I’ve ummed and ahhed about posting this as it still
horrifies me, but it’s relevant in the social services way. Back in May my daughter who was 5 had a horrible accident at home. She tripped over her own feet as she was walking through the lounge and landed on our family dog (who we’d had from 8 weeks old and was as soft as anything). Dog was asleep and reacted really badly as it woke and growled and bit her. This happened so quickly right in front of my face and my other children.
I immediately went into “manage role” and in the space of ten minutes my daughter was at a&e (bite was very deep and on her face). Her dad took her there whilst I sadly took our dog to be rehomed, I knew from my work that a social services and police investigation would happen for a dog bite.
It was hands down the worst day of my life, saying goodbye to my fur baby and feeling like my heart would break, whilst worrying about my daughter.
My daughter was transferred to a specialist plastic surgery hospital and had surgery the following day. Before we were allowed out of the hospital they had to follow up with social services that It was okay to do so which made me feel horrendous.
Two days later we were just coming to terms with it when the police showed up on our doorstep as it’s standard practice to report dog bites. Because I had been in such a state at rehoming her I had signed paperwork and not even taken it with me, so I had no “proof” our dog wasn’t at home. They searched my house to check I wasn’t hiding the dog, and didn’t close the case for a week until they’d run checks with the rehoming centre. Looking back now, I would never have allowed them to treat us like that if I had not been running on no sleep, emotionally exhausted and wracked with guilt. Of course it was all closed down and nothing more came of it, but it made a stressful
Time worse.
I also never once took any photos of my daughter in hospital or recovering, in fact I’ve barely told
Anyone what happened as I’m so ashamed still. Even though it wasn’t my fault I feel as her mum I should’ve done more. Her scar is healing beautifully and fading well, which they said would happen as she’s young and as long as I look after it, which meant not sending her back to school until stitches had healed and risk of infection was gone.