I took my little deaf mutt with me when I walked down to visit with my neighbors. Their daughter and son-in-law and dog were visiting. I’d met and patted their dog before, so I wasn’t anticipating any trouble. The two dogs did their butt-sniffing routine and I stayed at the edge of the yard, my dog on his 4’ leash. The other dog wandered off into the yard.
I turned to leave, my dog was a behind me. And then he was a chew toy for the larger dog. All I can think of is that my dog, being deaf, was startled by the other dog coming up behind him and that was perceived as an aggressive move by the other dog.
So now I have my sweet pooch zonked on painkillers and antibiotics because of puncture wounds, and I feel like the worst doggie mom in the world.
Please don’t beat yourself up. Shit happens. What you think happened is very likely, that your deaf dog was startled and reacted.
What you need to do now is give your “sweet pooch” lots of love and when he’s better introduce him carefully to other dogs again, because he WILL be spooked now.
Thank you. He’s doing better. One puncture wound has healed. The other is responding to antibiotics. There may be a third forming or it may just be swelling. He’s still very careful when he moves. He’s eating, yay.
We’re both spooked, so our first venture outside the yard will be a bit tense. My previous dog was nearly killed by a loose dog, and the memory of that moment comes back whenever we encounter an unleashed dog.
My dog was quite spooked for a while after she was attacked. It really helped her if I showed her that I wasn’t scared and that I would protect her. For her, her lead was her safety, so she would sometimes just run to my side and put her own head through the lead. I would give her a little pat and tell her it was ok. So I hope that, even though you might be a little spooked yourself, you can still project “superhero” to your dog!
Don’t be hard on yourself - you are a responsible owner who had something shitty happen to them. Learn from a mistake is all - for now on have the dog beside/ in front of you so it is not as easily spooked.
Give him a few good pets for me. I think the hardest thing for me in that situation would be knowing my soothing words were lost on him. Treats are in order, and lots and lots of petting.
That is the hardest thing, his deafness. I didn’t know he was deaf when I adopted him. I’ll be introducing him to a Halti-Lead once he’s completely recovered. I stand a better chance to protect him if I can get him to look at me. I’ve read about vibrating collars, but am not ready to commit to one just yet.
And yes, lots of virtual treats and pats from his extended family of Dopers.
Belly rubs and treats and goofy faces while rubbing his neck with two hand to your mutt.
Was there no one else there who saw what actually happened? Did the larger dog belonged to the daughter and son-in-law? Were they outside when it happened?
I don’t see how you hold any blame for what happened, short of putting your pup in a dog-sized mouse-ball I don’t know what else you could have done.
Everybody was busy doing DIY stuff at various spots in the yard, so nobody noticed anything until the yelping began.
When my Scottie was attacked by a Husky mix, she had 30+ staples across her face and many more completely encircling her neck.:eek: So, against a Rottie, this little guy really lucked out.
Dog in a Mouse Ball - makes me wish I were a cartoonist.
I haven’t forgotten the photo rule. Have to figure out how.
My wife ran over her dog. Messed him up pretty good, but he’s mostly all better now. Can’t jump anymore for shit, but was never much of a jumper to start with.
