Quote:
Originally Posted by Rochard
You intentionally brought your little dog into the house of a much larger dog, didn't have either dog on a leash, and.... Well, you get what you deserve.
We have a dog park a few blocks from us, and there have a large area for big dogs and a small area for smaller dogs. Some idiot brought their little dog into the big pen, and the dog got slaughtered and died a few hours later. I didn't feel sorry for him; That's what you get when you fail to protect your dog.
Dogs that fit in a purse don't belong playing with big dogs.
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I see what you're saying, and agree with much of it in fact. There is negligence on both sides here, and if I were the judge in such a case I would in all likelyhood award no damages to the OP.
However, to everyone saying that absolutely a small dog should never be around larger dogs I'll say this: When done properly there's no reason in the world why dogs of varying sizes can't get along.
My nephew and his wife have five dogs, two of which are tiny ones and the other three are quite large, all of varying breeds. They run around their property like a pack, they all get along just fine, and in fact one of the little ones seems to be the damn leader. Why do they get along? Because they were introduced carefully and properly to each other. The pack didn't just materialize, they were added to the home one by one. These dogs don't fight each other, they each seem to treat the other 4 with equal respect regardless of size. And they're not even the best trained dogs either, in fact in my view they could use a TON of training, but they have a good home life and are all treated well.
Now, if someone were to bring a foreign dog, small or large, into their home I'm quite certain my nephew and his wife would make sure that the person had full control of their pet BEFORE entering the premises. As did I during all my dog owner years.
You can only attest to your own dog's training and behavior, you can't know what other unkown dogs will do or how they'll react in certain situations etc.
I doubt the big dog in this case will be put down, but the OP does have a case. As for monetary damages, at most I'd say since there is negligence on both sides you might get a split, of say half the monetary loss. But I wouldn't hold my breath on that.
Next time OP (if there is a next time) I'd say keep any new dog you have on a leash. And when other foreign dogs are nearby maybe pick up and hold your small dog until you're sure about the safety of the situation.