Dog Scratched Neighbors Kid

Oh man... Do you have all paperwork on file from city and vet as far as registrations. That's the first step.

Have parents contacted you at this point? This is one reason I have cameras..

You can't predict people. SO many are sue happy that it's not funny.

We have a toy poodle, non aggressive but has never been around anyone under 11yrs old. I was stunned one day when hubby was holding him and allowed a neighbor kid to pet him and he scratched her nose. I don't know what planet hubby was in at that time. My poodle is perfectly ok when he gets to know you. However, charging down my drive will put him in attack mode to protect us.

Thankfully, only a scratch that scared her. Her grandad came down and was very nice and there were no issues. Great neighbor!!

I have other neighbors who would have sued me on the spot just to get some $$$.

Just handle with care if approached at all with facts.

I'm about 5 miles away from the Plano attack Jennifer described. Sad.

Best wishes!

ETA: great that you have paperwork. I So hope all will be ok. Keep us posted. I know... It only takes a few seconds.

He needs to be kept in a fenced back yard, not a front yard where he can get at anyone who comes to the door or up the driveway.

I love the protective nature of a German Shepherd, and it's great he keeps an eye on your son. I doubt that anything will come of it. The dog was restrained in your yard, so you did everything right.
Your son, as his guardian, also needs to make sure he tells anyone that might come in the yard that the dog could be aggressive if he doesn't know you and warn them to stay back. This is a good lesson for your son in responsible dog ownership. This is also a good lesson for the other kid on the bike to take heed when coming in the vicinity of a strange dog.
Accidents happen- try not to worry.

Your dog didn't bite, didn't attack. If I had a dollar for every time some ankle biter scratched my legs I would never have to work again. My point is jumping is not aggressive behavior. If it was every little dog's owner would be sued to death

If the dog was on your property and the boy isn't really hurt, I doubt anything will come of it. Maybe put up a beware of dog sign bc that protects you too if someone else comes on your property. I don't think you should have to keep him in your house. Not like he was running on the street loose and bit someone. And lots of neighborhoods have dogs out. If you live in a nice one, I'm sure he's safe.

Lesson learned.

How old is your dog? Young I'm assuming if you were unaware he had the potential to behave in this manner...but now you know & can react accordingly.

~Which in my opinion is to always secure your dog when needed. Shorten the run/lead he is on when you step away. You do have the right to your own space on your property, so make sure he can't reach the edges if you need to step away for a minute. If someone walks all the way up onto your porch towards a barking agitated dog, something is up. Kids don't normally do that...that way the dog can still stay outside & play & be your eyes!!

I recently lost My Big Bad puppy dog (he was only 8, died of lymphoma a month ago, I still cry) he was the BEST protector, EVER 😥

If you have a GSD, you know their traits of extreme loyalty and protection. Not "vicious."
I would reach out to this family, expressing concern and insisting to (at the very least) replace the shorts. Include a little extra for a treat at an ice cream shop or something.
To sit home and "wait for hours" until they contact you? Doesn't look too good.
Now that you know how your GSD reacted to someone on your property? You MUST be there with him ( take inside is you have to pee) or keep in back yard or where ever so the opportunity doesn't arise again for that behavior OR invest in having him trained professionally.
GSDs can have very high prey drives. That + kids? Better not left to chance.

Our dog is protective too. I understand both sides.

From now on, your dog should not be left in the front yard. He is too protective of your child, your house, you, etc. It's not worth the risk.

Just keep him in the house =)

Hopefully nothing more cones of it, but hope you learned a LOT about keeping not only random children, but YOUR DOG, safe.... Anyone could do anything to your dog, and he's on a run, unable to get away. That's a very bad idea for soooooo many reasons. Your dog shouldn't be outdoors unattended unless in your fenced backyard with a LOCKED gate. Just yesterday, in the dfw area, police shot and killed a German Shepard. Rumor is some neighborhood kids were harassing two dogs at their fence, they got out, attacked a person, and continued to run when cops came on the scene. One was shot and killed, the other later euthanized - all preventable with responsible pet ownership. For the sake of everyone, please be more careful with your dog in the future. Again, you seem genuinely broken up about it, I don't believe for a moment you meant harm to anyone, but please use this fairly benign catalyst as incentive to change some things - good luck

I think you did all that you needed to do. I doubt the parent will be concerned. If they do call be friendly and if you're willing to pay for shorts agree to that.If they want more than you're comfortable giving tell them you will have to think about it. Then consult with your insurance provider before calling back. Since boy was able to continue bike riding I suggest this will just blow over.

I would shorten the lead so your dog cannot reach the driveway or sidewalk so that this won't happen again. My parents staked their dog out in the front yard so that he couldn't reach the sidewalk. He did scare a few people with his barking but it never was a problem.

