dorienne206
New member
@angelar Introduce your dog to others dogs he already knows again, slowly, on leash. Goldens are very trusting and it’s good that you are already thinking of the potential for reactivity because of an event like this. There’s a lot of good advice in this thread.
Also, please do your neighbors and yourself a favor and report this dog to animal control. There needs to be a record started for this dog, as it attacked yours, unprovoked. It will happen again, and maybe it will be a smaller dog that gets mauled (killed).
Also, please do your neighbors and yourself a favor and report this dog to animal control. There needs to be a record started for this dog, as it attacked yours, unprovoked. It will happen again, and maybe it will be a smaller dog that gets mauled (killed).
scottishsoul
New member
@angelar Aww poor little Rudy! My guy was bitten at I think around 9 months or so? Can't recall the date. He was OK but I was so pissed because of the potential for reactivity developing. He can be a little nervous when greeting bigger dogs now but honestly he's so social and this incident didn't derail him. I think his natural personality has a lot to do with that. I would just have some really positive play dates with his friend Tulip (how cute is that name) and other safe ones. I had a friend tell me before I had dogs that dog fights are just a part of dog ownership and if you're around enough dogs inevitably something is going to happen at some point. It's ended up being true in my case- I'm a super careful owner and both of my dogs have been attacked. Both were OK and bounced. It is so stressful though. Good luck with everything!
@angelar I'm so sorry this happened! I am always really disheartened when I hear about situations like this. There is nothing more frustrating than some random person's ignorance, indifference and negligence leading to a terrible thing happening. Even if you do everything right you can't control other people - it's one of the most annoying things to deal with as a dog owner :-( You have zero control or blame but then are still forced to deal with the consequences. It's even more traumatizing when it happens in your supposedly safe space. All that to say, I'm SO sorry and I hope your puppy recovers well mentally and physically. I think your best course of action is to fight off the panic and the impulse to catastrophize but instead do your best to put on a brave confident face for your puppy when you go into new situations (and don't avoid encountering new situations now due to your own fearfulness) and give him LOTS of really positive and safe experiences as soon as you can.
@angelar When I was staying with my father in law, I took the bigger dogs out for a walk and the Chihuahua mix escaped through the fence slats without me knowing and followed us. Unfortunately someone else's dog was also out of their fence and much bigger and meaner than the Chihuahua so ran up and attacked her. Swung her around like a chew toy and refused to let go, even with me screaming and crying and smacking it on the head repeatedly. That dog would not give up for anything until his owner finally came out and made the dog let go. Sobbing and covered in blood, I carried the little dog back home, worried she wasn't gonna make it. We were both traumatized but my husband and I took her to the emergency vet and they said she was going to need extensive surgeries and it would cost a lot and may be better to just put her down, but looking at her and seeing how much life she still had in her, how much love she had to give, I chose to suck it up and get the care credit card because I knew she had a chance, no matter how slim.
Several surgeries and a few years later, you'd never know that little dog was nearly taken out by another dog. She is old but still full of life and love and mischief, still trying to escape all the time. So I guess my point is that the only thing that may help is time. Give your pup and yourself time to recover and I'm sure he will be back to playing and romping with other doggos very soon. Maybe when he's ready and able to play with dogs again, start out with just his close friends like Tulip to help him get back into the swing of things and I'm sure he will be back to his old self pretty quick.
Also if you are comfortable it may help to take the neighbor to court to at least get them to help pay for Rudy's bills as they are at least partially at fault. They knew the dog they agreed to look after was not fond of small dogs. My FIL took the lady to court in my situation and because both dogs were out of the fence and not leashed, she was ordered by the court to pay a portion of the hospital bills for the Chihuahua and me (I got bit pretty badly while trying to break up the fight).
Several surgeries and a few years later, you'd never know that little dog was nearly taken out by another dog. She is old but still full of life and love and mischief, still trying to escape all the time. So I guess my point is that the only thing that may help is time. Give your pup and yourself time to recover and I'm sure he will be back to playing and romping with other doggos very soon. Maybe when he's ready and able to play with dogs again, start out with just his close friends like Tulip to help him get back into the swing of things and I'm sure he will be back to his old self pretty quick.
Also if you are comfortable it may help to take the neighbor to court to at least get them to help pay for Rudy's bills as they are at least partially at fault. They knew the dog they agreed to look after was not fond of small dogs. My FIL took the lady to court in my situation and because both dogs were out of the fence and not leashed, she was ordered by the court to pay a portion of the hospital bills for the Chihuahua and me (I got bit pretty badly while trying to break up the fight).
truthsince1844
New member
@truthsince1844 Thank you
truthsince1844
New member
@angelar absolutely! i am so sorry you had to go through that. my first response was written while i was kinda rushed and i didn’t express any sympathies. it is absolutely possible to recover from this.
from your own end, i would practice a lot of calming techniques. after my pup was attacked i was terrified to go outside, and she was barely hurt. we recovered (her faster than me, lol!) by only doing parallel sniff walks with approved dogs for a few days, and then with me doing a LOT of breathing exercises and recognizing my thought patterns.
you and Rudy are gonna be okay.
from your own end, i would practice a lot of calming techniques. after my pup was attacked i was terrified to go outside, and she was barely hurt. we recovered (her faster than me, lol!) by only doing parallel sniff walks with approved dogs for a few days, and then with me doing a LOT of breathing exercises and recognizing my thought patterns.
you and Rudy are gonna be okay.
quantumchaos
New member
@angelar I'm so sorry this happened to you guys!
