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Terrible Incident With A Small Dog


Guest eliza1001

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Guest eliza1001

Hello everyone

 

First post, but been lurking for a while.....

 

Was out for a walk this afternoon with my two hounds, minding our own business. We turned a corner on a woodland path and I noticed a lady in the distance. With no warning her little dog came out of the bushes near us, and she turned around and tried to recall it, but it wouldn't come so she started walking back to us. She shouted 'are they OK?' to which I replied 'one's friendly, the other isn't'.

 

With no warning the little dog darted towards us and my older hound, Prince, went for it and started shaking it. It was awful, the lady was shouting and crying, whilst I was trying to get Prince to release it. My other dog, Bertie, joined in at one point, but released as soon as I shouted at him. It felt like ages, but it was probably only a few seconds, and eventually Prince let go and the dog ran back to his owner, still a fair distance away.

The lady picked her dog up, and it yelped, then she turned around and ran away with it in her arms. I lost sight of her very quickly, and wasn't able to see where she went. I asked some boys if they'd seen her, and followed the path she took, but lost her.

Now, I know that Prince is not small dog friendly and has a high prey drive, so will not let them off lead unless we are in a secure private field, so they were both on lead and right next to me. I have never muzzled them on walks but just avoid small dogs, as Prince has a tendency to growl if they get too close, and has been known to lunge towards them. He has never done anything like this before, and I'm so shocked.

 

It took me a while to walk home, and I phoned the local vet hospital, which covers all emergencies in the area at the weekend, but no small black dog has been brought in. I gave them my phone number, and they promised to contact me if someone came in.

 

I feel absolutely terrible about this, and the worst thing is I don't know how the dog is. I wasn't able to give her my details, and it's the not knowing thats killing me.

 

Sorry for such a long post

 

What do I do (besides always muzzle my hounds)?

 

Eliza

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Another case of a owner who lets her dog go out unleashed! I sware people are idiots. I'm very sorry this happen to you. Not sure what advice to give you. Truly sounds like you have been walking and dealing with this just fine. I think the other woman needs to think about what she mshould do not you!

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I am so sorry this happened to you, but it was in NO WAY you fault ( or your dog's)! I completely understand how you feel, last year a small dog somehow got into my backyard and one of my dogs went after it. He grabbed by the neck, but luckily didn't get a firm grip and eventually (seemed like hours, was probably a few minutes) I got him to drop it. I wrestled him into the house and went back out to find the dog, expecting it to be seriously injured, but it had managed to get out of the yard and disappear. Like you, I tried to find it, but never did. You did everything you could, it was not your fault! Please don't muzzle your dogs when you walk them. If they are attacked by a loose dog, they will not be able to defend themselves, and honestly, your dog could still have grabbed the little dog even with a muzzle on. I sincerely hope the little dog was not badly injured.

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You'll get split responses and what you choose to do will depend on where you are, but I would muzzle your dog. You know that its high prey and where I live, you would need to muzzle it. Yes, it leaves yours vulnerable, and the extent to which this is possible will depend on how many loose dogs you see regularly - where I live there aren't many and most of those are 'with ' their owners. But what your dog did would be enough to have it declared dangerous here and possibly seized and destroyed. Other than that, if you don't muzzle and you know your dog is high prey, you haven't actually done everything possible to prevent this type of situation. But YMMV.

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Guest RMarie

This was NOT your fault.

 

James is also high prey so I understand your nervousness during walks about small dogs. I don't muzzle James and would suggest you not muzzle your dog, either, because as already stated, if attacked your muzzled dog wouldn't be able to defend itself. We've been lucky thus far and haven't encountered any loose dogs (big or small). Should we encounter a loose small dog, my plan is to punt it down the street, so as to prevent James from being labeled "dangerous."

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I'm in the camp that this was more NOT your fault. You probably have leash laws in your area, and unless you were walking in an approved off-leash park, the other woman should have had her dog on leash and under control. I would say much of the reason this was so bad was that the little dog scared both you and Prince, and he just reacted. You may still get a call from the hospital, but if the dog was able to run to his owner it was probably not too badly hurt.

