Apparently, a dog at the park overheard the woman telling me how beautiful my husky was and that she should be on tv, and jealously decided to take matters into his own teeth. I had Okami on the leash and was at the fence talking to someone when the dog came up behind us. When Okami turned to growl at him (she hadn't liked him since he had attacked another dog 10 minutes earlier) he jacked her. I got them separated quickly and Okami seemed fine, till I noticed she was bleeding. I grabbed my first aid kit and cleaned the wound out, but quickly realized it was pretty bad.



Okami barely seemed to notice, but I put her in the car and went to the emergency vet nearest me that is open on Sunday. They had to shave around the area and give her stitches. It looks pretty nasty but should heal up fine.




Just a public service announcement: I don't believe the dog that attacked her was a BAD dog- I don't like labeling things like that. But he should have been on a leash.
Moreover. the owner apologized right after and by the time I realized she was bleeding I immediately headed out to the vet without talking to him- so I'm not going to go into a tirade against him. But from now on I will pay A LOT more attention to the dogs that get into fights, and making sure they stay away.

Tyler

oh man! im so sorry, i hope you run into the owner again and hand him your vet bill!
people should be aware of their dogs actions and if this dog attacked another 10min ago it should have left the park because of the behavior. i hope Okami heals up ok

Ouch! Poor girl =(. I hope she heals up fast.

Oh man, poor girl!!! Thank god he missed her eye!!!!

aawww... poor puppy

Poor Okami. Give her kisses for me.

Poor girl, I hope that heals quickly. Seriously, if you see this guy again he needs to be made aware of this and then handed a vet bill. You can always call animal control as well if you think he could be tracked down. Sounds like this dog is kind of a menace and the owner has zero control. That owner really should be held accountable.

blueeyedghost wrote:

Poor girl, I hope that heals quickly. Seriously, if you see this guy again he needs to be made aware of this and then handed a vet bill. You can always call animal control as well if you think he could be tracked down. Sounds like this dog is kind of a menace and the owner has zero control. That owner really should be held accountable.

I think it is one of those dogs that 98% of the time runs and plays and has no problem. But that 2%.... The owner seemed to be shocked and surprised. "He doesn't usually get into fights..." It is possible something about Okami set him off, but she is the one sporting a $400 vet bill.

tyler999 wrote:

I think it is one of those dogs that 98% of the time runs and plays and has no problem. But that 2%.... The owner seemed to be shocked and surprised. "He doesn't usually get into fights..." It is possible something about Okami set him off, but she is the one sporting a $400 vet bill.

That seems to be a common phrase when someone's dog does something like that... "he's never done that before!", etc. Regardless, the dog should have been on a leash unless you were in a fenced dog park, and even then the dog should have been removed from the situation after the first altercation. What are the leash laws in your area?

Out of common courtesy he needs to pay that bill

blueeyedghost wrote:

tyler999 wrote:

I think it is one of those dogs that 98% of the time runs and plays and has no problem. But that 2%.... The owner seemed to be shocked and surprised. "He doesn't usually get into fights..." It is possible something about Okami set him off, but she is the one sporting a $400 vet bill.

That seems to be a common phrase when someone's dog does something like that... "he's never done that before!", etc. Regardless, the dog should have been on a leash unless you were in a fenced dog park, and even then the dog should have been removed from the situation after the first altercation. What are the leash laws in your area?

It was a fenced in dog park. Okami was on the leash because she isn't totally socialized yet. I knew that dog was trouble and had been keeping Okami away but it snuck up on us when I wasn't looking. Trying not to feel guilt, but I am agitated with myself.
The first altercation the dog had was with some large dog whose owners originally brought it in on a leash. Afterwards the large dog got put back on the leash- I think the assumption was that he had started it. However both dogs were fighting hard enough that I felt they should have been both leashed afterwards. The other dog, which attacked Okami, was still running free and I think it is pretty definitive now that whatever his normal state, he is a problem.

Go back to the dog park when you can and find that guy. Seriously, he should be accountable for that, especially for failing to remove the dog after the first one. There probably is some sort of city oversight on that park as well (there is on most parks), so you should contact them and make it known that there is a problem dog up there. If Atlanta is good at all with their dog parks, they will work with you. Good luck.

blueeyedghost wrote:

Go back to the dog park when you can and find that guy. Seriously, he should be accountable for that, especially for failing to remove the dog after the first one. There probably is some sort of city oversight on that park as well (there is on most parks), so you should contact them and make it known that there is a problem dog up there. If Atlanta is good at all with their dog parks, they will work with you. Good luck.

Good advice. I'll ask around. It isn't even the money- though that would be nice. He needs to know that his dog need to be watched and controlled better.

ouch! you did a great job looking after her. get well soon Okami!

By the way- thanks to everyone for your well-wishes. It makes me feel a lot better and will help Okami heal faster.

tyler999 wrote:

Good advice. I'll ask around. It isn't even the money- though that would be nice. He needs to know that his dog need to be watched and controlled better.

