I was just bitten at the dog park . . .

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Nothing major - I just washed it and put first aid ointment on it.  The dog that bit me (of three Puggles - I'm not sure which one) is up to date on shots so I'm not worried.  It was so strange - I've always heard that you should never jump into the middle of a dog fight but when that dog(s) went after my baby - I never took time to even think.  I ran about 15 feet and literally took a flying tackle onto Stuart and kept right on rolling taking all 70 lbs of him with me and out of harms way.  During the leap and roll one of the Puggles chomped into my thigh.  In an ironic twist I didn't have on my usual outfit - a tennis or golf skirt - I actually had on running tights to below my knee - saved me from a worse injury, plus cellulite is hard to puncture.  I've never trusted those Puggles and now know that my gut instinct was correct.  One of them attacked Stuart over a ball and the rest jumped in.  The owners feel bad but nobody actually saw it get started so they aren't going to accept any real blame, and all I know is that Stuart is so gentle and unassertive but when attacked he went into defense mode to protect himself, a real 1st.  It WAS a stupid move on my part but without thinking I was willing to do whatever it took to protect him just on instinct.  I think tomorrow that I'm going to be sore from head to toe.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Sophie has started to defend herself too. when a dog is bothering her, she does the air snap and chases it away. I call her over to me to get her away from the dog, but I wisper "that's my girl" in her ear. I'm proud of her. She used to be so submissive and would run under the picnic table or between my legs whenever a dog was bothering her.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna still comes over and sits on our feet if she's scared (or another person's feet if they're closer).  The only problem with this is if she sits at the feet of the aggressive dog's owner, then it can escalate their response.  This is when I usually have to step in and put myself between Luna and the other person so she comes and sits by me. 

Hopefully doing this won't get me bitten, but I have to protect my baby Luna!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Glad that both you and Stuart are ok.  I know they always tell you not to try to break up a dog fight, but when your dog is involved any logical thinking is just gone.  My 2 get into it from time to time and each time I am right there trying to break it up (I really need to learn).  I had to smile though at the mental image of you flying through the air and rolling away with Stuart.  :)

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

I am sooooo glad you are ok! It is amazing what one will do when protection mode kicks in. 

I would warn you to be really careful of the bite even though the psycho    puggle had it's shots.  My younger daughter got bit and she did end up needing antibiotics.  The doctor said that a bite of any kind is completely different than a regular cut.  With the weekend coming you might want to have it checked out just in case.  I was really careful cleaning Kelsey's to.   My husband has been bit by dogs five times and by people four times (that broke the skin), he needed antibiotics for ALL of them from infection.  The people didn't have their shots :-)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Jane, I hope your night was okay and this wasn't too painful.  If you want I can ship "Big Murph" down for a quick visit, and he'll take care of those Puggles for you.  He'll scare them straight, believe me.  LOL  Seriously though, It may not be a great idea to allow balls or toys in the dog park.  I know they are not allowed at our Daycare because the owner feels it often causes dogs to become territorial, even if they don't normally "guard" at home.  When you put excited dogs together with a valued resource it can cause problems.  I hope today is a better day....and I hope you had this checked out at the clinic.

[Pam & Trixie]

Wow, Im so glad you tow are all right.  I hope you arent too sore this am.  I would check Stuart over good.  Bites can be easily missed.

 

Christine I am going to look into that Dazor- I have never heard of it

[Margaret & Pebbles]

I'm trying to picture what your saying, because I never heard of doing this.  If you have a 70 pound dog, you better be very strong to even try to hold on to the back legs.  Plus, wouldn't the dog be able to bite you in the face because your bent over trying to hold his legs?  Sorry, I don't think I'd try this!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think most of us would have a very hard time trying to get ahold of the back legs of a big dog who is in very agitated movement. If there are only two dogs, that's 8 moving legs right there; in this case there were four dogs in the fight, so 16 legs flying all over the place, heads and bodies thrashing, rolling on the ground, jaws snapping at legs, etc. This idea sounds good in theory but not very practical. I'm glad it worked for you, but I wouldn't try it.

I've also seen a few fights between pet dogs in my life, and never have the dogs come close to killing each other. Worst case is usually a bite or two. These are labradoodles and puggles, not pitbulls.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

I agree Karen. It happens so fast and to try to get someone else to pull the other dogs legs would be a hard feat. People aren't thinking clearly. And what seems like forever is truly only a matter of seconds. Izzy was attacked by a Sharpei who DO have jaws of steel, not a puggle. I want to have something that will startle them to release...something loud and ear piercing might work.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Or a big stick, lol.

Throwing something at them works sometimes, too.

[Donna K & Quincy]

I vote for throwing the owner at the offender.

[Carol and Banjo]

LOL....I'll second that motion.