Do you treat your pets like children? If so.....

[i8godzilla]

I have been hesitant to post this incident but after consulting the parties involved and reading the almost non-existent sheriff's report I thought it may benefit others.

The background:
On Sunday October 23rd, we had the entire family at here and spent the mid-morning carving pumpkins with the grandkids (seven-ages 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, & 1). Both of our children and their spouse were here as the clan had arrived on Friday night and planned on departing to their respective homes later Sunday evening. Lots of BBQ and good old family fun had been the agenda all weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday involved time with our various guns and insuring all was set with the deer feeders and game cameras for the upcoming season opening. Although there was alcohol on both Friday and Saturday nights we never indulge on Sundays when everyone has long drives home with the kids. After the pumpkin carving my son and SIL broke down some of the guns for cleaning and all of the guns--sans the Judge--were safely locked in the workshop. This included all of our EDC weapons. I had the Judge openly holstered, on my left thigh, because my wife and I had seen a couple of snakes earlier in the week due to the warmer weather.

The incident:
Sometime around 2:00 PM we were taking the last of the food off of the grill and had already prepared the grandkids plates. The grandkids were eating and the plan was to let the finish and put them all down for some rest/nap so the adults could have a nice meal to cap off the weekend. We were outdoors at our picnic tables helping the grandkids finish their meals.

One of the dogs from next door came down our main driveway (~200') and attracted the attention of our Jack Russell Terrier (see avatar). Jack's (his name is also Jack) interest was peeked and he bolted down the driveway. My wife slowly got up to retrieve him. The other dog simply turned and walked quickly back towards the end of the drive and back to his property. Jack continued to follow. As soon as Jack got to the property line the dog turned and attacked him. Jack was out weighed by over 60 lbs and could do nothing once the other dog had a hold of him. Like a scene out of a horror movie the two other dogs that belong to the same owner suddenly joined in on a killing frenzy. My wife screamed as any mother would do when one of her 'children' was in trouble. My son and I also saw what was happening and instinctively went to Jack's rescue.

The next minute played out in very slow motion. Some how my son and I found ourselves on the other side of a four foot barb-wire fence and were doing everything humanly possible to get Jack out of there. What exactly happened and how we got hold of Jack is still a mystery to both of us. We both recall punching, kicking, and rolling on the ground. Somehow I got Jack under my right arm and was punching one dog that would not let go of his ear. I saw my son kicking one of the other dogs and trying to fight it off. During the struggle we had moved out of the range of the only dog that was tied-up. We were still losing! My son was doing everything he could to keep one dog from causing him further injury and was in for the fight of his life. I managed to land a kick to the belly of the dog that had Jack's ear and he let go and was rolling across the ground. The next thing I know the Judge was in my hand and all I could hear is my wife pleading at the top of her lungs not to shot the dog. (I later learned she was afraid of the impact on all of the grandkids that were now seeing what had to be the most traumatic event of their young life. She did not want them to see the dog shot by Papa.) Knowing I could not safely fire a round at the dog attacking my son and seeing the dog I just struggled with getting ready to have another go at it, I FIRED A SHOT in the air. Call it a warning shot or whatever you want. The shot startled the dogs long enough for my son and I to get back over the fence. Again, we do not know if we climbed, jumped over, or went through it but by the grace of God we ended up on the other side of the fence and the dogs did not peruse.

The aftermath:
Jack was alive but was almost limp and had a six inch gash across his back just past his neck--this was bleeding profusely. His ear was punctured and he had a bite on the top of his head but it was not bleeding much. There were numerous bites all down his back but very little bleeding from them. I rolled him over in my arm and was relieved to see he had not injuries to his underside--bites here would have certainly been his demise. While inspecting Jack, my SIL came over and calmly removed the Judge from my hand--I was unaware that it was still in my hand over my head and pointed to the sky. Jack was seriously injured and although he had little fight in him, he was ready to bite anything/one that came near him. My daughter retrieved his muzzle and I coxed him into letting me put it on him. This allowed us use a hose to rinse him off and further assess his injuries. My son was being tended to by my his wife and he said he would be fine. We got Jack wrapped tightly in a towel to help stop the bleeding. My daughter was on the phone and within five minutes had contacted the only open animal hospital we were aware of and informed them we were on the way.

