Scary Dog Attack

[Milopup]

Hi,

Just wanted to write and give another warning about walking in your own neighborhood. My pup and I were taking our usual walk, and were standing in front of our house when the dog (large, looks like Boxer/Rottweiler mix) from two doors down charged us! I saw him and picked Bosco up, and the dog reached us, jumped up and took a bite of my pup's leg. After a harrowing trip to the emergency room (the other dog's owner drove since I was shaking!) we are home and my pup is very shaken up but okay. The doctor says his bite should be okay. But I am scared he won't get over his fright! Any suggestions??

The dog down the street is "guarding" his building site as his owners rebuild/renovate his house. I think he is very unstable since he is alone on the site overnight every night.

Please let me know if anyone has suggestions for how to get my pup over his fright. Also, they gave him Rimadyl shot - anyone have experience with this med?

I am frightened, mad and a bit numb now.

[bubba]

I'm so sorry for your poor dog....he must have been scared to death! Hope he heals fast and gets over the traumatic experience even faster!

pat.

[Eliz222]

That must have been very scary for both of you!!! I remember our trainer telling us that we should carry mace with us while walking our dogs. I thought this was going to the extreme, but now I don't!!

I would wait a few days to see how Bosco is doing and if he is still upset after a week or so, I would take him to the vet to see what he/she recommends.

I'm glad everything turned out ok...shame on that neighbor for leaving their dog out and not watching him/her!

[toomanypaws]

I'm glad to hear Bosco is ok and I hope the owners of the dog are paying the vet. bill. The shot was for pain so I'm hoping he's feeling better today. As long as that dog is out there unleashed, I wouldn't be walking by his house. Isn't there a leash law? Once Bosco is feeling better, maybe you could walk in the other direction or maybe there's a park close by where you could walk him? I think he'll get over his fright. Cairns seem to bounce back after an ordeal.

Please let us know how he's doing.

[kayharley]

That is awful! And here you were in front of you own house!!

It was nice of that dog's owner to drive you to the vets. He sounds like a caring person and I hope he keeps his "attack" dog tied up from now on.

I think Bosco will get over the ordeal rather quickly. Last month Elliott went after Winnie because of a kong. Elliott had her by the neck and would not let go and Winnie couldn't fight back. An hour later they were cuddled up and playing together. If I were Winnie I would have peed in his crate as a payback.

I know our community has a leash law but it doesn't stop neighbors from thinking their dog won't roam. It's only after an accident or incident like you experienced that they realize differently.

Give Bosco a hug from all of us.

[bradl]

Leash laws are always for someone else it seems. Everyone is the exception to the rule, etc. What a drag. Hope you and Bosco bounce back quickly. I too always thought mace was over the top, but I'm beginning to reconsider.

[wheezie23]

What a scary incident! I'm glad that Bosco wasn't seriously hurt and I hope that the both of you recover quickly from the emotional trauma.

thela

[Kramersmom]

I'm so glad to hear that Bosco is ok. Once being chased by a Rotti, I'm afraid of them. Whenever I'm out with Kramer, always on leesh and I do see a big dog coming I pick him up. It is very scarey, I'm happy to hear Bosco is ok. I'm sure he was so scared but within no time he should be not so scared. Poor guy, I would of been just as scared. Give him a hug for me.

[Scully'sMom]

Milopup, what a frightening thing to go through! I'm so glad that Bosco is on the mend.

Please give Bosco hugs from the birthday girl Scully, who is two years old today! She and her mom send lots of good wishes his way.

[jlr79]

What a horrible experience!!!! I'm so sorry both he and you had to go through this terrible ordeal. It should never have happened - there is no excuse for that owner not having his dog restrained!!!! Like Brad said leash laws always apply to someone else. That drives me crazy!! I've counted at least five dogs during my walks with Abby in our neighborhood that the owners never feel like they need to be leashed!!! Luckily nothing has ever happened. Give Bosco a hug from Abby and I and maybe even get him a brand new toy!! Keep us updated.

