Also, I am very sorry your dog got attacked, it's horrible to see them hurt, they're family members.

If this happened to one of mine, my first reaction would be to contact the police. But it would be based solely on my emotion. I hope when I calmed down, I wouldn't go through with it.

I remember when one of mine was 1.5 years old. We were on our way to the dog park, he loved going there. When we got to the fence, a larger dog ran over, and went crazy growling and barking. He wanted to kill my baby. We never did get to go in that day, and the lady whose dog it was never stopped him.

A few months later, mine decided he hates all dogs. He also never forgot this one. He's public enemy #1 to him now, and when my guy sees him, he's out for blood.

Wishing your baby a speedy recovery :)

i agree with ellie, 100%. as for reporting, i don't know that you are required to report a dog-on-dog encounter/bite. to my knowledge, the only reporting that is required is a dog bite to a person.

i'm really sorry you had to go through all of this. as for the dog park incident, this is exactly the reason i never go to these places. one bad incident can scar a dog for life.

i hope your baby recovers quickly! you should keep an eye on him when he is better and you are able to take him for walks. this experience may make him nervous about ANY dog you see when you are out, even other dogs on leashes.

I had a neighbor whose husband used to beat her around (the wife) the wife had a dog she dearly loved a GS, one night as this man held the wife down the dog grabbed the man by the arm trying to pull him off his wife....this man ended up at the ER, well the police came to the hospital ect.....now the couple and the dog are all home, several months later the wife and her sister had a huge argument over the phone...several hours later the dog was removed from the custody of the wife and euthanized several days later.

If a dog ran out and attacked my Little Lil, I would do exactly as your doing Mimi.

Get an estimate of the total cost from the vet and if they pay you that - now, I would not report it. jmho

Thank you for the well wishes!

We did report to Animal Control because of the level of attack and not wanting it on our conscious if this dog were to get out and do worse, or kill, another dog.

We had another mid-sized dog get a bite from another dog before. I was walking him and crossed paths with another woman walking her dog. We both asked if we could approach to introduce our dogs and at first it was fine, then suddenly, both dogs tensed and her dog grabbed my dog on the back of his neck.

My dog had a puncture and we got it cleaned up and the vet put him on a course of antibiotics.

Not a really big deal and you always take a chance introducing dogs on leash. Lesson learned for both of us! My dog didn't know the difference and wasn't in any pain.

No reporting. That stuff happens.

What happened to our bichon was an unprovoked attack that could have been so much worse, even killed him, if my DH hadn't gotten the dog off immediately, scooped him up in his arms, then fell to the ground wrapped around him in the fetal position, using his body as a shield if need be.

BUT! Our dear rescue yellow lab mix, she got between them and the attacking dog and fended the other dog off until other people came to the scene (including the owner). Our dear girl put herself in harm's way to defend her little brother and DH.

So, this wasn't what I'd consider a biting incident. This was a violent attack that easily passed the threshold to report, imo.

I'll post more on our experience with Animal Control and how our bichon is doing, but here's the poor guy this morning:

There's another drain on the other side, and more sutures under that left leg ;-(

The Animal Control officer could not have been nicer and said we did the right thing in contacting them.

Interestingly, the level of the attack does not rise to the level of "dangerous dog", so the attacking dog will not be designated as such. The injuries need to be life threatening to be considered "dangerous dog" criteria and the officer and our vet agree the injuries are not life threatening.

On on level, that's ridiculous, because the only reason more damage wasn't done, and the injuries not worse, was because DH reacted so quickly and had the where with all and physical ability to do it, as well as our lab intervening.

The officer actually implored us to contact local officials and petition to change this.

But, I'm glad the offending dog won't be in peril and the owners will not incur more expense.

So, the attack is on the record, and hopefully, the owners realize that their life with that dog has changed forever. It is a dangerous dog and they have to be very vigilant so that she doesn't get loose again.

I hope their 9-year old who let her get out the front door really and truly "gets it".

I'm going to be paranoid for quite some time.

Get an estimate of the total cost from the vet and if they pay you that - now, I would not report it. jmho

*****

We have spoken with the owners over the phone and all is ok. They confirmed they have agreed to pay for the vet care and we told them that the full extent of the cost can't be known for at least 2 weeks.

We think it's best to give them the itemized costs once our bichon is discharged.

It's going to be expensive. Just yesterday was over $500, with emergency care and a second visit later in the day, for something to help with his nausea and vomiting, and pain.

