A dog came running over to my dogs who where on the lead and my dogs attacked it. The dog that came over was not aggresive but I have an entire male and a bitch that is having a silent season. i couldn't see any damage to the dog after I got mine under control however the parents have been over to my house tonight  (I wasn't in and they are coming again in an hour) wanting money for vet fees. How do I stand on this and what should I do?
Any help appreciated.

Not what you want to hear, but I would say that you were in the wrong here.  The other owner should have had more control over their dog, but it is hardly fair to expect a dog to act as normal around an in season bitch.  To have an entire male with you as well protecting his bitch is really only going to lead to trouble.
I sympathise that your bitch needs exercise, I have bitches as well.  During seasons they are walked alone, on lead, and road walks only, never where a male could be off lead.  Much to my disgust this means I have to do a fair amount of jogging to keep her in condition.
If you say the dog was not injured and they demand money from you, I would just ask to have a copy of the vets receipt first.

I definately wouldn't just hand over money. Dogs don't often get properly injured in scuffles, but you never know.
They maybe just trying it on. So I'd agree to pay the vets bill direct if there is one.

The way I see it is the attack wouldn't of happened if their dog had been properly under control and on a lead. Therefore they should pick up the vet bill. However they weren't to know your bitch was having a season , I personally don't walk my bitches when they're on heat!
So it depends how guilty you feel about the other dog whether or not you will contribute towards the vet fees. I think if I were in this position I would offer to pay half after seeing proof of vet costs , as if you hadn't taken your bitch out the dog may not of been inclined to run over. 

I think this is just one of those things.   Personally I would have some sympathy for the owners of the other dog but I wouldn't be paying their vet fees and I wouldn't feel to blame for what happened.

Can see both sides really. Yes there is the question of whether  a bitch in season should be exercised where there are other dogs but I don't think I'd rush to pay the bill either.  The law straight down the line says dogs should be in control in a public place. In simple terms yours was and theirs wasn't so I don't think they have much of a case whatever. An in season bitch does cloud the issue but thats the moral side of it, ie should you have been walking her. As the law stands I think you are in the right and I don't think the law would be intersted in the intricacies of an in season bitch. Its can be very black and white.

So morally I think maybe the bitch should not have been there but legally you probably have the law on your side.

Legally I don't think you would be responsible for the vet fees, but morally if I were in your shoes I would feel entirely responsible. I have a bitch, but have also owned entire males, so see both sides of the exercising an in season bitch arguement. The fact that your bitch is having a "silent season" is irrelevant to another male dog, to him she hot property.

In this instance I don't feel you are responsible, the other people shouldn't have let their dog approach a dog on lead, a dog is on a lead for a reason, aggression, season, fear are just some of them, they should not have allowed their dog to approach yours.

IMO a dog warden would back you up here. Dogs will be dogs! We do have a few posters on here who actually have dog aggressive dogs (I know yours isn't one, just protecting a bitch in season by the sound of it) but if I had a dog aggressive dog which was on lead, which is what we are supposed to do with dog aggressive dogs and a dog approached us and was attacked then legally I don't think it would be your fault, apart from maybe being asked to use a muzzle too, but hopefully without an in season bitch you boy is usually fine.

In this inst, they wouldn't get a penny from me, they should have controlled their dog, on seeing another on lead they should have also done the same.

> Dogs don't often get properly injured in scuffles, but you never know.
> They maybe just trying it on. So I'd agree to pay the vets bill direct if there is one.

Yes do find out what injuries there were, if any. My dog hurt another dog's ear in the park once, drawing a little blood but nothing serious at all.... a shallow scratch when mine snapped & nipped the ear as the other pulled away. (I made sure to check the other dog myself, and would have offered to pay had it been necessary, but it certainly wasn't). Not long afterwards I overheard the owner sounding off in a local shop about how this vicious dog attacked hers and ripped its ear up - "vet visit" "buckets of blood:" & "luckily it didn't need any stitches"! I was furious!

>the other people shouldn't have let their dog approach a dog on lead, a dog is on a lead for a reason

hmmm, ive had this problem before, its all well and good recalling your dogs when you see a dog on a lead ..... but when that dog happens to be an in season bitch all training goes out of the window - is this then still the dog owners fault ? really bitches in season should not be exercised where there are other dogs off lead, its not fair.

