was alright over and over. She looked, there was no blood or much to see, but it was obviously startling and not a great part of anyone's morning!

We went our separate ways, and an hour or so later my landlord is calling, asking if (Gladys) had bit someone, and said that the person is looking to get ahold of me, etc..

I took the number and immediately called, getting no answer. I left a message, again apologizing and expressing my concern for her wellness, and repeated my phone number.

I then called my vet to check on her records, vaccines, etc. and to ask them what I should expect, or how big of a deal it may be. All seems okay, she's got a clean record, worst case scenario, she could ask for her to be quarantined (?).

Anyway, (sorry for the long winded story) I then call this lady a second time, because she's not returned my call for over an hour. I start telling her that I've spoken with my vet, bla bla bla, and she cuts me off telling me she is "at the doctor, about to get a tetanus shot... (Tetanus shot?) I'll have to call you back later."

Is any of this wierd?? I'm thinking she'll want me to pay for it. I mean, it is my fault! It's my fault and my dog is a jerk... but I also don't want to be taken advantage of. This is a new situation for me. Thanks for reading it. Otherwise... I'm a great and loving pet owner, with a handsome cat too, who is much more well adjusted.

[Rivsky]

Firstly welcome to GP and sorry you have joined up under such bad circumstances.

From your account of what happened I don't find anything weird about the lady's behaviour given what happened.

If I was you though I'd be very careful about posting about what happened on a public forum from a legal point of view. If you have some sort of community run legal aid group in your area I'd give them a call and tell them what happened to find out what your rights are.

[dogs4life]

Rivsky's right, you need to know your legal rights as a dog owner. Here in my state it's called "dangerous dog law" but some call it "dog bite law".

The lady might feel uncomfortable talking to you since she may not have been aware of the "dog bite laws" before she got medical attention.