Bit by a dog (need some advice)

[Felicia48]

I'm in a bit of a situation.  A good friend of mine was staying at an Airbnb.  The hosts dog bit her and she doesn't know what to do about it.

1.   the dog was not disclosed in the listing

2.  there was no broken skin or blood shed

3.  the dog continued to be in the space after the incident. 

She came to me for advice.   Should she call Airbnb?  Not call but give bad review (even though nothing bad happened)?  Call and bad review? 

Thank you in advance.

[Rowena29]

Hi @Felicia48 

This is just my opinion, but there are so many factors here that haven't been disclosed

For a start if there is no broken skin or blood then its not a BITE,  or even a nip, more a mouthing??

HOWEVER I think it's  inappropriate to have an undisclosed dog at the listing, particularly one that does something like that which would really  potentially freak out guests. ( I used to have a dog that would grab people by the hand and drag them outside to his pile of toys - dog lovers thought it was fabulous, people scared of dogs claimed he was attacking them)

Was your friend uncomfortable with the dog being there and undisclosed? Did she mention this to the host when she arrived?  

Did your friend let the host know about the "bite"?  If the host was unaware, then the dog remaining doesn't seem so dreadful and it seems a bit unfair to ring aribnb and complain if nothing was discussed with the host first,  and the host was not given the opportunity to take action, especially as there was no actual injury. The host could potentially get delisted over it. Possibly he deserves to.

However if your friend told the host about the "bite" and nothing happened, then a mention in the review would seem reasonable - the host doesn't sound very responsible. 

Personally I think it also depends a bit on the type of listing.  If it's a farmstay at a rambling ranch, then an undisclosed  dog  doesn't seem so startling. However if it's a shared room in someone's house and there's an undisclosed dog - well that another thing entirely.

Too many undisclosed variables. but as always communication between the guest and host is key. If the host was uncoperative, uncaring and unhelpful, then perhaps a bad review and a call to airbnb.

Just my thoughts. 

[Suzanne302]

@Felicia48  I agree with everything @Rowena29  said. The biggest question for me would be, "What did the host do??"

And what were the circumstances of the "bite"? Was the dog excited? Playing? Trying to attack? I know this about dogs...They know exactly how much pressure to use to bite. If a dog wants to break skin, he/she will. So not breaking skin means this could have been a warning from the dog, if the dog is truly aggressive. Or, more innocently, a playful nip, or, an excited nip that was not meant to be a bite. And herding breeds will often "nip" at legs and heels as it is their nature to herd.

Again, it's hard to give an opinion without knowing how the host reacted and the circumstances of the "bite."

[Sarah977]

@Felicia48 Certainly pets in the home should be disclosed, but are you quite sure it wasn't? Many guests fail to read thoroughly  through the entire listing description. Hosts have reported here that even though their dog or cat is mentioned several times in the listing, as well as being pictured in the photo gallery, guests have arrived and been surprised to find that a pet is present. So please go back and read everything in the listing, if you haven't already, clicking on "Read more" and "Other things to note" before considering reporting the host or writing a bad review.

I'm sure this frightened your friend, but as others have said, it wasn't a "bite". It may have been an attention seeking gesture on the part of the dog, or the dog was surprised by your friend. My dog is 11 years old, has never bitten anyone or even another dog or animal, yet she once snapped at a 4 year old who approached her from behind and touched her by her tail. The dog was unpleasantly surprised and it was just a warning not to do that. The child was taken aback, but it was a good lesson for him not to approach strange dogs without asking first.

Also, why would your friend give a "bad" review, when, to quote you, "nothing bad happened"? If you are sure there was nothing mentioned about the dog in the listing info, your friend doesn't need to write a bad review if everything else about the place was fine. Mentioning that there is a dog that wasn't disclosed and that it scared her by nipping (if indeed that's what it did) at her leg, while also writing about what was good about the accommodation, isn't a "bad" review. 

I'm sure guests wouldn't appreciate having one thing they did that annoyed or upset the host played up in a review, without the host mentioning that the guest left the place clean, followed house rules, etc. Reviews don't have to be either good or bad- they can just be fair and factual and should be.

[Helen350]

Yes, @Sarah977 ! (& @Suzanne302  & @Felicia48 .) Many guests write in reviews how sweet & gentle & adorable my 11 year old border collie is. But twice, in over 250 bookings he has snapped, (not bitten), probably as a warning, when 2 different guests have kissed him on the nose! - Suddenly without warning! The first time, it was a mature lady, who said "Silly me! I should have known better!" The second time was a silly young (just adult) girl, WHILE HE WAS ASLEEP, with the result that her sister joined Airbnb for the purpose of threatening me. (I managed to talk her out of it in the messaging.)

[Rowena29]

Yep @Helen350 .

I have to admit, whenever I hear of a bite I think, Hmmmm, what did the person do to the dog??

