So, this past Saturday, I took two of my kids to Target and we still had some time to kill, so I suggested that we go next door to PetSmart. Of course the kids were all for it.
We looked at the rodents, then at the cats, and then, somehow, we ended back by the rodents again. There was this couple with a huge pitbull in the same aisle, and since my 5 year old son is afraid of dogs, he moved quickly the next aisle to get away from it. My 2 year old daughter was super excited. She loves animals. The couple walked toward us and said that the dog was great and was good with people. The woman said that my daughter could pet him. She then went up to him and he tried to lick at her face, so she laughed and jumped back. The couple and the dog, on a leash might I add, walked past us, but then turned around and started talking to us again. My daughter went up to pet the dog again, and he attacked her. Right in the middle of the store. She pulled away quickly, and I didn't realize that the dog had broken skin. The dog lunged for her again, so I grabbed her, and there was blood everywhere. One of his teeth had punctured her left bicep, about 1cm from her artery, and it went all the way down to the bone.
She was, of course, bawling, which made me lose it. The woman owner said she felt really bad and that the dog had never done anything like that before. She kept apologizing, but by that time I was crying so hard that I barely heard her. I just wanted to get to the hospital to make sure my baby was okay. Not one single employee at the store came to our aide. There were even employees that passed us, saw what was going on, smiled and kept on walking. WTF!!!!! The couple gave me a business card with their name on it and told me to call later to tell them how my daughter was.
I then took my daughter to the ER and she was treated. They called the police and animal control, so we had to file a report. The wound needed stitches, but they won't stitch a dog bite because of the bacteria, so they put her on two anitbiotics.
I then went back to PetSmart to talk to a manager because I figured they would have to file an accident report. The manager proceeded to tell me that it had nothing to do with them. It was between me and the dog owner's and she hoped my daughter got better, and then she walked away.
Two days later, my daughter broke out in hives and we found out that she's allergic to the anitbiotics she was on. We had to take her back to the dr and they put her on something else. She ended up allergic to that, too, so tomorrow she has to start another med.
My anxiety is so bad from this, and I have no clue what to do. I have been paying out of pocket for everything, and, honestly, I can't afford to.
Sorry, I just needed to get this off of my chest.
I am very sorry about what happened to your daughter she has been through so much in past few days…. of course you have been through so much also -Just to let you know they don't stitch up animal bite wounds they have to be on anitbotics and let the wound heal. cat bites are the worse–I have seen many in my day–I worked for 10 years at a animal hospital.
one thing you can do is check into the policy of the store to see if they are responsilble for pets being in the store or if it is the patrons of the store are responsible–I would try to call their corporate office to find out-
You could also contact the owners of the dog and let them know the cost of all the care your daughter has had and see if they are willing to pay for that out of their own pocket.
Hope this helps–
I am so sorry you are having to go through this. *Hugs*
I am so sorry. Your poor daughter. She will now also be afraid of dogs. Honestly she is lucky that the dog only bit her lip. It really could have been so much worse. Pitbulls are known for attacking like that and not letting go.
Pet Smart is not acting responsibly in my opinion. It's their store afterall. They may have some warning posted about animals being in the store and not being responsible. It would just be good customer service to offer some help or free stuff or something.
I would certainly contact a lawyer. The dog's owner should pay all medical bills and some pain and suffering. This is a very traumatic thing for your daughter. Do you have a way of getting a hold of them? They need to keep that dog at home and not around children.
Irresponsible pet owners drive me nuts!!!!
Wishing your daughter a speedy recovery.