Dog Sitter Let My Dog Out And Now Wants Me To Pay Her Medical Bills Because My Dog Bit Her While She Was Chasing Him

This is kind of a mess and I dont really know what to do. I hired this dog sitter through rover back in early September to watch my german shepherd mix for a weekend while I was at my sisters wedding. She had good reviews and seemed fine when we met.

On the second day she called me panicking saying my dog got out of her yard and bit her hand when she tried to grab him. She said it wasnt too bad and she got him back inside but I felt horrible and cut my trip short to come get him. When I picked him up she showed me her hand and it looked pretty bad honestly, told her to definitely get it checked out and Id help with whatever she needed.

Fast forward to now and shes asking me to pay her $850 medical bill from urgent care plus a followup visit. But heres where it gets complicated, she also sent me her ring camera footage and in the video my dog is clearly OUTSIDE her fenced yard in her neighbors driveway area. The instructions I gave her specifically said to keep him in the fenced backyard only and never let him off leash because hes a rescue and still working on recall.

When I asked her about it she said she was just "letting him explore the front yard for a bit" and that I should have warned her he might bite. But like, I told her hes still in training and to keep him secured? Any dog might bite if theyre scared and being chased in an unfamiliar area.

I feel bad she got hurt but I also had some money saved aside for actual emergencies with my dog, not for someone elses medical bills when they didnt follow my instructions. Is she allowed to just demand I pay when she let him out of the secure area I specified? Im worried she might sue me or try to get my dog labeled dangerous. Should I talk to a lawyer about this?

Location: Portland, Oregon