Dog attack

[Dionaea]

Pip, our 9 year old Miniature Schnauzer was savagely attacked by an off lead American Bulldog. I was not there having been to the hospital for a long awaited appointment. My wife & daughter were walking Pip when he was suddenly attacked by this dog. My wife bravely set about the attacker which was not willing to release Pip. Finally wife,daughter & woman owner separated them & he was rushed off to the vet - a lovely lady who met the car & immediately took him in. I arrived home to find the house empty & the phone ringing - the owner of the attacker to apologise for the incident. When I got the gist of the conversation I went ballistic- this was not the first time that her dog had not been on the lead. I phoned our vet & found where Pip had been taken, jumped in the car & drove there. The vet said that Pip wouldn’t let her touch him & that she needed to sedate him in order to shave the injured areas, clean them & do what was necessary. This was done & an hour or so later he teetered out & we took him home. If my wife & daughter hadn’t succeeded in separating them the attacker would have killed Pip. I am so proud of them & also of Pip who put up a feisty show of bravery against his attacker.
Why are people allowed to keep these sort of dogs?

[Dawnspell]

Oh wow thats awful but thank goodness it wasnt worse. I bet all 3 of your family are shaken up.

Pip is certainly going to need a relaxing weekend I'd keep him at home and in the garden for the next few days if I were you. When a dog gets stressed or traumatised like that it can take up to 72 hours for the stress hormones to work out of their system. During this time they can react to things that they normally wouldnt do, which in turn means they could then react to that stimulus thereafter. Youve heard dog owners say when their dog barks or lunges " Oh hes never done that before" its normally because of a previous event that theyre still stressed about.

As is the norm it was the owners fault not the dogs. Have you reported it to anyone ?

[zeta1454]

That is so frightening to experience. I would advise you to inform the police about the incident as it is against the law to have a dog dangerously out of control. If the incidents are never reported, the owner can continually claim it is a one-off and multiple incidents are easier to encourage the police to intervene with the owner:

https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public

Certain breeds are actually banned in the U.K. and the link to the list and details is on the link above.

Personally I am not in favour of breed specific legislation as I do think that any dog can be a danger through poor or deliberate criminal choices in breeding and training as well as through suffering abuse and neglect. However, the owner of any dog should be aware if they react badly towards other animals / people and have the dog under close control and possibly with a muzzle. We have over the years had two of our dogs attacked, neither seriously injured, thank goodness, but in these cases, one was by a greyhound and one by a Belgian shepherd dog and, in both cases the owners seemed oblivious of the need to keep their dog under control. This is where the police, if they will enforce the law, can help to at least inform the owner that they are at risk of penalties and remind of the need of a muzzle and close control of their dog.

[Dionaea]

Thank you both for your very helpful replies - much appreciated. I feel however that I am in a difficult situation. My wife & I have lived in this very small village for 17 years. I am close to 80 & my wife a little younger. It has taken us most of these years to become accepted by the locals with whom we have a good relationship in general. If I report the attack to the police the dog owners will know who reported them if the police get in contact.This could clearly backfire on us & we could be ostracised. On the other hand, if we do nothing and their dog attacks & kills another dog or even a child or elderly person I then have to live with my conscience. I cannot see a happy medium.
Can anyone offer any suggestions?
Chris
PS. Pip slept most of yesterday but I managed to get him to eat a little chicken with his pills enclosed & he did drink. This morning was much the same but this afternoon he has perked up & regained his appetite. He is unhappy about going for short walks but once outside the door seems fine.

[Dawnspell]

Thats difficult. I live on an island and theres a bit of that culture here of everything gets leaked out eventually. Are there other dog owners that you know who have seen things happen. If you all got together it wouldnt be just one person then.

If you have any problems geting him to take tablets I've found the best thing is corned beef sliced or tinned. You mush it with a fork and it becomes a bit like plasticine, easily moulds around tablets and sticks to them unlike cheese and ham. I use it for Jaspers supplements. It freezes fine too for future use.

[zeta1454]

It is a difficult situation if you are in a close knit community but as Alison says there may be others who also feel as you do that the dog is dangerous if not on lead and /or muzzled. If you have a local dog warden you could contact them rather than the police to explain the situation and see if they can offer some advice. The owner of the dog presumably is aware that they have caused a bad injury to your Pip - have they offered to meet the cost of treatment? Are they likely to have realised from the incident how dangerous their dog can be off lead? It may be worth letting them see the photos of Pip’s wound which may bring home to them what could happen if the dog attacked a person.

Glad to hear that Pip has perked up though and hope he recovers quickly

[Dionaea]

Thank you all for your helpful replies & advice. I have to take Pip back to the vet tomorrow so I will see what she says. Pip has been much better today. Almost back to normal but not responding to suggestions of ‘walkies’ or ‘ shall we go out’ or even ‘O.K’! Once out he soon gets back to normal. He wants a lot of affection though - much more than usual. He has responded well to 3 lots of dog treats given to him by neighbours. Hope he doesn’t think that this is going to last.

[Schnauzerluv]

Poor Pip I feel your burden and must be so scary for Pip. It's really good he is happy to be outside on his walk once he's out there. Maybe he thinks it will last, or he just doesn't give that sort of thought, but I hope he back to his ol' self once his wounds start to heal. Sending you healing thoughts...