Dog attack

[EricW]

Zuzu sends her best to Lucy and apologizes on the behalf of good-tempered labs everywhere.

[steel1212]

Why is it that the smallest good natured dogs are always the most noble? When I worked at the animal clinic to pay my way through college we had a beagle come in the clinic that had been attacked by a malamute. The poor thing had a broke leg, jaw and holes everywhere, but damn he could still smell a biscut. I had a few in my pockets from exams and his nose went right in there...couldn't eat the damn things cause his jaw

I'm real sorry it happened to you I've had my viscious pit bull attacked by a jack russell twice now... stop laughing it ain't funny when a 60 pound dog comes flying at you running from a pissed off 4 legged greased lightning! I've seen mean no suppose to bes and big baby suppose to bes. I've have only seen one mean lab and for some reason hated small women, absolutely loved men and *cough* manly women.

Sorry for the drift...hope the little one gets better and the vet reading over my shoulder says the same!

[chp5]

Sometimes it's hard to predict how dogs will act around other dogs.

Our female Welsh Corgi is the sweetest dog to all people and male dogs, but HATES other female dogs and wants to fight - regardless of the size.

Our male Great Dane puppy is completely laid-back and not Alpha at all. He loves all other dogs, except for a German Shepard puppy on our street (about 1 month younger than our Dane). We have to keep them apart because they'll fight.

Dogs have their own language and perceive things that we don't. IMO, the bottom line is that owners should always be in contol of their dogs in public at all times.

Edited March 28, 2008 by chp5

[Jack Suber]

I've seen mean no suppose to bes and big baby suppose to bes. I've have only seen one mean lab and for some reason hated small women, absolutely loved men and *cough* manly women.

I'll throw in a lighter story about how funny dogs can be. My first lab was about 6 years old when I got married. He was a 105lbs machine and smart as can be. He would hunt so hard that I would have to stop him for fear that he would himself down. He was very strong and used to play with concrete cinder blocks in the back yard. He was gentle as a lamb and liked everybody....until I got married and my wife moved in. He didn't care to much for that. He used to sleep on my bed but my wife evicted him. When we would go to bed he would go to her side of the bed, make sure she was facing him, put his head on the bed and snort in her face. He would push her out of the way, pull her clothes out of the closet (hers not mine), chew her shoes... (stuff he had never done before). He even walked up to her outside one day and lifted his leg on her. We are talking major attitude. My wife was getting concerned that he was getting too much of an attitude with her. I told her that she had to show him who the boss was...dogs can sense when they have the upper hand. I told her if he gets out of line, smack the crap out of him. She refused saying she could not hit him. One day we met at home for lunch (something big happened and we came home to watch CNN). We were in the den eating sandwiches when I heard a "SMACK!!!" I saw part of a sandwich fly across the room. When I looked over, my wife was standing above the dog (who was sitting looking back at her and blinking and shaking his head) telling the dog that he will, "Never, ever, take food out of anyone's hand again. If you do that again I'll take you to the vet and have you nuetered you big meathead!" I don't know who was stunned more...me or the dog? From that day forward, however, he was a perfect angel with her.

[n2ipsc]

Our female ... HATES other female dogs and wants to fight ...

It's odd how often that is the case. Our female Dane doesn't care for other females, and our breeder once told us that the females will tangle it up much more than the males - and the fights can't be broken up once they start...

Our male ... is completely laid-back and not Alpha at all... He loves all other dogs...

[chuckle] Ours too - except when some ankle-biter takes after him, he hides behind me and looks up like he's wondering whether I'M going to protect him from the 8-pound menace...

[bountyhunter]

[chuckle] Ours too - except when some ankle-biter takes after him, he hides behind me and looks up like he's wondering whether I'M going to protect him from the 8-pound menace...

I still rmember walking my 100 pound lab named Bart when some two pound yapper ran up and started getting in his face. I just made him sit. The dog didn'tt ry to bite him just ran around yapping.

I still rmember the look: bart looks up as if to say:

"Why is that squirrel barking at me?"