Often it's because a person has done something inappropriate. (My oldest son got a really bad bite on the lip - well the bite itself wasn't so bad, but the result was pretty spectacular) because he was lying on the ground in front of the dog and blew in her face - something he'd done several times before and been warned  repeatedly not to do.  reaction - it startled her and she quickly snapped ( and caught his lip). He almost need plastic surgery.

IMO this was TOTALLY my sons fault, and he was brought up with dogs and should have known better. 

I am always nervous with any guests ( not  just aribnb  guests - any non immediate family) and animals. A lot of people don't have what I would consider common sense around animals - but then I always had lots of animals, and if you haven't had that opportunity, then you've not had the chance to develop the common sense.   So no ones fault, but you just can't assume people know how to behave. And if something goes wrong, 99.9% of the time the poor old animal cops the blame.

(We have a train carriage at our home which we are renovating and considering aribnb ing - BUT we have 3 dogs, chooks, a goose, a pig, and even though the airbnb would be gated off, the idea just makes me really nervous) 

And of course, there are definitely rogue animals, including dogs,  that ARE biters, for whatever reason. I've been bitten myself by one, just walking past a house on the footpath. Fortunately never  owned one like that, (though we did have a rooster land my middle son in A and E with pretty significant injuries...)

[Inna22]

@Rowena29  this is called victim blaming. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Felicia48 Frankly, any animal which bites, nips or mouths a human needs to be crated away from guests at all times. Any level of attack needs to be taken seriously in order to avoid any future accident caused by such aggression. Next time it could be a child  being mouthed or bitten.

The guest should state her concerns with the host, call Airbnb and review accordingly. The accommodation might have been fine, but sharing with an animal not so.. The host should be more attentive and should have disclosed the dog in the listing, especially as it was a shared space.

[Suzanne302]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  Random stranger: "Does your dog bite?" Me: "ALL dogs bite."

That doesn't mean they should all be kept away from people. If you act inappropriately around the wrong dog, he/she will utilize the only method they have of letting you know to back off. Some dogs have higher tolerance levels than others. And most dogs will give plenty of warning signs before they actually use their teeth.

But ALL dogs bite. A dog who is aggressive in nature is a different situation. But dogs who bite, nip, or mouth simply because someone provoked them should not be punished. That is the human's fault, not the dog's.

[Susan1404]

For some reason it would not let me tag you.  I agree with your post, but unfortunately, here in the U.S.A. there have been many court cases won because it was not always viewed as the "human's fault."  I have horses on my property and my airbnb is well off to the side of their pastures.  Do you have any idea how much I am asked if the horses can be petted/ridden?  Despite any warnings I might give, despite any posted signage I might put up, I can be held accountable for accidents because horses are considered an attractive nuisance.  I have very gentle horses, but they are still animals and not machines, subject to irritations the same as dogs are.  The point of my post is that it doesn't matter if it is the human's fault or not - an owner can be held accountable unfortunately, regardless of where the negligence lies.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Suzanne302 

Your biggest question was "What did the host do??" They did nothing, obviously. The dog remained in the space. They allowed the guest to be bitten by the dog when they should have been in control of it !! 

Like you said - "ALL dogs bite" . Yes, so their owners need to be aware of this and adequately protect their guests by paying more attention to their dogs whereabouts and their activities at all times. If they can't - as in this case - they need to be removed from the situation. Theres nothing worse than an expectant guest other than an expectant dog. At least the guests don't bite. If the dog believes that the space is his/her territory then guests should never be invited to stay there. There lies a bite waiting to happen.

I've had dogs in the past, so I do know how they are. In this case, the host was irresponsible not declaring one was in the space, and not controlling it adequately. Thats how the review should be made.

[Sarah977]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  In this case, the dog did not "bite" the guest, no broken skin, no blood. As someone else said, it isn't some mistake that the dog meant to bite but didn't- dogs have total control over whether they are biting or not. And the OP never mentioned anything about whether the guest informed the host  and the host did nothing, nor has the OP gotten back here to clarify that- you are making a big assumption that the host ignored the situation, as well as the assumption that the dog wasn't disclosed in the listing. We've all read plenty of posts regarding guests complaining about things that were clearly mentioned, but they failed to read, as well as guests complaining after the fact about something they never discussed with the host, giving them an opportunity to correct.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Sarah977 

Dogs biting guests is just wrong. Even if they only give a guest a sloppy suck.

Was the guest bruised? That happens without blood, we don't know that either. It doesn't matter, whatever the situation, the dog should not attempt to bite a human, or be in a situation where it is unattended around strangers and able to attempt to bite. This is still irresponsible of the dog owner and puts the guest in a potentially dangerous situation.

With @Felicia48 bringing this question to the forum, I think the presence of the dog was never disclosed on the listing.

[Sarah977]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 The dog didn't bite the guest. Felicia made that clear. Dog's don't "attempt" to bite. If they intend to bite, they do.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Sarah977 

@Felicia48 wrote:

The hosts dog bit her and she doesn't know what to do about it.