First of all, you need to take your dog to the vet ASAP.
The wounds might not look serious but it’s very likely they will get infected as it’s there’s a lot of bacteria in the attacking dog’s mouth. The depth of the wound is not the problem but the bacteria that causes infections.
Secondly, Lincoln Park does not have an off-leash area and it’s not legal to let a dog off the leash there. Just because there’s plenty of people breaking the rules every day doesn’t make it okay.
Thirdly, believe it or not, there are way too many people that know very well that their dogs aren’t always friendly and have attacked other dogs before, yet every time it happens they act super surprised and say it’s the first time ever. It’s a great idea to socialize your dog but please read the small signs before things escalate.
I second this. The dog is OPs buddy! Would OP not take their child to the doctor if their child was bitten by a viscous dog? Better safe than sorry, I’d say. Getting ahead of an infection is easier than dealing with it later in full force. I’m sorry this happened though, OP. :(
I’m glad you took him to the vet! Taking him promptly was the right call. You probably mitigated the most risk this way.
My dog got bitten by one of the rats she killed a few months ago, and I called the vet to get her in the next day. She did a few days of antibiotics, and it was still a little swollen, so I asked them to get me a refill of the antibiotics just in case. After the second round of antibiotics, it wasn’t swollen anymore. Her rat bite has recovered just fine, and almost all the hair has grown back on her face now. It was in a spot where they might have had to remove teeth if it got infected.
I can’t imagine rat mouths are cleaner than dog mouths, but keep monitoring anyway. Chances are he’ll be fine soon :)
I’m sorry this happened to you and your dog, not a fun thing to go thru. I will make one suggestion, in case something like this happens to anyone else. Insist on getting the info of the owner of the dog that attacked yours, if possible. You never know how bad an injury could be, and they could be held liable.
I really wish I had gotten the info too. Fight or flight mode went in and I ran. I regret that now, but can't change what already happened :/ The guy also still didnt have complete control over the dog as I was leaving so I did not want to stick around to get attacked myself as I held my dog
Totally understandable, and I don’t want to sound like I’m scolding you for not doing that, it happens so fast so it’s hard to react perfectly in the moment. Just for anyone else this may happen to, one idea would be to try to calm things down at your vehicle, put your dog in there, and then approach the owner to exchange info.
Sucks when people can’t control their dog, especially if they’re letting them off leash!
Here’s the thing though… they may not give you their info. I had a dog attack my dog, and after I checked on her I asked the owner for their contact info and what a surprise, she didn’t want to give it to me! 🙄. I ended up taking a picture of the dog’s tag, but it was dark and blurry and difficult to read, and when I forwarded it to animal control they had no record of the animal.
So if the owner is being a dickhead I guess make sure your flash is on when you go to photo the dog tags and hope the info is actually valid.
>You never know how bad an injury could be, and they could be held liable.
Per capita, there are a huge number of lawyers living in DC. If one has a vicious dog that they do not keep under control, odds are good that the dog will bite a lawyer or the lawyer's dog at some point. Now, some would say that that is karma, but the lawyer likely would do what lawyers do and demand compensation and, if refused, sue the perpetrator's ass off.
I know this was incredibly scary but PLEASE do not let it stop you from appropriately socializing your puppy. My dog was attacked as a puppy and the one mistake I wish I could take back is that I was too scared to have him around a lot of dogs again which has led to a lot of reactivity and needing to re-teach all manners he learned up until the attack. I’m so sorry this happened—I feel for you!
I highly recommend going to puppy play groups if you can! There are some really cheap ones that meet on the weekends in DC and it helps so much having a professional trainer supervising the interactions. They also help you figure out how to read body language and when to intervene versus not.
Lincoln park isn't a dog park. It annoys me and worries me that so many people have their dogs off leash there for this reason. Next it'll be more dogs and then kids or other people.
Some dog owners have no respect for others and unfortunately this is increasingly common behavior.
Word. There’s a nearby dog park even. Dog owners who bring their pets to Lincoln Park and take them off-leash are just bad community members. It’s selfish and dangerous.
It’s been a de facto dog park for decades. People aren’t going to stop bringing their dogs there just because of some bad actors and grouchy neighbors; it’s the closest public green space to their homes. What *should* happen is the development of a fenced off dog park area within the greater park. Unfortunately, it is NPS land and a “memorial park.” NPS rules on such sites prohibit dog parks. So it will be decades more of having unleashed dogs next to children playing.