[EricW]

Well...just got done washing out Zuzu's wounds. She (we?) just got attacked by the Collie From Hell. I had to literally beat the dog off Zuzu with my SureFire. I've never beat anyone or anything harder in my life. I'm not sure I didn't have a small stroke in the melee.

Zuzu's shoulder is torn up and she has a couple puncture wounds. Another senseless vet bill with more antibiotics tomorrow.

This is stupid. Why would anyone want a vicious dog? I love dogs. I'd never want to hurt one. Please don't put me in the position of hurting your dog.

[mikey357]

AustinMike, hope Lucy's recovery continues to go well....Eric, did you get YOURSELF checked out after the incident??? If not, do so ASAP, man!....mikey357

[AustinMike]

Eric, sorry to hear this! Damn, what an awful situation! Hope you and Zuzu are OK! Definitely get yourself checked out too! Geez, that's scary! I never want to be in that situation. I know I'd come unglued on the attacking animal and with my heart I could end up worse than my pet. Lucy sends Zuzu best wishes for a speedy recovery. She's been doing well, got her stitches and drainage tube out earlier this week and the vet said she is recovering like a puppy (she's 6.) Her spirits are high and she gets more active with each passing day, but not back to 100% yet. We hate to make her wear an Elizabethan collar so she's got on a dog shirt from Halloween and some Ace bandaging to keep her from picking at the wounds. I think she's come to enjoy the extra attention. That reminds me...I need to run the last few vet bills over to psycho dog's owner.

Edited April 4, 2008 by AustinMike

[XRe]

Sucks, Eric

I've got a family of quasi-rabid Spitzes next door. They lunge at us under the fence, are violent towards my dogs, etc. They also bark at all hours of the night. The neighbors have these dogs locked up in the yard, and basically spend no time with them (yet claim they "love their dogs"). The dogs have had no socialization, etc. They'd beaten the fence between our houses to death - to the point where we just had it replaced. Hopefully that will keep them contained, as I'd really not enjoy having to deal with those little bastards in my yard....

[trodrig]

Sorry to hear about your dog attack Eric! Hope you and Zuzu are ok!

Mike, glad to hear that Lucy is doing well!

Take care everyone!

Trodrig

[CenTX]

Mike,

Glad Lucy is doing well.

We had a frail older neighbor, two house over from us, who was attacked by a Rottweiler. My wife heard her screaminng and as she ran out of the house to investigate grabbed a very solid 3 foot stick that was laying around from a project I was working on. The lady was knocked down, but fortunately was able to get back up. My wife got there and had to beat the dog off with the stick, which happened to have a nail in it. Called the sheriff and they came out wrote a report. While the lady and some of the neighbors were bringing legal action against the dogs owners, who were renting, they moved out in the middle of the night. If my wife had not heard her scream, the neighbor might have been killed.

[EricW]

Glad to hear Lucy's on the mend.

Zuzu's OK. No stitches or anything, just wound cleaning & antibiotics. I'm still amped from last night. The owner offered to pay my vet bill. I don't want their money. I want their dog to be put down so that I don't have to. The owner knows it's a problem. The "OK, that's it, she's never going off a leash again" pretty well summed up that it's a known problem. I think it's some type of heavily inbred show/trial collie as I saw them doing some type of agility course with the dog. I just cringe at "show" dogs. Gotta love inbreeding and the great personality characteristics it creates.

The worst is yet to come. I have no idea of how to communicate "I think you should kill your dog, so that I won't have to," but I think that's going to be the conversation. What if it was some little kid instead of my dog? The kid would be in ICU right now.

[bountyhunter]

Eric, sorry to hear this! Damn, what an awful situation! Hope you and Zuzu are OK! Definitely get yourself checked out too! Geez, that's scary! I never want to be in that situation. I know I'd come unglued on the attacking animal and with my heart I could end up worse than my pet. Lucy sends Zuzu best wishes for a speedy recovery. She's been doing well, got her stitches and drainage tube out earlier this week and the vet said she is recovering like a puppy (she's 6.) Her spirits are high and she gets more active with each passing day, but not back to 100% yet. We hate to make her wear an Elizabethan collar so she's got on a dog shirt from Halloween and some Ace bandaging to keep her from picking at the wounds. I think she's come to enjoy the extra attention. That reminds me...I need to run the last few vet bills over to psycho dog's owner.