 

I'm sorry both of you had to go through this. The other woman must be scared and hurting too.

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Guest eliza1001

We do see a lot of loose dogs, in fact the majority probably are loose. We don't have dog parks here so the most dog owners let their dogs run loose in the local playing field. It's not fenced in, so even when empty I wouldn't let my hounds run as they could escape onto the road. Also their recall is not good outside (but perfect in the house!).

I am worried about the possibility of my dogs being reported, especially as the lady doesn't have my details. I was tempted to report the incident to the police to pre-empt any problems, but all my friends say it would be a big mistake.

 

My friends have also said pretty much the same as you guys and that I shouldn't be beating myself up so much, but I just feel I've let Prince and Bertie down by allowing this to happen.

 

I muzzled the boys for their evening walk, and probably will continue to do so for now if only for my sanity. What I resent is the reaction of people on the street to two large greyhounds with muzzles. People automatically assume they are nasty vicious dogs, and Mothers pick up their small children and people cross the street to avoid us. Its not fair cos they are the most gentle soppy dogs imaginable, with the only exception being towards small furry animals.

 

Thanks for your kind words and advice.

 

 

Edited for spelling

Edited by eliza1001
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What a horrible experience and of course you feel bad and want to know the condition of the other dog, but as others have said, it's not your fault and not Prince's fault. It's not just Greyhounds that might go after a smaller dog. Any dog if so inclined or not trained might attack a littler dog and nobody talks about muzzling them. Frankly I would not punish my dog by muzzling because of someone else's lack of responsibility.

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Agree....NOT your fault.

Totally terrifying, for you and the dogs, but not your fault.

 

:bighug

 

Nancy...Mom to Sid (Peteles Tiger), Kibo (112 Carlota Galgos) and Joshi.  Missing Casey, Gomer, Mona, Penelope, BillieJean, Bandit, Nixon (Starz Sammie),  Ruby (Watch Me Dash) Nigel (Nigel), and especially little Mario, waiting at the Bridge.

 

 

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I'm sorry that this happened to you and your greys ....

 

You might want to send a note to the "Lexus Project" - they deal with legal issues arising from dog bites and so on. For example, if someone shows up at your door and wants to take the dogs because of the bite incident - don't let them (at least until you talk to the Lexus Project). You may not want to open the door at all to anyone that looks "official" - let them leave a note (for the time being). Once the authorities get the dogs, it is very tough to get them back. The Lexus project should be able to fill you in more on what you can do to protect the dogs. If you haven't done so already, get the rabies information for both your dogs and keep it handy.

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Guest grey_dreams

Are you in the UK? If so, what are the leash laws for the area where you were? Are greyhounds required to wear muzzles in that area? Hope the little dog is ok, and hope everything will be ok for your dogs and you too.

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How awful (hugs) I feel that it's not your fault, but the law would say differently :-( definitely contact the lexus project.

 

My girls aren't high prey so I have no real experience. I would probably start working on a solid drop it command. Start with boring stuff and work your way up to a lure pole if you can.

------

 

Jessica

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Yikes, that must have been traumatic to see. My guy doesn't go after dogs but he grabbed and shook a raccoon once and it was pretty crazy. Like you said, it seemed like such a long time, but was probably only 10 seconds. I personally don't even have a problem with off leashed dogs in the right place and the right dog (ie. trained), but in this case it sounded like the responsibility fell mostly on that owner's shoulders.

 

I always try to look on the positive side of things...hopefully that woman learned a lesson about letting her dog off leash when it clearly doesn't respond to commands in the presence of other dogs. I hope she doesn't pursue things further.

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Guest eliza1001

Good news - the little dog was taken to the vet this morning, and they gave the owner my phone number. It was her daughter walking the dog, and she has autism, so finds it difficult to talk to strangers. That explains why she just ran away from me.

