my worst fear just happened - loose dog

Just took Densil for his afternoon walk and a loose wire haired terrier came flying out of nowhere and went straight for Densil. Densil just got him flat on his back and grabbed him by the throat. I tried to get him off and couldn't. Luck'iily a man nearby came to help and we were both trying to get Densil to drop him as we had him up on his hind legs and the other dog was in the air. All of a sudden another wire haired terrier appeared but obviously with the owner who managed to grab his dog - f'ing and blinding saying "get that ....thing off my dog". The man who had helped me more or less told him to keep his dogs under control as my dog was on a lead and also told him to take him to the vets to get checked out. I hurried home with Densil to check him out but he seems ok, we are both a bit shook up though. This is the second time this has happened - about a year ago a jack russell loose in a front garden just jumped the fence and came straight for him. I am so glad that someone was there to help - I don't know what I would have done if I had been on my own, I am always worried in case there is a loose dog running around - they seem to go for dogs on leads. Also I am worried that this will now set Densil back - when we first had him he was always reactive to other dogs on his walks, but he has been a lot better and even ignoring some dogs recently. So annoyed at people who let their dogs on the streets and not on a lead.

Sorry to read this, I would hope it doesn't set Densil back but it really does infuriate me as it certainly wasn't your fault that she has her dog out of control. I bet you are very shaken up by it ><

Horrible thing to happen! Why on earth can't people keep their dogs on a lead if they're that out of control?

Hope Densil's ok & not too shaken up by it all!

I can tell its shook you up. I hate people who let their dogs wander away from them and out of sight!!!!

Unfortunately i think that you might have to start to muzzle him. If he is really going after dogs that come up to him and not listening to you at all then its for the best, at least until his training comes on.

Hayley wrote:I can tell its shook you up. I hate people who let their dogs wander away from them and out of sight!!!!

Unfortunately i think that you might have to start to muzzle him. If he is really going after dogs that come up to him and not listening to you at all then its for the best, at least until his training comes on.

what annoys me is that I had him on a short lead and the dog came for him, not the other way round. If I had seen the loose dog earlier I could have perhaps got away, but it just launched at us from nowhere and came straight at Densil, so he has reacted in defence. I don't think he is aggresive to other dogs - we had one run across the road at us a few weeks ago, but it was friendly and some children who were with it called it back (it almost got run over running back across the road). It is just the aggressive, yappy type dogs that have gone for him.

Yes its annoying but at the end of the day he is the one who holds the power to hurt them, its unlikely they will hurt your boy but if your boy hurts then it will break your pocket, even though your dog is the one under control. If details are swapped its likely that the police would be knocking on your door cause we all know how out of proportion small dog owners blow things esp with staffies. A muzzle will cover you!

Aww big hugs for you both >< hopefully it'll not hold densliy back

I'm not suprised your shaken up ><

Things like this drive me mad

thanks for your replies but I don't want to use a muzzle on Densil just on the offchance that a dog is going to come running out of somewhere and attack him. Unfortunately I live on a large housing estate so it doesn't matter which way I go when I leave my house I have to pass lots of other houses with dogs. The 2 particular dogs that came after Densil, albeit a year apart, live in the same street so I am not going to walk that way again. I take him down to a green area and let him roam on a long lead and he has seen other dogs running loose on the green and been fine although they have not come up to him as the owners have them under control. These 2 incidents were owners who did not have a clue about responsible dog ownership, and with the last one I have 2 witnesses - one of whom pointed out to the man that he needed to keep his dogs under control.

Hayley wrote:Yes its annoying but at the end of the day he is the one who holds the power to hurt them, its unlikely they will hurt your boy but if your boy hurts then it will break your pocket, even though your dog is the one under control. If details are swapped its likely that the police would be knocking on your door cause we all know how out of proportion small dog owners blow things esp with staffies. A muzzle will cover you!