That proves prayers work.

Glad to her she is bouncing back so fast.

[mdstihl]

People that can't control their dogs are my peeve too. I sure am glad you guys and your dogs are going to be okay. I've been bitten twice, both times because the owner doesn't have control or command over their dog. I took in a beautiful Chesapeake Bay, and only after I had him did I realize he had a screw loose, and had never been taught who the lead dog was. After 4 months, we realized he'd never be trustworthy, and put him down. He was a gorgeous, highly intelligent animal, that simply couldn't be trusted.

[JThompson]

Sorry to hear about Zuzu.

Chewy say: ~sniff sniff lick lick...~

Even if a dog is well mannered around people, they need to be solialized with other dogs or there is no telling what they will do. It all comes down to training and is the owners resposibility. As the pack leader, YOU set the rules for the dog and it's up to you to take measures needed to insure that the animal doesn't attack other animals as well as people.

[m4coyote]

AustinMike,

I really hope Lucy is much better now!

I love my pets as if they were my kids.

Your dog situation makes me think of a similar incident from several years ago. My neighbors had a mean yellow lab, and he would snap at joggers, kids on bikes, and anyone on the road in front of "his" house. This labs name was Abraham, and he would even go into neighboring yards, and growl & snap at people. At that time, I had a two year old black Chow Chow female. We kept her inside, and always walked her on a leash & harness. Normally, she did not show aggression towards other dogs - unless they growled first.

One fall day, I was outside washing the car, and Cody - the Chow - was laying behind the screen door enjoying the breeze, and watching me. Well, here comes Abraham into the yard, and he headed straight for me. He bared his teeth, and let loose with a menacing growl. No sooner than the growl had left his mouth than Cody burst through the screen door, and grabbed him. She was smaller than the lab, but let me tell you, when she was through, he was very near death. She went straight for his throat, and not knowing what else to do, I sprayed them with my water hose. She let go long enough for him to get up, but she ran around him like a buzz saw, and bit him all over his body. I kept spraying them, and she finally chased and bit him all the way back to his home. When he arrived in his yard, she came right back to me, and I put her up.

After he healed from his wounds, Abraham stayed home, and was not a bother to anyone again, because my dog removed his testicles, and most of his "tool". From then on, he then squatted to pee, and even turned out to be pretty nice & humble.

[tightloop]

AustinMike,

I really hope Lucy is much better now!

I love my pets as if they were my kids.

Your dog situation makes me think of a similar incident from several years ago. My neighbors had a mean yellow lab, and he would snap at joggers, kids on bikes, and anyone on the road in front of "his" house. This labs name was Abraham, and he would even go into neighboring yards, and growl & snap at people. At that time, I had a two year old black Chow Chow female. We kept her inside, and always walked her on a leash & harness. Normally, she did not show aggression towards other dogs - unless they growled first.

One fall day, I was outside washing the car, and Cody - the Chow - was laying behind the screen door enjoying the breeze, and watching me. Well, here comes Abraham into the yard, and he headed straight for me. He bared his teeth, and let loose with a menacing growl. No sooner than the growl had left his mouth than Cody burst through the screen door, and grabbed him. She was smaller than the lab, but let me tell you, when she was through, he was very near death. She went straight for his throat, and not knowing what else to do, I sprayed them with my water hose. She let go long enough for him to get up, but she ran around him like a buzz saw, and bit him all over his body. I kept spraying them, and she finally chased and bit him all the way back to his home. When he arrived in his yard, she came right back to me, and I put her up.

After he healed from his wounds, Abraham stayed home, and was not a bother to anyone again, because my dog removed his testicles, and most of his "tool". From then on, he then squatted to pee, and even turned out to be pretty nice & humble.

We all get mellow after we are fixed....

[chp5]

Guys, I highly recommend a can of Fox Pepper spray when out with your dog.

[AustinMike]

Guys, I highly recommend a can of Fox Pepper spray when out with your dog.