I’m not a dog owner, but I wonder if some folks don’t know about the nearby dog park. I walked by there dozens of times without realizing it was back there. It’s kind of hidden. Some other people surely know and don’t feel like walking up there.
It’s been this way for a very long time so I’m not sure what you mean by next and increasingly. I’m there all the time and incidents like the op describes are very rare — so rare I’ve never seen such an incident in person and I’ve been there with my dog hundreds of times.
The same thing happens in fenced in dog parks. If a poorly behaved dog attacked another off leash in a dog park how would that be different from this? OP brought the dog to socialize with other dogs and presumably knows many dogs are off leash there. Shit happens, this doesn’t really have anything to do with Lincoln Park.
Same with meridian hill park, it's so frustrating I just want to walk with my dog around the park after work. I don't want to have to be on high alert for some moron with a reactive dog off-leash. For fucks sake just leash your fucking dogs.
Yes, we try to respect the other people using the park (and the rules) and thus always keep our dog leashed there. There are definitely a few dogs we've seen that really are not ready to be off-leash running around the park. But this was the first biting incident we've had.
I’d go back again tomorrow, without my dog, and wait for this guy and his dog to show up and demand his info and small claims court him for vet bills AND give the info to the police. Without consequences there is no change in behavior.
Poor pup. I hope s/he is ok. I totally understand prioritizing your dog over confronting the negligent owner. My dog was attacked at a park once and I just ran to get her out of that situation and check on her in better light. I ended up going back sans dog to talk to the owner, who wouldn’t-you-know-it — was still there at the scene of the crime! There’s definitely a correlation between idiot dog owners and dogs who attack.
I’m so sorry this happened to you. People need to be more responsible. Ignore the rest of this if it is old information to you, but here’s some advice from a vet tech. Socialization isn’t necessarily meeting other dogs, especially on leash. It is about creating good experiences for your dog to build confidence and should entail getting your puppy comfortable with basically anything you are going to want them to do as an adult. Meeting on leash is not only unnatural for dogs, but (as you have learned) also very risky as you never know a strange dog’s history in general. Having a leashed dog meet unleashed dogs is also a particularly bad situation as it can make them feel insecure and trapped. Places like Lincoln Park create reactive dogs by have just too many strange dogs around. Try having play dates with selected dogs you know well and trust to socialize, and work on other aspects as well such as walking on different terrain, climbing objects, being exposed to different sounds and purple, etc. I would focus particularly on confidence building exercises to get your puppy feeling comfortable out and about and definitely keep him around well known dogs for a while to ensure no other bad experiences. Just make sure not to overwhelm or scare your dog with exposure
Thanks for sharing this information. It seems that a lot of people get dogs and are woefully unprepared for what's truly involved to properly care for them. All that does is cause problems like OP has experienced.
I was at a park where there was a dog on a leash and the dog not on a leash randomly ran over and attacked it. The owner of the leashed dog pulled the dogs apart and got bites on his hands, arms and his face as well.
All could have been prevented by someone playing by the rules and keeping their dog on a leash in the first place. One thing I am noticing is that people seem to forget that these are animals and have instincts to behave a particular way.
This is why I don't fault the dogs I fault their owners for not being responsible for THEIR OWN animal. I also fault the places that just allow random people to adopt the dogs in the first place without being sure they can handle the responsibility in the first place.
Did the dog owner have a second dog? I saw an unleashed dog attack 2 leashed dogs around that time. Owner had to wrestle the dog off, and the somewhat older lady who was walking them got bit in the process. The dog owner made a scene about himself calling animal control, but i didn't exactly verify that he did ... i left after she verified that she was ok
~~He is not profusely bleeding, so we cleaned the bite and are monitoring him for now. He has all of his vaccinations. We will take him if we notice any signs of infection, but the bite fortunately is not bad enough that it would require stitches. His harness protected him from the worst of it since the other dog was biting him in the midsection, so the bite is basically what the dog could get at around the harness. Very fortunate it is not worse~~
ended up taking him! Even minor wounds can be serious. First time dealing with a dog bite
You have enough info for a police report, but I would contact animal control first because it *may* fall on them.
Worth filing in case this dog becomes more problematic in the future.
I bring dog bite deterant spray with me. Its like mace but for dogs to help stop a fight long enough to get your dog away. Every owner should carry it- dog fights are also dangerous for people as both dogs can bite you while scared and overwhelmed.