Oh my god Mimi, it's my worst nightmare. I had a loose pitbull come after us before and it was only by the grace of God we saved my girl. That dog was owned by a young man who had the compassion of a serial killer, and so my experience was made worse by his indifference to the situation.

I think you are handling this well.

Since the owner/s are being kind and responsive, I'd chalk it up to "anything can happen once." I'm glad they volunteered to pay your vet bills, and as long as they keep their word I guess I'd be inclined to let it go at that.

If you ever see the dog loose again, I'd report it in a heart beat. Once is a mistake. More than once is a human who isn't taking the situation as seriously as they need to, given that they own a dog with attack tendencies.

oh your poor baby! now that i have read all of these posts, i absolutely agree you did the right thing by reporting to a/c. hopefully, the owners of the other dog will take steps to make sure this dog is NEVER unsupervised or loose again!

that picture just breaks my heart. :(

Again, I'm sorry your pup is going through this, breaks my heart to see animals in pain.

In our county (where our house is), a dog can be deemed dangerous just from jumping on a person. I've heard horror stories of people getting back at neighbors and ex friends by filing complaints. So I'm very leery of letting anyone near my dogs.

It's a shame too as he loves people and kids. But I can see someone mistake his excitement for something else, and that's the last thing I'd want.

Since the owner/s are being kind and responsive, I'd chalk it up to "anything can happen once."

****

Absolutely. The owner was at our door right after it happened. She was shaken and apologizing profusely and I could really feel her pain! I know things happen and accidents happen and they are probably wonderful dog owners.

However, the dog they thought they knew before this attack is not the same dog as after the attack. It's an incident that forever alters things.

We had a dog that would go after smaller dogs and pounce of them. Never attacked, or ever bit. But, her prey instinct got riled up and thank God, she never bit or hurt another dog.

Once we knew that, things changed. We gave wide berth to all dogs whenever walking in the neighborhood, and there were no more walks in town or going to restaurants.

It was sad, but it was what it was. She still had a good life, but couldn't join us in as many activities as our other dogs.

Our county gives a lot of leeway to the offending dog and dog owners.

As I said, these people seem REALLY nice and I don't wish them to be faced with the possibility of having their dog taken away.

But, the gravity of this attack left me with no choice.

I'm just going to have to have faith that that dog never gets loose again.

See, that's what makes you a responsible owner/person. You accepted the facts you saw before you. You still loved her, but you took the situation seriously and took appropriate precautions.

The problem is that sadly, some people are irresponsible self-centered morons. ;)

That picture of your boy is breaking my heart. Please give him a gentle snuggle from me, and tell him a woman in New York says hang in there buddy.

What kind of a dog was it? Pit bull / pit bull mix by any chance?

I'm a lifetime dog lover but have to say you did the right thing reporting it. An unprovoked attack by a dog is a serious behavioral problem and a danger to the community. Authorities need to know about it and have a paper trail so that if it happens again they have the authority to take necessary steps. Not a leap to believe it could attack a child next...

That picture of your boy is breaking my heart. Please give him a gentle snuggle from me, and tell him a woman in New York says hang in there buddy.

*****

Aw, thank you! Bichon is taking another ride to the vet this morning since he won't eat, thus, we can't give him his meds.

Ugh, I hate this. Nothing worse than seeing your pet suffer and you can't explain what's going on to them!

He's probably going to get another injection for pain and hopefully, will eat us soon.

. Authorities need to know about it and have a paper trail so that if it happens again they have the authority to take necessary steps. Not a leap to believe it could attack a child next...

******

Thank you. Yes, this is a changing event and could signal that these folks have a real potential problem on their hands.

Once a dog attacks like this, you have to go forward as if the dog will do it again. Sure, it's been a great family dog and great with kids etc., but this is very concerning.

I think the dog is a collie mix-maybe some Rottie in there?

It might be that the dog's herding instinct and general over-stimulation at the moment led to the attack.

One of mine won't take pills either. It's an on going fight when he's sick.

What I do is buy vanilla ice cream, make small balls, and hide the pill in there, then stick it in his mouth and he's swallow right away. The cold didn't give him time to think- he just swallowed..lol..

A way to get them to eat or drink is boil some chicken breasts ( no seasoning), and reserve the liquid (use the chicken for chicken salad or whatever) and pour it onto their food or water. It works every time.