I can understand why a muzzle could be usefull, but surely Densil was defending himself. How would he have done that with a muzzle on. Im not up on the law, but the attacking dog was the one out of contol, not Densil. This is why i think all dogs should be on a lead at all times.
If the laws was to get involved, of course, he could be made to wear a muzzle. Personally, i think this can make the dog more stressed. x

No i wouldn't personally muzzle Densil, especially if he is on lead, how is he to defend himself against dogs like this?

ella wrote:No i wouldn't personally muzzle Densil, especially if he is on lead, how is he to defend himself against dogs like this?

thanks Kenny and Ella - this was my thought as well. Densil hasn't got an agressive bone in his body,in fact a few minutes before a little girl had asked to stroke him and I let her and he sat as good as gold and didn't even jump up, which we have been training him not to do. He wouldn't deliberately go for another dog - he was just defending himself and the worrying thing was that the second dog came running out loose as well, so the owner had to scoop up 2 dogs and take them away. Anyway, as I said I am not going down this particular road again in a hurry as there are too many dogs down there and people sometimes just leave them unattended in front gardens, which was the case when the jack russel jumped the fence and came for him. I will also give wood green a ring tomorrow as this is where we got him from and they said they are always available for advice, and also the dog trainer where I took him to training classes - just to get their point of view. At the end of the day the other dog seemed fine - no blood was drawn - he just got hold of it but didn't bite or shake it - I would have been more worried if he had attacked it and drawn blood.

Oh poor you, and poor Densil, what a frightening thing to happen. What a lucky thing it was that a Good Samaritan came to help you.

The idiot dog's idiot owner was entirely in the wrong as his dogs should not be allowed to roam around the streets on their own (in fact, it's illegal), especially if at least one of them is aggressive towards other dogs.

It's a good idea to talk to Wood Green and your trainer, I'm sure they will be able to reassure you.

I hope you and Densil are feeling better this evening and recovering from your frightening experience ><

I certainly wouldn't muzzle him just because somebody else can't control his dogs! Especially as there was a witness.

Poor you and Densil. certainly neither of your faults. Bloody irresponsible owners again drives me insane! ><

what a horrible thing for densil and your self to have to go through,glad that your both ok ><

O bless I feel so sorry for you both. My ozz isn't keen in other dogs so I always have him on a lead although in the park he has a flexi which he loves. The other dog owners in the park are mostly responsible but now and again some stupid person hasn't got control of their dog. The other day a young girl with a sharpei had it off the lead, it sprinted over to ozz trying to bite him. I tried my best to keep ozz away bt it kept coming for him. Luckily ozz didn't go for it but the girl was miles away and was totally irresponsible it's so scary I wish people understood that not all dogs want to be hassled by others. My heart goes out to you both x

We have been through a very similar experience with Rocky and a loose dog, we got in touch with Wood Green, where he came from, and they had him back in for an assessment. He went out with some other dogs and had a play around under controlled conditions in a training yard. They are very good there with dealing with all kinds of animal behaviour, it may be worth dropping them an email at least and ask for some advice from them.

A few days later they sent a lovely later saying he is definitely not agressive, just a little OTT.

kenny d wrote:

Hayley wrote:Yes its annoying but at the end of the day he is the one who holds the power to hurt them, its unlikely they will hurt your boy but if your boy hurts then it will break your pocket, even though your dog is the one under control. If details are swapped its likely that the police would be knocking on your door cause we all know how out of proportion small dog owners blow things esp with staffies. A muzzle will cover you!

I can understand why a muzzle could be usefull, but surely Densil was defending himself. How would he have done that with a muzzle on. Im not up on the law, but the attacking dog was the one out of contol, not Densil. This is why i think all dogs should be on a lead at all times.
If the laws was to get involved, of course, he could be made to wear a muzzle. Personally, i think this can make the dog more stressed. x

I completely agree. I an not 100% on the laws (especially in the uk). But as far as I know if you have your dog under control (on lead) and another dog rushes up to him (especially in an on-lead area) then that is the other owners fault. Even an super friendly dog can react when a strange dog rushed up to it!
Even in off leash areas the owner has to have verbal control of their dog. If I see an off leash dog coming towards us I yell out to their owner to call them back, and they should by law be able to. If they can't they should not be off lead! (These are at least the rules in the councils I have lived in here).
I have considered muzzling my dog but came to the same conclusion that some of the dogs that have rushed up to us are actually aggressive and if a real fight breaks out I want her to be able to defend herself! Plus I think she will panic even more if she feels like she can't.

Unfortunately has taken a nasty turn - short story abusive, aggressive man turns up at my door, throws a brick through the window and I have had to get Police involved.

OMG thats terrible, I'm shocked that this has got out of control, poor you and Densil, my heart goes out to you

Well, I think the fact that the owner has done that has shown that not only does he not have control over his dog, but clearly doesn't over his own temper so what kind of role model is he to the dog. This must surely show the police that you are the responsible owner and that he is the one in the wrong. Good luck hun, hope you and Densil are ok. This is my worst fear when taking Colin out next week as we work so hard to make sure that they are well behaved, particularly because our biggest role is to change people's opinions! Keep us updated and hope he gets done for criminal damage, harassment as well as irresponsible dog ownership! Big hugs to you both x

He is a complete jerk, are you able to get a picture of him ?, how did he know where you lived was he stalking you ?

