Dog bite advice needed

[euphorion]

Hi all,
Long story short i want to hear some opinions and get some advice from you. I am employed as a dog washer, you know, the mobile doggy hydrobaths you see driving around? Yeah i'm 'one of those' So this morning i was out doing some regulars that get done every fortnight or so, although i've never washed them before. First dog was done no worries, he loves his bath and cuddles, very sweet thing. The second dog wasn't having any of it and as i was leading him to the bath he turned around and bit me. Got me on the hand over the thumb, so i have a nice little hole in my hand which looked rather interesting before it started pouring blood. None of the other girls i work with have ever been bitten by this dog before, we've all had little nips from smaller princess dogs that don't like getting clipped but never a full-on 'i want to hurt you' munch like i got today. So anyway, the owner was at the time on his mobile, standing right next to the dog when he got me, and remained on his mobile, after simply smakcing the dog on the nose. he did come back out with a bottle of detol (still on the phone) didnt mention the bite at all... stayed on the phone for a good 20 minutes and THEN said "oh sorry about that", yeah.... umm what!? my boss came to check things out as she was just down the road at the time, and the owner put all the blame on me, of course, however i did have a fellow worker with me at the time who saw everything, and my boss is confident in my handling abilities to know it was not my fault.

anywho, my question: do i report the bite? do i have the responsibility to report it in case any kids ge their face ripped off by this dog in future? and if i do report it, who do i call? I live in brisbane by the way. oh and we are no longer going to wash the dog for this man, the risk of another bite is too great , and subsequently the guy said he would simply get another business to wash his dogs for him. I feel its my responsibility to call other hydrobathing busuinesses in brisbane to forewarn them about this dog, can i do that?

sorry if this doesnt make much sense, and thanks for reading this far. im in a bit of a tizz about all this and reall y need some advice. oh and i should add, i cannot work for a few days because of the wound, and the bruising i know is coming is going to seriously hinder my work as i can barely move my thumb from the swelling.

argh, advice/opinions please! if anyone has any personal experiences they can share that may help me, please do!

 

[spydalover]

do you know the breed of the dog

 

[steelvan]

your boss should have details about all that sort of stuff
check with them if not probably just call the rspca and chat with someone there, tell them the story and see what they say
i have no experience in this sorta stuff but its just wat i would do

 

[euphorion]

Sharpei

 

[FALANA27]

I hate dogs that bit

Think you should do something next time it could be a kid ...

 

[euphorion]

cheers steelvan.

my boss did say i could report it but she would give me the details if and when i chose to report it. its dreadfully annoying as im right handed and of course that the hand he bit!

i will be calling the council and the rspca in the morning, anything else anyone?

 

[euphorion]

Think you should do something next time it could be a kid ...

thats what im thinking

 

[spydalover]

id ask your boss about it but as they have folds all over their bodies it could be goin blind and got scared

 

[Southern_Forest_Drag]

Think you should do something next time it could be a kid ...

yea good idea shoot a chiwawa

As for your situation i would ask your boss / ring RSPCA.

 

[mysnakesau]

I hope the dog hasn't caused you any serious damage. You should file an incident report with your boss, and I am not 100% sure but I think its the council that usually deals with dangerous dogs. But try to find a moment they are interested in listening about it is something that isn't easy. I was bitten by someone's dog when I was out walking one time. Dog snuck up behind me and grabbed me on the leg. I reported the dog to the council and the police. The police shrugged their shoulders and asked me what did I want them to do about it.

You have the right to refuse a dog, don't EVER feel like you have to wash it. All dogs are friendly sooks to their owners. If they look at you with green eyes or give the slightest indication they aren't going to co-operate, then you need to decide whether you can do it or whether to muzzle it, or back off. I use to have a hydrobath and clipping service attached to my pet shop. One lady brought 2 little dogs in - one went home half clipped because the little ******* would not let me clip its feet or belly. Snarly little silky and the lady would not let me muzzle the dog so I told her to take it somewhere else.

 

[euphorion]

nup, deffinately not a fear bite. and it wasn't 'foldy-skin rolly dog' and hes not blind. the fact his he bit me, with every intention of doing me damage, plain and simply, and i feel he is in the hands of an irresponsible owner.

blah. boils my blood.

 

[FALANA27]

I have poodle next door an i hate .im scare it mite bit my little girl when she start walking ...
I have two staffy if ever bit any of my kids there will get bullet in there head
my partner adam know how feel about dogs......after dogs drop im not have anymore .i like reptile more easy going to handle .

 

[Fuscus]

It may need to be logged as an workplace accident.

 

[Southern_Forest_Drag]

I have poodle next door an i hate .im scare it mite bit my little girl when she start walking ...
I have two staffy if ever bit any of my kids there will get bullet in there head
my partner adam know how feel about dogs......after dogs drop im not have anymore .i like reptile more easy going to handle .

Nice grammar ..
The damage from a poodle bite would be much less significant than from say a adult bearded dragon. How on earth are reptiles easier to handle than dogs? You would prefer to handle a inland taipan over a poodle?

 

[spydalover]

yeah well if the owner didnt seem to care then yeah id say his irresponcible if my dog did that id kill it

 

[Sarah24]

I dont think a sharpeis skin folds is any excuse...before you decide to report it you must find out if it is a nervous dog or if it is actually an agressive dog. If it was a one off where the dog got nervous with a new handler, it would be quite unfair to report as a report can have things taken very far and in some cases lead to euthanasia. But, if the case is that it is an agressive dog, by all means report it to animal services. If not the RSPCA, you can always report it to the police.
I had my hand badly bitten at work a couple of months ago and it was nothing to do with my handling abilities, it was that it was an agressive dog. My boss informed the owners who were very apologetic and confirmed it was an agressive dog and took full responsibility for it. The dog was reported and unfortunately had to be euthanased but it was the best option. This might be the same for your case. If it is an agressive dog by nature, there is always a high risk of it biting someone again and in this case, you want to avoid this and it may have to be put down.
I hope your hand gets better

Sarah

 

[pythonmum]

Make a formal report to your boss because the injury is covered under Workcover (in NSW) or the QLD equivalent. There may be compensation because you were injured in the course of employment and are unable to carry out normal duties due to the injury. You don't have to sue or anything, but you may be entitled to pay or light duties while you can't do the normal hydrobath thing. Might be worth reporting to the local council's animal control officer too.

Keep a close eye on the bite and get it checked by a doctor ASAP. Deep puncture wounds like that can become septic. I used to work for hand surgeons and when I got a nasty rat bite, they made me soak my hand in peroxide for 30 minutes and put me on antibiotics to prevent infection (it nicked my finger joint). Sharpeis are a fighting breed; bites are not uncommon. At least they don't get the lockjaw like staffys!

 

[FALANA27]

Reptile dont go around bite poeple

Like dogs do .
Snake dont go around bite poeple on purpose
snake got no way defend it self...

 

[grannieannie]

I believe that breed can be aggressive, but then any dog can be. I think you'll find it was originally bred as a hunting dog of some sort. The folds were a good protection for them against their prey.

 

[FALANA27]

No dog has lockjaw

Go no net an you will find out i did it a while ago.i find out like i said no dog has lockjaw .