Attacked at Dog Park

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IPickedADaisy

Crazy Bulldog Lady
Apr 11, 2013
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Daisy Mae Hambone & Roscoe Pee Hambone (RIP)
I know this is long and I apologize for that but I wanted to get this out so I can hopefully get past it myself. I'm not even sure if this is the right forum to include it. Daisy was attacked by a pitbull at the dog park Thursday night after work. Thankfully she will recover physically.
She is such a friendly dog with people and animals. I swear she thinks every living thing is put on this earth to love her. I have had dogs all my life but honestly never one like Daisy. Maybe itā€™s partly because Iā€™m grown up (haha not going to say Iā€™m old!) and have the time to devote to her, or just that her personality is so endearing, but she is the best dog ever.
I take her all over and even got rid of my Camaro so I could get a car that would be easier to take her along. We go to Petmart at least once a week & Bulldog meetups (at dog park or beach) at least monthly so she can socialize with people and dogs. Itā€™s odd to watch the bulldogs at the meetups because they all hang out together. Other dogs come & go into the group but the bulldogs all seem to prefer each other. Because she enjoys the meetups so much I decided to take her to our own local dog park.
Weā€™ve been several times and she loves it. She runs much more than she should, gets exhausted, drinks way too much water, runs some more, pukes up the water, runs some more, visits all the humans and some of the dogs. She is always very submissive to the dogs (as a result of a dog that scared her in Petsmart when she was a puppy). Regardless of size of dog, she crouches when she gets near them and then rolls over if they get close. Once the other dog is satisfied sheā€™s not a threat she gets up and everybody plays together fine. Her main goal though is visiting the humans. Sheā€™ll run to the far side of the park to jump up on a bench to visit a new human. Not one person has tried to resist her charms.
Fast forward to last Thursday. Instead of going on our usual walk around the neighborhood or in the park, we went to the dog park. Daisy is so excited to be there. I unhook her from her leash as soon as weā€™re inside. She runs around a bit then heads straight towards a group of 4-5 people and maybe 3 dogs. The humans are all raving about her as Iā€™m walking towards them. When Daisy sees the dogs she cowers. One of the dogs (yes a pitbull) comes towards her she rolls over on her back. The dog then stands right over her and she gets scared. She starts flailing her legs (sheā€™s a turtle on her back) and apparently the dog interprets that at aggression. I imagine him thinking ā€œoooh she wants to fightā€”well I am going to winā€. The pitbull grabs her by the neck and Daisy starts screaming. This is a sound I never want to hear again. She is trying to get away and the pitbull is on her and wonā€™t let go. The owner is trying to get him off of her but heā€™s not letting go. I then jump in and hold Daisy still so she wonā€™t struggle and further aggravate him and make it worse. The owner is trying to pry his mouth off of her. I am just about to reach my hand in his mouth too when miraculously he lets go. It is all a blur and I am only concerned with Daisy. She jumps up on me & throws up. She has blood all over her neck & back. Iā€™m checking her to see how bad it is & I canā€™t find any ripped flesh through her fur. I hear the owner behind me saying ā€œsomethingā€™s wrong with his mouthā€. I look back and see his mouth full of blood. He is trying to get away from her and back to Daisy. I scoop Daisy up (haha like a mom lifting a car off her kid) and run for the exit. I can hear the owner apologizing to me as weā€™re running away. Once outside I put her down and examine her again before heading to the vet. Weā€™re both covered in blood but at least itā€™s not getting worse. I put her in the car and call the vet on the way there.
By the time we get there I realize that sheā€™s not really bleeding. It must have been the pitbullā€™s blood all over her. He must have bitten his tongue (yay he deserves that and more!). The vet takes her in immediately. They know her and love her there. Turns out she was very lucky. You can see the 4 canine teeth marks but only 1 really did any damage. She has 1 puncture wound Ā¾ inches deep (exactly the length of his tooth I suspect). No ripped flesh. They shave the area and clean everything up. They bring her out to me and she jumps into my arms for comfort. Iā€™m not sure who was comforting who at that point. We go home with antibiotics and pain medication.
After we are home and the adrenaline subsides, I start to think about what could have happened and how much worse it could have been. Both to her and me. Itā€™s all such a blur and I know nobody wants to jump in to a dog fight but all those people around and nobody helped us? Two women trying to break it up? What about those men? Give that dog a big kick.
It did cross my mind for an instant to get the ownerā€™s information so I could force her to pay vet bill, but all I was concerned about was getting Daisy away from there and getting her to the vet. Money didnā€™t matter at that point. It didnā€™t occur to me until after that I should have gotten information so I could report that pitbull in case it has attacked before (or when it attacks again).
I donā€™t really blame the dog for what happened, although I believe the breed instincts played a part in it, I blame the owner. She should have known her dog was aggressive towards other dogs. An aggressive dog should never be brought to an off leash dog park. I know I am stereotyping but, unfortunately it seems lots of pit bull owners are not as diligent at training that instinct out of their dogs. Many seem to think it is ā€œcoolā€ to have a tough dog. Many are young thugs who donā€™t care about the consequences of their dogā€™s actions. I knowā€¦ that is a generalization and not true of all pitbull owners, but it seems quite common in Tracy.
We are home recovering. Physically Daisy is doing much better. I hope the emotional scars arenā€™t too deep for her. My guilt of what happened and fear for next time are going to be hard to get past. Obviously we wonā€™t be going back to the dog park. Iā€™m hoping we donā€™t have to give up our bulldog events since we have made so many new friends. Iā€™m confident that if something like that happened at a bulldog event I would not have been left alone to break it up.

