Buffy was attacked

[josie&holly]

Nasty wounds. Hope the healing is continuing.

[Lynn in TN]

I haven't been able to post anything, as I've been having trouble with my internet.

 

I'm sorry for what you, Buffy, and Ziggy had to endure. I really hate it for Buffy she has the physical damage. I know some of what you felt as I had a 30 pound dog try to attack my ( at the time 3 year old son) This was also a completely unprovoked attack, as my son and I was just walking to the mailbox. He was not injured, I on the other hand suffered a sprained ankle cause from kicking the you know what out of the dog as I held my 3 year old in my arms. I then ran to the house. I guess my adrenaline had kicked in, I didn't feel the pain of my ankle until that night.

 

I started carrying  a small baseball bat with me. It is made just like a full sized bat but half the size. Perfect for a 5'3 110 pound female to carry and be able to use effectively.

 

I believe that people that are being careless with their dogs should lose the privilege of having one. They should have to pay for all damage. I know that with any animal, accidents can happen, but I do not consider this an accident and they should be held fully responsible.

 

I am glad Buffy is on the mend.

[teddybearsmommy]

Lemme at em Lemme at em nobody hurts my friends and gets away with it...... my mom says my goodness how scary glad shes doing better and sending healing your way - your friend Teddybear

[hheldorfer]

Thanks again to everyone for their posts and support!  It helps a lot to have somewhere to talk about this with people who understand.

 

Buffy continues to improve every day. You would never know she had been attacked on Monday.  She is bouncing around the house, going on walks and pestering us at dinner time.  She still has a *very* slight limp, which may simply be from the staples pulling a bit under her leg.  The wounds look like they are healing well.  She will be having the staples removed on Thursday.

 

I have not heard anything from Animal Control.  I meant to call them again yesterday but work has been brutal this week and I forgot to call during their office hours.  I'm not holding my breath.

 

I *did* hear something encouraging, however, through the neighborhood grapevine.  The owners of the house where the Rott and Pit live heard about the attack and are supposedly going to ask the renters to give up the dogs.  I don't know if they can force the renters to comply if the lease permitted dogs but it's a start.

[Sam I Am]

Can you contact the owners of the home? Perhaps they might have had some legal council and found out they could also be held responsible also or sued?

[Hillscreek]

Buffy, Glad you are bouncing again, Angus

[Autumn & Lola]

Dear God I just saw the photos. Absolutely dreadful. They really made me wince looking at them. Buffy is such a little trooper, an amazing little girl to bounce back so quickly. Her street cred just went up 1000%. I'm still betting that if the owners allowed the renters to have dogs, they may not know what type of dogs they have, and it may not be covered on their insurance. So I pray and fingers crossed that the dogs will have to be moved (better still, the whole family, as they truly don't seem to give a rat's a$$ about their neighbors and neighbor's pets).

[Malcolm's Dad]

Read the topic title and my heart started pounding. What happened to Buffy??? Read the thread. Poor Buffy. Only good thing about this is she is still with us thank goodness. Glad to hear she is handling the injuries so well. What a tough little dog! Malcolm thinks he is a tough dog but he says he will take lessons from Buffy when she is all better. I hope someone pays those vet bills and something is done to those owners. There is a notion you can judge parents by how their children behave. I think you can judge dog owners by how their dogs behave. Those are some terrible people.

 

Last night there was story on the news about a police dog being attacked and seriously injured by two pit bulls. The officer and a neighbor managed to get the K-9 free. The neighbor used the leash to put one pit bull in a head lock. That takes some guts.

 

That shows how tough Buffy is. She survived the same kind of attack that happened to a German Shepard K-9.

 

I'm so sorry this happened to her. Glad she will be ok after a while.

[_whits_]

Thrilled to hear that Buffy is recovering so well. Thank you for all of the updates on her. I am so glad we're discussing her recovery instead of the unthinkable. 

 

 

Hey Buffy! I heard you're bouncing around and pestering your uprights! Way to go! Kisses and cuddles, Addie.

[LindaMC]

I am just seeing this post now and I'm stunned that this happened to Buffy.  How horrible for you to witness this, you must have been beside yourself; and poor Ziggy too!  I'm so glad to read that Buffy is almost back to her old self, yes these little dogs are amazing.

 

This is a huge fear of mine, that a dog would attack Maisie, however, Tess would never allow this to happen, she would protect Maisie at no cost to her own safety.  The owners of these dogs are insane to have two of the most notorious breeds outside off leash, free to roam around and hurt other pets.  This is going to cost the landlord too.  If he can't get them to give up the dogs due to a lease agreement, he can certainly raise their rent and make it hard for them, and he very well should due to his homeowners insurance going up or being cancelled.

 

Why people don't train their dogs is beyond me, if your going to get a dog, take the time out to train them or find a trainer.  I'm so sorry that this happened to you but happy that everyone is on the mend, especially sweet little Buffy.  

Edited September 28, 2014 by LindaMC

[Lupinegirl]

Wow. I'm so sorry that happened. I'm glad poor little Buffy is hanging in there like a champ.