I thought we've tried everything under the sun to get pills down, but never tried vanilla ice cream. I believe we have some and I'm going to try it.

Thank you for the idea!

The vanilla ice cream trick was the only thing that worked for us.

Good luck and let me know if it worked.

Awe, Mimi, I just saw this and am so sorry! That pic is heartbreaking. I'm so glad your pup is going to be ok and the owners have been so responsive. You really can't ask for a better out come from a bad situation.

I have been through something similar, not as vicious, but similar. Maybe you'll recall that a little over a year ago, our dog was attacked without provocation at her doggy day care. There were several punctures on her back between her shoulder blades but they weren't considered serious as well. The attacking dog was not reported and I wasn't allowed to meet the owners, but the day care did have all it's records and shot history. We had to pay out of pocket for the care, as the day care said that's a risk WE take when bringing our dogs to a social setting, however it's a controlled setting and the staff responded exactly as they should have. The day care ended up reimbursing us via free days of play for our dog which was fine with me. What really astounded me about the whole experience is how easily Elle, our dog, bounced back as if nothing had happened. I was a wreck and upset and she acted as if nothing had happened. Of course the dog was removed from the area, but the staff said that almost as quick as it was over, Elle was anxious to continue playing.

My point is, is that what I was told by our Vet is that dogs that are properly socialized usually understand this kind of behavior much better than humans and are often quite ok after it happens (mentally). Maybe not all dogs but many are. I really hope that's the case for your pup once it heals. Maybe you're lab will be able to help her in that area too but again, I so glad that your experience has had the outcome it has. I know how much you adore your fur babies, as many of us do, and how scary the whole situation can be.

ETA: We have 3 labs in our neighborhood that tend to run a muk in our neighborhood. Two live next door to the other and they're all buddies. We often see them running through everyone's backyards, checking things out and doing their buisness. I'm always worried that a pack like mentality could kick in when we're out back with our girl. So far my commands for them to go home have worked, but....maybe one day they won't. Sadly, the owners don't seem to care. I have no idea how I'd react if they did turn on Elle but I know I'd be a mess.

I was also concerned about the sugar when mine was taking 6 pills a day. My vet said as long as the dog isn't diabetic, it's fine.

Puppacino cups from starbucks are just whipped cream, ice cream shops have doggie cups that people give all summer long. Dogs are generally fine.

In fact, they get more sugar from the fruit treats they get on a regular basis than the ice cream pill pockets, so you don't need to worry about it, lukkiirish.

lukkiirish- Thank your for lifting my spirits! I think we'll be "over the hump" in another 24 hours.

DH just took our bichon, "Remy", btw!, to our vet-the one who's been his primary vet since a puppy. She had a full schedule of patients this morning, but insisted on taking him (seriously moved DH to tears).

She thinks Remy was VERY lucky, and that his wounds are looking good and he's got a normal temp. She changed up some medications and gave him a bunch of meds by injection so we don't have to give anything orally until dinner.

That makes me feel so much better. There's nothing worse than knowing your dog or cat needs meds and you can't get it into them no matter what you try. Even worse when the dog has zero interest in any food that could fool them!

Thanks, all.

I'm terribly sorry your dog got attacked, and I'm glad to see he is on the mend.

My dog was surprise attacked by a Great Dane (as the dog approached DH was told 'don't worry, he's friendly', DH quickly scooped up our 18 month old baby, 2 seconds later our dog was in the Great Dane's mouth), and after a week he succumbed to the injuries. We were unable to report it due to crossing state lines. (Don't ask me about this, it was years ago and we tried, but we were too distraught to persue this.)

Only thing we could do, DH called the owner and told him that his dog was now dangerous, he could never describe him as friendly, and if anything happened to another dog, or God forbid, a child, he could no longer claim innocence. I feel badly that the dog didn't have a report from us on file.

I think it's important to have a paper trail, I wouldn't want anyone to go through what our family did due to someone's carelessness with their dog.

I hope he has a speedy and healthy recovery, and you as well!

Oh, Meris, I'm so sorry. Thank you for sharing. I can't even imagine...

After injections of Rimadyl, Pepcid and antibiotic at the vet this morning, and a slurry of Carafate once home, someone finally got enticed to eat just a little bit of tuna noodle casserole ;-)

Remy even snuggled with me on the couch, which is where he always prefers to be.

His eyes don't look all glassy, finally.

We're very blessed.

Poor baby - but yes, in the grand scheme of things, he is indeed a lucky boy.