Hiya,

When you say the parents were round - do you mean parents as in it was a child walking the other dog? Persoanlly I don't feel it is fair to walk an in season bitch where other dogs are walked off lead, not fair on the bitch or on other dogs.  I also think walking her with an entire male whilst in season is asking for trouble.

That said I get fed up of owners who can't control their dogs letting them run up to other dogs whilst they are on lead, though to be fair an in season bitch would be more than your average distraction to a lot of dogs.  I also hate seeing kids out walking dogs that they clearly can't control.

I would ask to speak to the vet to find out what injuries occured and maybe agree to split the costs as a gesture of good will?

IMO I can see both sides, but was the other dog called back when it came over to yours? Their dog was off a lead and not yours, so really I would not pay any vets bills. It wouldn't have happened if it was on a lead. Just be polite and kind, and point out, their dog was off the lead. Take this incident as a steep learning curve and don't take your bitch out when in season, unless you can take her somewhere quiet where it is less likely to see other dogs. Let us know what happens.

ETA - If you pay ANY money out, you are accepting responsibility

Thanks for all your replies, Rereading my post I haven't really described the incident very well. I have two large guarding bred dogs who I always put on leads when I am near other dogs except ones I know they are okay with. This incident happened when I was returning from a walk in a field where I don't usually meet anyone, however today i did see this person, stopped a good 100 metres away and called my dogs to me and put them on the lead. i also waited to see what this person was doing with their dogs when this dog bounded over to mine. The owner did try to call it back but it wouldn't return and just ran straight up to mine who then went overboard. My bitch is neutered but has retained some ovarian tissue which mimics seasons and I wrongly call them silent seasons. They are not as pronounced as normal seasons so hard to judge when they start and end.

In that case, I think it unwise to offer to pay any vets fees, and state that their dog ran over yours (which were under control in the beginning), and that you are not prepared to pay any fees.

Was the dog that ran over to yours an entire male? Not that it makes a lot of difference really, but if your bitch (who is to all intents and purposes, spayed) was giving off some pheromones then yes, that would maybe attract an entire male, but shouldn't have attracted attention from a neutered one... in which case it's the other dog not being properly controlled.

I have a dog that is occasionally DA when on lead and I certainly wouldn't take responsibility for other people's dogs running up to him and getting a telling off... (especially when they see my reaction and cheerfully call: "It's OK! he's friendly!" Grr!).

If there wasnt the issue of the season then I would agree, but as the bitch was in season that could have been what enticed the dog over and made it ignore its recall. 

Its happened to me, I saw a dog being put on a lead told mine to wait which he did at first then all of a sudden he was gone ...... it was a bitch in season.

I have had the parents around who had been told a slightly different tale to the one that happened. I contributed half to the vets fees  because they live up the lane from me, and I don't want to cause bad blood. The mother thought it okay for her dog to go up to others even if they were on leads as he was friendly. I had to explain not all dogs are friendly and she said they should be muzzled then!! How do you deal with this!

> I had to explain not all dogs are friendly and she said they should be muzzled then!! How do you deal with this!

Do you have a good local dog warden who could liaise or explain things a bit better to the owners?

Do you have a good local dog warden who could liaise or explain things a bit better to the owners?

I really do hate it when dog owners don't have enough control to call their dogs back to them and allow them to go over to other dogs on lead, as said there are many reasons why a dog may be on lead and I feel others should respect this, however we don't live in an ideal world and mistakes will happen, it does sound like the owener was trying to call the dog back - I feel that if you know your dogs aren't great with other dogs and 'may' cause injury to another friendly dog if approached then they should be muzzled, I know my local DW very well and she would most certainly say the same thing!

I've learnt, that when dogs run in to my dog on lead and I call out for the owner to please recall their dog, the response 'he's friendly and only wants to play!' - means in most cases they can't recall them.

> its all well and good recalling your dogs when you see a dog on a lead ..... but when that dog happens to be an in season bitch all training goes out of the window - is this then still the dog owners fault ? really bitches in season should not be exercised where there are other dogs off lead, its not fair.

I agree - I don't take bitches out when in season.  I think it's reasonable to assume that an entire dog will be difficult to recall once he has had that smell hit him.

My dogs are not aggressive generally and walk/play everyday with a variety of dogs they have been introduced to. I do not feel it is fair that I should muzzle my dogs in my control, in case a dog runs out of control towards them, I agree if they were aggressive all the time it would be the sensible thing to do.
Anyway thanks again for the replies.

