Dangers in your own backyard (updated with graphic photo pg 6)

[New adventure]

I just read this whole thread and want to add my prayers and healing thoughts to your family.

I'm sure you know that your local DSS won't allow Bo to return home under the circumstances. I wonder if watching over so many smaller beings (chicks, puppy, kids, etc) was just too much for him and he just lost it. I agree that he will never be trustworthy again; it's really a shame.

Hope all your family has happier days ahead - people who foster have a special place in my heart and much admiration! Elaine

 

[kycowgirlchick]

WOW

I hope Sara is recovering. She is young, she will be just fine. She may never like big dogs again.
I love dogs but decided along time ago when it comes to having children, big guard dogs is not a good fit. I use to have a Rottweiler that I trusted. But always knew that I did not want her to get a hold of me. Now that I have children I do not like them around that kind of dog. They dont completely understand right and wrong. They only have instincts. So in my opinion since the little pup has attacked chickens, he needs to be rehomed to where there is no chickens. I know people have said you can break them. But I think once they get the taste, the natural dog instincts kick in. But it is not their fault. Get another puppy though and teach/train it to be around the chickens.
But by no means was any of this your fault. Or even the dogs. Parenting and in my opinion the mother part is a very tough job. And I can tell that you are a great mother.
God Bless
Christy

 

[SOchick]

Quote:
as dumb as this sounds, I don't know.

My husband opted to drive Sara to the hospital as he was the sanest at the moment and I was left at home to deal with the other hysterical children and the boxer which was still roaming the yard.

When I called the Sheriff's dept. to report the incident as we were required to do, we were told to pen the dog for 10 days. We have documentation that the dog is up to date on all his shots, but this is the law. We were also given the option to put the dog down and send the head off to be tested for rabies. However, the Sheriff's Dept. recommended that we NOT do this. We were told that the results were not always accurate and they did not want Sara to have to take the unnecessary shots. I considered this and opted to have him penned. (My hubby was not happy with my decision, but he didn't return home until 2 a.m. from the hospital and I had to do something!)

I did not have a place to pen Bo up. I made several phone calls and my neice and her husband volunteered to come and get the dog and pen him at their place in an 8 ft. high covered pen. After 10 days, someone from the sheriff's office will come to inspect the dog. At that time, we intended to put the dog down. However.. to add a twist to this story, my neice and her husband have decided they want to keep Bo. My husband is furious that they would even consider keeping him, penned or not. I'm not sure what the outcome will be yet. They are in possession of the dog, so I guess it will be the decision of the Sheriff's dept. as to what will happen at this point.

I am just reading this, and haven't made it all the way throught, so forgive me if I am repeating something. I work for an Animal Control agency in GA, and we have NEVER reccommended that someone not have the dog tested for rabies if that is what the owner wants, I have also never heard of a false positive coming back from testing the brain. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but I've never heard of it. Also, I had to have 3 pre -exposure shots, and they weren't that bad (and I am a big baby!) I believe for post-exposure, you have to take 5.

Also- about your neice wanting to keep the dog- it is YOUR dog, aminals are considered property (at least in GA), and you did not GIVE them the dog, you are simply keeping it there for the time being, therefore, they cannot decide to keep it. You still make the decision to get him back, put him down, or give him away. It is not the Sheriff's Dept's decision.

Best of luck to you and your family, you are in my prayers!

 

[EweSheep]

I am glad that Sara is doing well and please do have her in PT because if she does not use that leg, it would take much longer to recover. I know it is painful because I am going thru PT myself for torn rotator cuff and it did not get better now because of another problem, bone spur.

As for the dog attacking children or people, I have a couple of experiences and it would be judged to put dogs down case by case basis. My mother had a blue merle collie which she was formerly abused by her previous owners by lawnmowers and motorcycles (they would run her down, scaring the heck out of her for three years) and we adopted her from the breeder that took her back. The breeder thought this dog would be a good candiate for us as a family and thought nothing else would harm us or anyone else. So Mom brought her home and she was fine but there was something about her eyes and mental status was a question. Mom thought with alot of TLC, we would bring her around to be a beautiful sweet collie that the breed was reknown for.

