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Per the article, the pushback is a request to allow adequate titer levels to waive subsequent vaccinations. This is based on the premise that the titer would indicate adequate disease coverage and a booster would not be needed. Again, rabies in domesticated animals is very low and human rabies also low. Wild animals, particularly bats and raccoons are the rabies problem.

One of the dogs that bit me was a verified repeat offender. I found out when tuning a neighbor's piano that 2 of their children had been bitten by the same dog. Unfortunately, the neighbors were relatives, so they chose not to make a big issue out of it.

That dog now knows he can bite people. The owners also know their dog can bite people and get away with it.

Some dog owners love their dog more than their tuner, even if their dog is a biter.

Edit: Where love of a pet is involved, rationality flies out the window.

It's not the tuner's fault if a dog bites him. It's very possible that the dog has a history.

I don't think that a pet dog who bites humans unprovoked should be allowed to keep living. Or that the owners should be allowed to keep a dog. The same owners would be quick to sue, I am sure, if a human bit the dog, unprovoked.

There was a TV show about the famous Battersea Dogs Home in London, where they do their very best to rescue and re-home dogs in need. They showed a dog they'd been looking after and attempting to train. It growled when someone attempted to move its feeding bowl. They said that with regret they would have to have the dog destroyed, because its continuing possessiveness meant that it could not safely be re-homed.

So I parked next to a running police vehicle once. I started unloading stuff from that side of my car, and was met with ferocious barking - I'd parked next to an occupied K-9 car, and I was invading the dog's space. I tried speaking nicely to the dog, but he wasn't having it, and continued the menacing display. I finished unloading from the other side of my car! I saw the officer inside and we both had a good laugh!

You didn't get bitten. Police dogs are highly trained. Domestic dogs who bite visitors evidently are not, and owners should be sued and the dogs destroyed......

Owners like this would simply claim that you provoked the dog in some way and it would be your word against theirs...unfortunately a time consuming and non-winnable situation. They are mentally unbalanced and doubtlessly have several other related problems.

Bummer all the way around.

Pwg

Indeed yes.

It was my first tuning of the day and that would be 9am. The dog-owner, who was not as big as the dog really, came outside with this huge dog on a leash. I just got out of my car and started to gather my gear. The dog was ferocious and the little woman shouted to me to "....just pretend you don't see him like your not there...." say what.... Dumb me I obeyed and the next thing I know this monster dog had my forearm in its mouth....yum, yum.

What a horrible experience and what made me mad was that I was dumb enough to pretend I didn't see "GODZILLA...." five feet away from me clearly telling me I'm gonna chew on you right away. Anyway, after I went to the hospital and got bandaged up and had a tetanus shot I got to thinking about what I should learn from this for future encounters and what I have learned and stick to is never play that game of "pretending you're not there" cause that hurts.

That is disgraceful. Clearly this woman of small stature has a dog that she cannot control.

In the UK we do not have a gun culture, and private ownership of handguns is not allowed. But some farmers may have firearms, and we have a lot of sheep farming. A farmer would have no compunction about immediately shooting dead any dog that was chasing and worrying his sheep. So how can a dog be allowed to attack and bite a human?

I have you all beat. I once got chased back into my car by a TURKEY. Seriously. I was out in the country one day tuning and the family had a pet turkey. I swear these things guard their property more than German Shepherds do. Twice as I tried approaching it took off after me. I actually had to call the customer and ask her to call off her turkey.

If you're being menaced, it's never a good idea to pretend you're not being menaced.

Edit:
Duaner,
After the hospital expenses, I assume you lost money as well as the psychological and physical trauma. She should at least pay your deductible.

I'm not being paid by the turkey lobby, but I don't want all turkeys to get a bad name. Our pet turkey (Bob) will drop in the kitchen if I leave the door open for the dog. He likes people but is not fond of dogs.

That's funny, Loren. I presume it didn't get at you. Hope not. I don't know turkey's (well, some friends, etc.) or what they would do to you but we have wild turkeys around here and although I have not encountered one yet they look quite "UGLY" when you see them hanging around the edge of the road.

There are also such things are Guard Geese......

I wonder if an ultrasonic dog shutter-upper would be of any use. I use one on the dog next door and it's like an off switch when the barking gets really annoying. I suppose if a dog is going to bite you, the effect could be unpredictable.

Thanks. I just ordered one to try out.

I am praying this will also work on pesky children and the ladies/men that try to sexually harass me while tuning.

It seems like it would be more newsworthy if the piano tuner bit the dog.

I had a cat once that would sit in my lap and want to be stroked ... but exactly the way he wanted. If it was not exactly right, he would bite my hand.... REALLY hard. This cat game was going on frequently, and one time I was tired of it and reflexively bent down and bit his head.

He looked up, shocked, and never bit again when being stroked. 😊

That's showin who's boss! Good thinking.

Pwg

I thought this was a Dog story....now we got Turkey's and Cats and someone even had the gall to mention "Guard Geese".....what a world....