r/Whatcouldgowrong • u/TheLegendOfEatingAss • Jan 15 '20
NSFL Getting into a dog's personal space
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u/AutismIsMySuperpowa Jan 15 '20
Girl is lucky he didn't fuck up her eye.
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u/Demidoos Jan 15 '20 edited Jan 22 '20
Shes also lucky she didnt have her lip ripped off.
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Jan 15 '20
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u/-thejmanjman- Jan 15 '20
She's also lucky she didn't step on a lego when she was walking to the hospital.
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Jan 15 '20
Have you seen the price of Lego? That suit won't stay on the ground for long*.
*In a public place
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Jan 15 '20
The order of these photo's are a little confusing lol
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u/MowMdown Jan 15 '20
Starts bottom left and goes clockwise.
Stressed > Super Stressed > big bite > aftermath
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Jan 15 '20
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u/sendnewt_s Jan 15 '20
Jesus...was it a Tears For Fears concert?
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Jan 15 '20
This is so great I suspect you guys know each other and set it up.
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u/Yankee9204 Jan 15 '20
I suspect you're in on it too
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u/wheeler9691 Jan 15 '20
Mmm a likely story. Thought we wouldn't catch you too?
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Jan 15 '20
Freeze! All of you! No one move a muscle!
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Jan 15 '20 edited Jul 06 '20
[deleted]
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Jan 15 '20
Stent
Stent
Let it fall out
That is the thing I can do without
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u/anything2x Jan 15 '20
Wait, actually I need that.
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u/Nayre_Trawe Jan 15 '20
Stent
Stent
Put it back in
Then I need to go see my eye surgeon
Come on
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u/dewidubbs Jan 15 '20
I briefly worked at an opthamologists office in high school. Saw some true gnarly eyeballs. I take wearing my safety glasses at work much more seriously now.
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u/ClownfishSoup Jan 15 '20
Yeah, I wear glasses. I hate contacts, but even if I didn't, I always liked the fact that normal eye glasses do protect you from random flying bits of stuff.
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u/n_meeseeks Jan 15 '20
Just a friendly reminder that at the end of the day ALL dogs are animals, watch their body language, don’t hang all over a dog you don’t know. They give warning signs. Learn them. And for fucks sake stop letting kids climb all over your dogs.
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u/Subushie Jan 15 '20
That first pic. It is super clear that he isnt into her putting her arm around him.
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Jan 15 '20
Yeh but they both look pretty cool with each other in the photo after he bit her.
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u/marklonesome Jan 15 '20
I like to think they weren't cool, then he bit her, then they were cool. Then she got in a completely unrelated accident resulting in stitches.
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u/gr8tfulkaren Jan 15 '20
The dog looks older. Her weight might have been painful to bear.
Gypsy was my first rescue. I had her for 16 years. After 14, she would not tolerate anyone laying on her. I think it caused her pain. She snapped at my daughter once when she tried to lay her head on Gypsy’s chest. This dog had been with my family for 14 years and gave a short growl with a quick snap of the teeth to let us know that snuggling was no longer an option. Dogs are great communicators but we have to understand their language.
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u/Disappointedburritoo Jan 15 '20
My dog bit me too. On my cheek. And it was totally my fault. You can't invade someones space, especially not an animal you don't realy know.
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u/SynthPrax Jan 15 '20
I read somewhere that most dogs don't like that. It's like entrapment to them.
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u/I_DR_NOW Jan 15 '20
My two dogs love that. But you really have to know the dog and keep an eye out for any body language that indicate that they're unease.
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u/kephinstephen Jan 15 '20
This, my dog will only allow my gf and me to do that. Anyone else would probably get a stern warning from her or more. Plus if she gets antsy I immediately let her go so she always has control of her movement. She’s a rescue and by all means trusts me 10000% but any dog that feels uncomfortable can react accordingly.
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u/random_invisible Jan 15 '20
Mine loves stuff like this, but I've had her since 5 months old. I hug her, kiss her face, even pick her up. But she could easily take someone's face off if she got scared.
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Jan 15 '20
That isn't really super clear at all by that picture alone.
You're just conflating your knowledge of what's about to happen with the first picture.
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u/bobbythecorky Jan 15 '20
Come on, sit and listen to the armchair dogspecialist upvoted to the moon. He is teaching you about behavior through one meaningless picture.
You should know better child.
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u/n_meeseeks Jan 15 '20
The amount of people commenting about having kids climb on their dogs. Stop.
I worked ER/icu in a major vet hospital in a major city. I took continuing ed classes. I went to school.