Alas, it was not to be, she bit my sister on her lawnmower on the leg, mad dash from the house to the garage outside in a split second my sis started it up. So we brush it off, it was our fault for not putting her in the house. (Dad was absolutely FURIOUS but Mom won this battle on this one.) The next time was the guy who dropped in our house to ask questions and I asked him not to start up the bike until I bring the dog inside the house. Well, dont know if he heard me or ignored me, he started up his motorcycle, Witch took off and nail him near his thigh, nearly punchering his "family jewels". This was the first legal warning we had and my parents lost the trial and paid for all of his medical because the dog was known to be a biter. The judge told my Mom if the dog has three reported bites, the dog was to be put down. The next time was when my sister had friends to sleepover, my sister warned all her friends NOT to go in that one room where Witch was staying in. Well her one friend decided that a collie is rather harmless, went to play hide and seek, she opened the door, screaling, BLAM! Witch nailed her on her hand. My parents paid the 50% of medical expenses but did not get to court because it was 50/50 fault of the attacker and the friend.
Then the final time was when my uncle's 3 year old daughter got bit, even she was repeatedly warned that Witch had her puppies in there and dont bother her. Well she kept PETTING Witch while Witch was nipping her feeding her Marshmellows! (good grief! giving dog treat and then say GOOD DOG when Witch was nipping her!) We didnt get sued and it was understandable by both parties. After that we spayed Witch and no more puppies. After that, with our neglectence, we sometimes forgot to shut up Witch in her pen, she would "gum" her way to us, attack mode when we got on the lawnmower. She lived to be 12 years old.

Looking back at it, we should have put Witch down the second time she bit. Mom does not realize the conquences dealing with an abusive dog and won Dad every time over when we ended up paying for the medical bills. Collies are not normally biters but if you consider the abuse, it would be wise to put it down unless you have the training and knowledge of dealing with "problem" dogs. Mom and Dad were still new in raising and breeding collies and they learned, no more adopted abusive dogs.

I had a female Borzoi that something just flipped her out, when my 5 year old nephew decided to reach for her food bowl. She turned and bit him in the side of his face. The reaction was so quick from my mom and me, really going after that Borzoi, smacked the side of her mouth HARD and grabbed her by the scruff and ordered her to stay down and bad dog. After that, she never did it again, her moment of truth was when my nephew did it again, she walked away. I dont think she ever forgot our punishment. I had her for four months after adopting her when she passed away suddenly of a heart clot after spay surgery. The autospy was not good news either, she may have been abused by her previous owner since there were broken ribs, her kidneys were failing, all because of a crated show dog for many years. Yes she was a champion and beautiful dog. Glad I was able to give her a wonderful loving home.

Then I adopted two male Borzois, all neutered and they both have collie temperment and all friendly. One day I was making the bed, Otto decided to take over the bed, jumped up there and laid there. From day one, NO dogs on my bed, period. Well Otto overstepped or forgot about my first rule. I firmly told him to get off my bed and stay off. He gave me a look and turned his head and sniff (like a uppity person would be), I grabbed his collar, he turned around and bit my hand that was holding the collar. Boy, the rage came out, I took my fist on the side of his mouth HARD and scuffed him down to the floor and yelled in his face (not a good idea) If YOU ever BITE me again, YOU ARE DEAD!". Boy he took off cowered in the living room, eyes so soft like OMG what have I done!. Moments later, he came over, sat next to me, laid his head on my lap, eyes looking up at me. I dont know how long we sat that way but I think it was his way of saying "I'm sorry". Then I told him "dont ever do that again. I do not want another Witch. I dont know what kind of day you had when I was gone for work, but just dont do it again, ok????" Then I said, Good boy! Boy I thought he would be jumping ten feet in the air and all happy and running around in circles around my feet. Good to say I had him for another two years until I had put him down to do untreatable skin infections that could not be cleared up. He never bit anyone ever again.

So it is a case by case basis for me and what situation it warrants. Working with the puppy and dogs is alot of work if there are problems, you must deal with it right then and there. With that much damage your DD had, the dog would be put down, it's too much to hope and praying it will not happen again. Like with Witch, we thought we could make a difference but no, it really didn't.

My DD wants a dog which we really do not want one at this time. I know it is selfish of me NOT getting a dog for my DD but there is no time to dedicate for a dog since we do travel and I dont have the physical strength and time to train a dog. Caring and feeding is not a problem but I do not want to be those kind of people that would use their dogs as a lawn ornament OR a status symbol of a "complete family". Besides Borzois are not so good with kids like Collies do. May in the future we will but not right now.

 

[jenjscott]

Gosh, Wanda, I just saw this post for the first time. I hope Sara recuperates well, physically and emotionally. And the rest of the family too.

 

[wanda047]

Quote:
Foster Care of course is another issue we have had to take into consideration with this situation. I notified them immediately of the incident involving Sara and Bo and of course we told them the dog was removed from the residence. They would not have tolerated anything else.

Our 6 year old foster daughter, which we've had for 4 years, witnessed the attack. Her therapist was notified as soon as possible and she has already been to see her. Brooke (fake name) was the main reason I remained at home while my husband drove Sara to the hospital. She was extremely upset and would not quit crying. It was very traumatizing for her. She has some issues with controling her emotions and I was concerned with how she would deal with this, but has done well..

As for Bo being overwhelmed with responsibilities keeping watch over so many, I too wondered if this might have been the case. Bo would be seen running from coop to coop (6 coops) and then circling the house as if on patrol. He would do this over and over and over, especially after dark. I wondered if he ever slept.