> i couldn't see any damage to the dog after I got mine under control

> I do not feel it is fair that I should muzzle my dogs in my control

See, while your dogs were attacking the other dog, they may have been on-lead, but they weren't under control. You said the other dog that appraoched yours was not agressive.

I've had a dog-agressive dog in the past. Keeping him on-lead really wasn't enough to ensure he never got to damage another dog. Afterall, accidents happen and dogs will be dogs - ie. they want to go see another dog, so there was no way I could guarantee that another dog would never appraoch him, the safest thing to do was to keep him muzzled when out.

I have a giant guarding breed, he is friendly to all appraoching dogs, so I would deem it completely out of character for him to attack an approaching, non-agressive, dog. The next walk he had, he would be muzzled, just in case, untill I was sure it was a one-off incident, or got to the root of the cause.

I do agree with you on that point.
My mums dog is generally good natured, gets on well with my dogs and others, but likes her own space and doesn't like strange dogs rushing at her. She always responds immediately when called.
If I'm walking her and see dogs approaching I call her and put her on the lead. If the owners of the dogs don't respond likewise I ask them too politely. Usually they do, but sometimes they either can't, or shout back "It's OK, they're friendly" I'll insist, "Please call your dogs", if they still can't/won't, all hell breaks loose....

I don't feel that Mums dog needs a muzzle, she's under control.

When walking my own dogs if I see someone approaching who calls their dog and puts it on a lead, I do the same. If they leave their dog free I do the same.
Is that not just common sense?

Can't legislate against accidents, unfortunately.... there's always the random factor.

Interesting point about control. When  I said when I had got them under control I meant they responded to my 'command' to leave the dog that had come up to us after lunging at it. I wasn't expecting my dogs to react they way they did so I was  taken by surprise, a few seconds behind in reaction to their reaction, would that be deemed out of control?. When people suggest muzzling them just in case, yes I could do that as they can react, however I have also come across many smaller dogs that have shown aggression to mine, is it fair to say as any dog can react in a aggressive manner and snap at or even bite another should they be muzzled as a precaution? or should it be that anyone that takes reasonable steps to prevent problems (as I felt I did) they should not be to blame.
Does the size of the dog have any bearing on the decision?

I have two large guarding bred dogs who I always put on leads when I am near other dogs except ones I know they are okay with.

Hiya again,

I'm certainly not trying to make you feel bad or have a go at you, I'm sure it made you feel pretty awful as it was - it was an accident but it was preventable.  With what you said above I assumed you were saying there were problems with unknown dogs?  My Dobe walks and plays with dogs she knows everday too, however she is fearful of dogs she doesn't know and for the most part is great because I manage the situation and she has a great recall, however she will react (though has never caused damage to another dog) but as a precaution she is muzzled on certain occasions. 

It doesn't affect her walks in any way - I spent time getting her used to the muzzle so she would see it as a good thing which she does, it just means that should someone let their dog run up to mine and not be able to control it and she would react to that as she can't cope with dogs in her space, then I know there is no way she can hurt them and I know they can't say she has done anything - and yes I do feel unfortunately size and breed makes a difference (though it wouldn't to me with dogs in my care) but if we get reported for our guarding breeds having bitten another dog then yes it will be seen as more dangerous than someone who has a yorkie going for a guarding breed.

I don't think it's right I think everyone should make sure their dogs are safe and under control but we don't have control over what other people do with their dogs, only our own so that's what we should worry about imo.

Out of control to me, is the dog that is loose, dashing towards another dog with the owner vainly calling it to come back and being totally ignored. If you add the fear factor as well, fear of the dog bounding over felt by the owner of the dog being ran at, then the owner of the running dog could find themselves in trouble.
Dogs have only to cause fear (not actually bite) to find themselves in trouble nowadays. In public places mine are always on a lead because I will not put them in that postition. Also their recall is not brilliant so I won't let them bother other people and their dogs.
I do think the public needs to understand  the legal side of 'out of control' before they unclip that lead.

Interesting point about control. When  I said when I had got them under control I meant they responded to my 'command' to leave the dog that had come up to us after lunging at it

I understand what you mean. I have 4 Golden Retrievers and okay I am lucky that my dogs are friendly but when a dog comes rushing in the excitement level is great and they all entangle their leads with each other to be the first to greet/play and probably bounce on the newcomer. It is not easy trying then to drag them back and get them under control. IMO the owner was at fault. You did what you could by bringing your dogs back and then under control on lead.