You're exactly right on that one. Some people are completely clueless and need to understand that there are certain behavioral expectations if you're going to have your dog in public. I had a really bad run in with a neighbor back in Oklahoma shortly before I moved down here, and they had no problem with the fact that their little yapper was roaming the neighborhood biting people. The $70 ticket I arranged for them to get may have enlightened them a little.

blueeyedghost wrote:

I had a really bad run in with a neighbor back in Oklahoma shortly before I moved down here, and they had no problem with the fact that their little yapper was roaming the neighborhood biting people. The $70 ticket I arranged for them to get may have enlightened them a little.

i have called AC on a few dogs roaming the block, i called on the one as it was an ongoing issue and i know where he lived, after one visit from AC i have not seen that dog out again people do need a wake up sometimes.
when Sierra was bit by the dog behind us (his dog tore off a wood plank from the fence) i walked over there with her after the vet visit and he paid, he also makes sure the fence gets fixed with in a day of his dog taking planks off, still an issue we hate having to deal with.

Aww poor baby!! some dog park visitors should be banned. When we lived in middle TN we used to take Beau to a dog park where an agressive, bully (some kind of beagle mix) would ALWAYS try to attack him! The owner would just yell his name and never attempt to stop him! It made me so angry.. we would leave any time that dog would show up. In fact we took Beau the other day and a woman stood there and watched her german shepherd mix attack a sweet (and much smaller) lab. The woman who DID intervene, aka the lab owner, actually got bit by the dog. According to other owners the german comes "All the time and always attacks at least one dog". Some people are just idiots..

Hope your girl has a speedy recovery!

tyler999 wrote:

blueeyedghost wrote:

tyler999 wrote:

I think it is one of those dogs that 98% of the time runs and plays and has no problem. But that 2%.... The owner seemed to be shocked and surprised. "He doesn't usually get into fights..." It is possible something about Okami set him off, but she is the one sporting a $400 vet bill.

That seems to be a common phrase when someone's dog does something like that... "he's never done that before!", etc. Regardless, the dog should have been on a leash unless you were in a fenced dog park, and even then the dog should have been removed from the situation after the first altercation. What are the leash laws in your area?

It was a fenced in dog park. Okami was on the leash because she isn't totally socialized yet. I knew that dog was trouble and had been keeping Okami away but it snuck up on us when I wasn't looking. Trying not to feel guilt, but I am agitated with myself.
The first altercation the dog had was with some large dog whose owners originally brought it in on a leash. Afterwards the large dog got put back on the leash- I think the assumption was that he had started it. However both dogs were fighting hard enough that I felt they should have been both leashed afterwards. The other dog, which attacked Okami, was still running free and I think it is pretty definitive now that whatever his normal state, he is a problem.

While I would agree that common courtesy would mean that you check up on the other dog and pay the bill, I wouldn't be so quick to jump to the accusation that it's the other dog's fault.

Being completely objective here.... it sounds like the cause of BOTH incidents was a dog being leashed in a freely running fenced in area. If Okami isn't socialized, don't bring her to the dog park. It's actually very dangerous to have a leashed dog around a group of freely roaming dogs and this is the exact reason why. Leashed dogs are IMMEDIATELY put on the defensive. They feel vulnerable because they don't have the freedom to do as they please.

In the future, if you bring her to the park, let her find her own way. If she doesn't do well, dog parks aren't for her. To socialize her, she should be with leashed dogs while she is leashed, or freely roaming with other freely roaming dogs. NEVER mix the two.

I'm sorry that she got hurt, but you did the right thing by taking her in and I'm sure she'll heal up in no time. Best wishes for her speedy recovery.

Koda wrote:

Being completely objective here.... it sounds like the cause of BOTH incidents was a dog being leashed in a freely running fenced in area. If Okami isn't socialized, don't bring her to the dog park. It's actually very dangerous to have a leashed dog around a group of freely roaming dogs and this is the exact reason why. Leashed dogs are IMMEDIATELY put on the defensive. They feel vulnerable because they don't have the freedom to do as they please.

In the future, if you bring her to the park, let her find her own way. If she doesn't do well, dog parks aren't for her. To socialize her, she should be with leashed dogs while she is leashed, or freely roaming with other freely roaming dogs. NEVER mix the two.

I'm sorry that she got hurt, but you did the right thing by taking her in and I'm sure she'll heal up in no time. Best wishes for her speedy recovery.

In the first instance the dog was off the leash when the other dog attacked her, so I'm not totally convinced that was the issue.

I don't necessarily disagree with your point about bringing leashed dogs around unleashed. There is no doubt in my mind that Okami would do better in a lot of instance with many dogs if I let her off-leash, however I can't be very confident- yet- that she wouldn't get into a fight if I did that. And I'm not willing to say "well, since I can't currently be sure she would be totally ok with all dogs off-leash, I can never take her to a dog park." She has shown remarkable progress and is getting much better at socializing, even with spending some time on-leash. There are about 12 dogs that she is totally fine to be off-leash with, and all of them started adversarial with her- usually barking and snapping. I am currently looking for some groups that work with socializing there dogs on-leash.

