Attacked by a Chow

[Maria & Sammy]

Yesterday's normally great visit to the Paw Park in Sanford turned terrifying when without warning Sam was attacked by a Chow. I have never been so scared in my life. It took 3 men to remove the Chow from Sam. Sam was left bleeding, in shock, unable to hold his bowels and unable to stand.

The Chow's owner refused to leave the park. Not knowing what else to do I called the police. Fortunately too many other dog owners saw the incident and could back me up when the Chow owner claimed my dog the offender, despite the fact that her dog had no wounds.

What now? I took Sam for treatment at the emergency and he is calm but very, very upset by the event. Usually he is so happy but right now not himself at all. Should I contact animal control services and make a report? How do I help Sam recover his confidence?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Maria, I am so sorry this happened to Sam; I hope he will recover quickly and not have any lasting trauma over the incident.
(And I hope you will pursue some kind of penalty against the irresponsible chow owner; at the very least, she should have to compensate you for your vet bills.Most areas have a "three strikes" law, so it is important that this incident be recorded.)
I know that your concern is not over the expenses, but over Sam and how this will affect him in future encounters with other dogs. I don't know the answer to that, I have not had this terrible experience, hopefully some more knowledgable people will chime in with some advice on how to help Sam regain his confidence.
I am so sorry this happened. Hugs to Sam and you.

[Maria & Sammy]

Thank you so much Karen for your kind words. I just spoke with animal control services. Thank God I got the police to do an incident report. With that report, which includes witness names, and with my vet report, I will be able to file a complaint tomorrow. Then animal control will go visit the Chow's owner and issue a citation and I will pursue expenses. Mostly I want that animal banded from the park.

Thanks to you both.

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

Oh my goodness, how terrifying for you and your boy! Seeing as I live in the same county as you and likely frequent many of the same parks I am grateful to you for your complaint to the proper authorities. I am deeply sorry that you and Sam had this experience and hope this does not taint future outings that were previously of great pleasure. While our local group has not met since Nov. you can post anytime there to see if any dood owners are up for a park date. I have not been able to participate because we have puppies right now and it is too risky for us to be out at the parks before their first shots. We do hope to meet up with you at one soon though. Please let us know how this turns out. Does the owner have proof that the dog is current in its shots? And will Animal Control do any follow up with you?

[Maria & Sammy]

Hi Dianne. Good thing I got the Sanford PD out to the park. After first refusing to leave the park, my call to 911 got them running for their car but I got the plate number and they decided to stay. The officer got all their info and the dog did not have a license tag. This morning I called animal control, which surprisingly was answered by a real person. Tomorrow an office will stop by the house to take the report. Sam has 2 large puncture wounds on his back and I have the report from the emergency vet in Casselberry. He's very quite today, watching Dog Whisperer and not wanting to go out side. I'll keep you posted. Thanks.

[Holly Paterniti]

Oh Maria, I am so sorry to hear about Sam...........that is awful. I would definitely contact the local animal control services and if at all possible (which I am sure you can) file charges against that owner of the Chow. Obviously, the Chow should have NEVER been at the park. Do you have the names of the other owners so you can have them back you up for the charges? I would definitely go after the owner because they owner should pay for all medical treatment Sam has had and will have (if he needs further treatment).

I have heard some dogs should not be at the Dog Parks, but owners do not pay attention to this. My husband has taken Bear to the local dog park here too, but I told him after several Doodle owners have stated on here about the negative side to Dog Parks, I no longer want him to go. Not because of Bear, but rather for the other dogs you never know about. I hope I did not make you feel guilty because that was not my intentions.............you know the Dog Park by you and as far as I can tell you have NEVER had an issue like this before.

I am truly sorry for the situation with Sam. But I would definitely look into pressing charges for what happened to Sam. Again, I am so sorry........please keep us updated on Sam's condition both physically and emotionally. I am sorry I do not have any advice for helping him emotionally.

[Maria & Sammy]

Thanks Holly. Fortunately since I got the police to do an incident report I do have witness names. Tomorrow I am filing a report with the local animal services. If nothing else I want that animal banded from the park.

This park has always been a favorite for Sam. You know how much Doodles love other dogs and never before have we had any issues playing there. Incidentally, the other witness told police the dog had acted very aggressively from the moment they entered the park. We were there only 15 minutes before the attack.