Jan

[Guest mrskti]

I would call the police, dogs are suppose to be kept quarantined for two weeks after a bite. You just never know what they might have. I'm sure the owner is a little worried over a lawsuit. I had a rottie charge me and the girls the other day, it was SCARY!!! The stupid owner said "oh, I didnt know anyone was out there" Duh, every other person here has a little dog. Some people!?!?!?!

[Milopup]

Thanks everyone for your well wishes! I admit I am still a bit afraid to take him out for walks, and feel very on edge - silly I know, but I can't help it. Bosco seems to be okay, his wound is looking better, but he seems to like to hide in his crate. But he has been interacting with us, and was willing to go out for walks so so far so good. Quick question - any ideas for what I could carry that I could use to defend Bosco and myself in the future? I don't want to hurt another dog, but even being able to stun/surprise a big dog long enough for me to get away while carrying my pup would be a big help.

I just felt so helpless yesterday the the only thing I could do was pick him up - I am afraid to even imagine what would have happened if I didn't pick him up in time. There was no hesitation, no sniffing - the big dog went right for Bosco! The owner of that dog claims that they just forgot to latch the door, but if you are keeping your dog exposed to the elements alone every single night, you must realize he/she would be a bit on edge, no??

Thanks again everyone - and please let me know if you have ideas on what I could bring with me on my walks (unfortunately Mace/Pepper Spray is illegal in NY).

P.S. Bosco says happy birthday to Scully!

ETA: We are still mulling reporting this, but since the neighbor lives two doors down from us, we don't really want to stir up bad feelings any more than are already there (trust me, I am not liking them much at the moment!) - the owner says the dog has had all his shots, including rabies, and Bosco is current so the doctor seems to think it will be okay.

[Eliz222]

If it were up to me, I would report the owner. I had to call animal control about the dog across the street. It is a mean dog that tried to attack Scout and the next door neighbors dog. Their dog was out loose for about 2 weeks and they usually keep him inside their gate. Welll, enough was enough...I can understand a dog getting loose once or even twice....but for 2 weeks? It hasn't been out since!

Reporting the owner may give him a wake up call on what is required of owning a dog.

As far as a spray, Petsmart has a spray that is made out of Citronella (sp?) spray. According to our trainer, dogs HATE this smell and it works almost as well as mace. I have looked for it several times, but Petsmart was always out of it. You may want to try finding this product...sorry....I don't remember the name. I'm sure this is not against the law. Hope this helps!

[fancypants]

My father-in-law had a Pekinese and he always carried one of those wooden walking sticks to block other dogs from attacking, because Thor the Peke was pretty agressive and got himself into all kinds of trouble. It wasn't for striking as it would seem but for intervention!

[Guest rottndobie]

Also, they gave him Rimadyl shot - anyone have experience with this med?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I hate that vets willy-nilly give Rimadyl for general pain. This is NOT a drug to be taken lightly - it can kill. This drug was originally invented for use in humans but did not pass the tests - now it is for animals - go figure. In any case, it is designed to be used with arthritis or joint issues - not as a pain medication. I have included a number of links you might want to read on this drug...

http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/1344/rimadyl.html

http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/rimadylfr.html

http://www.doglogic.com/rimadyl.htm

I have had experience with this drug on Hobo and it was almost fatal but I pulled him off it in the nick of time - and this WAS for joint/arthritis issues. Suffice it to say I would never use this drug again unless it was a last resort..

[Guest mrskti]

One good reason to report this bite is to have a record of it. THere might be other inncidents on file and this would only add to it. I'd call. Just my humble opinion though.

[Milopup]

Thanks again for the responses - we ran into the owner and the scary dog again this morning on our mutual morning walks. Well Bosco was barking his head off as if to scold the other dog, and the other dog (with the owner's strong insistence) sat there, on leash, and took the barking without barking back. The owner again apologized and said it was a one time thing (lucky me, eh?). I am still considering the reporting, but will see what steps the owner of that dog takes to ensure this does not happen.