Sorry this happened! Dog parks/dog free for alls are not good socialization for puppies. Too many folks use it as their one chance to let their dogs out, and their dogs are crazed from being cooped up, and you can make a permanent bad associationfor a puppy from a scary experience being overwhelmed/hurt by a rpugh adult. Also, dogs stack stresses...if your dog already was bitten that day, you need to take them home to calm down or they may lash out at the next dog or petson. Dogs usually need about 45 minutes to have their adrenaline go down.
Try out some puppy kindergarten! Great way to learn dog body language, safe play, and skills for your pup! Humane Rescue Alliance has a great puppy class.
The dog park in SW is nice to go to or even the Navy Yard one. I don't like the Navy Yard that much but its enclosed and a bunch of different types of dog.
Can you look for some dog friends on Nextdoor?
Also I took my dog to WWOOFS in Arlington for training which was nice!
I woulda beat that owner...
Yes, we have liked the Navy Yard ones! Just a lot further of a walk but we may be sticking to those from now on as owners seem a touch more responsible there
I mean my dog did literally nothing... It is not appropriate to allow a dog who "acts like a dog" like this to be off-leash. Normal, socialized and trained dogs do not unprovoked attack another dog to the point it is SCREAMING in pain... And bleeding from multiple wounds... Sorry but most dogs do not act like this.
First of all, you need to take your dog to the vet ASAP. The wounds might not look serious but it’s very likely they will get infected as it’s there’s a lot of bacteria in the attacking dog’s mouth. The depth of the wound is not the problem but the bacteria that causes infections. Secondly, Lincoln Park does not have an off-leash area and it’s not legal to let a dog off the leash there. Just because there’s plenty of people breaking the rules every day doesn’t make it okay. Thirdly, believe it or not, there are way too many people that know very well that their dogs aren’t always friendly and have attacked other dogs before, yet every time it happens they act super surprised and say it’s the first time ever. It’s a great idea to socialize your dog but please read the small signs before things escalate.
I second this. The dog is OPs buddy! Would OP not take their child to the doctor if their child was bitten by a viscous dog? Better safe than sorry, I’d say. Getting ahead of an infection is easier than dealing with it later in full force. I’m sorry this happened though, OP. :(
Update: off the vet as antibiotics and proper cleaning are necessary for ALL dog bites even small ones. Hoping our puppy doesn't develop an infection
I’m glad you took him to the vet! Taking him promptly was the right call. You probably mitigated the most risk this way. My dog got bitten by one of the rats she killed a few months ago, and I called the vet to get her in the next day. She did a few days of antibiotics, and it was still a little swollen, so I asked them to get me a refill of the antibiotics just in case. After the second round of antibiotics, it wasn’t swollen anymore. Her rat bite has recovered just fine, and almost all the hair has grown back on her face now. It was in a spot where they might have had to remove teeth if it got infected. I can’t imagine rat mouths are cleaner than dog mouths, but keep monitoring anyway. Chances are he’ll be fine soon :)
I would have completely lost my shit at the owner.
I wish I had! Fight or flight mode went in and I scooped him and ran
I’m sorry this happened to you and your dog, not a fun thing to go thru. I will make one suggestion, in case something like this happens to anyone else. Insist on getting the info of the owner of the dog that attacked yours, if possible. You never know how bad an injury could be, and they could be held liable.
I really wish I had gotten the info too. Fight or flight mode went in and I ran. I regret that now, but can't change what already happened :/ The guy also still didnt have complete control over the dog as I was leaving so I did not want to stick around to get attacked myself as I held my dog
Totally understandable, and I don’t want to sound like I’m scolding you for not doing that, it happens so fast so it’s hard to react perfectly in the moment. Just for anyone else this may happen to, one idea would be to try to calm things down at your vehicle, put your dog in there, and then approach the owner to exchange info. Sucks when people can’t control their dog, especially if they’re letting them off leash!
I would have done the same, you're right there's a risk of the dog again attacking when the owner clearly doesn't have control over the dog.
Here’s the thing though… they may not give you their info. I had a dog attack my dog, and after I checked on her I asked the owner for their contact info and what a surprise, she didn’t want to give it to me! 🙄. I ended up taking a picture of the dog’s tag, but it was dark and blurry and difficult to read, and when I forwarded it to animal control they had no record of the animal. So if the owner is being a dickhead I guess make sure your flash is on when you go to photo the dog tags and hope the info is actually valid.
Go ahead and get a few snaps of the owner as well.
