Monday, September 1, 2008

Not even a slap on the wrist

We had to put a t-shirt on Wally to keep him from licking his wound open. He's still on antibiotics, but we think he has started to limp a little on his wounded side. We'll be heading to the vet tomorrow to make sure everything is OK.

We heard from animal control. The Rottweiler was current on its shots. Since this was the dog's first known offense, the owners simply have to keep it indoors or secured by a chain at all times for 10 days. No special restrictions after that, but if it reoffends within a year it might be declared a vicious dog or some such thing.

I hope the owners keep it properly secured so it doesn't get out and hurt another dog or a person. The whole incident really rattled me.

Michael went over to the house and presented the owner with our veterinary bill. The woman yelled at him to get out of her yard, but he managed to hand her the bill through a hole in the storm door screen. She is legally obligated to pay our bill, but we won't mess with taking her to small claims court, though I wish we could.

It's not the money, it's the principle of the whole incident and her reaction to it. No apology, no concern expressed for our dog, trying to hide her dog from authorities, etc.

I have had to change my life - a completely altered walking route, extra precautions on walks, an element of emotional distress to overcome - all because she is an irresponsible dog owner.

Unfortunately, there are far too many of those.

2 comments:

zamozo said...

Aaww, he's so cute! I'm sorry he's limping. And I'm sorry your neighbor sucks!

Anonymous said...

It's too bad there is not some way to weed out the dog owners like this. They shouldn't be allowed to have animals. I'm all for helping somebody that doesn't have any money but a kind heart be able to have a pet...Help with medical bills ect. On animal planet a dog of a homeless man was hit by a car. I felt so sorry for the man. He really loved that dog and was making sure it got fed. He couldn't pay the medical bill to fix it's leg, so he had to release the dog. The dog found a new home, but the man was so sad. It still makes me cry. The dog was probably one thing that really help the man in such a bad situation.
rever