Do you know the other guy who helped ? would he be a witness for you ?

Well done for being brave and getting the police involved you did the right thing. His dogs were out of control being off lead and out of his sight.

it really annoys me, I always have tash on a lead if I don't know an approaching dog, even if people see me put tash on a lead, they let theirs come up. luckily she has never gone for another dog. Hope you're ok and the other man and dog were totally in the wrong.

Thanks everybody - I have actually captured the incident on our cctv and the Police are going to take this evidence away, having already taken the brick. The policeman was in our lounge with our dog for quite some time so I think he could see that he is not a dangerous dog - he was more interested in getting on his lap for a cuddle!

I'm afraid the area where I live has quite a few decent people, but then there is the other element and the accepted culture is that if you upset somehody you get a brick thrown through your window. This is the 4th time we have had to replace a window in the 12 years we have lived here - 2 of the incidents were kids running by and throwing stones on the offchance and the other 2 were deliberate. If I could afford to move I would. I am now worried about taking Densil out on my own tomorrow in case this person is lurking around as I don't think he lives too far from me, near to where the incident happened. I had never met him before and somebody has obviously told him where I live. Poor Densil didn't get his afternoon walk as I just didn't feel safe. My husband is going to try and come with me tomorrow but his legs are not too good and he is just recovering from chemo as he has non hodgkins lymphoma.

Good for you, I'm sure the police will be able to get some kind of ID of the attacker from the video footage. If he is known in the area then they most probably know who it is anyway and just needed some proof to take action against him. Please keep us up dated on anything else that happens.

Oh Lord. I'm so sorry to hear that your husband is not well - you both have enough on your hands without this imbecile harassing you and your poor dog.

Thankfully you have the evidence of your CCTV - if you can somehow find your Good Samaritan that will strengthen your case. But honestly, I wouldn't think that the Neanderthal has a leg to stand on; I hope the police reassured you about that.

Obviously, all this is very upsetting, and I do hope that you can find some calmness within you. Did the police mention Victim Support to you? I would think that they could certainly help you.

Keep strong! >< >< ><

This is terrible. I hope that horrible man gets thumped with as much of the book as the police can throw at him Is there anyone who can come for walks with you an Densil in the mean time when your husband isn't feeling up to it? A neighbour or friend in the area? Or out of the area, even.

I hope your husband doesn't suffer too badly with the chemo, it's never fun, and that he recovers quickly.

><

aurora wrote:This is terrible. I hope that horrible man gets thumped with as much of the book as the police can throw at him Is there anyone who can come for walks with you an Densil in the mean time when your husband isn't feeling up to it? A neighbour or friend in the area? Or out of the area, even.

I hope your husband doesn't suffer too badly with the chemo, it's never fun, and that he recovers quickly.

><

Unfortunately nobody nearby who can help with walks - I may take a stick with me today. I am also now worried in case we meet a loose dog again. I have done a bit of research and found that some people recommend carrying the pet corrector spray, so will get a can of this. If I could have seen the dog coming I would have had time to react - the problem is that it was there and right in front of us in a split second - I think it came out of a gateway we were passing. Although there was no blood drawn I think the dogs neck must have got injured because Densil had him locked on - I don't know how bad the injuries are because all the guy was screaming about was vets bills. I told him I was sorry if his dog was hurt, but pointed out that he was not on a lead and he admitted that he had got loose. The Police were very good and they have said if we get any more aggro to ring 999 immediately.

Hubby has had his 6 chemo sessions and now has to go on maintenance of a 2hr session every 2 months with just one of the drugs - I think it is the steroids he has to take afterwards that are affecting his leg muscles, and also one of the chemo drugs has affected the nerve endings in his toes and hands. He felt perfectly healthy until he started the chemo! We were told on xmas eve it was nh lymphoma and we were due to go on a long cruise on 5 January which we had to cancel, so I spent christmas unpacking suitcases and in tears.

So sorry for all your troubles , you have way to much going on in your life to be bothered by this nutter so just take the advice of the police and let them sort it for you , sounds like they are being very helpful , and for the record I 100% would not be muzzling either

Sorry this happened to you. I think we can all say we have had some experience of this at some stage.. All I can say is there are a lot of morons out there and I just hope this doesn't knock your confidence in anyway, and that you still enjoy your walks in future.