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Samantha Orts

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Jul 12, 2013
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Your poor Daisy!! That is terrifying, and I would have thrown myself in the mix as well if it were my baby! As I was reading that I could totally relate! June loves the dog park (mostly the people though haha) and always lays down when she sees people so they can pet her. She is just so sweet everyone loves her. I can't imagine what I would do if this ever happens, but I am always weary of it in the back of my mind. I'm so sorry this happened to you and Daisy, hopefully she isn't scarred for life! :(
 

izstigspunks

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Sep 16, 2010
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Omg, praying that she'll recover well both physically and mentally. I'm sure she'll be fine and back to her innocent self, but I guess be cautious on how she'll react to the next dog she meets.

That's why I hate dog parks. There's always that one dog that the owner can't control.

She should be ok in bully meetups I think. But again, be mindful of her body language on the next one.

Big hugs to you for being such a good mom! :hug;



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4flowers

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Mar 21, 2014
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OMG OMG!!!! I have tears in my eyes!!!:( I am sooooo sorry this happened. Last year my friends collie was attacked by a pitbull. It was bad!! Savannah lived however till today she has accidents in the house. She shakes at the notion of going for a walk. Wants no part of dogs or any other animal anymore. I hope and pray your bulldog recovers emotionally from this. I agree, the owner should have known better. Dogs on their backs is considered a sign of submission, I surrender. Gosh I don't even know what to say, I'm glad the bite wasn't as bad as it could have been. I wish you luck on her recovery please keep me posted:(
 

Marine91

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May 15, 2013
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Wow.. I am glad she is going to be ok. This just irritates me to no end and you are right most of the fault lies with the owner of the other dog.
 

dolphin

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Nov 5, 2012
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This is so sad and I'm really sorry you had to go through this, that's why I will never go to an off-leash dog park. Fortunately you didn't get attacked by the Pit and I really hope Daisy recovers quickly, mentally and physically. Poor poor baby. :(
 

nycbullymama

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Dec 22, 2012
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Oh Sue, I am so sorry your baby girl had to go through this. Reading what happened made me so sad and angry!! First Thank goodness, she's ok and it's nothing serious. :hug: to you and Daisy from me and Blue.

But, if I were you, I'd go back to the dog park and find the owner. It's usually the same people who go all the time so I'm sure someone knows her.
She needs to be made responsible for the medical bills. Making her pay will also have her thinking twice before she brings her Pittie to any other dog park.
 

brutus77

Skinny-Dippin' Smokin' Tidy Bowl Bionic Woman
Jul 18, 2013
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Brutus, Frankie, and Jack
I'm so sorry this happened to both of you. Dog parks are the worst place because some of the dog owners are clueless as to the disposition of their dogs and think it is ok for them to run free when just the opposite is true. Again it is a pit bull that is now thought to be aggressive when it is the stupidity of the owner that is the problem. Each and every owner is responsible to know their dog. I for one can say that Brutus who is the love of my life, is not aggressive, but I know when we go to our friends houses who have dogs, he gets tired quickly, and gets cranky. Frankie on the other hand can play until the sun goes down and loves every minute of it. So this means Brutus gets a nice long walk before we go out and Frankie comes along so he can play. I can't stress enough that it is the responsibility of the dog owner to know their dogs. If that owner has been responsible, as soon as Daisy rolled over she should have intervened and grabbed her dog. She should have known that her dog would see this as a sign of aggression and removed her dog immediately. I will never forget one time we were in Petco talking to the lady that trained Brutus when he was a pup and their was another dog there who was waiting to be groomed. Brutus wanted to say hello and I asked the owner of the other dog if their dog was friendly. They responded so confidently "yes"! So I let Brutus try to sniff the other dog and the trainer I was speaking with told me to quickly pull Brutus back. I was shocked and the trainer told me to look at the other dog, she explained the dog was licking it's lips which is a sign of nervousness. She said she was 100% confident that if I had not pulled Brutus back, the other dog would have bit him!! This is just another case of the owner not knowing their dog. I hope this does not have a lasting effect on Daisy and she continues to be the happy dog she was before. [MENTION=8322]baxter[/MENTION] Tiberious just had this problem last week also.
 

dieMuttivonBifi

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May 25, 2013
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Oh Sue, I am so sorry your baby girl had to go through this. Reading what happened made me so sad and angry!! First Thank goodness, she's ok and it's nothing serious. :hug: to you and Daisy from me and Blue.

