Attacked and bitten by Dog while considering adoption. Should I hold his "rescuers" responible???

Dog was found in a parking lot on X-mas Eve. A couple took him in & spent 2 weeks trying to locate his "family"-no go.
I learned about dog &, from their description, I felt he would fit in nicely with my family. We opted for a week "trial" while the couple was out of town. They asked me to e-mail & keep them posted on how he was doing.
The first night, he nipped at my hubby twice. Chalked it up to nerves. The next day, he somehow got a hold of a piece of candy. Had it been hard candy or a lollypop - no big deal - but it was "laffy taffy" & I was scared he'd choke on it.
When I finally got it away from him, he attacked me; biting me on one leg and both arms while I tried to protect my toddler.
Locked dog in room & I contacted the couple. They "couldn't believe" he'd act this way & told me to"do what I had to". Haven't heard from them since. No call or apology.
Dog was picked up by animal control & to be observed for rabies. They're charging ME $200.

Any suggestions???

In the end - my health and peace of mind are worth way more than the $200. I'm just hurt, irritated and disappointed that I've not even received a check up call or an apology.

Should I send them an e-mail with pictures of the bites and let them know where he is and what his situation is? (The hubby was in tears when I picked up dog - he was quite attached.)

well I'm sorry for what happened to you and i hope you will be able to get over it,but if you found the animal abandoned and you walked up to it and it bit you who would you sue?the dog?of course not and they people that saved him did not know him/her well enough to give any kind of history on its behavior.they were careless in trying to give him to someone without knowing the history of the animal,they should have taken him to a shelter where they would check the dog out and observe them in several situations before putting them up for adoption.

yeah hold them responsible. of course.

Sue them an demand they pay for all of your medical bills,and legal bills incurred!

I would ask them to cover the $200, maybe, if you really need that covered, but these guys were just doing their best to take care of an abandoned dog that they had found. It's unfortunate that the dog attacked you, but frankly that's the risk of having an animal. If you had been attacked on the street by someone's dog, I would consider civil action to be acceptable, but in this case I would not go that far. Sorry to hear about your injuries, though.

the dog nipped at you prior to you trying to take food from him. are the other people responsible for your foolish actions?

You assume the risk when you take the dog.

Not sure about your state, but I found out when we took in a stray last fall that ownership in CA lasts 30 days - after that she was ours. Before that, had she bit, it would have been our problem, and ownership was unclear anyway.

My guess is, if you thought the dog looked friendly enough to have a toddler, it was scared, and your own demeanor did not give it confidence that it was safe.

Dogs and people have to be a team, it is not always a good match. No blame, but next time, consider carefully, if with a toddler and your own prior experiences (before now!) with dogs, if taking one of unknown history, behavior and health is the best idea.

I am sure the same shelter would be happy to provide you one that your kid could pick out, fall in love with, and it would already have its shots, be neutered, and have a known and lovable temperament.

They also will take the dog back if you really must.

I have two dogs that I adopted (at different times) from a reliable rescue agency. They would never place a dog on "trial", and if there is a problem with the dog, they will take them back. In fact, you sign a contract NOT to surrender the dog to anyone but them! Since you willingly took the dog into your home, I doubt that they are liable for the biting. Unless you signed an adoption contract, you are not liable for the $200. Please don't let this experience discourage you from rescue; just find a reliable and credible agency.

I don't know if you can ? Did you have anything in writing from the rescuers about the trial week and potential adoption? From your post sound's like it's your word against theirs.
I think your out the 200. good luck..

Yeah, take responsibility for your own actions. While it was commendable for you to attempt to take in a stray dog even the thought of holding the 'rescuers' responsible is reprehensible and probably NOT legally cognizable.
The reason rescue operations exist is because they are trained in dealing with stray dogs, including their behaviors,you are not.
Pay the $200 and consider it a fine for the commendable but stupid way you tried to deal with a stray animal.