 

[Iwannachicken]

Hey Wanda,

What a horrible challenge for you all to go through. You have a lot of healing thoughts and prayers coming your way, and I'll add mine to them.

I know people who have been mauled by dogs, and it can be difficult to decide what to do with the dog afterward. My Australian Shep/Humane Society dog is snoozing on the floor right beside me. She's so sweet and is my shadow anytime we're in the same general space. I love her but if she attacked one of my children, or anybody else's, I'd have the same dilemma you face. No way can you bring Bo back into your home. I'm not sure I'd let him stay with anybody in my family either, but if he goes to a shelter, somebody else may face the same trauma you're going through.

Sara going to PT will speed the healing process in more ways than one. I hope you can get her some help for the fear as well. I had a cat maul me when I was 4 and was terrified of all animals for a long time after that. Of course, back then people just treated the wounds they could see, but sometimes it's the ones you don't see that cause the most damage in the long run.

There's a type of alternative emotional therapy called EFT that is used for people with Post Traumatic Stress. I was going to send you to google, but here's the link:

http://www.emofree.com/

There's a free manual to download, but if you go to the home page there's a link on the left to find practioners. I looked up Arkansas and there are 5 listed, though I don't know if any of them are near you. Of course, it's not a substitute for medical treatment or therapy, but it can speed up the healing process. I've used it recently for some (minor in comparison) pain issues and have had pretty good success with it. Feel free to send me a PM if you want.

Hugs to all y'all,
Karen

 

[kezabel]

I hope Sara is feeling better today, I feel for her and your younger foster daughter. My parents had 2 dogs, 1 was a pure breed bull (Male)terrier and the other a blue cattle cross bull terrier(Female). They went away for 2 weeks to tasmania and they asked if I would go around and feed them and their other animals fish and birds. I said yes but I wish I didn't and 12 years later I still wish I hadden't. Mum said make sure you stand in between them when I feed them because the bull terrior will finish first and try to get the other dogs food and she is very posesive over her food. So i went over to feed them with my daughter(3yrs old at the time). I stood inbetween them as Mum had asked but my daughter feel into my dads fish pond so I rushed over to get her out(of Course) It only took me a minute but then I heard a yelp and turned around to see the dog starting to fight over their food and then it was on the bull terrier was ripping shreds of the other dog and was trying everything to get them apart< i even stuck the hose up the bull terriers butt as I heard this helps.... Not... he wouldn't let go so I had to strangle him to make him let go and then put all my weight on him to keep him still, but he was strong and got away from me again and started attacking the other dog again. I was so worried about my daughter, she was screaming. Mums neighbour heard me calling help but because mum locks the house up like fort nocks she couldn't get in to help, so her son jumped the fence and ended up lifting my daughter over the fence to his mum so we could deal with the dogs, In the midst of all the commotion I was bitten by the dog that was being attacked in 2 places but as soon as she realised She was biting me she let go. She ended up dying from her injurys and I had to get stiches and had cuts and abrasions on my legs and arms from trying to get them apart. I am still traumtised today from this situation and that was 12 years ago, I am no longer great with dogs and as soon as one shows any agression I run for cover, My daughter doesn't like dogs either anymore, she also was really tramatised by seeing the attack. She likes little dogs but nothing bigger than a sydney silkie.
I wish your Daughters well and I hope Sara makes a speedy recovery.
I personally would get the dog put down, how does your daughter feel towards the dog now?

for your girls and You

 

[monarc23]

Poor Sara and "Brooke" I hope their wounds physical and emotional heal soon and completely!

If both dogs were here at my home BOTH would have been put down if adults. Since the beagle is a pup though he would have just been rehomed or never allowed near the loose chickens ever again. My dog Koda would easily kill my birds, however a large fenced in area separates her from my birds, she is not allowed to roam our property without me having a full watch on her.... as like someone else mentioned, if you put a child in a room full of candy theres bound to be some missing by the time you come back...same with ANY Dog and chickens. I dont care how much you (any person) trusts their dog around animals and kids, I personally believe you cannot 100% trust them... they are Dogs not humans and shouldnt be treated as such... they have a pack and predator mentality.. if something isnt right to them instead of talking it out they attack...instead of asking for some chicken from teh fridge they'll just go and get it themselves, normally all while no one is looking.

When my mom used ot breed siberian huskies you wouldnt believe how many people we talked to didnt understand why their first husky killed their kitten while they werent home, or thier cat or bit their kid... well... if you're not watching ANY breed or mix of dog, bad things can happen. I am not downing anyone and DEFFINATLY not the original poster

but i am saying you cannot trust a dog ever when your backs turned things happen because dogs know they aren't under the original control anymore.

 

[b.hromada]

Quote:
I have to agree. Unfortunately, this dog probably WILL try this again. I love all animals, but she is right, he thinks now that HE is the pack leader.
I pray your daughter makes a full recovery. How sad it is for her, being such a little animal lover. Hugs for all of you.