You don't mention how old the attacking dog is, but if young, he can be trained to not be dog aggressive. Don't write this dog off just yet.

My beloved Cavalier, Godfrey, who recently died, lived in CA with his breeder. He was a handful - she couldn't keep him off the kitchen counter, even eating out of a saucepan with the gas burner on! So, she gave him to the Latino man who worked for her everyday. Godfrey went home with him, got fat, was spoiled rotten, escaped and was running around the streets on occasion. His co-breeder asker the other breeder to get this boy back - he was a spectacularly beautiful Cavalier. She did, and Godfrey went from CA to CT to live.

My friend (the co-breeder), took him to an AKC all-breed show a couple of weeks later. They were waiting to go into the show ring, and a large breed was just coming out of the ring. Godfrey saw one of the large dogs and went for him immediately. My friend grabbed him and holding him by his luxurious ruff, held him over her head and yelled in his face "Don't you EVER do that again!" Godfrey didn't much like this at all! She continued for a couple of weeks working with him on basic obedience everyday, and then they went to another show. Again, Godfrey saw a large breed. My friend heard a faint, low growl. Then Godfrey looked up at her, back at the dog and back up at her again. Friend said, "Good choice, Godfrey!" and that was that - he NEVER again was in anyway aggressive to another dog and I could walk him anywhere - NYC, neighborhood - anywhere.

The other dog needs a firm hand and some training.

Sorry for your dog and glad everything is working out. Also it sounds like the owners may indeed be (normally) responsible and caring dog owners, rather than the clueless folks which often result in such events. Funny if you go to small towns in a lot of other countries or even somewhat more remote areas in the USA everyones where everyone's dogs are running loose the dogs are all well socialized and do not attack each other. Even smaller dogs seem safe in these situations (at least from the other dogs). People should really make the effort to properly socialize their dogs, as puppies, to many other balanced dogs and situations to prevent such behavior later on.

My neighbors would be well advised to have their dog evaluated and worked with by someone who specializes in aggressive dogs.

(We had a dog with aggression/fear issues and did exactly that-she never hurt anything tho)

That said, you can't never assume any amount of training will keep the dog from attacking if it gets loose again.

The fact that the attack was unprovoked, with full teeth penetration, shaking and pulling means that dog has little to no bite inhibition. The attacking dog stopped because DH got it off my bichon, thankfully.

If this truly was the first biting incident, it is WAY up there on the scale of badness.

You can't fix that-or should assume it is never fixed. You can only try to prevent the next disaster. The question is not "will" the dog bite, but when, IF it's given another chance.

People should really make the effort to properly socialize their dogs, as puppies, to many other balanced dogs and situations to prevent such behavior later on.

*******

Excellent point. The thing you find out if you're socializing is that you have a clue about your dog's reactivity and propensity to express bad behaviors. Plus, you can intervene early.

Anglophilia

You don't mention how old the attacking dog is, but if young, he can be trained to not be dog aggressive. Don't write this dog off just yet.

*****

The dog is about 1 1/2 years old. I think the family just needs to do everything possible to ensure they always have full control of their dog, for the rest of its life.

The dog should be evaluated by an expert so they know the full extent of the problem and find ways to deal with the problems with a life-long plan.

Mimi, your poor Remy's injuries are so much worse than Ellie's were, I feel so bad for him. I'm glad he's starting to eat, that's a really good sign. It really was luck that your DH was there and strong enough to get the dog off.

What has me curious though is if the neighbors know how their dog actually got loose and if it has a habit of getting out?

I'm so glad Remy is better, please give him a pat for me. I hope the attack doesn't affect how he views other dogs. I had a dog who was attacked by a white standard poodle - the poodle grabbed her tail. No bloodshed, because her tail was really furry. But my dog was afraid of white standard poodles for years.

I got the sense that this was the first time the dog got out and was running loose.

I'm going to be a bit nervous for awhile when walking my dogs, that's for sure, because what the owner said was that her 9-year old let the dog get out.

A 9-year old can never truly understand how important it is that their dog NEVER get loose again, so it's scary.

Oh geeze!!! I'd be nervous too! Ya know, if it were me, I think I'd be investing in a can of pepper or citronella spray. Hopefully, you'll never need it, but at least you'd have something to defend yourselves with if it did.

Mimi, what an adorable baby...this picture is so sad. Hope he heals well and fast.