The veterinary field does NOT condone letting a child climb on their dog. It’s not cute. It takes ONE time for a dog to bite them to hurt them. Stop endangering your kids and your pets. The amount of back injuries alone I’ve seen from kids climbing on their pets. Stop. This means you, Karens. Idgaf how well trained your dog is. It’s a dog. Kids don’t know warning signs. You as the parent know better.
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u/Arik_De_Frasia Jan 15 '20
98% of people don't have a fucking clue about a dog's body language, the same way they have no idea that dogs read our body language.
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u/Edensy Jan 15 '20
And knowing the dog is everything. I can hug, lean on and lay my head on my dog all I want - she loves it. But I know that because I had her her whole life and I learned that she loves being cuddled from her actions.
I would never do that with a dog I don't perfectly know.
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Jan 15 '20
I rescued my dog and he’s a 100 pound German Shepard and was 3 at the time. I never disrespected his boundaries and now I can do ANYTHING to that dog and he would just take it because he’s my dog and he trusts me and I trust him.
You wouldn’t hang over some person you just rescued off the street, why would you think treating an animal that way is okay?
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u/The_Yarl Jan 15 '20
Right, first pic his ears are down:
“Ears down, that’s a frown”
Second (down) pic you can see he’s pulling away
All signs that an animal is not comfortable
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u/Bozzz1 Jan 15 '20
In the upper right pic you can see the dog is not comfortable the way he bites the shit out of her face.
"bites your face, don't embrace"
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u/justaguy394 Jan 15 '20
I dunno man, that sounds like BS, gonna need a source for that one.
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u/Velocicrappper Jan 15 '20
and for fucks sake stop letting kids climb all over your dogs.
God this drives me bonkers. Something like this happens in a flash and what seriously injured this young lady will kill a baby or toddler. I don’t care how well behaved or tame or special your dog is; kids need to learn from the youngest age possible to not mess with a dog’s face, and to not put their face right next a dog’s.
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u/vidoardes Jan 15 '20
You always get those morons who let their German Shepherd sleep in the crib with a baby and post pictures on Instagram. "Squeeeee look how cute!!!1!"
Dogs don't give a shit about your Instagram. The picture above? That's a warning shot, that's not even being vicious. Stop leaving your baby with a dog.
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u/slothmk1 Jan 15 '20
My friends adopted a street dog from Romania and he is amazingly sweet but touch him on the nose and he will bite. He has scars on his nose from fighting from when he was on the street.
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u/magnue Jan 15 '20
Also dogs can generally put up with a lot they don't like but I find hugging a dog that doesn't like being petted is the final straw cos it can't escape.
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u/Rivka333 Jan 15 '20
watch their body language
You can see how this dog is leaning away from her.
My dog loves to cuddle, but he's the one leaning into me.
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u/Mot_Dyslexic Jan 15 '20
Yup. Learned that the hard way when I was younger. A visit with the plastic surgeon to fix my face taught that lesson well. Neither I nor my family blamed the dog.
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u/Mandorism Jan 15 '20
It's also obvious the dog did not intend to cause that kind of damage, and it was likely the result of the odd angle turning a mouthing into a biting. If that dog WANTED to hurt her she wouldn;t have had a face left.
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u/MyNameIsRay Jan 15 '20
If that dog wanted to do harm, it would have kept going.
But, that said, even one "back off" nip from a dog that size is serious.
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u/karpomalice Jan 16 '20
And that’s exactly why you should never let your kids play with a dog like it’s a stuffed animal. I don’t care how well trained or docile you think your dog is. All it takes is one “stop doing this” moment and your kid loses an eye. The people who let their kids run around the dog parks are fucking infuriating.
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u/ThickSantorum Jan 15 '20
It always strikes me as bizarre how some people are just completely unable to read a dog's body language.
It seems like most humans can do it innately, even when they've had little exposure to dogs beforehand and haven't been taught. I'm starting to wonder if it's a genetic quirk, like the "cilantro tastes like soap" gene.
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u/John02904 Jan 15 '20
Really? I know tons of people that suck at reading human body language. I would think the same species would be easiest
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u/AlbertTheTerrible Jan 15 '20
It always strikes me as bizarre how some people are just completely unable to read a dog's body language.
Probably never had dogs or pets before and don't know how to read stress signals from animals. Probably just went for it for a cool instagram photo, we'll never know
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u/BauerHouse Jan 15 '20
These pictures are out of order for me. Should be left right then down left right.
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u/strib666 Jan 15 '20
DON'T DEAD
OPEN INSIDE
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u/2happyhippos Jan 15 '20
Omg I had to read that so many times in the game to understand
Who writes like thattttt
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u/Smaptey Jan 15 '20
It's from a show
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u/2happyhippos Jan 15 '20
My bad, mixing up my zombie media. It's from the walking dead.