Rudy is going to read your reactions and take them as his cue. So although it's hard, the best thing you can do is to be calm and positive YOURSELF when introducing him to other dogs again. Partly for your own sake, start with dogs you guys already know, like Tulip.
Like another commenter said, start in again soon. It's not doing you or Rudy and favors if you make reintroducing dogs a big thing or something protracted. This dog that attacked is the exception, and it's a scary exception, but treat seeing other dogs and interacting with them happily as the norm.
Rudy is going to read your reactions and take them as his cue. So although it's hard, the best thing you can do is to be calm and positive YOURSELF when introducing him to other dogs again. Partly for your own sake, start with dogs you guys already know, like Tulip.
Like another commenter said, start in again soon. It's not doing you or Rudy and favors if you make reintroducing dogs a big thing or something protracted. This dog that attacked is the exception, and it's a scary exception, but treat seeing other dogs and interacting with them happily as the norm.
peterhon123
New member
@angelar A similar situation happened to my lab a year ago, when he was 1.5 years old. Same exact demeanor at the emergency vet, it was like nothing had happened. He had a drain placed and stitches and was put on crate rest for 2 weeks.
The biggest challenge of it for us and him was the crate rest. He went a bit stir crazy and i recommend some lick mats and puzzle games to combat the boredom.
I was also nervous about his demeanor towards other dogs, but he was totally unaffected. Of course, results may vary - but dogs are surprisingly resilient. The bigger thing was my mental recovery, and getting comfortable again with him playing with other dogs. I really struggled with this. I had terrible nightmares after it happened and kept hearing his cries over and over again. I really beat myself up for letting him play with the dog that attacked him. Give yourself some grace in the next couple of months. I took it as an opportunity to really leash train (once off crate rest) to not say hello to every single dog we pass, which helped with my anxiety a lot. And we no longer go to dog parks/play with dogs we do not know.
He was so anxious to play with a friend. I would recommend the first couple of times to be outside with a ball or toy that they can both play with. But i think he will bounce back just fine!!
The biggest challenge of it for us and him was the crate rest. He went a bit stir crazy and i recommend some lick mats and puzzle games to combat the boredom.
I was also nervous about his demeanor towards other dogs, but he was totally unaffected. Of course, results may vary - but dogs are surprisingly resilient. The bigger thing was my mental recovery, and getting comfortable again with him playing with other dogs. I really struggled with this. I had terrible nightmares after it happened and kept hearing his cries over and over again. I really beat myself up for letting him play with the dog that attacked him. Give yourself some grace in the next couple of months. I took it as an opportunity to really leash train (once off crate rest) to not say hello to every single dog we pass, which helped with my anxiety a lot. And we no longer go to dog parks/play with dogs we do not know.
He was so anxious to play with a friend. I would recommend the first couple of times to be outside with a ball or toy that they can both play with. But i think he will bounce back just fine!!
drasticmeasurements
New member
@angelar As someone who had my previous dog get attacked (he became reactive), the best advice I can give you, is to breathe.
Your instincts will tell you to keep your dog safe from anything and everything. You’re gonna want to avoid situations where you don’t feel in control. Don’t. This is as much about you getting back in the saddle as your dog; you can’t control the entire world. You can’t guarantee safety. But you can guarantee quality of life, you can guarantee that if anything happens to your pup, you will get them the help they need, you can guarantee love.
So when you find yourself in that moment of fear, pause and breathe. Refocus. Remember what’s important; you and your dog living your best lives together.
And yes, do get a trainer. You already know you will be your own biggest obstacle and you’re right.
Much love and best of luck to you both. I wish pupper a swift recovery both physically and mentally.
Your instincts will tell you to keep your dog safe from anything and everything. You’re gonna want to avoid situations where you don’t feel in control. Don’t. This is as much about you getting back in the saddle as your dog; you can’t control the entire world. You can’t guarantee safety. But you can guarantee quality of life, you can guarantee that if anything happens to your pup, you will get them the help they need, you can guarantee love.
So when you find yourself in that moment of fear, pause and breathe. Refocus. Remember what’s important; you and your dog living your best lives together.
And yes, do get a trainer. You already know you will be your own biggest obstacle and you’re right.
Much love and best of luck to you both. I wish pupper a swift recovery both physically and mentally.
@angelar I’m so sorry this happened to you and Rudy! I don’t have any other advice for you aside from what’s been shared here…but did I read correctly that you and Tulip’s owner were also bitten? I hope you reported that because that other dog needs to be quarantined and tested for rabies.
I wish Rudy a fast and happy recovery.
I wish Rudy a fast and happy recovery.
@angelar I highly recommend getting in touch with a behavioural consultant, some even do puppy training programs. I recommend this because they not only work with the dogs, but the owners too, and really help to educate you on doggy behaviour and how to meet the needs of your pup.
You can find people on the IAABC website.
They might also be able to provide virtual services or support in the meantime until your little baby heals. They see so much worse day to day, they would definitely be the people to go to if you or your pup need support.
You can find people on the IAABC website.
They might also be able to provide virtual services or support in the meantime until your little baby heals. They see so much worse day to day, they would definitely be the people to go to if you or your pup need support.