Willow was attacked tonight and was quite shaken :-(

[Jenn]

Oh no! A similar thing happened to us. We were doing some lead training by the canal, when another dog off the lead just went for my puppy. I was hysterical, as the other owner did know his dog was unsafe with other dogs. My puppy seemed fine, but I was glad that I took him to the vet as he needed antibiotics and painkillers, a week later it emerged that he had a broken jaw  I was devastated at the time, and I had to be brave and ensure he still socialised with other dogs. Luckily I have a very resilient and confident boy and there seems to be no after effects.
 After some detective work I did send the dog warden round but  unfortunately, although the warden gave a warning, they could not do anything as 'it had not attacked a human'. The warden recommended that I get a solicitor to get the vets fees back, and sue for damages to 'my property'.
Having said all of that I would 1.give everyone a big hug 2. get a check up at the vets as any small bite however small can lead to infection 3. Report the the warden as it may have happened before, or may happen again in the future, and this dog needs to be on record. I also reported it to the police, although again, there seemed to be nothing they could do! 4. Ensure you socialise Willow as much as you can.

Big big hugs to you all 
Big hugs to you all

[Archie bean]

Oh my word, I'm so sorry you have had this happen.  I hope Willow, you and your OH are feeling better today. I think I would go round to your neighbour and explain what happened and ask them to tell their friend never to let their dog out offlead when it is visiting. Tell them that you don't want to report it this time but that if it were to attack someone else (a child) then things may not end well for the dog. They and their friends need to be made aware of the seriousness of the situation. If you remain calm and objective then things should be fine. If you prefer not to have any confrontation then I would call the dog warden.
xx

[maddy74]

Hi All,

Thank you so much for your comments of support. It means a lot  

Willow seems fine this morning her usual crazy self but we have yet to meet another dog   She was fine as we went into the front garden this morning too so thats good as she was wary last night  

OH is still in agony with his foot and he cant walk without the aid of two sticks. He wont go to the hospital so guessing its a waiting game.  

I know the neighbours friends dog is aggressive as its always snarls and they always apologise saying he doesnt get on with other dogs. He is a rescue dog,  JRT they do not know if he was ill treated in the past and they have had a behaviourist in and nothing has worked. He comes over every friday evening and we are always on edge and if we are out the front and they are on the way my neighbour comes out to warn me or tells me if they are coming on a different day. Tbh its really worried me in the past when I have gone out on a friday and ive called OH in a panic reminding him that Jake will be here. The other week I was annoyed as when they came down the path he was on a lead and Willow in OUR garden he was showing his teeth then trying to get to Willow we had to shut our gate )but its OUR  home, so I was quite annoyed).  

I did speak to the neighbour last night will add info in a min.....

[blueroangirl]

So sorry to hear about this frightening attack on poor Willow. Hope she is ok and that you are too.

[Archie bean]

Glad Willow is OK thismorning. I think your OH needs to get his ankle looked at and X-rayed just in case. I had a really nasty ankle sprain that I didn't do anything about for a couple of days and eventually my mum dragged me to A+E. Nothing was broken but the nurse strapped it up really tightly and the relief was instant. It just felt so much better and I was able to walk on it too.

[maddy74]

I went round to my neighbours after her friends had left with their nasty dog last night and aplogised for swearing but added it was not on that Jake(their friends JRT) had attacked Willow. She said he friend was upset and worried and was sorry as they had not closed the door behind them so that is why he got out. I then said I am very unnerved even when he is on the lead due the his nature. She said she understands. I said to her we often have children round and what if next time he went for a childs face. She said he likes and gets on with humans and more so children. I said with a dog like that I would not take the chance.

She said her friend had said to her last night after the attack she was thinking of having him pts I think she was waiting for my reaction. I said to her it might sound harsh but it might be for the best. Although she has said this to me in the past so I am not convinced she is really thinking about it. I explored his behaviour further and it seems she cannot allow him near any other dog and has to walk him on a very short lead either early in the morning or last thing at night to avoid other dogs!!!!

I said in future we need to put something in place and my OH suggested a muzzle, I left that thought with her.

The other week my friend was due with her cavvy pup and they were here and I couldnt get hold of her initially to tell her to make sure she carries him and and quickly. We shouldnt have to live like that. 

I dont have a lot of faith in dog wardens tbh as my mums dog was attacked by two dogs (twice) and on the second occasion and she got injured trying to save her dog and she was on chemotherapy at the time so even though the injury was minor in the grand scheme of things, it was serious for my mum as she had no immunity. They did nothing but have a chat with the owner. 