The little dog has a couple of puncture wounds and is feeling sorry for itself. The vet gave a painkiller/antibiotic shot, along with tablets for a few days, and they're going back on Tuesday to review progress. I've paid the vet bill, and she'll let me know if there are anymore vet expenses.

I am so relieved to know the dog is doing OK, and the lady owner was very understanding. We talked about muzzles, as apparently the vet told her all ex-racers should be muzzled.

I'm still in two minds about the muzzles. I know that if we stay away from small dogs everything is fine, but I suppose I can't control what other people and their dogs do. For my dogs safety I think I will muzzle them for now, and see how things go.

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My greys are all muzzled by law. If you are going to muzzle, you can also work on training to reduce their reactivity. You might also like to investigate bark muzzles. I use these in winter because they are less obtrusive than the basket muzzles and I s easier to treat the dogs while walking. Don't use them if its too hot though.

 

I'm sorry this has happened.

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What a upsetting experience and glad the little dog was ok. Even though its not really your fault the dog was not under control at the time.

 

In the UK only racing greyhounds must be muzzled in public to meet board rules (not sure its an actual legal requirement) once retired its up to owner like any dog. Though most adoption groups here recommend muzzle use with new dogs until they get accustomed to other breeds etc & those with issues with other dogs often carry on use as makes walks less stressful.

I've used muzzles too as its hard to avoid loose dogs (legal) on non-urban walks and frequently owners either don't have the control to recall the dog away or believe its ok as they're 'friendly' most are rude, thankfully not met any aggressive dogs. Head halters give more control of head but won't stop biting.

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Guest sireltonsmom

We do see a lot of loose dogs, in fact the majority probably are loose. We don't have dog parks here so the most dog owners let their dogs run loose in the local playing field. It's not fenced in, so even when empty I wouldn't let my hounds run as they could escape onto the road. Also their recall is not good outside (but perfect in the house!).

I am worried about the possibility of my dogs being reported, especially as the lady doesn't have my details. I was tempted to report the incident to the police to pre-empt any problems, but all my friends say it would be a big mistake.

 

My friends have also said pretty much the same as you guys and that I shouldn't be beating myself up so much, but I just feel I've let Prince and Bertie down by allowing this to happen.

 

I muzzled the boys for their evening walk, and probably will continue to do so for now if only for my sanity. What I resent is the reaction of people on the street to two large greyhounds with muzzles. People automatically assume they are nasty vicious dogs, and Mothers pick up their small children and people cross the street to avoid us. Its not fair cos they are the most gentle soppy dogs imaginable, with the only exception being towards small furry animals.

 

Thanks for your kind words and advice.

 

 

Edited for spelling

I'm sorry this happened to you. I agree it wasn't your fault and I'm sorry you feel you need to muzzle your dogs on the walks. I would recommend you think of getting "Halt" It's to spray on the OTHER dog(s) who are getting in your dogs' space. Some of my friends greys have been bitten by small dogs who jumped up, ripped their skin so the grey had to go to the ER. I plan to get some as I just got another grey and don't want them to be in danger.

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I'm glad to hear that it looks like the little dog will be ok. Unless it is the law that greys are muzzled or you can be guaranteed that all dogs you encounter are I would NOT muzzle yours. What if the next time is an encounter with a large aggressive dog, your dogs would be defenseless. I know you had yours on a leash, but there is more that you yourself could have been done to prevent this. I'm not saying this to place blame just to make you aware of how the law sees 'having your dog under your control.' If they were truly under your control they would not have been able to reach down for the little dog. Next time something like this happens with a small dog hold their leashes as close to their collar as you can so maintain control of their heads. That way they can't snatch the offending little animal. Also as suggested I would get some kind of spray deterrent to keep loose dogs away from yours.

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Guest chardae

Eliza,

 

So sorry this happened.....but if you feel safer with your greys muzzled, then do it. Don't worry or pay attention to others' reactions. I've had the sweetest black greyhounds and whenever we would walk them, without muzzles, people still crossed the street whenever they would see them!

