Feanor wrote:And yet you didn't tell the authorities about a dog that attacked the face of a three year old child without any provocation, just to keep the peace with your in-laws. Well, you are protecting your children from this dog by keeping it locked away, and any other unlucky kids that come into contact with it can take their chances and aren't anything for you worry about.
It's a small farm town -- there are no town canine authorities. Want me to call the State Police over a dog bite?
I'm responsible for the well being of my children, and by pulverizing that chomping waste of flesh if it gets near my kids again, I'm doing just that. The dog's owner is responsible for its care and restraint, not me. If the owner chooses not to restrain the dog, I will take all measures to protect my kids.
A dog attacked my wife and infant son about 7 years ago, and she took the owners to the town. The dog warden ruled that the dog must be restrained at all times and would be destroyed if it got loose and attacked again.
It's a pretty safe bet that the county dog control in the rural county in which my sister-in-law lives would have issued a similar decree, if that. I'm not sure what nanny state you live in, but in my sister-in-law's neck of the woods, most dog owners take care of rogue, biting dogs with 12-gauge justice. In that instance, it was too bad I don't own a shotgun ...
Take care,
PK
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