But, if I were you, I'd go back to the dog park and find the owner. It's usually the same people who go all the time so I'm sure someone knows her.
She needs to be made responsible for the medical bills. Making her pay will also have her thinking twice before she brings her Pittie to any other dog park.

My heart was beating so loud when i was reading this! I don't know what i would've done if it's my baby being attacked by a bigger dog (well actually Bifi was already bitten by a huge dog when he was only 3 mos. old) Soooo soooo sorry this happened to the two of you but Blue's mom is right, i would go back to that dog park and ask around. the owner has to take the consequences and responsibility to what happened.

I hope sweet Daisy girl doesn't get traumatized by this horrible experience. Get well soon baby girl!
 

JennieS

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Jun 25, 2013
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Ruthie(died 11/27/18) Brutus & Hazel
OH i am so sorry. This is such a sad story. This is why i don't even bother with dog parks anymore and it's sad cause you want your dog to be socialized and friendly, i hope she and you heal quickly from this event and can move on.
 

Bulldozersma

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Jul 26, 2012
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I'm so glad you're baby is going to be ok. I've taken Bocephus to one dog park and he was knocked over by a great Dane that he thought wanted to play. Reading these stories as the weather gets nicer across the country makes me more and more afraid to ever take him back again.

I'm praying that you and your baby heal from this quickly, both physically and emotionally
 

chaygirl79

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Mar 12, 2014
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Omg this is so sad and scary! I have a boxer and I know a lot of dogs don't understand the way how boxers play ( they box like a typical boxer with front paws) and they meet dogs with their faces first. They want to be face to face with dogs and some other dog misunderstand it. English bulldogs are the same. They are a breed what just and English boxer owner understand.
With this said, I hardly take my dogs to dog parks. My boxer is now 8 years old and she was a handful times in a park. Sadly. I have friends with dogs and we visit their houses or they being their dogs to us.

Kisses and hugs to Daisy!!!


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Manydogs

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May 2, 2013
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I am so sorry to hear your story. I would have been terrified, as you were. Poor little Daisy, so innocent and trusting. If you have any friends nearby who have dogs that Daisy knows, I would have them come visit in a few days, so that she can know that not all dogs are going to hurt her. I know you must feel sick about this, as I certainly would, and it breaks my heart for you and Daisy. You should go to the park(without Daisy) and find the owner of that dog, and give her a copy of the vet bill. She should be responsible for it-and ask for copies of her dogs shot records. She should not get off so easily. If her dog has done this once(that you know of) I would say there are certainly chances that it will do it again at the park-to another dog. Dogs know a submissive position, and it attacked anyway. Praying that Daisy will not be too traumatized by this, and that she heals well. You will be scared from now on-I know I would be. :pray2:
 

Anamaida

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Oct 3, 2013
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Ouch!! Poor little girl! Im really sorry and can't imagine Itzy in that situation, it's so scary.
 

Texas Carol

Texas Carol....put the heart in EBN
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Jul 4, 2012
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Brutus & Cami live in Heaven
I am just so very sad for you & Daisy and it will take time for both of you
to recover from the trauma so please be your own best friend and be extra
loving, kind & comforting to YOU~I know you'll do these things for Daisy<3

My own Cami had a 1/2 grown, shelter cat thrust suddenly in her face about
6 months ago. Like Daisy, she is the most gentle, loving & motherly dog to every
one & every animal. She was so excited & joyful while the kitten was terrified.
It attacked her viciously and thankfully, I had reached her from across the room
and was pulling Cami back while my son was pulling his immature gf (still holding
her new cat) away...Cami had a deep bite beside her nose and scratches just
missing her eye. When attacked, Cami just froze and never made a sound or tried
to bite back. The look in her eye was so wounded, I cry each time I bring it to mind.
Cami was shaking as if she had epilepsy & as I enveloped her in my arms, continued
to tremble for several minutes. I cleaned her wounds and she healed just fine.
These bullies are so incredibly sensitive & loving, due to their size, facial expressions
and loud breathing...combined with meeting dogs, face forward with no fear brings
unwarranted attacks. And you're so right about dog owners having no clue what their
own dog's signals mean and acting accordingly, it's just so wrong!

Cami is back to her loving self to every one & every thing and just a couple months back
cuddled a stray kitten my son brought home and slept with for 2 weeks while we found
a suitable home. I pray the same complete recovery for Daisy & for you. GOD bless y'all.
 
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