I might go and see my neighbour again as I am not sure I want the dog around here but guess she has rights too so there where it becomes difficult. Even if the dog was muzzled its still un-nerving and especiallly for Willow.......

[Lily Freya]

Well at least they know exactly how you feel Maddy.

If you do go to talk again, you can say you will do nothing this time, but if the dog comes again you will get the police or wardens involved.  It sounds like your neighbour is upset enough to do something about it.  I really hope so.

Big hugs to you all. Xxx

[Patp]

Might seem a bit strange, but why not take a bottle of wine/chocolates/beer round to your neighbour to keep the peace?  They might be a bit more reasonable in working with you to set down rules that suit all concerned for when their friend visits.  I would work along the lines of it preventing anything happening in the future that may lead to having the dog pts.

Just my suggestion.

Good luck and I hope you are all okay today 

[Helen]

Oh no!  Hope she's ok, and your OH too - if you have any arnica tablets I would be feeding them to both Willow and your OH to help with the bruising 

FWIW I think Willow got away very lightly thank goodness    Have you taken her to the vet to be checked over?

I know you're incredibly upset and rightly so but recommending a dog aggressive dog be PTS is very strong.  There is no evidence this dog would attack a child or person because it is dog aggressive - that's a pretty sweeping and harsh comment to make.  Most injuries to humans from dogs occur when dogs are being separated from fighting not from dog the attacking them.  If I were in the owners position I would try to seek the help of a behaviourist first  and yes, definitely have it muzzled.  A lot of dogs are more aggressive on the lead as they feel trapped and can't escape a confrontation so this is likely making him worse.  I would also suggest they talk to a Jack Russell rescue (http://www.terrierrescue.co.uk/ is one they could try) as I'm sure they would have experience of dogs like this and may have JRT owners that could take on and manage a dog like this. 

Condemning a dog to death is not something I would want on my conscience unless all other avenues are tried first      

[Sarah.H]

Oh no!  Hope she's ok, and your OH too - if you have any arnica tablets I would be feeding them to both Willow and your OH to help with the bruising 

FWIW I think Willow got away very lightly thank goodness    Have you taken her to the vet to be checked over?

I know you're incredibly upset and rightly so but recommending a dog aggressive dog be PTS is very strong.  There is no evidence this dog would attack a child or person because it is dog aggressive - that's a pretty sweeping and harsh comment to make.  Most injuries to humans from dogs occur when dogs are being separated from fighting not from dog the attacking them.  If I were in the owners position I would try to seek the help of a behaviourist first  and yes, definitely have it muzzled.  A lot of dogs are more aggressive on the lead as they feel trapped and can't escape a confrontation so this is likely making him worse.  I would also suggest they talk to a Jack Russell rescue (http://www.terrierrescue.co.uk/ is one they could try) as I'm sure they would have experience of dogs like this and may have JRT owners that could take on and manage a dog like this. 

Condemning a dog to death is not something I would want on my conscience unless all other avenues are tried first      

Agree with this. If the owners are already walking at unusual times to avoid other dogs then they may be open to suggestions, they would probably find using a muzzle helpful as other dog owners would be more likely to keep their dogs away when he is on the lead.

[maddy74]

As mentoined earlier in the thread they have had a behaviourist and have done for the last year or so its made no difference he actually seems worse. My oh was doing the front garden the other week and he ran snapping a and snarling at him lucky he was on the lead and caught in time. Oh said it really frightened him and it takes a lot to worry him. If it was a one off i might be more understanding but i go into panic mode most fridays when i know he is coming and it not good.

[ejp]

Poor Willow and poor OH.  Glad Willow seems to be okay, and I hope OH's foot is alright too, shame he won't go to the hospital to have it checked over. 
Difficult situation Maddy.  Obviously they are aware there is a problem, and have tried to do something.  A muzzle is a good idea, it might be the only safe option.  The next person who gets attacked may not be so understanding.

[Wenco18]

Just seen this Maddy  poor Willow and Darren 

What I don't understand is why if the dog is just visiting, is why they need to bring it at all? It seems to me that they must be making it worse putting it in the situation where there are going to be dogs around?

I would be very nervous and upset in your shoes 

[maddy74]

Thanks ejp and Wendy.

Wendy they "can't" leave him at home but I have never gone into the reasons why they never leave him alone. My neighbour said this to us the other week when he came over for the whole day on a weekend.

[Jessie_Pup]

Glad that Willow is okay this morning and was not badly injured last night. It must have been a terrifying experience, and none of us know how we will react when our dog is in danger.  Hope OH has no damage to his foot, might be worth a doctor just having a look at it on Monday.

Sending Willow and you both    To be on tenderhooks and worried about a dog arriving every week must be awful.

Erica.