> Out of control to me, is the dog that is loose, dashing towards another dog with the owner vainly calling it to come back and being totally ignored

To be fair, a dog ignoring a recall to greet 2 other dogs (1 of which is is season), in a non-agressive manner, could hardly be classed as dangerously out of control. If this dog is met with an attack, then the dogs that attacked it could be classed as dangerously out of control.

I know that all of us should keep our dogs under control, however, even the best trained dog can decide to ignore a recall (especially when faced with an in-season bitch). Approaching another dog is hardly bad enough behaviour to warrent being attacked. If a dog has issues (fear, defensivenes etc.) and will not tollerate approaching dogs it needs to be muzzled.

The OPs incident could well be an unfortunate event (if you ignore an entire male being walked with an in-season bitch), but it comes across as her dogs are not sociable with strange dogs - being excersised in places thought to have no other dogs, being put on-lead if any strange dog is seen, being fine with 'dogs they know', so all this seems to suggest it was an avoidable incident because of it's predictability.

If for one minute I thought my dog would attack a friendly strange dog, just becasue it approached him - he would be muzzled, any behavioural issue he has should not be a problem for others.

All dogs need trainnig and young dogs need to learn to come when called - do all young dogs get it right 100% of the time? - I think not, not even all adult dogs can be expected to have a 100% re-call in all situations (especially when faced with an in-season bitch!). Many dogs want to interact with other dogs, it's not the owners fault if occasionally a re-call is ignored, dog will be dogs, but if an owner knows thier dogs are hostile to strange dogs - it is thier fault when those dogs damage another because it's predictable and IMO, not the same as a minor scuffle that could happen between any 2 dogs.

> Dogs have only to cause fear (not actually bite) to find themselves in trouble nowadays

Yes, but the fear needs to be felt by a human, not another dog. The OP said the approaching dog was not aggresive.

I agree an in season bitch would be too much of a temptation for even the best dog :)

I did mean fear felt by the owner when faced with loose dogs bounding over. Imagine an over protective owner of a toy breed walking it on a lead through a park. When a loose but perfectly friendly large breed dog ( she is scared of big breeds) comes bombing over. Woman screams at the owners to get it back. Despite calling, the dog is happily intent on making friends with the little dog and keeps on coming. Woman picks her dog up for safetly as she sees it in her eyes. Big dog arrives and full of excitement jumps up. Woman passes out LOL (no, only joking) but that woman does have huge ammounts of fear and the dog has actually done nothing aggressive. That fear alone could get that dog into trouble.

Would that woman say she has the right to walk through her park without being hassled by others dogs? Would she say that the big dog was out of control because it was ignoring its owners and running around doing what it wanted.
And the big one, would the law agree with her, adding her fear of the situation into the equation.

Only playing devil's advocate here for the sake of discussion, I don't have toy breeds and not prone to passing out when approached by large dogs :)

I have had the parents around who had been told a slightly different tale to the one that happened. I contributed half to the vets fees  because they live up the lane from me, and I don't want to cause bad blood. The mother thought it okay for her dog to go up to others even if they were on leads as he was friendly. I had to explain not all dogs are friendly and she said they should be muzzled then!! How do you deal with this!

I didn't see if the other dog was an entire male as Ms Temeraire, wondered, or not? it would be interesting to know, even if only to just mull over .. I think if it was then perhaps there was slightly more onus on  you :)

If not, however, then as I understand the law, dogs are under control when on a lead and this is how the law sees it.
No matter that your dogs may have aggressed - they were on a lead and were approached.

As you said though, if they live up the lane from you, then you don't want any bad blood, and i can see why you felt it best to pay up.
Did you satisfy yourself that the other dog really had been injured? :)

The other owner needs to understand that it is not "the done thing" to let dogs race up to dogs on lead. It's not dog walking manners or etiquette, and isn't acceptable! She cannot argue with this, because this is how it is <g>

Was it her child walking the dog, then?

Glad its all sorted, anyway!