It was at this point that my wife and SIL pointed out that maybe I should go to the ER and let my wife take Jack to the hospital on her own. I had a bite on my upper torso that was bleeding through my shirt, a bite on my upper thigh, a bite on my calf, a bite on my right hand and my right index finger was ripped open down to the bone. My son had bites on his hand and a couple on his legs but the denim he was wearing helped prevent any punctures of his legs. Although my finger looked very bad the I believed the rest of the bites were not so bad and I opted to take the dog to the hospital with my wife--she was in no condition to drive. My DIL took my son to the ER and my daughter and SIL remained to care for the little ones. It was about a 45 minute drive to the animal hospital and they were ready for us. We spent about 30 minutes there while they evaluated Jack and presented us the bill. Without hesitation I paid the bill and they prepped Jack surgery. The vet asked to look at my wrapped up finger and suggested I go to the ER right then. We stuck around for them to process his X-rays to insure that we did not have to make any decisions over the phone. We were assured that Jack was in good hands and it would take at least two hours for them to put him back together. The X-rays and ultrasound showed no internal injuries and off we were for the 55 minute drive to the ER.

When I arrived at the ER my son was still in the waiting room. I checked in and they took us both back at about the same time. He required just a few butterflies and a round of antibiotics. Once I laid back on the bed I realized I could no longer move my right wrist nor my index finger. Bottom line--20 stitches in my finger, a badly sprained wrist, general clean-out of the other wounds, and a big dose of antibiotics.

While we were gone a deputy form the Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene. My daughter and SIL handled this interaction and I have heard nothing thus far--nor to I expect to.

The analysis, in no particular order:
1. Always be armed! Some here will question my firing the round in the air (.410 7 1/2 birdshot). That shot gave my son and I the time we needed to get to safety. While I do not advocate firing a warning shot as a normal practice, I do believe that this instance it allowed us to retreat without further injury.

2. Even though your dogs normally do not stray, keep them under you control. A leash may seem cruel but seems tame to compared to what Jack went through.

3. Any dog that encroaches my property will be immediately dispatched. The dog that came down the drive growled at me a few months ago when I chased him from one of the deer feeders. I never thought he would have the temperament that he did. Think this is cruel? See number 2. above!

4. If you Open Carry around the house or on your property, you may wish to reconsider. My weapon was strapped to my thigh and once I left my property I am sure that a few laws were broken. What if this happened in the middle of the public street? We do not know who called the Sheriff; someone driving by or someone heard something and called the non-emergency number. What if it was called in as "man with a gun"?

5. Consider pet insurance! We have in the past thought about it. Jack is almost 12 yo. At ~$200.00 a year that would be $2,400. The vet bill was almost $1,400. So, we are ahead in the long run. However, what if we did not have the money at the time? Unlike your two-legged children, medical care can be refused for your four-legged kids. Additionally, find the nearest emergency animal hospital NOW! Program the phone number and address into your cell phone today. One of the stores my son manages is in the same strip mall as the one we went to, this was the only way he knew it was there. I had my vets number but it took his service 20 minutes to contact him. Time we may not have had had the injuries to Jack been worse.

6. No matter the breed of the dog, assume ALL can be vicious! The dog that started the attack was a Golden Retriever--a breed that most would consider very tame. Of the other two, one was a Boxer and the one tied-up was of a mixed breed. I would guess the total weight of the three would be just under 300 lbs.

7. Always have a carry weapon available. The animal hospital we went to was in Killeen. The store my son manages in the same strip mall was just targeted in an armed robbery this week. Because of the urgent nature of our departure from home I was basically unarmed in the an area not know to be very safe. (I did have a rifle in the truck but how do you fight your way back to it if needed?)

8. Most accidents are the result of many things, in succession, that go wrong. Being a pilot I have found this to be the case in almost every aviation accident I have every read about. I would not be writing this if I had shot this dog on the first occurrence it showed aggressiveness towards me on my property. What if my wife or I had been more assertive in getting Jack to quit following? I have no gate on the drive to keep my dog in or other animal out. I have no real relationship with my neighbor (his choice), maybe if I did I could have mentioned the first incident to him and he would have done something to control his dog. I am sure there are numerous other things that could have been done that would have prevented this.