Oh Mimi, your poor little pup! I can imagine how you felt and I am so glad he is going to recover. But I would say, yes, that you will never ever be able to trust that dog again. That is not normal behavior.

My poor kitty cat was killed by my neighbor's dog. The old man just took the dog off leash in my yard and she went right for my old cat who didn't stand a chance. This all happened right in front of me and so quickly there was nothing I could do. My kitty lived just one day at the vet when it was discovered that her injuries were just too much. That dog has gone after two other dogs in the neighborhood. Unfortunately the owners aren't good about this. They did pay my vet bill in full though that doesn't bring your pet back. And they know she has this aggressive temperament now so there's no denying it. They more or less keep her under voice command while in their yard, but I don't trust her at all. I always stay far away when I am walking my two little dogs.

My dogs have been approached by other dogs and are both mostly afraid of all other dogs. This makes me sad but I can't force them to like other dogs. I try to make their meetings positive and if I can get them to just ignore the other dog, I feel like it's at least something. But when a dog is young and energetic, mine want nothing to do with them. Older, calm and quiet dogs are welcomed. It is nerve wracking though to go through this.

I hope Remy continues to improve and that he doesn't have any lasting fear. Your DH and lab were very brave that day and I'm glad they saved your boy!!

murraysmom, thank you so much for the good wishes, and I'm so sorry you lost your dear kitty in such a horrific way. I can't even imagine the painful memories.

Remy has been very nervous walking outside, and just wants to do his business and get the hell back inside. I don't blame him!

I hope he gets his confidence back as his pain subsides and he can walk around without the "cone of shame".

I have to say, compared to other areas, we are very lucky that it's rare to have a loose dog, and we don't see dogs that are let out to roam.

Yes, I was just talking with a friend yesterday and saying that just about all the aggressive problem dogs and their people are gone now so that walking is actually enjoyable again. I hope it stays that way.

We had progress today with drain removal x4. Actually, x3, since Remy pulled one out yesterday ;-/.

The wounds still look scary and awful, but it's progress.

Remy was walking better without the drains pulling and seemed less anxious. Plus, he's eating homemade chicken thighs, so there's a little silver lining for the poor guy!

I'll be glad to be done washing towels and blankets every day, but for now, drainage is good.

Wow - he really is a lucky boy to be alive. He's also a lucky boy to have such a good home. I hope he bounces back quickly. Poor little guy.

glad to see his wounds are healing well! i shudder when i think how much worse this could have been.

That is good progress. As long as there is no infection, I would think he should heal pretty quickly now. It always amazes me how fast animals can heal a wound, although puncture wounds are the worst because of the threat of infection. I hope Remy is on the fast track to healing now!!

Wow, that looks so painful....glad it's going well and he's eatting but wow...that's just mind boggling.

Remy continues to improve and is about 90% "himself". He went for a walk this morning, and I'd even say he was jaunty ;-) Another good sign is that he's barking at all things that pass by the front of our house.

He's still on Rimadyl for a couple more days, and of course is finishing out his antibiotics. The wounds are healing nicely, with the largest one still weeping a bit, but that one was really gaping.

Remy's getting lots of love and attention (and home cooked meals), and is able to sleep on the bed with us again. I think that has been really helpful for him to do his normal nocturnal snuggling.

Thanks for all the well wishes!

Stitches removed in a few days.

Your poor pup - I'm glad to see he's doing better!

You are so lucky to have responsible (and responsive) neighbors that were willing to pay for the damage. I worked in a vet clinic and dog attacks were fairly common, ranging anywhere from little cuts from mild little scuffles to some pretty serious damage. So many times we heard that the owner of the other dog would just take off (like if at a dog park) or refuse to pay for any treatments, and then these poor people would be not only traumatized by the attack, but hit with a hefty veterinary bill and the headache of trying to pursue legal action. It's still a scary moment but I'm glad you weren't in that boat!

So glad to hear he's getting some spring back in his step. He looks a little bereft in the photo above....but they always seem to when they're in those cones. :)

He's such a pretty boy!!

Oh my goodness, what a sweet, sweet little face he has. I'm glad he is getting back to normal. He will be over this long before you are able to. Give him a pat and a kiss for me. He is a cutie!

I am so very sorry for you and Remy! I agree with your actions in making a report, as a record in case that dog bites again in the future.

Remy is beautiful!

awww!!! that face makes me melt! <3 so glad to see he is healing so well.