Thanks for all your replies - I have spoken to Wood Green and also to the trainer who I took Densil to classes to. Trainer advised no need to muzzle Densil, but to go back to basics with training - high value rewards when we see other dogs on the walk just to get him back on track as I think it has shaken him a bit as well as me. He said it is a staffy trait to lock on and hold on when grabbing another dog and it is very difficult to part the dogs. I have a feeling that the owner wrenched his dog away and in doing so he may have caused the damage in the first place.

Anyway both of them agreed that as Densil was on a lead there was nothing more I could have done as the other dog was running loose.

This is my pet hate, owners who let their dogs run riot and can't call them back. Dont let your bloody dog off the lead if it doesn't listen to you. PERIOD! What a complete idiot that man is, lucky you got it on camera and the police are dealing with it. I think this is the best course of action to take because it will all be on file and documented so if anything else happens they can act. Hope your ok, can't be easy and your husband doesn't need the stress it can bring. Sending hugs your way

Nosipho wrote:This is my pet hate, owners who let their dogs run riot and can't call them back. Dont let your bloody dog off the lead if it doesn't listen to you. PERIOD! What a complete idiot that man is, lucky you got it on camera and the police are dealing with it. I think this is the best course of action to take because it will all be on file and documented so if anything else happens they can act. Hope your ok, can't be easy and your husband doesn't need the stress it can bring. Sending hugs your way

It was just an unfortunate coincidence - the dog wasn't being walked off lead, it had got loose from the house or garden and just came straight for us as we were passing by. I can't say I have ever seen those 2 dogs being walked so I suspect they have no road sense or training. I'm sure it has happened to all of us at some time or another that our dog has got loose. Densil got out several weeks ago when the binmen left the front gate open and we opened the door and he bolted between our legs. Luckily he came back within a few minutes - but if he had caused an accident or got in a fight and been injured then I would have accepted that it was my responsibility - no way would I have blamed anybody else. I am now currently training him to sit and stay with the front door open so he doesn't do it again. I think he has recovered quite well because twice today on his walk we have turned the corner and bumped into somebody else with a small dog on a lead and he has behaved perfectly.

densil wrote:

Nosipho wrote:This is my pet hate, owners who let their dogs run riot and can't call them back. Dont let your bloody dog off the lead if it doesn't listen to you. PERIOD! What a complete idiot that man is, lucky you got it on camera and the police are dealing with it. I think this is the best course of action to take because it will all be on file and documented so if anything else happens they can act. Hope your ok, can't be easy and your husband doesn't need the stress it can bring. Sending hugs your way

It was just an unfortunate coincidence - the dog wasn't being walked off lead, it had got loose from the house or garden and just came straight for us as we were passing by. I can't say I have ever seen those 2 dogs being walked so I suspect they have no road sense or training. I'm sure it has happened to all of us at some time or another that our dog has got loose. Densil got out several weeks ago when the binmen left the front gate open and we opened the door and he bolted between our legs. Luckily he came back within a few minutes - but if he had caused an accident or got in a fight and been injured then I would have accepted that it was my responsibility - no way would I have blamed anybody else. I am now currently training him to sit and stay with the front door open so he doesn't do it again. I think he has recovered quite well because twice today on his walk we have turned the corner and bumped into somebody else with a small dog on a lead and he has behaved perfectly.

It wouldn't have been your fault it would have been the bin men's!! Well its no reason to put a brick through your window, it certainly wasnt your faulty was it even if it wasn't his an is was an honest accident. I think all I was trying to say was we put all of this work into our dogs and time rehabilitating them and it only takes one little slip up like this and back to square one. I'm sure Densil will be fine though, it just gets me so mad!!!

I wouldn't muzzle my dog. The other person should keep their dog on a lead, you did nothing wrong in my opinion.

I was walking Troy in the woods the other week and this little terrier came bolting out of nowhere and started to attack Troy. Apparently the dog is known to attack every dog it see's but the owner lets it off the lead anyway and has no control over it at all.

Troy started fighting back and to be honest I was scared for the other dog as Troy easily could of really hurt it. However, even though he was fighting back, it was not very aggressive, as if he was just trying to tell it to do one.

One day though, this dog will attack the wrong dog and get severely hurt or even killed.

This idiot should not be allowed to keep a dog... God help his family. What a complete numpty.. Lets hope they throw the book at him...