Lindsay
x

My dogs have both done their Good Citizens and advance class of two APDT centres, I walk my dogs in the field as it is connected to my house not because I keep them away from other dogs (this field is surrounded by livestock fields) We do an evening lead walk around the town where we met other dog walkers without incident. I prefer to put my dogs on a lead with strange dogs because they will react to aggression (they are not submissive which is shared by many owners of this breed)
The dog that bounded over to us was a neutured male however he came from a direction we had not been in plus we were a very good distance away. I don't think my bitch would have enticed him (she has been neutured but retains ovarian tissue, it makes her interesting but not to the same extent a bitch in a real season would) but  I think it may be the reason my dog acted the way he did (when you go over and over these events to see what else you could have done!) Extra vigilance will be needed in future.

I have a friend who has had problems with off lead dogs approaching his dog and going for it. As his dog is a Rottie there is now a sort of vendetta going on against his dog and as a result he is due in court on the 31st of march.

He is devistated and so am I as the Rottie is the biggest sweetest dog that I have ever seen, maybe a bit of a dumpling at times but does not attack other dogs just defnds himself if he is attacked which IMO is only natural.I may add the Rottie is never off the lead and his owner tries to take him places where he hopes there are no loose dogs because his has happened a lot.

Witness statements against the Rottie are all fabricated and in some instances the person giving the statement has admitted they only heard a ruccas and never actually seen anything and also in one statement the person whos dog attacked the Rottie  addmitted they had not got their dog on a lead.

What can the Rotties owner do to prove that his dog is not in the wrong ??? he is terrified that his dog may have to be PTS .On saying that the local vet has said that if this was the case he would not be the one who would put the dog to sleep as he knows that the dog is not agressive. But according to the laws on dog behavior etc whatt can he do, what sort of things can he have to present to the court on the Rotties behalf.

Any advice would be greatly apreciated

Is he up under DDA section3? Good solicitor and masses of proof from other parties that he is a responsible dog owner, proof of training classes and levels achieved etc. If he hasn't already done so, contact Alison Green and/or Trevor Cooper for specific dog law advice. Not a nice place to be in, he has my sympathies... :(

Will have to get a look at the letter he got from the court to see what it said.
How do you get in touch with Alison or Trevor ?

I groom his dog and I said I would give a letter to say what kind of dog he is , I have even suggested a video of him in the shop and how bidable he is etc also told him to get a letter from the vet and he is coming to our training class on saturday as there is a trainer coming down who might be able to give him advice.

He did come to classes at one point but some of the other dog owners were unhappy about him being there he stopped coming even though he was no bother at the classes.

At the moment he is just sitting back and worrying about things as he is unsure on what to do.

It is such a shame as I have said he is a great dog and was a rescue and was treated badly but even though he is a big soft lump. If only other people would open their eyes and see that Just because he is a Rottie , it does not mean he is a bad sort.

I will hopefully see him ,the owner, this week and will let you know how he gets on.

Thanks for your advice

If the Rottie has not been off the lead and  then unless the witness statements are saying otherwise I don't really see how this has come to court - especially if it is for fighting with other dogs that approached him. 

Get him to get as many character references for the dog as possible, vets etc.

If the dog is always on a lead and its the other dogs that are the trouble makers, I very much doubt he will lose his dog. At the worst he will be made to muzzle it. To be honest I too am amazed this has got this far. I would be filing a counter case against the other dogs owners for allowing their dog to come over to my on lead dog with the intentions of starting a fight.

I have had the parents around who had been told a slightly different tale to the one that happened. I contributed half to the vets fees  because they live up the lane from me, and I don't want to cause bad blood. The mother thought it okay for her dog to go up to others even if they were on leads as he was friendly. I had to explain not all dogs are friendly and she said they should be muzzled then!! How do you deal with this!

Personally, I think you are a star to have given them half the money, especially as they were not even there and have been given a different story to what actually happened, and also their insistance that they feel it is still ok for their dog to approach a dog on lead.

Do they not ask themselves why is this dog on lead? I agree with a dog warden needing to go and talk to them. Just to drill in that dogs are on a lead for a reason, aggression, fearful, in training, most of us who are dog savvy just wouldn't allow our dogs to approach an on lead dog.

They didn't learn anything from what happened, so it could well happen again. :-(

> If the Rottie has not been off the lead and&nbsp; then unless the witness statements are saying otherwise I don't really see how this has come to court - especially if it is for fighting with other dogs that approached him.&nbsp; <IMG class=qButton title="Quote selected text" alt="Quote selected text" src="/images/mi_quote.gif">

I am baffled as well the only thing I can think of is as I have said it is a small town and some have  just got on to the band waggon to try and make this poor dog and his owners life a nightmare.
Also you know what some people are like " Ohh its a rottie it is a bad breed !! " small minded people

I agree with Carrington, I think they were very lucky that you agreed to pay some of the vet bills, they would have got nothing from me.  It seems the number of dog owners that think they can just let the their dogs run amok is sky rocketing.  You're dogs were under control, theirs weren't, that's all there is to it in my eyes.

