I have two dogs – Max and Emma. Max has some food aggression and resource guarding issues. We’re training him to manage it but it’s a work in progress. Emma is pretty easy going about his possessiveness. If she’s playing with a toy and Max takes it from her for himself, she lets him and just moves on to another toy. There will be times when she gives a little warning growl like, “Actually I still want to play with this so back off”, and he’ll back down. Most times we’ll also intervene.
Last night, both dogs were chewing on bully sticks. They both loooooove bully sticks. Max decided he wanted Emma’s and walked up to her. She gave him a growl and both of them squared up. I grabbed Max before it could escalate but it was too late. They snapped and started fighting. I managed to pick Max up and separate them, but in the chaos he bit my forearm, hard enough to break the skin. I separated them and took a moment to calm everyone down, including myself, and dress my wound.
The next morning I went into urgent care. I hear too many stories about bite wounds becoming infected. During check in, the receptionist told me they are required to report dog bites in California. It was a form asking for my information, details on the incident, and a description of the dog. I filled it out, turned it in, got a prescription for antibiotics, and went home.
When I recapped the urgent care visit to my husband, I was caught off guard by how distraught he was that I reported Max. He said now Max has a mark on his record. If he bites another person in the future and they report it, that’s a second and final strike on Max. Max would have to be put down. It was so stupid of me. I should’ve lied or omitted his name. So now I’m in fear that whenever he’s at daycare or with someone new, there is a chance he might bite and get the second and final strike on his record.
TL;DR: I accidentally snitched on my dog and put him at risk for getting euthanized if he has another biting incident in the future.