I have read some very interesting debates on reddit as of late about dog attacks.

Many people said they:

• have felt pressured to not report a dog attack due to fear of it being put down

• have felt victim blamed due to a dog attack (were told by others “You must have provoked it somehow, I don’t feel bad for you”)

• have felt like people cared more about the outcome of the dog than their injuries sustained from the attack

• even when sustaining serious injuries, have been asked by the owner of the dog to not report the attack because “I swear he never does this” “please he’s my whole world you can’t tell anyone” “please don’t tell anyone how it happened”

• have felt pressured to lie to doctors about the origin of the injuries/have tried to doctor the injuries themselves so that the dog wouldn’t have to be involved

• have felt pressured by their own dog’s attack to not report it because they love their dog and don’t want it to “get in trouble” (be put down, be bite quarantined for 10 days, etc)

• have felt pressured to not say anything about the attack due to it being a neighbor/family member/friend’s dog/etc (they don’t want to make things tense)

• have felt like “Since it was my fault, I shouldn’t tell anyone” even if they were seriously hurt

• have had their child/pet get attacked and were asked not to tell anyone by the owner

Etc.

Now, questions (answer any or all or make your own/put in your own thoughts/etc)

1. Can you relate to any of the above experiences?

2. Should all dog attacks resulting in serious injury lead to the dog being put down, even if the attack was provoked by the person?

3. Should all dog attacks be reported regardless of severity of injury/cause/relationship to the owner/etc?

4. If a doctor/nurse/etc suspects that a person is trying to lie about the origins of a serious injury caused by a dog, should they try to report it themselves?

5. Should an attack being provoked or unprovoked influence the decision to put the dog down?

6. If a dog attacked you, would you report it regardless of circumstance or if you felt that it was your fault would you keep it a secret?

7. Should people be held responsible for not reporting dog attacks if it attacks someone again in the future?

8. If an attack was provoked by the person, should the dog still be “punished”?