 

We had a lovely fawn boy, Mesa, who we walked regularly years ago, without muzzle. I only wish I had used a muzzle on him, because he would occasionally find something to eat along his walks.....and one day, he swallowed a watch battery, although we didn't realize it at the time. It was probably mixed in with some left over garbage along the street.....there's no way he found it around our home. Later, by x-ray, the vet discovered the battery lodged near his rectum, and gave Mesa something so he would expel it. We don't know how long that battery stayed in his intestinal system releasing toxins, but 5 months later, he died of intestinal cancer. :candle

 

Do what you need to do to keep your greys safe and ensure their well-being!!!

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I am glad to hear the little dog will be OK. I know things are different in the UK, more (legal) off lead dogs, different dog laws, and so on. Do whatever you think is best for your dogs, and I hope nothing like this ever happens to you again!

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I'm sorry this happened to you. I agree it wasn't your fault and I'm sorry you feel you need to muzzle your dogs on the walks. I would recommend you think of getting "Halt" It's to spray on the OTHER dog(s) who are getting in your dogs' space. Some of my friends greys have been bitten by small dogs who jumped up, ripped their skin so the grey had to go to the ER. I plan to get some as I just got another grey and don't want them to be in danger.

Our grey was attacked by a dog while my husband was walking her. The dog got away from its' owner and bit Charlotte on the chest, ripping her skin. My husband DID have repellent with him and sprayed the other dog on its' way back to bite a second time. The damage was done but it prevented more. I never leave the house without it now. Bear in mind, though, you have to get close enough to the other dog and have the presence of mind to spray it right in its' face. May be difficult to manage during the commotion and of course the dog may come after you if you miss. Much better than nothing, though. We even had a law enforcement person recommend "bear" repellent which apparently is legal in our state whereas really useful dog repellent is not...

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What a horrible thing to happen. These accidents always come out of literally nowhere.

In the UK a dog 'may not be dangerously out of control in a public place' and unfortunately that includes being on a lead and attacking a stupid little dog that runs up. Fortunately the country is completely rabies-free so there won't be the shots issues and quarantining after an attack that other countries need to insist on.

 

You did the right things afterwards and I'm glad to hear the little dog wasn't more seriously hurt. You could have been sued for the vet bills but I don't think general dangerous dog issues will arise because she was as much at fault as anyone for not being able to control her dog. Why in the world would someone let an autistic person be alone with a loose disobedient dog in such a location anyway?

 

If you always walk your two dogs together, the unsafe one will not be so at risk when wearing a muzzle because the other will be there as a backup. I'll muzzle Peggy in certain areas where there are little kids and tiny annoying dogs, she doesn't mind and can still woof them away.

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What a horrible thing to happen. These accidents always come out of literally nowhere.

In the UK a dog 'may not be dangerously out of control in a public place' and unfortunately that includes being on a lead and attacking a stupid little dog that runs up. Fortunately the country is completely rabies-free so there won't be the shots issues and quarantining after an attack that other countries need to insist on.

 

You did the right things afterwards and I'm glad to hear the little dog wasn't more seriously hurt. You could have been sued for the vet bills but I don't think general dangerous dog issues will arise because she was as much at fault as anyone for not being able to control her dog. Why in the world would someone let an autistic person be alone with a loose disobedient dog in such a location anyway?

 

If you always walk your two dogs together, the unsafe one will not be so at risk when wearing a muzzle because the other will be there as a backup. I'll muzzle Peggy in certain areas where there are little kids and tiny annoying dogs, she doesn't mind and can still woof them away.

Autistic does not automatically mean disabled nor does it mean mentally incompetent. The daughter in question was likely an Aspie or some other high-functioning autistic, or else she would have been accompanied by someone. She was probably scared. inexperienced, and simply wished to get the dog treated as soon as possible, rather than do what she would perceive as 'wasting time' taking the OP's information. (Especially since it looked scarier and more severe than it turned out to be.)

 

As for having the dog loose, I can't speak to that, since leash laws are pretty universal here in the US, but yes, that part was irresponsible.

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