Re the rottie, what area are you in? some behaviourists specialise in court cases, such as Kendal Shepherd, who is in the Nottinghamshire area, I believe.She is very good.  Checkout the apbc website for her address (www.apbc.org.uk) if the owner in vaguely in the same part of the country.
You can Google for Trevor Cooper, Dog Law and will find him. Also what was the other organistion that would help - Pro dogs or something - I cannot recall their name, but I believe their main person, as it were, is a lawyer. I think her name is Anne something...

Your friend might do well to get a reputable behaviourist assessment, I'd think.

So sorry for him, as it's hardly his fault if other dogs attack his, whilst his is on the lead!

Lindsay
x

Roger Mugford is also trained in dog law and is in the Surrey area.

Lindsay
x

Personally, I think you are a star to have given them half the money, especially as they were not even there and have been given a different story to what actually happened, and also their insistance that they feel it is still ok for their dog to approach a dog on lead.

I agree with the above, you were very generous paying them half the vet fees...personally I would not have!!

I dotn think you have any blame in this incident at all, your dogs were on leads for goodness sake, how much more in control  can you be...your dogs come to recall they listen to you, they were not the ones running up to other dogs.

OK your bitch may have been giving of a smell , but is that an excuse for an owner to allow another  dog to invade her space.

Blaming an in season or not as the case may be, for a dogs poor recall is "passing the buck"  was the other dog  entire  or just a dog out with a minor (child) who should not be in charge of a dog, was he and does he just have poor recall, does he run up to any dog he sees,   regardless of them being entire or not.

As the owner of a dog aggressive dog, I do all I can to protect her and other dogs,  we work tirelessly,  we take 10 steps forward and them one dog with no or poor recall  can set her back 20!!

No I don't muzzle her either, because she was attacked by a friendly dog "who only wanted to play"  (according to its owner)  she was unable to defend herself, and it was down to me to  stop the attack, the other owner was to far away.

So now my philosophy is   "I cant be responsible for everyone else's dog, only mine, she pays the penalty for her character by a life on the lead , and would be damned before I would "pay"   for someone else's  irresponsibility.

I find it incredible that some here are portioning blame to the   poster.

> Blaming an in season or not as the case may be, for a dogs poor recall is "passing the buck"

Passing the buck?

Many dogs will ignore its own safety to find an in-season bitch it can smell, it is a very strong instinct (intensity will differ between individuals) and can over-ride training. Just the same as a fear response is an instinctive behaviour - some dogs hear a firework (for example) and bolt, no amount of re-call will work.

To take an in-season bitch out and expect every other dog to listen to thier owner and stay away is a rather high expecation, dogs are living, breathing animals with instincts that can be very stong.

It's odd how so many feel it perfectly acceptbale for 2 leashed dogs to attack a non-agressive approaching dog, but at the same time find it annoying that the attacked dog ignored a re-call when there was an in-season bitch!

We either accept that dogs act on instinct regardless of training (follow scent of bitch on heat/attack 'invading' dog) or they don't, we can't use instinct as an excuse for one behaviour but not another, that's just not fair.

When my dog was a pup my 20 year old son was walking him. My son lost his attention, and he ran over to a group of young lads who called him over and started playing with him. Unfortunately, one of these boys had left his jacket on the ground. The dog picked up the jacket and ran off with it, dragging it through the mud etc.
The boy went home and told his Mum the dog had grabbed his new jacket and messed it up.
She lives up the road, so she got on the phone and demanded a new jacket for her son.
Cost £25.
I decided to pay up and shut up - why? Because i don't want rumours about my dog's bad behaviour (he was naughty, but provoked a bit) going round the neighbourhood. It was a case of damage limitation. I paid for the new jacket, and explained to the Mother what had happened and pointed out that if the boys got a pup all excited, things like this could happen.
Result - Mum is happy as she didn't have to pay for new jacket,  boy now understands that dogs will be dogs and you have to be careful to manage how you behave with them, and no nasty rumours about out of control or dangerous dog going round the place!