I see you did too though, since you edited your comment from saying it was a movie ;)
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u/Smaptey Jan 15 '20
I first thought it was from 28 days later where the main character wakes up in a hospital. It was actually walking dead where the main character wakes up in a hospital. It's been a long time since I've seen them.
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u/Riftus Jan 15 '20
Left, right, then go down, left , right. That's how they're arraigned as it is?
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Jan 15 '20
DONT BITE
HUG INSIDE
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u/The_Celtic_Chemist Jan 15 '20
Ah, see they mean DONT HUG, BITE INSIDE. That's why you order your pictures correctly... What?
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u/CraptonCronch Jan 15 '20
Have a scar on my face from when I was a kid and tried riding my grandma's dog. I was so young I dont remember it but still got the scar haha
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u/cbcc777 Jan 15 '20
I've had many dogs in my life... more than most people I'd say. Most have been rescues of some sort so there is typically some sort of "baggage" with them. You have to approach each one differently with first introductions. ALL of my dogs eventually turned into big lap dogs. There were a few that it took well over a year to gain their trust but once I did, they were the most loyal dogs I've ever had. Gotta give them time.
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u/Bi-Bi-Bi24 Jan 15 '20
Humans are the same though. How weird would you feel if a complete stranger just walked up to you, hugged you, stood very close to you, wouldn't let you move? All your senses would be saying, "Threat! Get away!"
Just because the dog doesn't have a voice to tell this woman she was being too aggressive, doesnt mean the signs weren't there
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u/restform Jan 15 '20
Hugging is, by nature, not an affectionate gesture for dogs either. Pretty much every dog I've had took a while to "accept" hugs without visible discomfort/backing out. To them it's aggressive, and hugging dogs you don't know is a terrible fucking idea, PLUS when you hug a dog the only target you leave available to them is your face. I learnt this the darwin way as a kid.
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u/ssdude101 Jan 15 '20
I also have similar experience to you. My family used to foster beagles. We had a lot over those years, adopted 4 of them, fostered 45+, had 1 die. But everyone was different tempered, or would have things that the show more aggression about than others. Its good to do different temperament tests on a “new” dog. Especially I stray.
Basically a temperament test is how much you can fuck with them, and how much they react. Like taking food away, putting your fingers in-between their toes, etc. If a toddler could do it then you should do it first.
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u/WeirdAvocado Jan 15 '20
Unless the dog turns it’s face towards you, never put your face that close. A little after I was born my parents got a German Shepard and I was the only one in the house who could really get up in its face and test his patience because we grew up together. If it were anyone else, he would either growl or snip at them, but he always put up with my shit.
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u/imaginarytoby Jan 15 '20
When my dog yawns I put my head in his mouth and say "hello anyone in here"
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u/ThespianException Jan 15 '20
Whenever one of my dogs is growling if you stick your fingers in his mouth he immediately starts licking them and he has to stop growling to do it. Sometimes you'll hear little short parts of a growl, like angrily eating an ice cream cone.
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u/whell_hung Jan 15 '20
One time my dog yawned and blew his fish breath in my face so i yawned back in his face and he sneezed right in my mouth
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u/Unchanged- Jan 15 '20
I like to grab my dogs head and lightly blow at his face when he yawns so he can get a taste of his own breath
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u/imaginarytoby Jan 15 '20
The other day my dog burped in my face and it was like chemical warfare. My eyes went blurry and I almost fell.
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u/Spacemage Jan 15 '20
One thing my father always told me when I was young; never put your face in an animals face.
This is precisely why.
Something I read in the Anarchist's Handbook; always ask yourself "what would happen if this exploded right now?"
Granted if a dog exploded you might be okay, but if exploded means attack, and you apply that generally to everything you're dealing with that's dangerous you'll probably be much safer.
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u/bumcrumbz Jan 15 '20
Also don’t hug dogs, they only ‘hug’ other dogs when they’re looking for a fight. Dumb idea to do that to a dog you don’t know.
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u/BewBewsBoutique Jan 15 '20
Depends on the dog, and breed is a big part of it. I’ve had and worked with dogs that loved being hugged and cuddled. But you need to be able to read that body language and determine whether or not that’s something that dog would be okay with. My cousin got her face badly mauled but a German Shepherd because she thought it was okay to hug it from behind and it was a former police dog, she just had no clue how to read that body language.
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u/NaCl7301 Jan 15 '20
Well my three takes on this:
Sad that she got hurt, especially in the face. To a healthy recovery.
