sunshine74
New member
Hi all. I’m writing this from the human emergency room after getting my broken/crushed finger bite washed out and splinted (so please excuse typos)
Background: H is a 45lb lab/pointer/who knows mix that we foster failed 6 weeks ago. She is sweet and goofy but extremely timid and has demonstrated some dog reactivity (on and off leash). We have been working diligently and are getting to the point where the dogs she reacts to on walks seem “random” (I know they aren’t but haven’t figured out the pattern for whom she calmly ignores and whom she lunges at). She has had no off leash interactions since her first two snapping events (she was in heat, now recently spayed).
Events: So H and I were on a walk and I spotted a little boy was running after his dog. Dog was unleashed and running across busy streets. I offered to help him at least find the dog (didn’t want dog getting hit by a car). We see the dog and dog is HUGE with no collar/leash (kid said he bolted out of the front door) and he is getting cursed out by another woman so
I slowly approached to see if I could help him. As soon as we got close (6ish ft) his dog turned on H and clamped down on her neck. I tried everything I know (loud noises, poking back of the dog, picking up back legs and “wheelbarrowing” the dog backwards) but nothing worked so instinct kicked in as my poor baby is screaming and yelping and I went to pry his jaws off. It worked but I got bit in the process.
Poor kid witnessed the whole thing. After I broke them up I didn’t want this dog with no collar or leash going back after my dog so I handed the kid my dog’s leash and told him to go across the street while I sat on his dog. Kid’s mom then came down the street, nervously asked me whose blood was on her dog, I told her mine and my dogs, then she looks at the dog and says “they’re going to put you down now”. Took her a minute to get the harness on her dog but as soon as she had him secured I bolted across the street, got H and left.
I raced H to emergency vet and she SOMEHOW escaped without any bite wounds (turns out all
the blood on her was mine). I was not so lucky but think my intervention protected her from worse so I’ll take it.
Question: how do I help her through this? We are still in the settle phase (6 weeks into knowing each other), she has serious separation anxiety we were also working on and now I am sure she doesn’t trust me or my husband (rightfully so ugh). Do I go back to business as usual with controlled exposures or keep her away from other dogs for a while (how long)? Are there ways to help this trauma be short term and not long? Or is it a wait and see game?
Any thoughts would be appreciated. I feel BEYOND guilty for putting my sweet girl in harm’s way and am pretty shaken up and worried about her.
Background: H is a 45lb lab/pointer/who knows mix that we foster failed 6 weeks ago. She is sweet and goofy but extremely timid and has demonstrated some dog reactivity (on and off leash). We have been working diligently and are getting to the point where the dogs she reacts to on walks seem “random” (I know they aren’t but haven’t figured out the pattern for whom she calmly ignores and whom she lunges at). She has had no off leash interactions since her first two snapping events (she was in heat, now recently spayed).
Events: So H and I were on a walk and I spotted a little boy was running after his dog. Dog was unleashed and running across busy streets. I offered to help him at least find the dog (didn’t want dog getting hit by a car). We see the dog and dog is HUGE with no collar/leash (kid said he bolted out of the front door) and he is getting cursed out by another woman so
I slowly approached to see if I could help him. As soon as we got close (6ish ft) his dog turned on H and clamped down on her neck. I tried everything I know (loud noises, poking back of the dog, picking up back legs and “wheelbarrowing” the dog backwards) but nothing worked so instinct kicked in as my poor baby is screaming and yelping and I went to pry his jaws off. It worked but I got bit in the process.
Poor kid witnessed the whole thing. After I broke them up I didn’t want this dog with no collar or leash going back after my dog so I handed the kid my dog’s leash and told him to go across the street while I sat on his dog. Kid’s mom then came down the street, nervously asked me whose blood was on her dog, I told her mine and my dogs, then she looks at the dog and says “they’re going to put you down now”. Took her a minute to get the harness on her dog but as soon as she had him secured I bolted across the street, got H and left.
I raced H to emergency vet and she SOMEHOW escaped without any bite wounds (turns out all
the blood on her was mine). I was not so lucky but think my intervention protected her from worse so I’ll take it.
Question: how do I help her through this? We are still in the settle phase (6 weeks into knowing each other), she has serious separation anxiety we were also working on and now I am sure she doesn’t trust me or my husband (rightfully so ugh). Do I go back to business as usual with controlled exposures or keep her away from other dogs for a while (how long)? Are there ways to help this trauma be short term and not long? Or is it a wait and see game?
Any thoughts would be appreciated. I feel BEYOND guilty for putting my sweet girl in harm’s way and am pretty shaken up and worried about her.