Chewie got bit in the face

[Kimmy & Chewie]

Chewie got bit in the face by a labrador who was off-leash today :(

It happened at our weekly Obedience class. The labrador (name Tara) belonged to a former student of the class and the owner brings her here pretty regularly and she's always off-leash. I've seen both of them a few times before. Chewie even played with Tara 5 minutes before the incident.

5 minutes before class started, I decided to take Chewie for a "warm up". He was heeling nicely when we walked pass Tara (off-leash, owner no where in sight). Being the friendly dog that he is, Chewie took a few steps to greet Tara (tails wagging), but Tara reply with an attack. It happened so fast, there was a lot of noise...Tara's growling and Chewie's crying/yelping and backing away. Seconds later, Chewie was on his back and Tara was on top of him. Chewie doesn't bite back, only kicking all four paws trying to get out of the jam. I yelled and Tara finally back off.

I checked Chewie and found a big puncture under his eye :( I rushed him to the vet immediately.

Tara's owner found me as I was carrying Chewie onto the car. She's actually a really nice old lady and offered to pay the vet bills. I don't remember my response to her as my focus was on poor Chewie.

The first vet we saw cleaned the wound to assess the damage. She said the it require stitches as the bite is quite deep (2 cm). And because it's so close to his eye, he will need to be sedated under general aneasthetic as they cannot afford him to twitch at all while they stitch.

I felt terrible!! The 2 good things were 1) it missed his eye and 2) Chewie's still in good spirits (must be a doodle thing!)

He happily played fetch while we wait an hour for the operating room and for the surgoen to arrive.

I was told to come back in 3 hours (1 hour to under and 2 hours to wake up)....I was a nervous wreck!!

Here's what my poor Chewie looks like now :( Was quite shocked at how much hair they had to shave off.

He needs to be in the 'cone of shame' all the time and keeps bumping into things. Also need 4 different drugs to take for the pain, swelling and prevent infection.

The final bill was around US$400 and I yes, I do plan to get Tara's owner to pay for it!!

 

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

How scary for both of you:( I think all doodles are pretty special but Chewie deserves extra, extra credit for what he has had to go through.  I hope that the wound heals up quickly and that he will not have any memory of what happened.  I know it's hard but it is so important to remain calm......this is coming from a nervous Nell - who has to work very hard to keep her emotions in check when dealing with hurt or sick animals, and children and husbands....lol.  I know it must have been a shock to see how much they had to shave him. Chewy is a beauty, even now and I know the hair will grow back. Take care and Jake and my foster girl Maggie are sending him doodle hugs!

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

Hugs to poor baby Chewie...and momma too!!

[Joan, Louie and Mila]

So sorry you and Chewie went thru this. Glad her eye is ok but I agree that off leash dogs should not be in the area during training class.

I had to laugh that your sweet Chewie was still in good spirits! These doodles are just full of joy no matter what!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

So sorry about Chewie getting hurt but I'm relieved to see that it missed his eye. That would have been horrible!  As others have pointed out it was a very preventable injury if Tara's owner had been responsible with her dog. Give Chewie a big hug from me and Tara (no relation!)

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I an truly sorry you both went through this! Thrilled that his eye is safe!
Karen is so right - you must speak to the management! I am sure they have rules about off leash dogs but someone wasn't doing their job. Tara was lucky that Chewie backed down and did not go after Tara the way another dog might have.
Tell Chewie it is not the cone of shame it is a badge of honor.he did the right thing by not retaliating!
Hope he heals fast for both your sakes.

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

Wow.  I would have been very upset!  So sorry Chewie had to experience all of this.  The Lab owner needs to keep her dog on a leash at all times, and write you a generous check..one that covers the Vet bill, the cone, medications and any follow up visits.  So glad Chewie's eye was not hurt.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

oh gosh how aweful. Lucky that it missed his eye! I hope taras owner really does pay! She should not have left her dog unattended.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Poor Chewie, I am so sorry this happened to him. I hope he heals quickly and has no lasting traumas from this incident.

I know your focus is on caring for Chewie right now, as it should be, but I hope you will address this with the trainer AND the management of the facility that holds the classes. Training classes should be a safe place, and there should not be dogs there who are not class members and are not in the control of their owners.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Oh no!!! Poor Chewie and poor you! This is so awful and scary! How horrible for both of you. Hoping to hear that he is healing well. Please update us along the way of his recovery.

[Pat and Traveler]

Poor baby!  Wonder whatever triggered that lab.  Glad the owner is paying for the vet.  Hope Chewie recovers with no ill effects.