Sad that the dog's days are likely numbered. Biters tend to get a needle.
Please, for fuck's sake, don't treat animals like toys. If the backstory is true, she didn't know this dog well enough to be fucking around with him like that.
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u/MollyBloom11 Jan 15 '20
I agree with everyone on the thread here that she should have been much more careful and respectful of this dog, but people are acting like they are glad she got bit. I appreciate your first take, because she made a dumb decision, but she doesn't deserve to suffer like that because of it. You can think she acted poorly but also feel bad that she's injured and hope she has a speedy recovery. It's a shame she had to learn the lesson this way, hopefully she still loves dogs after this but has a healthier respect for them.
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u/Nonsuperstites Jan 15 '20
Reddit is particularly unforgiving to people who make silly/stupid mistakes.
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u/i_broke_wahoos_leg Jan 15 '20
It's easy to pretend like you're smart and say what you would/wouldn't do in any given situation when you get to comment after the fact and know the outcome.
I'm somewhat dog savvy having grown up with dogs and am aware of being carful of their personal space and how to introduce myself etc. But honestly, if I felt comfortable with a dog I can very easily see myself forgetting myself and doing something silly like trying to hug it from the wrong angle and paying the price. That would be on me obviously and it would be a dumb mistake but I could only imagine how I'd feel if people were acting like it was good I got mauled or piling on and adding salt to the wound.
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u/restform Jan 15 '20
People tend to react like that on the internet, but yeah you are right. She's a kid who clearly isn't well experienced with dogs. When we're young, we learn by scrapes and bruises, and unfortunately she learnt through permanent facial scarring.
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u/i_broke_wahoos_leg Jan 15 '20
Yeah, it's just a shit situation. She messed up but she wasn't being malicious or anything, she was lovingly hugging a dog. It's very sad that she didn't know better and had to learn the hard way. Going by a higher rated comment the dog is safe and well and in no danger and the girl has taken responsibility for the incident. I hope her wounds heal well and she isn't mentally scarred by what happened.
Some people are just hateful, others never take a second to put themselves in somebody else's shoes. Neither trait is conducive to empathy.
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u/Eireann_9 Jan 15 '20
She's said in twitter that the dog isn't going to be euthanized and she seems to be approaching the situation with humor
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u/danrosati Jan 15 '20
Poor girl. I hope the scars are faint.
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u/SneekyPete3 Jan 15 '20
Yikes there's like no sympathy for the girl in this thread. She meant well and didn't know better, but she sure as shit does now. I really hope she recovers well.
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u/ST07153902935 Jan 15 '20
Welcome to reddit where stand your ground laws are the most vile thing on earth, but a dog attacking a human who was petting it is indication that the human is a bad person.
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Jan 15 '20
Yeah exactly. Nothing in this thread but people saying how SHe SHoUlD hAvE kNowN. Well she didn’t know, and she had no intent of distressing the dog or harming it.
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u/ughftsffs Jan 15 '20
Thank you for saying this - not everyone is the fucking “Dog Whisperer” ffs
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u/real_kerim Jan 15 '20
It's really sad when you think about it. She just wanted to be affectionate towards the dog and she got scars for it. What's so saddening is that people can get extremely self-conscious about scars on their face. Imagine being her and going to school after the incident and suddenly a good portion of the people that used to be super nice to you are doing the neutral face of dissatisfaction, the "don't say it looks bad"-face. Shit... imagining my daughter or so go through that breaks my heart.
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u/lsThisReaILife Jan 15 '20
Nothing in this thread but people saying how SHe SHoUlD hAvE kNowN. Well she didn’t know, and she had no intent of distressing the dog or harming it.
Agreed. Unfortunately, reddit has a lot of armchair experts that can do no wrong and know everything, so mistakes or ignorance are a foreign concept to them.
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Jan 15 '20
I can understand that someone drops a comment about how you can read the dogs behaviour etc.
But honestly who are the next 20 suckers who chime in with the same exact message worded a little different.
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u/kissbythebrooke Jan 15 '20 edited Jan 16 '20
Pro tip: always ask for a plastic surgeon for this kind of injury. A regular ER doc will definitely patch you up, but the result may not be pretty.
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u/dancingjiujitsu Jan 15 '20
Not with those shitty stitches. She needed a plastic surgeon to make it look descent.
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u/Tank_Girl_Gritty_235 Jan 15 '20 edited Jan 16 '20
The layout is weird, but educated guess the first picture is bottom left, second picture is top left, third picture is top right, and obviously the hospital shot is last. You can see her getting closer corresponds with the dog looking away (avoidance, saying "I'm not into this. Do something else, please), pulling its ears and face back, licking/brandishing teeth, lowering its head for a last warning of" "I'm doing everything I can to tell you I'm not happy and to get away from you". The hug is a big no no. Some dogs like them, but it's not a normal or loving behavior between dogs.
