Bit by a dog -- no witnesses -- do I have a case?

I always carry some chocolate with me to help fend off such attacks. Dogs love chocolate!

I was bitten 35 some odd years ago as a kid and there was a 'first bite law' where the animal wasn't put down on the first bite. We still went to court mainly because the medical bills were going to be expensive. Fortunately my father was a witness so we ended up with enough to cover the hospital bills and then some, but only up to what the insurance would give us. We weren't looking to take them to the cleaners. The dog took my whole right cheek off. 250+ stitches. F'ing guy had the nuts to come to the hospital and ask if he could have another sunday paper, his had blood all over it. That alone was the only reason that we went for anything more than the hospital bills. Get a lawyer if for no other reason than to force the owner to pay medical. There is no reason that should come out of your pocket no matter how small. None. Yeah, shit happens, dogs get loose, people get bit, but the owner has a responsibility and should have stepped up and made things right.

Where do you live? If you're near by I'll be a witness for you. I'll swear I saw that little bastard run right out into the road at you.

Just give me a b****** and six pack. We got a deal?

Monte Hall wrote:

Where do you live? If you're near by I'll be a witness for you. I'll swear I saw that little bastard run right out into the road at you.

Just give me a b****** and six pack. We got a deal?

What is the asterisked out word? Methinks, b-l-o-w-j-o-b

i say take the a-hole to court. you'd be doing a favor to all the runners in your neighborhood that could run by that jerk's house and not have to worry about some dog biting their butt off. the owner of the dog sounds like a real idiot and if things don't go to court you should kill that dog yourself. get a bb gun or buy a piece of meat and put some rat poison in it.

Don't get the dog put down because of an irresponsible owner.

I think you should pursue it, not to get the dog put down, but to instill some responsibility into the owner.

Also, the medical bills are going to be expensive.

I was bitten about a year ago, and had to get all of the shots - rabies, tetanus, etc.

Bills added up to over $5,000.

I just let it go when I was bitten, and that was a huge mistake. I was out of town, got bitten by a dog on a freaking retractable leash. I ran by the owner on a road, she let the dog run up behind me and bite my leg. I yelled at her, she cried, I felt bad, said it was no big deal. I asked her if it had rabies, she said no. When I got home I told my doctor, he advised to go ahead with Rabies vaccination b/c apparently dog owners will lie through their teeth about those vaccinations - even though it could end up costing the bite victim their life. Way too late to go back to another state, track down random dog owner and figure it all out.

I am not sure why so many people are coming on this thread and giving advice on how to avoid being bitten. The guy was already bitten.

Subpoena the dog. It's your word against his, but you have an advantage here with your better grasp of English. Once the dog is in the witness box, cross examine it yourself. Taunt the animal by running around it as you ask questions and with any luck he'll try to bite you again. Once the judge sees what an aggressive beast he's dealing with, the case could only be decided in your favour and the dog will be forced to pay you back at a rate of $1 a week for the rest of its miserable life.

Seriously though - I don't see what defence the owner has - is he / she expressly denying that their dog bit you? The evidence of your wounds plus your sworn testomony should be more than enough to win the case.

tranquillo viejos wrote:

i say take the a-hole to court. you'd be doing a favor to all the runners in your neighborhood that could run by that jerk's house and not have to worry about some dog biting their butt off. the owner of the dog sounds like a real idiot and if things don't go to court you should kill that dog yourself. get a bb gun or buy a piece of meat and put some rat poison in it.

guys like you make me sick.

What kind of crap is this? How is a dog biting someone the reuslt of an "irresponsible owner"? You can debate that the owner should have had him locked up, but the fact remains that if that dog gets loose, it bites when it hasn't been provoked. There are plenty of dogs that get loose and don't attack people. Dogs that do get loose and attack should be put down. Biting without provocation is a character flaw of the dog, not a reflection of the owner.

You have nothing my friend.

Did you go to the doctor? Sounds like "No".

Did you incur any financial loss? (Medical, dental, clothes ripped to shreds?) Since you did not go to the doctor the answer is likely "No".

What are you expecting to get in terms of financial compensation - $1000? Do you think that a lawyer is going to waste 5 min of his time on you for $300 - $400?

No witness.

No financial loss.

You got nothing.

Get on with your loser life.

u-t-t-p-l-u-g?

Ruppy Love wrote:

Monte Hall wrote:

Just give me a b****** and six pack. We got a deal?

What is the asterisked out word? Methinks, b-l-o-w-j-o-b

You got nuttin wrote:

You have nothing my friend.

Did you go to the doctor? Sounds like "No".

Did you incur any financial loss? (Medical, dental, clothes ripped to shreds?) Since you did not go to the doctor the answer is likely "No".

What are you expecting to get in terms of financial compensation - $1000? Do you think that a lawyer is going to waste 5 min of his time on you for $300 - $400?

No witness.

No financial loss.

You got nothing.

Get on with your loser life.

You don't read very well do you.

Take the guy to small claims court. If you have the proof you say you do (documented) then the judge should find in your favor. Make sure you have a good idea of what the bills are going to add up to.

Do you really think the dog has rabies? Seriously? The dog lives with a family - not out in the wild catching it's own dinner.

I've been bitten several times and only after the first bite did I go to the doctor who gave me a tetnus shot. Keep the wound clean and you'll live. So unless your arm is about to fall off or you need plastic surgery to recover, forget the law suit and get over yourself.

Whatever you do don't be a letsrun pansy who does nothing. Take that asshole down, or next time his dog will be mauling some small child and I'll have to see pictures of some six year old girl's face torn off on TV.

That's exactly it. The dog that bit me was about 70 lbs and I often see little kids playing back there. If I can recover my medical expenses and help in anyway so those kids don't get bitten then I'll be happy.

Try this wrote:

You could try yelling "no" at the dog in a stern voice, since that is the word dogs understand as "stop doing what I'm doing."

For the tough guys who talk about kicking the dogs, or killing them as the case may be here, good luck trying to fight a large, agressive, angry dog with your 5'6" 120 lbs. body. Yet another example of runners fancying themselves tough guys.

Not all runners are 5'6 120. I myself am 6'4" and 175, and if a stupid ass dog nips me, you better beleive its going to be the end of his life. And this is coming from a dog lover.

I'm 5'9 150lbs and last week an 80-lb dog of some kind approached me agressively while I was running. My instincts made me yell at him like a crazy person and I took an aggressive posture. Dog ran away. Seems to work every time. However, I fear for my 5'1 girlfriend. Bottom line is dog owners do need to be more careful.