Thanks for the suggestions - I will try to find the citronella spray.

Re: Rimadyl - it was a one-time shot of 12 mg, and hopefully there will be no side effects. I will be watching for them. I am noticing a lot of panting and our pup being a bit skittish still (hiding in his crate sometimes), but otherwise I will still keep looking. Thanks for the links.

[CathyAnn]

Milo....we also had this happen with our older Cairn a few years ago. We were out for our nightly stroll and a dog came flying across the street and jumped on Toto.

They were entangled for about 15-20 seconds before the owner got there and broke them apart. He (not too smart) stuck his arm in between them and HE got bit, too. We didn't reailze it until we got home, our little girl had sustained bites on her nose and snout.

We also hesitated to call animal control since they were neighbors. But, when I called my vet to ask how to treat my baby's cuts, he said either I had to report it or he would have to.

So, Monday morning, I did make the call. They visited the home and the owner called us not 15 minutes after the patrol ppl did and apologized profusely. He didn't realize our dog had been hurt. He also offered to pay the vet bills.

Two days later we saw the Invisible Fence people there......

I know how you are feeling while walking your dog. When another dog even looks like it might be heading in our direction, I scoop mine up off the sidewalk, too. Hubby and I never take the two of them alone since it would be too hard for us to pick them both up.

I would report it, as well. I know you don't want to cause hard feelings with your neighbor. But, this dog may have a history of doing this?? I found out that the dog that attacked Toto had done it before!

Glad to hear the that Bosco is going to be ok!!

Cathy

[Milopup]

I am shaking as I write this because it happened again! The dog that attacked Bosco on Saturday was on one corner of our block so today we headed the other way. Well about 4 houses away from the corner, we saw that corner dog (a large, looks like Husky/Chow mix) walking around free in his driveway and in front of his house. Well I scooped Bosco up and started walking quickly back home! I was just praying Bosco wouldn't notice the free roaming dog and start barking, and that the dog wouldn't follow us. I am freaking out, shaking mad, and very frightened. Does anyone know who I can call to report these free roaming dogs? Can it be anonymous? And what happens if the people arrive and the dogs are back in their homes obviously not free roaming??

I am considering moving or paper training my pup.

[Anna_525]

Jeez, that's enough to traumatize you from walking your dog! Two incidents! Milopup, I don't envy you....your dog has every right to walk safely around the neighborhood but the reality is how can you avoid these scary dogs?

Around our corner, there are Akitas that are fenced in....they growl when we walk past them...my husband says there is an area that has been dugged in and in no time, an Akita will break lose from their fence and may attack....I am actually nervous about it.....

Keep us posted!

[bubba]

To report this, you would call animal control. If your county does not have animal control, call the police or sheriff department and they can direct you to the proper department. I would definitely call and report both dogs...better to have it on record than not, especially if it happened to someone elses animal, or worse a small child.

Years ago I use to catch the bus to work and would always carry an umbrella with me....not just because it rains in Washington, but because if a dog were to charge at you, you can open it up and use it as a shield....of course, if you can't get it open quick enough, you could always bonk the offending animal w/it!

pat.

[Milopup]

Thanks - I am still shaking and am scared to go outside with my pup (the biting incident took place in front of our haouse!) and I think Bosco is shaken up again/still. And I know of at least 2 other dogs in the neighborhood that run free as well. :(

I think many people assume their dogs would never leave their driveway, but the sad fact is no one understands their dog 100%.

[toomanypaws]

Does anyone know who I can call to report these free roaming dogs?  Can it be anonymous?  And what happens if the people arrive and the dogs are back in their homes obviously not free roaming??

I am considering moving or paper training my pup.   

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Did you try talking to the owners first and asking them not to leave their dog unattended and unleashed? Maybe you can take some pictures of the dog unleashed for animal control. Has this just started recently?

[hallswel]

This article was on the posted on a pug page and I was surprised this could be done.

Pit Bull roundup

[bradl]

Incredible. And depressing. Breed-specific legislation is a menace in many places.