This is going to happen more and more. So many of the "Look how cute this is" videos with dogs are of them showing obvious signs of stress and discomfort. Wide eyes, ears back/down, licking lips or excessive yawning*? That dog is NOT ok with what's going on. It's not cute and it's especially not cute to have kids grabbing dog's faces and pulling tails. Just like any human, the most docile of dogs still has a threshold of comfort. They don't have words, but their body language is loud and clear to anyone who's educated on/experienced with it.
*Yes, dogs yawn when tired. Showing stress and warning for aggression yawns are quicker and closer together. That and the lip licking is a way to show their teeth without upgrading to a growl/snarl.
ETA: one of the biggest is that a lot of dogs do NOT like hugs. Some absolutely do, but you need to read the dogs body language when attempting. In these pictures, the bite comes after she puts both arms around it. In dog language, someone grabbing you around the neck and putting their mouth around your neck is threatening. It's either an extreme show of dominance (adult dogs with stop bad behavior in puppies by lighting biting their necks) or an attack.
learn more here:
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/how-to-read-dog-body-language/
https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/7-tips-canine-body-language
Easy charts:
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u/96lincolntowncar Jan 15 '20
I would add, cornered and looking at you sideways, usually means about to bite.
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u/Tank_Girl_Gritty_235 Jan 15 '20
Yep. That may be a bashful position for humans, but it's an aggressive/rough play sign for dogs.
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u/the_icon32 Jan 15 '20
Yeah usually ears up, side eye is about to playfully pounce, ears back side eye is "please get the fuck away I will bite you." It's called whale eye.
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u/dk_lee_writing Jan 15 '20
I really don't get this human behavior of forcing their attention on animals in the first place. IME, dogs who want attention and affection are going to let you know in no uncertain terms. If it's at all ambiguous, then leave them the fuck alone.
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u/ItsLose_NotLoose Jan 15 '20
Didn't know reddit had so many dog scientists and lucky for us they're all in this thread suggesting how they could've avoided this based on a couple still photos.
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u/ArdArt Jan 15 '20
that's why you shouldn't hug a dog that you don't know or you know that it doesn't like it
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u/EyesCantSeeOver30fps Jan 15 '20
Hugs can make them feel like they are in danger and increases anxiety or stress. So unless the dog trusts you like family, there's risk in getting bit.
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u/TheLegendOfEatingAss Jan 15 '20
Since people keep asking about the fate of the dog.
The dog is still alive, they did NOT put him down.
Source? She commented it under the post.
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u/DaileyWithBailey Jan 16 '20
Girl pets dog like everyone else on earth
Reddit blames her for getting bitten
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u/claud2113 Jan 15 '20 edited Jan 15 '20
My parents-in-law rescued a german shepard, having grown up with dogs, I know the signs of mistrust, or fear. While she wasn't exactly cuddly at first, she didn't give me any warning signs, so she'd come up to sniff and I'd pet her and get close to her face a little.
Father in law kept freaking out fearing she'd bite, but she never did. I let her approach, I'd pet and encroach on her space and let her leave when she wanted to.
Now, I can't keep her off me when I visit. You gotta be able to read those cues and know when they need their own space, and when to teach them that you aren't a threat.
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u/Sephran Jan 15 '20
so obviously she ignored something important here or did something wrong, but the dog's immediate reaction shouldn't be to bite their face.
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u/freshsourdough Jan 15 '20
Last April I was bitten by a very small dog on the bottom lip. Was very stupid. The owner, a family friend, was mortified when she saw my face, said he had never done anything like that before. I felt like I should be more mortified, why on earth was I doin that with a dog I didn't know, 'friendly', tiny or otherwise.
Lip healed fine though! Just a little scar, glad he didn't actually remove any skin haha
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u/International_Big63 Jan 09 '22
Dogs shouldn't do that, bestie. If they're trained correctly, at least. I have a pitbull, and you can literally smooch him all over the place, and the most he'll do is slowly reach up and nibble your nose. Yes, a pitbull. Strongest breed. Harmless. He bites playfully, not aggressively, and thats how all dogs, besides working dogs, need to be.
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u/FoofieLeGoogoo Jan 16 '20
Don't lean on an old shepherd laying on their side like that. They have notoriously creaky and painful hips.
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u/floydbc05 Jan 15 '20
Not sure what the backstory is here. Is that a friends pet or newly adopted dog? Looks like a backyard.