Posted on 07/03/2006 7:10:02 PM PDT by GVnana
My sweet little cocker spaniel dog was nearly killed by two pitbulls who jumped a fence to get to her. She crossed a nearby driveway and they got her.
By the time my neighbors got the dogs off, (within seconds) the pits had grounded my dog, tore out her left eye, dislocated her left leg, and left ten gaping wounds in her body. She couldn't move or even howl in pain. That's how I found her.
My dog weighs 40 pounds. She's large for her breed. She's AKC registered and pedigreed. She was a very beautiful dog.
This happened 10 days ago and I'm still stunned at the viciousness of the attack. I don't know if a human child would have survived what those animals did.
I have since learned that homeowner's insurance will not cover pitbulls.
I'm posting this as a warning and also as an invitation to comment.
The real challenge now is keeping her confined and not allowing her to get excited so that the leg will heal. No running, no climbing stairs, no getting tangled in furniture or anything else that might stress and strain the leg. I'm lucky my boss allows me to take her to work with me, but this could go on for a few more weeks, plus I have to pack her into and out of the car!
I have found that toys (no pull-type toys) and lots of rawhide bones, and new snacks help keep her entertained. Still, if anything like this ever happens to your dog, be prepared to live a very quiet life for a while.
The wounds are healing remarkably well. She's had very good veterinary care. Big doses of antibiotics, pain medication and anti-inflamatory drugs. The vet also had me wash her wounds everyday with warm soapy water and rinse them well. This seems to have done the trick. The wounds are clean and scabbing over and she has no signs of infection!
The eyesight is another matter, but that chapter isn't closed yet.
Cities really are a lousy place for a lot of dogs. It's so sad. I have a kooky vegan big-city-bred acquaintance who lives on a quarter square acre in a San Fernando Valley neighborhood made up of tract homes from the 1950s. She's had a series of poor damned labradors and retreivers over the past 25 years that have lived most of their sad lives in that tiny quarter acre. Worse, and this is criminal in my opinion, she makes those poor dogs be vegetarians to the best of her ability. With visitors, they will jump on your lap, lick your feet and your hands and try to lick your face, snif intently in embarassing areas of your body, and generally make pests of themselves with forceful abandon. I hope she never switches from labs to pit bulls.
Inside the house, she has owned any number of large and exotic snakes, who live their lives in closet-sized warmed aquariums and are fed live mice every few weeks. She had a couple of large turtles living indoors, year after year, in a trunk-sized glass aquarium.
She genuinely thinks of herself as a compassionate animal lover -- the main reason she's a vegan. *sigh*
You nailed it square on the head. Trophies.
My god. Why didn't they kill the dogs after that incident? This is what happens when we as a society become so feminized that we think of pets as children or people.
I don't think all pitbulls are bad though. An old roommate of mine had one and it used to sleep next to her cats.
I think it's all about the owner.
Thanks for sharing the story of your wonderful Layla!
Got me a little misty eyed.
Amazing how sweet and loving rescued dogs can be!
Did you know that the most dog bites are from the Cocker Spaniel breed?
It would probably be best to not find a home in the country but euthanize the dogs. Keep us informed about how your dog is doing.
Does their insurance company even know they have a Pit Bull?
Recently, in my town, some concerned neighbors contacted the insurance company of a resident with the information that two Pit Bulls were being kept on their 1.2 million dollar property. The insurance company immediately pulled their coverage.
Do you know which breed most often kills people?
(Not to mention weaker animals)
I'm not a pit bull lover at all, but her dog was out, off her property, it was fair game. Why should insurance companies have to pay for someone's irresponsibility...The pit bull owners should improve their fence, and the spaniel owner should not let the dog loose and should pay the bill. Consequences of a mistake. Rather there are leash laws or not, the dog was loose, neither part is more at fault then the other...end of story.
Becky
I have been recently licked to death by two pitbulls. That's because they had owners with common sense.
Ban stupid people, not dogs.
My 12 pound pek/pom would be able to tell that and she'd immediately dominate you.
I suggest you read up on how to cope with and handle yourself around larger breeds, otherwise you're just inviting trouble.
Get to know your neighbors and inquire about how they handle and train their pets. You'll feel better knowing what their temperaments are (the OWNERS, not the dogs).
However, don't over-medicate her. Antibiotics are fine to prevent infect but an overdose of painkiller can cause kidney failure.
Look at each drug she's taking and the side-effects.
Also, note her appetite and hopefully there were no internal injuries. A daily journal could help as well.
Please keep us updated on her progress.
Their only hope is to find an insurer that will cover them with an exclusion on the Pit Bulls. Of course, that will leave them wide open personally for any law suit.
What they plan to do about it is another matter.
What public record will give you the name of the insurance company?
Bingo. Fence jumpers need covered kennels, preferably with the bottoms fortified to prevent digging. Many dangerous dog laws require dogs which come under their definitions, to be kenneled in locked, covered, concrete-floored pens for this reason.
AND, cocker spaniels, no matter how adorable, should not be running loose without their person to protect them.
Keep us updated on her condition
There have been numerous posts about not letting your roam and I have to agree because
there are many dangers now days
for dogs allowed to roam and not under the watchful eye of "mom/dad"
Even though I have a huge fenced in yard,I walk my girl every day,
off leach in large parks or down country dirt roads
However, because there are bad dogs with bad owners, I ALWAYS carry Pepper Spray and I test in frequently and would use in in a heart beat to protect my girl
I'm sorry you lost Layla.l She sounds like a great girl.
I hope your dog is okay and that you pursue legal action against the owners.
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