As a previous poster said, this is MOST important. The physical injury may be healing, but rabies is FATAL. Confront the owner and demand to see proof that the dog does NOT have rabies.
Edit: (from a rabies info page)
You won’t know you have until it’s too late.
The paperwork was filled out today. The animal control of the county will investigate. They will call me with the facts. Being a family pet I’m pretty sure the dog will have had a rabies shot. But I am making sure just to be safe. I also had to get an antibiotic since a tooth broke through the skin. The dog owners should pay the $40 it cost me but I doubt that will happen.
At the very least, they should pay that.
I hope the dog isn’t put down for this though.
Some states have a 1 strike policy.
That dog looks like one of your typical “herding” breeds. There’s a good chance that the one that bit you was simply trying to “herd” you and NOT in the attack mode since they bite at the legs of the animal to steer it. Be sure to get a copy of the rabies vacinnation paperwork, the “tag” is NOT sufficient proof! The paperwork has the name, color, weight and breed to be sure it is proper documentation for that particular dog. I’d DEFINATELY present the owner with your medical bill as he IS liable for the actions of his pet. As for the aspect of a lawsuit, forget about it. That’s part of the problem with today’s society, we have a bunch of a**holes who want to sue somebody over EVERYTHING!
Yeah forget about going to court unless you’re gonna be on Judge Joe Brown so we can all see what goes down.
The dog charged me very aggressively, it was not herding me. It bit and ran away. I believe that law suits have their place, but this is not one of them. Too many people are looking for an easy buck. All this cost me was a day of discomfort while walking and $40. It’s reported and I hope that these people’s attitude change about their responsibility in owning a dog.
I think the owner should be put down… im sick of having to go through pain because someone else didn’t think or didn’t care… last time I was bit by a dog I hit it in the face with a rock than proceeded to the owners front door with an even bigger rock(just for protection from the still angry dog) where I told the owner exactly what I would do to its dog if I ever saw it outside without a leash again… come to find out, I’m not the first person the dog bit… after this I haven’t seen it outside since.
I’ve never sued anyone for anything, and agree that there are far too many frivolous lawsuits filed every day by dishonest people (mostly lawyers!) just trying to make a quick buck. But in clear-cut cases like this, if the dog owner denies liability, and/or refuses to pay medical bills, it is not only perfectly appropriate to file a suit, at least in small claims, to recover the cost of medical, and maybe even pain and suffering, but it’s the responsible and just thing to do. If not, it sends a clear message to the dog owner that they got away with it, and more innocent people will likely be bitten by the same dog.
Understanding dogs and owners is really helpful in a case like this. A dog that bites you is actually saying, “shoot me.” A dog owner who ignores his dog biting people is actually saying, “torture me, then shoot me.”
Nice!
I’m not one to advocate violence against an animal but it sounds like he asked for it. He bit and you ‘bit’ back. Good on you.
Actually, in my case, my backup plan was close to this. It was to shoot the dog in the rear with police grade mace. Ideally the dog would jump on the couch where the owner was drinking beer and wallow all over the cushions and anyone else in the house while looking for relief. They would have to buy a new couch.
Mmmmm now that sounds like justice.
I have a vivid imagination next time I ride towards a dog I wll be thinking of this 
Awww man, that poor guy…
This brought back memories of UnPlanned Dog Dismounts.
I’ve had, and been around, dogs all my life. If you see it coming and there is any question about their intentions, dismount and prepare for battle. A uni can be an effective dog racquet. If it’s a bad dog those moving legs are just too much of a temptation for the hound, seems once you’re off they back off.
I’ve wondered myself whether it’s better to try to ride away or hop off and stand your ground. This seems like good advice. Another factor when dealing with animals unfamiliar with unicycles is that they may not immediately recognize you as a person. Dismounting may help them realize this. Of course in some cases they may be just as happy to bite a person as much as some fanciful half-person/half-machine unitaur.
(I should also add that a muni in particular makes quite an effective shield. I discovered that one time I slammed into a barbed wire fence after a UPD.)
If the dog is coming to attack you, stand in defense with your uni in front. I’ve had dogs come at me before, sometimes all it takes is a swift smack on the nose. The owners will get all angry “You hit my dog!” But you can just reply “Your dog was trying to rip my flesh off”. Some dogs are just let to do whatever they like, and they think that they are the alpha, even if they are a wimpy dog. Use your best judgement.
I know the dog your talking about. It always runs in front of my car. just down from your estate yea?
It sucks when a dog owner doesn’t seem to care, though in my experience I feel it is better to assume that every dog is going to come after me…
Simply put, as a general rule, dogs are put out by unicycles since we are not part of their “normal” world. In high school we got a dog from the humane society that was the nicest dog, calm, never barked at anyone (the UPS driver would carry treats and stop to give him a ride when he drove past our house), but the first time he saw me me get on a uni he jumped up and started barking his head off. This was a dog that we’d had almost 7 years by then, and he was lying there on the lawn watching me mount. As soon as I was not what he was expecting, he went off.
Similarly, there is a dog down the street from where I live now (I may be repeating myself, I forget if I’ve told this story on here or not) who bit me last September. I was riding down the sidewalk (on the way to a job interview) and the mother and her 2 kids (prolly 5 and under) were standing on the sidewalk talking to another mother and her kids. I rode off the sidewalk onto the road to go around them a good 50 feet before I reached them. As I got to about 5 feet from them, the dog saw me (I had been hidden from view by shrubbery… slightly lower, not too expensive) and charged, grabbing my shorts and pulling me off the uni before retreating and then being grabbed by the collar by the owner. She was very apologetic, immediately put the dog inside, and was quite concerned. No harm, no foul, and I knew from the dog’s POV that this “thing” had suddenly popped up next to his family. It was kinda like accidentally getting between a mama bear and her cubs.
Since then, I’ve had zero probs with the dog, both with and without the owners present, though I do always dismount when I see it. Fairly friendly, and a good dog.
Then again, I do have a bite scar on my left calf from a dog that took me down on my uni once… It never bothered me again though, the act of falling kicked the uni back into its’ face… it always barked at me from several hundred feet away after that…
Maybe as a community we should start building some Portable Dog Killers (actually non-lethal acoustic weapons) a-la Steve Gibson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Glft9CQ-5s