Poor girl! I hope she heals up quickly! Melissa is right, that's awfully close to her eye! Both of you got very lucky. I've had a run in similar to this, only Indy was never attacked. Some guy thought it was the most brilliant thing to bring both of his dog and people-aggressive dogs to the dog park and let them run around unsupervised! I tried entering the gates and he starts yelling at me from OUTSIDE of the fencing. He was definitely not watching his dogs! But thankfully he saw us before I let Indy loose! Then after I went to the smaller dog area, he leashed one dog and left while the other dog followed off lead. And there were children playing near at a playground.

Needless to say, we're not going back to that park.

tyler999 wrote:

Koda wrote:

Being completely objective here.... it sounds like the cause of BOTH incidents was a dog being leashed in a freely running fenced in area. If Okami isn't socialized, don't bring her to the dog park. It's actually very dangerous to have a leashed dog around a group of freely roaming dogs and this is the exact reason why. Leashed dogs are IMMEDIATELY put on the defensive. They feel vulnerable because they don't have the freedom to do as they please.

In the future, if you bring her to the park, let her find her own way. If she doesn't do well, dog parks aren't for her. To socialize her, she should be with leashed dogs while she is leashed, or freely roaming with other freely roaming dogs. NEVER mix the two.

I'm sorry that she got hurt, but you did the right thing by taking her in and I'm sure she'll heal up in no time. Best wishes for her speedy recovery.

In the first instance the dog was off the leash when the other dog attacked her, so I'm not totally convinced that was the issue.

I don't necessarily disagree with your point about bringing leashed dogs around unleashed. There is no doubt in my mind that Okami would do better in a lot of instance with many dogs if I let her off-leash, however I can't be very confident- yet- that she wouldn't get into a fight if I did that. And I'm not willing to say "well, since I can't currently be sure she would be totally ok with all dogs off-leash, I can never take her to a dog park." She has shown remarkable progress and is getting much better at socializing, even with spending some time on-leash. There are about 12 dogs that she is totally fine to be off-leash with, and all of them started adversarial with her- usually barking and snapping. I am currently looking for some groups that work with socializing there dogs on-leash.

In general, we are more nervous than the dogs are about meeting other dogs. While I don't think it's smart to say "Here's a park, have at it!" without proper training, I don't think it's wise to try and train your dog while she is leashed and others are off-leash. In essence, you're doing nothing but making her vulnerable and then bringing other dogs around to make her insecure. I don't mean "Don't bring her to the park." I mean, don't bring her to the park until she's socialized more and you're comfortable with her around other dogs. Keep her on the other side of the fence if she is leashed. Give her protection, because you are not enough and you might end up getting hurt yourself. Also, socialize her leashed with other leashed dogs. Ask owners walking into the park if she can sniff and meet their dog. When you are comfortable with her leashed, THEN let her loose in the park and let her find her own way. Vocals are normal... growling is normal. It's their way of communicating with one another and I'm willing to bet that most often, human fear and anxiety (not saying you, I'm saying owners in general) escalate normal dog vocals into a fight. Personally, I let mine duke it out and find that Koda (who is an extremely socially retarded dog) gets along better with dogs when I let him figure it out with the other dog on his own.

My suggestion is merely to socialize leashed w/leashed or un-leashed w/un-leashed. I wouldn't mix the two.

Oh wow! Poor Okami! That looks like it hurt. I hope she heals quickly!

Faolan has also been attacked by another dog at the dog park before, but there was no blood drawn. The other dog just pinned him down and roughly mouthed him while snarling like mad and it scared the crap out of poor Faolan. He managed to wiggle out from under the other dog and hid underneath a picnic table screaming his head off until I managed to calm him down. He would not leave my side for a half hour after the incident (I kept him there until he warmed back up to the other dogs again because I didn't want the dog park to be a constant fear for him because of the attack). The woman who owned the dog that attacked him left the main area after the incident and went into an adjacent smaller fenced in area but once we left she took her dog back inside.

Koda wrote:

If Okami isn't socialized, don't bring her to the dog park.

I have never understood why people say this, and I have run across a lot of people that do. I think most dogs that go to a dog park for the first time that have never been in a group of free-roaming dogs before aren't confident enough to be considered "socialized" to the dog park, and the only way they will gain confidence is to keep going! I have been taking Faolan to the dog park nearly every day since he was 4 months old but it took an entire month before he was comfortable interacting with crowds of other dogs. He will still take cover underneath a picnic table if he runs across an overbearing dog that he's intimidated by!

Poor Okami! That's awful. I hope she heals quickly.

At the dog parks here, on-leash dogs aren't allowed in. Even if Okami is fine that way, unfortunately other dogs might not be. They might be aggressive towards her because she is on a leash, and you have to protect her from that. I understand why you took her there, but it would be better to lurk outside and ask if she can meet other dogs while they are on leash too. In this case though, the other dog should already have been removed for the previous incident. I hope you can get the owner to pay the vet bill.