The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
The attack happened on Friday. My, oh my! That had to have been as traumatic for you as it was for the puppy. Fortunately, he survived the attack and you did, too. You're both healing. You're both safe in your homes. And you had the ability to get both of you treated by competent doctors. Thank heaven for that! I'm glad you are feeling well enough to type at the board.
I don't have dogs. I have cats. All 3 of them are very sensitive to me. If the male senses I am emotionally distraught, he will come in the room where I am, but he won't sit near me until I'm peaceful. The two females, if they sense I am emotionally distraught, will put their bodies close to mine until I am peaceful. Could your puppy be responding more to you and the fact that you are not acting as s/he is used to? Maybe returning to your normal routine will help the puppy? Just wondering.
A little story here. I used to work in a hospital. I typed histories and physicals and operative notes. I had to take them to the floors where the patients were staying. One day, I typed the H&P of a little boy, age 2, who was admitted for a hernia operation. This was in the day when lasers were only seen in sci-fi movies. I felt sick to my stomach thinking about how scared the little guy would be - how he would be poked with needles and separated from his parents - and then wake up to pain due to the incision. I couldn't shake it.
The day after the surgery, I also typed his op notes. I had to take them to peds. In order to get it to the nurses' station, I had to pass the toddler's room. I held my breath as I neared his room, expecting to see the poor little guy all white-faced, maybe crying in his crib. What I saw, was a 2 year old jumping up and down in his crib, his IV still in, laughing and yelling like he was having the best time.
I realized then that little kids (and maybe our animals) shake off unpleasantry much quicker than we adults sometimes tend to do because they don't ruminate. They focus on the moment they are in - not the moments prior to it.
Lots of hugs coming your way.
-- Edited by grateful2be on Monday 3rd of June 2013 09:28:05 PM
-- Edited by grateful2be on Monday 3rd of June 2013 10:10:01 PM
My 8 month old sweet pup was attacked while we were out walking Friday night. He was on leash and he was attacked by 2 American bulldogs( think big pit bull looking dogs with strong jowls). I somehow got in the mix trying to protect the dog. My physicak wounds are healing but emotionally I am a mess. Every time I see my pup with his stitches and staples and open wounds I want to cry. He's been hiding in his crate a lot and seems a bit more reserved. I wonder how this attack is going to affect him in the long run? I scares me because he's such a sweetheart and has been so easy to train. I have been fighting this dark cloud over top of me and all I want to do is sleep. I can barely eat and I know I have to gather myself together and get through this. I just need some encouragement to do so. Thx
((((ilovedogs)))) I'm so sorry that you and puppy experienced this double- trauma. I agree with grateful2be that keeping a positive, healthy routine can help each other heal more quickly and completely. I have a horse, and, I notice that, like a small child seeking guidance, he continually looks to see how I'm doing. If he sees that I'm ok, calm, just carrying on- then he follows suit. If he's stressed and I'm calm, he'll become calm or I can readily distract him into calm. However, if I'm stressed, then both of us wind up reacting.
I am so sorry. I hope you got the owner's details? Not only should they be paying your vet bills, but those dogs are dangerous -- it could be a toddler next time. Animal Control should know about this. Thank goodness your sweet pup survived. Hugs!
Mattie, the owner came by last night to offer paying small amounts every week. She said money was tight. I think she also was checking on the wounds to see if our vet bills were real because her mother was a real PIA when I went over to drop off our vet bill. She lied to me and said she was home alone when actually her son in law was there, too. She wouldn't answer any of my questions directly, etc. Anyway, I spoke with her last night and told her I'm calling animal control, it's required by the vet. Of course, our vet and the ER vet told me that the dogs wouldn't be put down in this case. They would get a warning from animal control and a talking to about keeping the dogs in control and it would go down as a mark against the dogs, noting that they are aggressive. Which is fine by me. These folks are renters and the house they are renting has had a high turn over of renters in the past year so I'm guessing they won't be around very long in the neighborhood.
What concerns me more is another dog attack that occurred at the park, 2 doors down from my house, where another neighbor's dog was attacked by a different pit bull mix. My dog had 2 incidents with this pit bull where he was on lead(my dog was) and their dog was not. The owners say he's leash aggressive so they took him off leash and he went right for my dog's neck twice, the second time he had to be pulled off by the owner and my dog had a scratch above his eye. Well, on Saturday night, during a birthday party for one the kids whom the dog belonged to, this dog went berserk and attacked a sharpei mix named Duke. There were 4 adults, various neighbors, kicking and punching this pit bulls jaws trying to get him to release Duke's leg. Duke's leg was torn to shreds down to the bone. His owner called me Sunday AM and told me the horrifying story: kids screaming, adults punching and kicking, dogs crying and barking, etc.
The owners are a really nice Mormon family but I don't know what they plan to do with the dog. They have 4 children and I hope they do what's right. This dog scares me more than the ones who attacked Zayne on Friday. I love dogs, my avatar says so, right, but there are some dogs who truly are aggressive and I wouldn't trust them around my kids or my dogs.
Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, which is not nurturing to the whole woman.- Maya Angelo