Another loose dog today! I was walking back from the park when I saw a woman sitting on her front wall talking to the neighbour and I could hear a dog, so I instinctively crossed the road in case there was a dog in the garden. Lo and behold the next thing a dog about the same size as Densil jumped over the wall and ran across the road to us. Densil was very good he just stood and looked at the other dog who was very friendly. They sniffed each other front and rear and then the owner came and took the dog back. Must admit my heart stopped for a moment when I saw that dog bounding towards us, but at least i know now that Densil is not dog aggresive and does not need muzzling.

Well done Densil!!!!! and mum... breathe again

I was holding my breath at the start of you post.. I can breath again too.. well done Densil

I would be very careful of some of the advice being given out here.. the laws about dogs are now very tight but also so are insurance companies when it comes to loss recovery.

It does not matter in the slightest to an insurance company if your dog has bitten another, and your dog was on a lead; unless the owner admits liability, the insurance co (if they are insured) will hold you responsible and WILL pursue you for any loss, and believe me, it WILL mount up... I'm sorry to sound full of negatives, but it happened to me, my dog only defended his self against a nasty miniature poodle, but I am now being chased for nearly £1000 in vets and admin bills.

Also dont think there is no damage to a dog when there is no blood; often puncture wounds don't bleed very much, but there could be internal bleeding plus crush injuries. This is why the costs can soar, with several follow up consultations. When a vet knows its an insurance claim they will milk it for what they can get. It's business.

After my experiences, I no longer let my dogs off leash and he also wears a muzzle most of the time if there are potentially dogs about, even on his leash.. it's just not worth it. Sadly its becoming less fun to won a dog these days, especially Staffords.

Carlos Fandango wrote:I would be very careful of some of the advice being given out here.. the laws about dogs are now very tight but also so are insurance companies when it comes to loss recovery.

It does not matter in the slightest to an insurance company if your dog has bitten another, and your dog was on a lead; unless the owner admits liability, the insurance co (if they are insured) will hold you responsible and WILL pursue you for any loss, and believe me, it WILL mount up... I'm sorry to sound full of negatives, but it happened to me, my dog only defended his self against a nasty miniature poodle, but I am now being chased for nearly £1000 in vets and admin bills.

Also dont think there is no damage to a dog when there is no blood; often puncture wounds don't bleed very much, but there could be internal bleeding plus crush injuries. This is why the costs can soar, with several follow up consultations. When a vet knows its an insurance claim they will milk it for what they can get. It's business.

After my experiences, I no longer let my dogs off leash and he also wears a muzzle most of the time if there are potentially dogs about, even on his leash.. it's just not worth it. Sadly its becoming less fun to won a dog these days, especially Staffords.

I would suggest that you go to a good local solicitor , I can only assume there were no witnesses to your incident

Dave wrote:

Carlos Fandango wrote:I would be very careful of some of the advice being given out here.. the laws about dogs are now very tight but also so are insurance companies when it comes to loss recovery.

It does not matter in the slightest to an insurance company if your dog has bitten another, and your dog was on a lead; unless the owner admits liability, the insurance co (if they are insured) will hold you responsible and WILL pursue you for any loss, and believe me, it WILL mount up... I'm sorry to sound full of negatives, but it happened to me, my dog only defended his self against a nasty miniature poodle, but I am now being chased for nearly £1000 in vets and admin bills.

Also dont think there is no damage to a dog when there is no blood; often puncture wounds don't bleed very much, but there could be internal bleeding plus crush injuries. This is why the costs can soar, with several follow up consultations. When a vet knows its an insurance claim they will milk it for what they can get. It's business.

After my experiences, I no longer let my dogs off leash and he also wears a muzzle most of the time if there are potentially dogs about, even on his leash.. it's just not worth it. Sadly its becoming less fun to won a dog these days, especially Staffords.

I would suggest that you go to a good local solicitor , I can only assume there were no witnesses to your incident

there was one man, who only ranted about my Staffy, and that it was horrendous. Thankfully he never left any details and was not at all helpful at the time, apart from making sure the owner had our details. In fact, my other half went with the owner to the vets to help. The owners dog attacked me and I had bite marks on my hand, but the insurance company simply dont care.. my dog bit, therefore I am to blame, leash or no leash. They will fight it, they have the time and the resources. A muzzle cost £12. The dog bite could cost me a lot more. people say they wont muzzle because the dog cannot defend itself, but I know what position I would rather be in legally, as said, the insurance companies and sometimes the police will only see it one way.. It's just not worth it.