I don't have any advice. All I know about dog bites are the play bites a pit bull inflicted on me (scarred my hand and she was barely using any force. She certainly did not intend to hurt me) and a few warning bites from small breed dogs guarding their food (the dachshund was a rescue who was known to bite so I was prepared but she still moved too fast for me to react). I have pried a pit bull's jaws of my hand, but again, that was when there was very little pressure on my skin. I think a bear trap would have been easier to open, and I even grabbed and squeezed her tongue to try to distract her! Normally the tongue pull and a balled up fist in the mouth would stop a play bite but I don't know what to do with a big strong dog.

My sweet Nikki was attacked by a German Shepherd two years ago when he was being walked by his pet sitter and her kids. I was more angry with them at the time because the kids left Nikki alone to face the shepherd while their mom was inside a neighbor's house. When I got the call, I felt helpless and terrified and I wanted to go home right away.

The dog's owner did pay for not only the vet bill, but an entire physical to make sure Nikki would be alright. Thankfully my overweight, extremely muscular thirty pound boy was just barely scratched but he had two shaved spots and three areas with two to three inch long scratches. The bruising was worse than the actual skin damage.

The shepherd owner called Animal Control on her own dog because her dog was a rescue, and they said that if the dog turned aggressive and got out of control a third time, it would be put down, but otherwise it was my choice. I let the dog live, but I've been wary about letting those pet sitters take care of Nikki now. I know we all learned our lessons, but Nikki lost some of his confidence and innocence thanks to the incident. He is now shy of all loud noises, and although he still greets strange dogs nicely, he sometimes looks and acts nervous before greeting them. He did not change his behavior around me or my mom. He's still my buddy but he stays closer than he used to.

Another change: he used to instigate play with other dogs. Now he backs off more and he's bossier. When we visited with a year old pit bull, she kept trying to paw at Nikki's face and she ignored his warning growls and snaps. He got so upset with her, he growled at me when I picked him up to get him out of her reach. I took him into the bedroom and closed the door to give Nikki time to relax. I suspect that there will be some subtle changes in Buffy's behavior over time as a result of the attack. I hope she doesn't get really mad at Ziggy in the future, but hopefully living with another dog and going back to normal life and routines will help her mentally recover and stay as normal as possible.

I pray you're recovering from the shock, too. I certainly understand your concerns about protecting yourself and your dogs from now on. Hugs and best wishes to all of you.

[Sparky#1]

So sorry this happened. I wish people took better responsibility and training of their dogs and things like this could be avoided. It's disheartening that in the past I've had to avoid walking Sparky on my own street for fear of certain dogs that were always off leash. I ended up finding a nice quiet trail in the woods out of town where he can walk, but have to drive to get there. 

 

I feel your pain, anger, and frustration over this--I hope those owners receive just punishment. 

 

Again, so sorry and wishing Buffy a speedy recovery--Sparky sends a hug.

[Sam I Am]

Welcome Sparky to the best Cairn site ever.....and a couple of other terrier breeds that are in Cairn clothing. sparky looks so much like my Jock that I lost a year ago.

[Hillscreek]

Hello Sparky. Love your name!

[josie&holly]

Just wondering how Buffy is doing?

[hheldorfer]

Buffy is back to her normal Cairn self, thanks for asking!  She will have her staples removed today.  All her wounds have healed nicely, she is frisky as ever and has resumed her position as alpha dog of the household.  

[Hawkeye]

Wonderful news!!  You are very fortunate in how well Buffy is healing both physically and mentally.  She is one little tough dudette.

[bradl]

Amazing. So sorry she had to prove just how amazing she is. 

[Autumn & Lola]

That's awesome! I'm sure Ziggy is glad to give up the alpha responsibilities and go back to being his chill self.

[hheldorfer]

That's awesome! I'm sure Ziggy is glad to give up the alpha responsibilities and go back to being his chill self.

Yes, the strain was wearing him down.  A Cairn's paws are hard to fill.

[kieiras mom]

So Glad all is well with Buffy. Now Ziggy  can go back to admiring the boss

[Malcolm's Dad]

Wonderful to hear Buffy is back to her normal self. Well, except for some scars. Malcolm says he is ceding his title of Clan Chieftain of My Backyard and the Neighbor's Too over to Buffy. She deserves it. Buffy can come over and be the boss anytime she wants.

[Idaho Cairns]

Helene, have you been able to recover any of the costs associated with this attack on Buffy from your neighbor?

[remltr]

Sassy says - "Good news Buffy. Girls rock!!!!"

[hheldorfer]

Helene, have you been able to recover any of the costs associated with this attack on Buffy from your neighbor?

I mailed them a letter, a copy of the bill, some photos of the injuries and a copy of the police report.  I couldn't bring myself to go to their house with those dogs inside.  I haven't received reimbursement yet.  I am going to wait until the end of the month and, if they haven't yet responded or paid, file a claim in small claims court.  

 

The bill was surprisingly small considering the number of bites Buffy received, plus anesthesia - just under $400.  Of course, we've been going to this vet for eons and he has always been very good to us.  

 

There is one spot that hasn't completely healed, at the site of the largest laceration.  The vet said to leave it alone and it will scab over and heal on its own.  He gave us another 5-day course of antibiotics just to be safe.