My Dog Bit a Neighbor

First off -my heart goes out to you! What a terrible situation to be in! And it causes heartache and conflicts in so many ways - not to speak of needing to surrender the dog to the city. I can only imagine how hard that must have been.

Alas, I don't have much to offer in terms of advice - I would call the city pound to see what they recommend (they did a temperament test, right?). And I commend you for taking responsibility and trying to do the right thing with your neighbor. Keeping fingers crossed that it will all work out for you! 

What an awful story. As a dog owner, I just wanted to thank you for doing the right thing. Good luck to you.

I'd probably stop talking to the neighbor about it. Offer to pay their out of pocket medical expenses and leave it at that. I don't think that they would win in a lawsuit unless you had reason to believe that the dog would bite. And it seems like you have the shelter to get your back on that one.

You're not Marjorie Knoller, don't let your neighbor bully you into thinking that you are.

If the neighbor or his dog were significantly injured, you should consult a lawyer (mainly to find out if there is liability on the city's part for adopting out this dog). If the injuries were minor, you should just offer to pay all vet bills/medical costs. I don't think you should worry too much that your neighbor will be able to sue you for money beyond actual costs. (This is just common sense; what can s/he sue you for? But if you are really worried about it, it might be worth spending a few hundred dollars to consult with an attorney....) Regardless, you should express to your neighbor that you feel terrible and that you will do whatever you can to make sure they are "made whole".

I have not been in your shoes, but I work with dogs and have been bitten on several occasions. Even though it is a risk of my job that I accept fully, I have still felt animosity toward those particular pet-owners! It is VERY scary to be attacked by a dog. Your neighbor may seem unreasonable to you right now, but try to remember that they are a victim here (assuming there isn't another side to this story, like the other dog was also aggressive...) Their emotional state may be a continuation of the "fight or flight" that kicked in during the episode itself, and it's being directed at you now. Do your best to let them know you want to make it right... and then do your best to make it right. 

I am so sorry for your situation and can tell that you feel horrible about it. But before you beat yourself up even more, consider this: YOU weren't wrong about the dog not being aggressive. The city was. From my personal experience I believe that many agencies are making big money adopting out dogs that have been traumatized and are not fit to be thrown into a typical household but rather need careful reintegration that is beyond the scope of the average person. While the dog may have felt safe with your family, the neighbor may have felt threatening to the dog so that's why you didn't see any warning signs. I adopted a dog from the City of Oakland that I had for several months that acted skittish sometimes but then out of nowhere brutally attacked a dog walking by when minutes before he had been sitting at my feet at a neighborhood outdoor cafe. I adopted a dog years later from Milo that jumped up and snapped at my nephew's face who was walking by as he was sleeping. I turned in a stray dog to Marin SPCA that I had been hoping to keep until I saw it was aggressive to other dogs and then saw it posted as available for adoption a few days later. So be aware of their liability. Your dog's aggression did not begin when you adopted it 3 weeks ago.  Also consider that any dog is capable of biting just like bees sting and skunks spray. It's all a form of self protection. Consider what the neighbor's actions were that may have looked innocent enough but made the dog feel cornered/threatened. When I was young I stupidly hugged a dog that I did not know that well and it bit me in the ear as it tried to pull away. Hope this info helps. It seems that you've already done the key thing which was to surrender the dog. If the injuries are minimal, it should blow over once they heal.  Maybe paying their medical bills is all that is needed to resolve it? It may be painful in the short run but better than getting into a big lawsuit situation.

Don't delay with making apologies and working towards resolution.  As someone on the flip side, my grandmother was bit by 2 neighbor dogs at the same time and the bites were pretty horrific.  Initially the neighbors pretended nothing happened and kept their dogs in the house and their curtains closed. It wasn't until we sent them a legal letter that they finally took action and covered the cost of the doctor visits etc and maybe some extra for pain and suffering, which my grandmother donated to charity.  The letter could have been avoided had they apologized upfront and acknowledged they were in the wrong.