Dave wrote:

Carlos Fandango wrote:I would be very careful of some of the advice being given out here.. the laws about dogs are now very tight but also so are insurance companies when it comes to loss recovery.

It does not matter in the slightest to an insurance company if your dog has bitten another, and your dog was on a lead; unless the owner admits liability, the insurance co (if they are insured) will hold you responsible and WILL pursue you for any loss, and believe me, it WILL mount up... I'm sorry to sound full of negatives, but it happened to me, my dog only defended his self against a nasty miniature poodle, but I am now being chased for nearly £1000 in vets and admin bills.

Also dont think there is no damage to a dog when there is no blood; often puncture wounds don't bleed very much, but there could be internal bleeding plus crush injuries. This is why the costs can soar, with several follow up consultations. When a vet knows its an insurance claim they will milk it for what they can get. It's business.

After my experiences, I no longer let my dogs off leash and he also wears a muzzle most of the time if there are potentially dogs about, even on his leash.. it's just not worth it. Sadly its becoming less fun to won a dog these days, especially Staffords.

I would suggest that you go to a good local solicitor , I can only assume there were no witnesses to your incident

So would I!

If there are witnesses to say that the attack was by the other dog then there is no case to answer. How do I know this? I've just asked the question of a solicitor friend from another doggie forum!

Carlos Fandango wrote: there was one man, who only ranted about my Staffy, and that it was horrendous. Thankfully he never left any details and was not at all helpful at the time, apart from making sure the owner had our details. In fact, my other half went with the owner to the vets to help. The owners dog attacked me and I had bite marks on my hand, but the insurance company simply dont care.. my dog bit, therefore I am to blame, leash or no leash. They will fight it, they have the time and the resources. A muzzle cost £12. The dog bite could cost me a lot more. people say they wont muzzle because the dog cannot defend itself, but I know what position I would rather be in legally, as said, the insurance companies and sometimes the police will only see it one way.. It's just not worth it.

So do you have Insurance ?? You should be letting them fight this one out as it is their job. Sorry but I would fight this one to the end and if it was a clear offlead dog against your onlead dog I would never be putting a muzzle on my dog

Carlos Fandango wrote: The owners dog attacked me and I had bite marks on my hand,

If your oh was witness to the other dog biting you then I would involve the police and counter-sue!

Carlos - I can't do better than agree with Caryll and Dave: it is your insurance company's job to fight this one out for you - same as if you were parked in your car and another car hit you, they have dented a fender crashing into your car but you wouldn't pay them for it would you?

Sending all strength to you ><

I don't have insurance. There is a possibility that if it gets bad I can use my house or car insurance policy to fight anything legal. It has not got that far yet, and I'm hoping we can stop it going to court.

The police were involved and I got a visit. It didn't matter that the other dog caused mine to bite, the conditions I now have to abide by are that he is leashed at all times and wears a muzzle in public. I'm very lucky they didn't take him away, and I didnt appear in court under the dangerous dog act. It doesn't matter who started it or if your dog is leashed or not anymore. I suppose like other cases, if you wind up the coppers, they can take it further; if you comply, then they'll be a bit more lenient. I know, it shouldn't be that way, but it can be.

Oh that's bad news Carlos, about the insurance.

I always assumed (don't know why) that my house insurance covered third party liability for my dog, but it appears not, so I added third party liability to my basic pet insurance.

Was your dog on the lead when the poodle attacked him? If he was then your case will be a lot easier to defend; if he wasn't then basically it was "just" a dog fight and each dog owner would be liable for the damage caused by either dog.

do check your house insurance policy carefully, small print and all, to ascertain whether your dog is covered for third party liability.

a horrible time for you, I send you all good wishes for a good outcome for all of you ><

i hate dogs off leads personally, i was sat on a bench with my twins in there buggy a few months ago and some one with a lab and 3 lab pups had all his dogs off leads, they all came running up to me and the puppy's wer trying to climb in my buggy !!!!!!!!

my boy dog is very friendly to other dogs but always on his lead but round here every one walks there dogs off leads and it reli worries me especially when im out with my daughters,
i only ever let ours off in like back fields when no one is around to chuck balls etc for them but keep my eyes open like a hawk,
my mil always had her horrid poodles off there leads they were so untrained it was a joke they ran across a field when they sore a family and knocked the little boy over then when the dad got angry my mil acted like it was there fault that her dog had nocked the little boy over !!!