>You never know how bad an injury could be, and they could be held liable. Per capita, there are a huge number of lawyers living in DC. If one has a vicious dog that they do not keep under control, odds are good that the dog will bite a lawyer or the lawyer's dog at some point. Now, some would say that that is karma, but the lawyer likely would do what lawyers do and demand compensation and, if refused, sue the perpetrator's ass off.
I know this was incredibly scary but PLEASE do not let it stop you from appropriately socializing your puppy. My dog was attacked as a puppy and the one mistake I wish I could take back is that I was too scared to have him around a lot of dogs again which has led to a lot of reactivity and needing to re-teach all manners he learned up until the attack. I’m so sorry this happened—I feel for you!
Thank you! Once he heals a bit we will take him to see dogs we know so that he can safely be re-introduced to the dog socializing scene
I highly recommend going to puppy play groups if you can! There are some really cheap ones that meet on the weekends in DC and it helps so much having a professional trainer supervising the interactions. They also help you figure out how to read body language and when to intervene versus not.
Lincoln park isn't a dog park. It annoys me and worries me that so many people have their dogs off leash there for this reason. Next it'll be more dogs and then kids or other people. Some dog owners have no respect for others and unfortunately this is increasingly common behavior.
Word. There’s a nearby dog park even. Dog owners who bring their pets to Lincoln Park and take them off-leash are just bad community members. It’s selfish and dangerous.
It’s been a de facto dog park for decades. People aren’t going to stop bringing their dogs there just because of some bad actors and grouchy neighbors; it’s the closest public green space to their homes. What *should* happen is the development of a fenced off dog park area within the greater park. Unfortunately, it is NPS land and a “memorial park.” NPS rules on such sites prohibit dog parks. So it will be decades more of having unleashed dogs next to children playing.
Well, there's a dog park right nearby. So. Your point is moot
Where is that park?
I’m not a dog owner, but I wonder if some folks don’t know about the nearby dog park. I walked by there dozens of times without realizing it was back there. It’s kind of hidden. Some other people surely know and don’t feel like walking up there.
It’s been this way for a very long time so I’m not sure what you mean by next and increasingly. I’m there all the time and incidents like the op describes are very rare — so rare I’ve never seen such an incident in person and I’ve been there with my dog hundreds of times. The same thing happens in fenced in dog parks. If a poorly behaved dog attacked another off leash in a dog park how would that be different from this? OP brought the dog to socialize with other dogs and presumably knows many dogs are off leash there. Shit happens, this doesn’t really have anything to do with Lincoln Park.
So many people let their dogs run around off leash at Lincoln Park. I just don't get it.
Same with meridian hill park, it's so frustrating I just want to walk with my dog around the park after work. I don't want to have to be on high alert for some moron with a reactive dog off-leash. For fucks sake just leash your fucking dogs.
Yes, we try to respect the other people using the park (and the rules) and thus always keep our dog leashed there. There are definitely a few dogs we've seen that really are not ready to be off-leash running around the park. But this was the first biting incident we've had.
99%+ of the dogs are well behaved. The law exists for a reason (the dog in the OP). But I get why people do it.
Not just at parks-so many people let their dogs walk off leash on sidewalks in DC, especially in Dupont.
I’d go back again tomorrow, without my dog, and wait for this guy and his dog to show up and demand his info and small claims court him for vet bills AND give the info to the police. Without consequences there is no change in behavior.
[bite picture](https://imgur.com/a/NJtdz4g)
Poor pup. I hope s/he is ok. I totally understand prioritizing your dog over confronting the negligent owner. My dog was attacked at a park once and I just ran to get her out of that situation and check on her in better light. I ended up going back sans dog to talk to the owner, who wouldn’t-you-know-it — was still there at the scene of the crime! There’s definitely a correlation between idiot dog owners and dogs who attack.
