Indy was attacked by an off leash dog today. I'm just so upset......We live near a very nice park, I walked the girls over there today, and as soon as I got to the bottom of the steps that lead to the park I saw this big black dog, that I just didn't like the looks of, it was off leash, just too wild and out of control and the owner was yelling at it, so we all hung way back, waiting for them to pass.
This dog came charging at us and threw itself on top of Indy. She started screaming immediately, then I started screaming and kicking the dog, and grabbed it by the back of it's neck. Rudy, Kittie and Abby were standing behind me at this point (thank god) I scooped Indy up, and then started freaking out at the owner who had the dog by collar at that point.....this idiot was trying to claim that her dog was "trying to play", I lost it, there's just no excuse for that! She never even asked if Indy was okay!! As she started walking off she let the dog go and it came back and tried to go for Abby....Abby told the dog off and it left.
I didn't see any cuts on Indy anywhere, and wanted to just get away and play with her, feed her some treats etc....just distract her from what had just happened.....she wouldn't/couldn't even walk, wouldn't take food, was soaked in pee and poop and her gums were pure white. We ran home, and I got her to the vet, luckily she's just very sore, has some inflammation in her neck and chest. The vet said she went in shock from fear....poor thing thought that she was done for.
She's still not herself, she's shaking in her sleep and whimpering when you pick her up, the vet said she could be a little more sore tomorrow. I've put so much work into socializing her, getting her around lots of nice dogs of all sizes...she's been such a confident, fearless, friendly little thing, she's only 5 pounds! I just hope she bounces back from this....Why are people so stupid. This is a very crowded park, I don't let my own dogs off leash in this section of the park and they're so well trained to be off lead it's ridiculous.
It's so hard trying to socialize tiny dogs, you don't get them out and about and the end up yappy little things, you bring them out into the world and idiots like this can destroy them...literally, she could have been killed.
4 comments:
I'm so sorry. That's awful. I would recommend a chiropractic adjustment and accupuncture. Also Bach's Rescue Remedy. My Bailey and Jasper were attacked when my mom was walking them on leash by herself. My mom was 76 years old at the time. The boys were 3 years old. They never fully recovered. They keep their distance from unknown dogs but dogs they know they are friendly with. Many big dogs go after small dogs. To help her get over this, I would get her around dogs I know well who are big and friendly, then click and feed her. Get her to associate good things happen when big dogs are around. It will most likely take time to get her over this. My dogs and I learned the hard way that the general public are IDIOTS. You are so fortunate that Indy did not lose her life. I thank God she is physically doing well. I carry maice with me and a cell phone. I use to carry a walking stick so I could beat anything that would even consider attacking them. When I'm at a park , I'm constantly watching body language of dogs. I assume the owner and dog are an idiot. When there is a dog off leash near me, I politely ask the people to put the dog on leash until we past. Even If they tell me their dog is friendly, I don't believe them. Again big dogs often go after little dogs. Paps are so small that big dogs consider them prey. Especially high prey drive dogs. If they refuse, then I pick up and carry my dog. When I got Sidney, I took both dogs separately for walks at the park. The last 3 weeks I've been taking them together so I wouldn't be able to pick up two pugs at one time if a dog charged us. I have a friend who has trained and showed paps for over 20 years. I'm sure she would have great ideas to help Indy get past this. If you like I can send her e-mail to you. You have to be really carefully at shows where there are breed dogs. Often breed people of large dogs have not obedience trained their dogs. I have had breed dogs lunged and snap at my guys. So at dog shows where it is crowded, I take one dog potty at a time and carry them. I know my friend that has a pap when she's at a show and not in the ring she carries her pap. Besides worrying about other dogs you have to watch out that people don't step on or trip over your pap. This also happened to my friend right before she was entering the ring to show in obedience. You were wise to quickly try and get Indy's mind off the attack. You handled the situation well. I'll keep her in my prayers. She is such a cutie. She'll overcome this. It just may take some time.
Thanks!
I'm happy to say, Indy seems just fine. We went to a trial this weekend and she walked in, with big dogs everywhere and wasn't phased at all. She even played with several gentle big dogs.
There was a chiropractor at the trial on Sat. and I was worried about her neck (it felt warm) and around the center of her back (she would wimper just slightly when you touched her back), and sure enough she was out in those two places.
The dogs off leash situation is a tough one for me, I'm a huge believer that dogs should be given this freedom, if they are under control in all situations. The park closest to our house, is generally pretty good, it's those nice spring/summer days that you have to worry. All the fools bring their poorly trained dogs out and let them off leash, or (possibly even worse) walk them on Flexi leads. I couldn't imagine never letting my dogs off leash, it just seems like such a poor quality of life for a dog, and I've had more problems over the years dealing with aggresive dogs that are *on leash* than those that are off.....
A poorly trained aggressive dog has no place in a park on or off leash.
Whew, that's good news that she bounced back quickly. I know you have high hopes for her agility career.
My guys enjoy their freedom being off leash too. Maybe we need to carry Taser guns (spelling?) on our hikes for those out of control, obnoxious, and aggressive beasts.
Poor baby! I'm so glad to hear she bounced back. Give her a hug from me.
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