You had the dog on a run and on your property so legally you shouldn't have anything to worry about. I loved the response someone gave about making sure your son knows to inform any friends of his dog before coming over. That will teach your son great responsibility although after this incident Im sure he will warn his friends now :) not to say it was the fault of the child in no way but the parents of that child and all parents for that matter need to be sure and teach their children to never approach or go into the territory of a strange dog without consent. The dog gave a warning bark and at that point the child should have known to stay back if he was taught how and when to safely approach any dog. My 2 oldest children know to never go into a dogs area or approach any dog without an adult around and the adult tells them it's safe to pet the dog and they surely know a dog barking in his area is a sign to stay away. Obviously with the scratch being on his bottom it would have been inappropriate to examine unless of course if the injury was extreme and you had to look so honestly I think you did everything right by making sure he was ok and giving him your number, I would have probably walked the child home and explained in person to the parents what happened but atleast by giving him your number the parents can call you if they feel there's an issue. You may have done this but I would have also included in the note that the dog is up to date on all vaccinations and registered but with them having your number they can now call you if they have any questions like that. Thanks for being a responsible dog owner and good luck with everything :)

If your dog had bitten this child, maimed him and scarred him for life, it wouldn't matter that he was on your property on a lead. You might have the "law" on your side, but attacking a child when they ride a bike up on your driveway means that you have a problem dog.

I don't care if it IS a German Shepherd. You have a problem dog.

Talk to a reputable dog behaviorist specialist. Do it tomorrow. Ask the question - can my dog be rehabilitated to not do this - and ask for an HONEST ANSWER. Then listen. If it means getting rid of the dog, do it.

I will tell you that it's very telling to me that your last paragraph says "...so it is scary to think what this kid parents would have done or possibly still do" instead of "It is scary to think of what my dog might have done to this child". Quite frankly, your attitude floors me.
ETA from your SWH - Thanks for the added comments. That makes me feel a ton better about your post.

I'd like to add if this boy is old enough to be riding around on his own and not break down into tears after getting scratched, he sounds old enough to know not to keep approaching a dog barking like that. My kids certainly know and we really love dogs. Also, the dog didn't bite, right? I don't know that dogs understand they scratch and that hurts too. If this happened to me, I'd feel horrible a child was hurt but not responsible. I don't think you're responsible... And I hope it doesn't turn into a big deal. I doubt it will. I think you should be allowed to have your own dog in your own driveway.

I think you handled it correctly.
I agree in shortening the leash & putting dog on the side of yard.
I was going to suggest you take the dog in when you go in to pee but since you were leaving your child outside I think it's a good idea the dog is
out there for safety to alert you if someone were to approach your child &
the other kids out there playing w/him.

Hope the child is ok & the parents are understanding.
Hang in there.

sorry this happened. you sound like one of the good dog owners, and while this isn't okay (i'd be pretty pissed if i were the kid's mom) you are clearly reacting in a way that demonstrates your responsibility.
what i would do immediately is shorten the run so that the dog can't reach the driveway. if you didn't invite the child onto your property you could argue it was his 'fault' for just peddling up the drive, but it's not unreasonable for a neighbor child to consider the driveway safe space.
i think i'd also take the dog to a trainer with my son to make sure that both understand 'stand down!' commands. especially since you have a dog that is perceived as being aggressive.
it sounds like the boy is fine, and i think you handled it very well. i do hope the parents aren't drama queens and that it ends here, or after a calm conversation. please let us know how it plays out.
khairete
S.

You attended to the boy and gave your number, so you're prepared to deal with it if they call - which is fine.

Glad he wasn't more hurt - I think you responded appropriately :)

I'm sure if it had been worse you would have called the parents yourself or walked him home and talked to them then and there.

I'm guessing you didn't because it wasn't that bad. If you're concerned though that his parents might be upset ... or bad feelings, you can always stop by if you know where they live, just to talk to them. It might make you feel more at ease about it all. If that's the case, I would pop over today just to make sure ... you can always say "Just wanted to make sure he was ok - seemed to me he was...".

Good luck :)

I just wanted to say that I would NOT contact my homeowners insurance provider like Marda suggested. Just putting them on notice that this happened could cause a rise in your rates or a cancellation of the policy or no option to renew when it comes time,

Other than that, I think you did great. I too have a 2.5 year old German Shepherd. He doesn't go out in the front yard. In fact, he has no desire whatsoever to go ANYWHERE unless my hubby is going. One day our gate somehow opened. Per the neighbors, the dog sat right in the gateway all day; never left; never bothered anyone; just sat there and waited for hubby to get home. He did bark when people walked by, but he never made any attempt to approach - he acted as if the gate were closed. He is 100% devoted to my hubby!

That's scary. I have only been around a handful of German Shepherds in my lifetime. All had some kind of thing to them. Aren't they supposed to protect? I don't know, if I saw a kid riding his bike down my driveway near my son who was on his on that same driveway, I'd make sure they wouldn't collide. Maybe that's what your dog was doing. Just more intensely. You say he is very protective of your son, so this proves it. If your dog was barking, he probably was warning him to stop, and he didn't. So your dog pretty much made him.

I've seen dog attacks on t.v. It's very scary, and leaves psychological and physical scarring. If the boy could keep on his bike, and leave and ride around. I doubt he was very hurt. His shorts were torn, but shorts can be replaced. If your dog was vicious, Indont believes that kid would have been ok.