This is not Charlotte's year... Attacked by neighbor's dog

Shakou

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#1
Charlotte was attacked by a neighbor's dog last night, and got the worst of things. We were coming back inside from a walk, when the neighbor's dog, some kind of Pit Bull-hound mix, bolted from their open door and went right for Charlotte. Char's age is catching up to her. She's not as fast or as tenacious as she once was, especially in this cold weather. The dog grabbed her by her back, lifted her off the ground and shook.

I ended up kicking the dog in the mouth as hard as I could, and actually knocked out a tooth. Not the smartest thing to do in a dog fight, I know, but Charlotte was pretty helpless at that moment and instinct was quickly over riding any logic I might have, especially given there was no one to help. And it worked. That was enough to make the dog back off long enough for me to grab Charlotte and throw her in my car which was a few feet away while the owner grabbed his dog.

Charlotte has two puncture wounds we're treating her for now, and will be going to the vet tomorrow. The owner was extremely apologetic, knows he's responsible for this, and offered to pay all vet bills. There's no hard feelings on my part towards him or the dog. The wounds aren't fatal, and I'm sure she will be fine, and as long as he keeps to his word and pays for her treatment, and takes measures to make sure this doesn't happen again, I'm just going to let this go.

I'm worries more for her mental state than anything. Charlotte has been dealing with fear aggression through out the majority of the time we've had her due to a similar situation that happened some years ago at a dog park. She had come a long ways, and I worry this is going to set us back a lot.
 
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#2
I am so sorry this happened to you and your dog. I can only imagine how potentially traumatic it would be for the both of you! I do not think I could forgive as easily as you and definitely feel like I would have done the same..

I am glad she is doing okay. Only time will tell as far as how it effects her mentally. Hopefully it won't set you back on the hard work you have been doing!
 
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#3
Sorry to hear you both had to go through this, and I confess...I don't think I'd be the most logic if another dog was attacking one of my own [we'd like to think we would be though]. I've been lucky, most dogs we've ran into were more curious or just huff n puff from a safe distance.

I was glad to see the owner was aware it was their fault and stepping up. Doesn't make it easier for the issues you are concerned about, but hopefully this means he will take extra precautions to assure it won't happen again.

Glad she is going to be ok, which is the most important part.
 

xpaeanx

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#4
I'm sorry this happened to Charlotte. :-( And I totally understand not thinking logically when your dog is being attacked, I know I wouldn't either. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.
 
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#5
If a dog even looks at Hudson wrong, I get nervous. I can only imagine how freaked out I would be with an actual attack. Poor Charlotte. I hope there is not last damage, either mental or physical.
 

amberdyan

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#6
Ugh, I'm so sorry. Poor Charlotte : ( I'm glad she's okay, but it sucks she had to go through that. I hope this doesn't undue the work I know you've done with her. Keeping her in my thoughts!
 

Shakou

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Wanted to give a quick update. Char seems to be healing okay, though I was right about being concerned for her mental and emotional state. Already, she's very uneasy going outside. She's a lot more nervous, alert, and freezes, hesitates or bristled simply at the sounds of dogs barking close by. Charlotte has had fear issues for a long time now with other dogs, but this is something completely new. We haven't encountered any dogs since the incident, so I dunno how she would react in their presence, but I'm going to guess not well at all.
 

teacuptiger

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I'm glad to hear that Charlotte is healing well, and I'm so sorry that this happened.

The times after Roxie was attacked, she behaved similar to Charlotte- super nervous, and could be more reactive (in a showoff-y way, putting on a front). Just gotta stay calm, and not pay any mind to the negative behavior; just let Charlotte know that the world is still normal and you're not gonna let anyone hurt her :) Lots and lots of treats are helpful, I found.
 

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