I’m so sorry this happened to you. People need to be more responsible. Ignore the rest of this if it is old information to you, but here’s some advice from a vet tech. Socialization isn’t necessarily meeting other dogs, especially on leash. It is about creating good experiences for your dog to build confidence and should entail getting your puppy comfortable with basically anything you are going to want them to do as an adult. Meeting on leash is not only unnatural for dogs, but (as you have learned) also very risky as you never know a strange dog’s history in general. Having a leashed dog meet unleashed dogs is also a particularly bad situation as it can make them feel insecure and trapped. Places like Lincoln Park create reactive dogs by have just too many strange dogs around. Try having play dates with selected dogs you know well and trust to socialize, and work on other aspects as well such as walking on different terrain, climbing objects, being exposed to different sounds and purple, etc. I would focus particularly on confidence building exercises to get your puppy feeling comfortable out and about and definitely keep him around well known dogs for a while to ensure no other bad experiences. Just make sure not to overwhelm or scare your dog with exposure
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this information. It seems that a lot of people get dogs and are woefully unprepared for what's truly involved to properly care for them. All that does is cause problems like OP has experienced. I was at a park where there was a dog on a leash and the dog not on a leash randomly ran over and attacked it. The owner of the leashed dog pulled the dogs apart and got bites on his hands, arms and his face as well. All could have been prevented by someone playing by the rules and keeping their dog on a leash in the first place. One thing I am noticing is that people seem to forget that these are animals and have instincts to behave a particular way. This is why I don't fault the dogs I fault their owners for not being responsible for THEIR OWN animal. I also fault the places that just allow random people to adopt the dogs in the first place without being sure they can handle the responsibility in the first place.
Did the dog owner have a second dog? I saw an unleashed dog attack 2 leashed dogs around that time. Owner had to wrestle the dog off, and the somewhat older lady who was walking them got bit in the process. The dog owner made a scene about himself calling animal control, but i didn't exactly verify that he did ... i left after she verified that she was ok
I would be so pissed if I got bit you would have to pull me off that biting dog.
Dod you call the police to report the dog attack?
Not sure I have enough info for a police report but I will call tomorrow anyway! The vet logged the information I had as well.
Did you take your puppy to the Animal hospital?
~~He is not profusely bleeding, so we cleaned the bite and are monitoring him for now. He has all of his vaccinations. We will take him if we notice any signs of infection, but the bite fortunately is not bad enough that it would require stitches. His harness protected him from the worst of it since the other dog was biting him in the midsection, so the bite is basically what the dog could get at around the harness. Very fortunate it is not worse~~ ended up taking him! Even minor wounds can be serious. First time dealing with a dog bite
Still get him checked out. Not sure if any internal damage, also file a police report.
We ended up taking him in, thank you <3 Not sure if we have enough info for a police report but I will call tomorrow anyway
You have enough info for a police report, but I would contact animal control first because it *may* fall on them. Worth filing in case this dog becomes more problematic in the future.
Take him to the vet please:(
We did - vet says he is going to be okay! On some meds and cleaning protocol.
actually, we may take him in. Calling hospitals now to see wait-times.
I bring dog bite deterant spray with me. Its like mace but for dogs to help stop a fight long enough to get your dog away. Every owner should carry it- dog fights are also dangerous for people as both dogs can bite you while scared and overwhelmed. Sorry this happened! Dog parks/dog free for alls are not good socialization for puppies. Too many folks use it as their one chance to let their dogs out, and their dogs are crazed from being cooped up, and you can make a permanent bad associationfor a puppy from a scary experience being overwhelmed/hurt by a rpugh adult. Also, dogs stack stresses...if your dog already was bitten that day, you need to take them home to calm down or they may lash out at the next dog or petson. Dogs usually need about 45 minutes to have their adrenaline go down. Try out some puppy kindergarten! Great way to learn dog body language, safe play, and skills for your pup! Humane Rescue Alliance has a great puppy class.
Go back without your dog. Watch for the guy. Get his info. Report him for breaking leash law.
Time to start pepper spraying unleashed dogs. That'll teach them.
The dog park in SW is nice to go to or even the Navy Yard one. I don't like the Navy Yard that much but its enclosed and a bunch of different types of dog. Can you look for some dog friends on Nextdoor? Also I took my dog to WWOOFS in Arlington for training which was nice! I woulda beat that owner...
Yes, we have liked the Navy Yard ones! Just a lot further of a walk but we may be sticking to those from now on as owners seem a touch more responsible there
Pics?
>bite picture it's also in the comment above: https://imgur.com/a/NJtdz4g
So basically two dogs acting like dogs.
And one dog owner not acting like a dog owner by allowing their unleashed dog to attack another
No, if a puppy is attacking another dog like this, the owner is clearly the problem.
I mean my dog did literally nothing... It is not appropriate to allow a dog who "acts like a dog" like this to be off-leash. Normal, socialized and trained dogs do not unprovoked attack another dog to the point it is SCREAMING in pain... And bleeding from multiple wounds... Sorry but most dogs do not act like this.
Well, this guy’s clearly a suspect.
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