I’m not mad at my neighbor but I’m real mad! My neighbor is a good person and his dog, while a little aggressive, has mostly been polite when Kali and I meet them on the trail. I’m mad! So thanks to all of you who read this unedited therapy session. As they say, the first session is free and therefore I will rant, complain, lament, and then move on.
It was raining most of the day (yay for California!) so Kali and couldn’t walk this morning. Well we could have but I negotiated a stay from Kali and promised we would walk later if it dried up. And so we did.
The neighbor in question lives two doors down on the other side of the street. As we passed by I noticed him in front of his house with a couple of other people. I also notice his dog, a Rottweiler, grazing around his front lawn. We’ve encountered the dog on the trail before at the end of my neighbor’s leash but never around the houses when the Rotty was off leash. The Rotty had seemed calm and constrained when I’d seen her in front of her house in the past so I was not too concerned.
So I’ll cut to the chase. In a flash the Rotty was on Kali gnashing, growling, and attacking. Kali tried to protect herself but she was on the end of the leash I was pulling tighter and tighter. I tried to put myself in between the dogs but the Rotty was relentless and Kali was in protect mode. Just as I was about to try to put my foot in the Rotty’s nose another dog – an even bigger version of the first one – was on Kali. Now there were two dogs Kali and I were trying to fend off.
It all happened in a matter of 30 seconds or less. I tried to pick Kali up in my arms to protect her from two sets of gnashing teeth. The owners, showed a sincere and urgent effort to quickly get to their dogs and quickly got them under control. They were apologetic and continued to express apologies as they pulled their dogs back to their house. I was so freaking mad and could not bring myself to say anything. I just wanted to get Kali home and check her out. They got their dogs inside the house and came back to apologize, Fine…
As Kali and walk back towards our house I see she is limping badly. I have her lay down in front of our house and I check her out. I gently pull on her limbs and rub her fur to see if there are wounds. Her tail is wagging and she doesn’t seem to be in any pain as I tug and pull on limbs and rub her body. She stands up and now seems to be walking ok. So we go for a short walk so I can see how she is walking. It’s ok for a while but then I see more limp. We head home.
I fill Holly in on what happened and then I’m off to a client appointment. Holly texts me a short while later and tells me Kali si limping and in some pain. She’ll see the vet tomorrow. I don’t think there is a puncture. The attacking dogs didn’t seem to get any teeth into Kali but I’m not sure. I think she may have twisted her leg in the melee. There is a very sensitive area and when I touch it she reacts in obvious discomfort.
I’m pissed off. Not at my neighbor (things happen), not at the dogs (although I was moments away from risking my own safety to tackle those dogs and giving them a beat down), but I’m just mad.
So thanks of the therapy session and guiltless grammatically error-ridden and ranting post. We’ll know tomorrow the extent of Kali’s injuries. For now she is sleeping soundly at my feet as any other evening after dinner.
Golden Kali 
Oh no! So sorry for the velociraptor encounter. Hoping all’s well that ends well. Sending tons of positive pupster energy for a speedy recovery.
Thanks Monika. She’s well on to recovery physically. Emotionally she seems to have taken a few steps back in regards to comfort passing other dogs on our walks. Hopefully that will pass quickly too…
Don’t ‘baby’ her, i’s especially important to act like everything is cool for her comfort. I know it’s hard as a pet parent, but have found it makes all the difference in the world to our fur-kid’s mental health. Good luck!
Agreed – on both points: that’s it’s hard but does make a difference as she plays off my body language so well. Thanks for your support!
Sorry to hear about your experience. I know of the terror you speak of when your dog is under attack. They always say to spray water on a pack of fighting dogs – like we all carry a concealed loaded hose… Bing! is off lead a lot, and I worry not only about dogs, but cars too. I’m guessing Kali will be fine, they’re amazing, sturdy beings; they heal quickly and generally don’t hold grudges… Stay well, and keep your eyes peeled – and, carry a big stick. Cheers,
Thanks Marty. If only their owners could heal as quickly and be as gracious to not carry a grudge. I woke up pissed off – not so much as anything other than it hurts me to see Kali hurt. Just like with my kids when their world is not well neither is mine. It’s a peril of being a control freak… 🙂
After stepping over my father’s body the day he died ( The paramedics were doing their best as he lay in the hallway) to get to my mom, I thought about his fret and worry over every tiny bit. I decided I was going to let go of those inconsequential tidbits and only only worry about what is most important in my life: family ( including pets of course ! ) friends and what’s for dinner… Either way, it has helped me get thru the past 30 years. Go for another walk and let the good times roll.
You’re right. Thanks for the reminder and inspiration to learn to let go once in a while..
My personal opinion is that the neighbors who own these dogs need to keep them in their yard, in their house, or on a leash at all times. Dogs that attack other dogs should never be roaming free, even in their front yard. I’m glad they came to help and apologized, and I hope that what they saw makes them realize that they need to be more vigilant about the safety of others if they want to keep a pet that is willing to hurt others.
Hi Ann – thanks for your comment. I don’t know if this has happened before with this dog but it certainly goes to show that you never know and owners need to be cognizant of the fact that it could -especially with breeds that can do some real harm. Hopefully this will be a learning experience for them.
Hi Michael – I really feel for you in that situation and would suggest that you report the event. Not only will it be necessary to have such a record in the event that Kali develops expensive vet bills, but the owners are clearly irresponsible and/or careless. If you do not report the event, and those dogs attack a young child next, you may be held to a degree of responsibility but mainly …………. how are you going to feel? It is very sad that the dog will generally pay the price for its owner’s stupidity, but any aggressive dog must be reported so that a professional decision can be made as to the most appropriate measure to take in order to preventive a repeat of the event. Hugs and strokes to Kali. She may see other dogs very differently now after that experience.
Colin – thanks for your comment and well wishes. I hear what you’re saying about reporting the dog and the owners… I’ll think that over.
What surprised me is that this family is very responsible and are good citizens and neighbors and responsible dog owners. Kali herself has run out of the garage barking at a passing dog on one occasion when I made the mistake of having her off leash. She didn’t attack – just bark – but all the same this neighbor was a little frustrated with me. I plan on knocking on my neighbor’s door later today to have a chat and to tell him that he is putting his dog, himself and others at risk by having his dog off leash because if this happened once it will happen again. I will also be setting an expectation that he pay for my vet bills related to this event. I know he will agree because he and his wife are good people and have already expressed to me yesterday as I was leaving the scene to let them know what they could do to help. I expect this conversation to go well and hope it will be a learning lesson for all.
Thanks again. The good news is that this morning Kali does not seem to be experiencing any pain or discomfort so I’m hopeful this was just a sprain or something that is already resolving itself. the hugs and strokes you sent must have helped… 🙂 We’ll see what the vet says this afternoon.