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I appreciate your response and opinion. Both dogs are up to date on their vaccinations. Like I said before, I accept responsibility for my part in the incident but I do think the situation could have been easily reversed since their dog was off leash in an open area (regardless of the fact it was on their property, if it had chosen to run it couldn't have been stopped). The key being that the attack showed that they are not able to control their dog 100% and so it should not have been off leash either.
The other difference being that my dog did not bite and theirs did. I place no blame on the dog, it was only defending its territory like it was bred to do. If it had been leashed I think everything would have ended differently. That is why I think the blame is equal: both dogs were off leash, both owners were unable to control their dogs, mine trespassed, theirs was on their property but in an open area adjacent to our yard and the street (no sidewalk as a barrier). Would the story be the same if a kid had run onto their yard and gotten bit?
Again, I'm not seeking to litigate or pursue the incident with the neighbour. I certainly learned my lesson and my poor little dog is suffering for it. I would have far less guilt if I was the one in pain instead of him. He is improving and will have some battle scars but is a very lucky dog.
I did report the incident to animal control because I was told that all dog bites must be reported regardless of blame or instigating factors. I was very open about my part in the incident. The "bite investigator" will be following up with me next week so we'll see how it goes from there.
I think your advice about finding a friendly German Shepherd for him to socialize with is a good one and I will talk to another neighbour who has a very social shepherd about this.
I hope this post was easier to read. I've been pretty stressed and have rambled on further than I should. It's been hard to watch my little guy and have the neighbours be so callous about the incident. If they had expressed some concern over the aggressiveness of their dog, I would feel more confident about having them next door to me. I don't think it's ok for a dog to go for the kill when it's owners are right there unless the owners lives are in danger.
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