Sam has not wanted to go outside today. He's curled up on the couch not doing much. Tomorrow we're going back to the vet.

Thanks for your concern and kind words.

[Leslie and Halas]

Oh, no! Poor Sam! I hope he makes a speedy recovery. About 15 years ago, my husky and I were attacked by a Rottweiler while we were on a walk. It was very scary. My dog fully recovered, but after that experience, if he ever saw a Rottweiler at Petsmart or somewhere like that, he would turn and go the other way. So he definitely remembered. But he was still always very friendly and playful around other dogs, so hopefully Sam will be the same way in time. Maybe, when the time is right, get him around a dog that he knows really well and that you know to be friendly, and he can have a play date that you know will go well. That's about the only thing I can think of.

I would definitely report it. Like others have said, it's important to get it on record in case something like that happens again. If you hear others talking about the dog park, let them know what happened. A little peer pressure might make the Chow owner go away. We called animal control about the Rottie, because he was out running loose. And they knew the Rottie, because he already had a pretty bad reputation. So, you never know, animal control might already have some info on this Chow, and they need to know that he attacked.

Again, good luck with Sam. I'm sure his personality will bounce back soon.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Maria...I am so sorry to hear about Sam and hope that he recovers quickly...It must have been frightening to say the least for both Sam and you!.....Unfortunately this is one of the negative aspects of dog parks....I had a similar situation myself with Blake and a Pit mix about a month or so ago.....The puncture wounds from a dog bite can be dangerous so thank goodness you took Sam to the emergency vet and he is ok.....Regarding his confidence, it has been my experience that the best thing to do is to "arrange" a dog park "playdate" with other dogs that Sam is friendly and familiar with and take him back there immediately......This way he will be left with a pleasant, fun and positive experience and will associate that with the park as opposed to the attack experience.....This is how I addressed my situation with Blake and it seems to have worked......

The Pit mix and his owner have since been banned from the dog park by the park comission and the park conservancy committee as Blake was not the first dog that was attacked by this dog but I had to actually make an appearence at the monthly meeting and bring witnesses in order to stress the importance of the decision....( I am now on the board as a result...lol)...So it may be worth it to find out if there is such a committee associated with your dog park and find out when and where these meetings are held and attend....They are generally open to the public and attendance is encouraged.......There is now a very large sign outside of my local dog park that states that "aggressive" dogs will not be tolerated and irresponsible dog owners will be held accountable.....

[Maria & Sammy]

Jacquie, those are excellent suggestions. Yeah, I believe a positive experience is very much in order to help his confidence. I will investigate the park committee because there must be some similar organization for this park. The city takes great pride in this park and its ranking nationally so that is a great idea.

There are several large signs warning owners of aggressive dogs so I hope they'll not want to tolerate this behavior or owner.

Thanks so much.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

You are so welcome Maria!...Please keep us posted!.....Go get yourself on that Board girl!.....By the way how is Sam doing?

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Maria, I am so sorry that you had to go through this and that Sam had to, also. I hope that the experience will not cause him to be fearful of other dogs. I agree with the other's that the incident should be reported. Especially if the owners refuse to control their dog, once, they will most likely let it happen again.

I have a rule I follow at my local dog park: I go in with my dogs ONLY if there are less than 10 other dogs in there. My three make 13 and that is enough of a large pack mentality. I also will stand outside for a few minutes and watch to see if there are any agressive dogs as others go in. I have seen fights or "incidents" at my park when there are many dogs together in one place. I go at off hours and I don't stay longer then 1 hour.

If Sam enjoys the park why should he not be able to go because of stupid people? You know what they look like, watch for them and leave if they are there or come. I think letting Sam be there without that mean dog will help him get over it faster. He will be fearful at first, but when he realizes that bad dog is not there he will relax. Letting them experience what they fear most helps them get over it.

My Ginger is deathly afraid of strange men, but the more she is around them, over time she has gotten better and now even lets men within a foot of her. I always ask they not approach her and now she will go to them after awhile. If you don't give them the chance to get over it they never will. Hugs and kisses to you and Sam.

[Adina P]

I'm so sorry! What a jerk of an owner that Chow guy was! To not even take responsibility...ugh.

I have no real knowledge on how to help Sam. But my suggestion is start giving him some things to focus on that he is GOOD at or can become good at to increase his confidence. Brush up his obedience or do some tricks.