Got some pepper spray for my wife to carry now. It might not have helped in her situation because the dog had hold of ours before she knew what was happening and it was windy that day, risking spraying herself and our dogs. I'm looking around for a good walking/whuppin' stick for either of us to carry. I've got my carry gun as a last resort, although it may not be prudent to fire it in the neighborhood unless the animal is trying to tear me apart and the stick isn't cutting it.

[EricW]

I'm not a huge fan of pepper spray. I've tried it before with less than optimal results. Most aggressive dogs have been hit by the mailman before and know the working range of those sprays. Also, there's a tremendous risk of self-contamination due to the wind.

I gave up the spray in favor of an asp baton.

[chp5]

Our neighbor brought his boxers over to play with our dogs yesterday.

The male boxer is about 80 lbs and is nice, but obsessed with balls and ripping them apart.

He quickly popped an old soccer ball in the yard and them ripped it to shreds! After is was deflated, I stood on it with all my weight and he was strong enough to rip it out from underneath me.

I played tug-o-war with him and the deflated ball and I could not hold onto it. His jaw strength was incredible.

He's supposedly pure-bred, but his head looks like he's a pit bull. Seeing this made me really appreciate the strength of some dogs. If he can rip a leather soccer ball apart with little effort, he could tear up an arm or - goodness forbid - a neck.

If pepper spraying the dog gets your dog too - that's probably OK because it will not injure the dogs but can stop the attack. If that didn't work and you don't want to shoot, I would use my Spyderco IF I was really worried about serious injury to my dog.

[chp5]

I'm not a huge fan of pepper spray. I've tried it before with less than optimal results.

Also, there's a tremendous risk of self-contamination due to the wind.

I gave up the spray in favor of an asp baton.

Eric - what brand of pepper spray? I've only used it once (Fox spray on a lab) and it worked very well.

You're right about the possibility of self-contamination.

An asp is also a great idea and easlier to carry than a walking stick. What brand is good? I assume you didn't have it when Zulu as attached by the Collie?

Edited April 11, 2008 by chp5

[EricW]

Cy,

I bought my spray loooong ago from my gun dealer. I have no idea what it was. After one use while jogging, I decided it was worse than nothing and gave up on it altogether. The wind pretty well never stops blowing here, and you're going to be on the wrong side of the spray 50% of the time. My opinion on spray is that it's good for LEOs who have backup/partners, radios, etc. Sorry to be so down on it, but after one whiff of the stuff on accident, I just realized that the solution might amplify the problem.

My baton is a Casco, bought from the same dealer looooong ago. I think collapsible batons have long fallen out of favor, so I have no idea of what's available or what's good. I do know that I'd get one with the foam handle if I did it again. I think there's some legal issues with carrying a baton, but I decided that I'd rather deal with those than the consequences of shooting. I don't want to shoot my dog, and most of all, I don't want to accidentally hit some little kid that came running after the family Cujo.

(PS, yeah I didn't have the baton when Zuzu got nailed. In fact, I didn't have anything besides my flashlight. Where I live is so safe that I've become pretty complacent. I had no idea that the new dog in the 'hood was so aggressive. I saw them training it, so I simply assumed that they had some semblance of control over it. How wrong I was... )

Edited April 11, 2008 by EricW

[jhgtyre]

I used a collapsable baton on a dog once. I gave the baton away the next day. In my case the baton was some cheap POS from the gun show and the dog was gigantic (he looked like part chow and part great dane). He had attacked out dog and was flipping him over to rip his guts out when I started thwaking him with the baton. I am a pretty big guy and was swinging for the fences but this beast didn't even notice the baton striking him. I gave up on the baton and started kicking. That got his attention but only enough for him to decide that eating my dog was more trouble than it was worth. I don't think I hurt him very much at all. Thankfully he ran away. The next day I gave the el-cheapo baton away. A few weeks later my mom showed up with some kind of poly material night stick she bought at a yard sale. She thought of my story when she saw it and thought it would be a better dog dispatcher than my old baton. I never found out if the new night stick was any better. Now I carry my Glock when I take the dog out.

-ld