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?

[Marianne *OZZY & ZOEY]

Maria so sorry to hear what happened to you I am glad you filed a police report because all dog attacks should be reported and hopefully this dog will not be allowed back to the dog park....It is such a shame when dog owner can not be responsible. I hope Sam is doing better and the only advise I can give you is that he can feed off of your emotions so if you try and stay calm it will help him as well....I know easier said then done. Keep everyone posted on Sam

[Maya]

That is TERRIBLE! The dog attack was bad enough, but what makes it even worse, is that woman! To refuse to leave the park, and also to try to persuade the police officer that YOUR dog was the attacker... Just when you think you've seen it all...

I hope your doggie recovers quickly - and I am not talking just about the physical wounds.

Also, I hope that heartless, irresponsible woman pays through her teeth! People like that make me SO MAD!

Take care, I'll keep you in my thoughts!

[Tamara & Giada]

I don't have anything really to add.......it sounds like you have gotten good suggestions!! I feel so bad Sam had to endure such a terrifing experience, and how scarey for you. Hope he feels better soon:)

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

oh that's so sad - I hope Sam can forget about this. I would try to get Sam together with some other dogs you know (maybe other doodles) who are non-aggressive and let them play to see how he acts. I would try to go back to the park in the not too distant future and try to not be nervous (I think they pick up on our signals). Try to go during off times so there aren't a million dogs there. Good luck.

[20xlhzzaoccks]

I am so sorry to hear about Sam. I have been to this park before and it makes me so angry when dog owners bring in dogs to parks that act aggressively. I can't believe she refused to leave. I'm glad you were able to contact animal control and the police. It sounds like they were both pretty responsive. Steve was attacked by a larger dog in our neigborhood 2 summers ago. He was left with a pretty large hole in his belly. It took a long time to heal. We tried to get him around friendly dogs as soon as possible so he would know that not all dogs are bad. To this day he barks and growls every time he sees this dog when we are out for a walk and does not do this to any other dogs so he remembers for sure. We did not report this incident since it was a neighbor. They ended up paying half of our vet bills. Not great but better than nothing. This September Steve and I were attacked unprovoked by a neighborhood cat. I was the one that ended up with two large puncture wounds in my leg. Steve was attacked but his skin was not broken. We reported this to animal control and I ended up being supoened to court because the lady refused to pay the citation. The judge found her guilty and made her pay me medical costs and made her take a responsible pet ownership class. We both had a little PTSD after that incidence and jumped sky high at the first cat we saw after that. Things are slowly getting better. For the most part now Steve is fine around most other dogs and doesn't seem traumatized. I think sticking to the normal routine as much as possible after Sam heals and lots of love and play dates with friendly dogs will help.

[Cam & Oski]

Poor Sam! Oski had a different experience where he was wrestling with a strange dog at the park--it was just us & the owner. Both of our dogs were well socialized & we were keeping a close eye on how they were playing. Suddenly they started barking & biting at eat other & we separated them quickly--the other dog had a small bite on his ear with a little bleeding. Oski looked OK at first but when we brought him home we saw that he had 2 abrasions on his sides but no punctures. The next time I took him to the park (we go daily) he was playing with one of his friends, a very gentle Newfie came by that we didn't know & Oski started barking at him & pinned him to the ground. Basically every time another strange dog approached him he would do this which is very unusual for him because he's very friendly & usually will let a dog hump him or bark at him for a while before he makes them stop. Basically I think he had PTSD from the first incident. I made sure that he played only with his friends, stopped him whenever he looked like he was getting scared or aggressive for a time-out & within a week he was back to normal. We even ran into the other dog the other day & Oski wanted to play with him.

There was another incident where a pit-mix & a hound dog got into a fight--they were both egging each other on & the owners weren't really keep track of them. Anyway, the pit clamped down on the hound dog's ear & wouldn't let go. One of the guys at the park taught everyone this trick that works with pits. While the owner or someone else is holding them by the collar, someone else lifts both hind legs & they open their mouths, apparently it's a reflex.

So, after all the above blathering, I agree that you should try to set up a playdate with dogs that he knows/plays with well--I'd try to do it at an off time at that dog park so there's less likelihood of a dog Sam doesn't know wandering in & making him scared. Then, hopefully, he'll feel safe at the park again.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I am so sorry Maria that you and Sam had to go thru such an unnecessary and scary incident. And the thoughtlessness and stupidity of the other owner is unacceptable and I hope that she is banned from the dog park - should be all state dog parks. If she cannot control her dog, she has no business allowing him off leash where he can hurt another dog.

When we go to the the park I have 2 rules for myself:
1. I follow her like a shadow. I give her room to play but I am always, always, always paying close attention.
2. I don't allow Samantha to be the 3rd in any group - whether she attempts to become the 3rd or she is playing and another dog becomes the 3rd I take Samantha away. I believe that 3 dogs playing will never end nicely (in the dog park or if they are not 3 Doodles) 3 Doodles playing together never seem to be a problem.

I agree that you need to get him back to the dog park and leave on a positive note. Bring lots of treats and everytime he leaves you and goes to play, treat, treat, treat!

I also agree in filing charges on the Chow's Mom. Mom is a danger!! If someone cannot control their dog, they have no business being in public and should be paying for your vet bills and be banned for life from dog parks.

[Danielle]

I am so sorry to hear about your dog! I hope he feels better soon! :)

I have never had anything as serious as your situation happen but once when we were at the dog beach there was a shepherd mix that went after Koda and scared Koda so much he came running up to me to pick him up (he was still a puppy - about 6 months). After that Koda has always been weary around new dogs. The owner of the other dog knew he had an aggressive dog and didn't care. It was an off leash park and he had his dog off leash even knowing his dog was going after other dogs. It is laziness if you ask me. Some people shouldn't be allowed to have dogs.

The only advice I can give you is to make sure you continue to socialize your dog when he is feeling better. I made the mistake of allowing Koda to stay away from other dogs being that he was so scared and now he is a little dog aggressive himself sometimes.

[2hl9mp3c2fuam]

Oh that is terrible. I have never visited dog parks so am unaware how this works, but the Chow's owner doesn't sound like they have any business being there!! How terrible.

I hope they own up to what has happened!!

Good luck and I hope Same is better soon!!

[Belinda Stevens]

Maria I am so sorry this happened to you and Sam. I truly hope he recovers with no lasting emotional scars. I can just imagine how scary that must have been. I wish I had words of advise as to how to deal with such a traumatizing event but I have never had to deal with such a thing. It is just a down right shame that the Chows owner was not more responsible. So so sorry!

[Melissa]

Hope Sam is okay.
This happens alot at our dog park, but some of the dogs are not controlled by the owners and this is the problem. I always tell Max to go play with the friendly dogs, and he listens crazy I know, but I'm still scarred of that one dog that just snaps.

[Janie]

Poor Sam...I hope he gets over this very soon . I am glad you are going to hold the owners responsible. I believe the dog should be banned from the park,as you do.Please,keep us updated.