9. The Lord does watch over his flock.

Jack is well on his way to recovery. The drain tube and stitches have been removed. The laceration is still slightly open as he will not quit rolling around on his back. I am guessing it itches, particularly while the shaved hair is growing back. My son's wounds are almost healed and he says everything is fine. He commented the other day that this was one of the most traumatic events of his life, including time across the pond in the sandbox. In all of my experiences this is also among those at the top of the list. My stitches came out this week but I have very little feeling in my index finger and only have about 50% motion in it. My wrist is still splinted and must remain that way for a couple more weeks. The physical injuries will heal and over time I am sure that the ugly memories will fade to the background at some point. My mom claims that it was punishment for not attending church Sunday morning. Maybe she's right--Moms usually are, aren't they?

[fishman]

Wow, glad all is well. Dogs are family members and are to be treated as such. Ya'll saved his life, I'm sure Jack would do the same for you.And yes, Moms right, you better go to church.

[papajohn1964]

Sounds like you did all the right things. I think I would have probably started shooting dogs though. I'm fairly certain that it would have been justified as they were loose and attacking you, your son and your dog. We have a Schnauzer and a Jack Russell mix, his name is also Jack (I call him Jack Crack Head because of the way he runs circles around the Schnauzer in the living room) They are both our "kids" and I would do just about anything to protect them! GOOD JOB!!!

[Rex B]

And after all this you have not heard from your neighbor who owned the dogs?

I wonder what your legal position would be if you had shot one of the dogs - on their property.
I think you would have been fine (protecting/retrieving your own property (Jack) and then your life)

We have cats, and the property line abuts 3 yards with big dogs. 2 of those are pit bulls who have killed lievstock in the neighborhood.
I can see something like this as a possibility here.

Scary stuff. Glad it ended well.

[Oldgringo]

i8godzilla wrote:
{snip}
2. Even though your dogs normally do not stray, keep them under you control...

There it is...in a nutshell.

[RoyGBiv]

Thanks for the story and the self analysis.
I always find this kid of thing helpful to read about and learn from..

Glad to hear that all the injuries seem to be on the mend.

[RPBrown]

I am glad to hear that all injuries are mending.

Your point about keeping them on a leash is correct. I have a Golden as well as a Pit. Both are as docile as can be at home, UNLESS,(1) someone comes into their back yard without one of us, or (2) someone tries to hurt one of us. Then its Katy bar the door cause they are going after ya.

When we are out, they are always leashed and well behaved UNLESS, see note 2 above.

We were walking them about a year ago and there were some kids in the 4-6 year old range on the next street over that always came and petted them. The younger one would try to ride the Pit (85lbs) like a horse and he wouldn't move. Anyway, on one of our walks we stopped for the kids to play with them when a stray shepard mix came charging down the street. I had the golden and my wife had the pit (he's a mamma's boy). The pit pulled my wife over to the kids and the golden got between all of us. It was like it had been practiced. They backed down the stray and was protecting both of us as well as the kids.

Now, a problem has occured with the golden before we got the pit. My son and grand daughter were at the house a few years ago (she was raised with our golden) and she had gotten into trouble from her dad. He was going to spank her but the golden had a different idea about that. She got between the two of them and was not about to let him spank her. All he said was he wished we had her when he was a boy.

All of this was to say that most any animal will be protective of his property and people. Once your "Jack" went onto their property, then they were protecting it. Please don't get me wrong, the attack was uncalled for and I am sorry it happened. But that is the instinct of most animals.

[steveincowtown]

Great story. Two observations.

#1> A situation like this is probably the one and only one that exist where a warning shot is a good thing.

#2> http://www.gopetplan.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is the best pet insurance out there. I gladly pay $20ish bucks a month for not every having to make a decision about what an animals life is worth.

[Heartland Patriot]

Thank you for posting. I'm glad that you, your family and your dog have come through the ordeal okay. I am always open to learning...and I agree with you about "accident chains".

[Carry-a-Kimber]

Glad you and yours are okay.

Edited until further clarification....

Where you on your or your neighbor's property after you crossed the fence?

[The Annoyed Man]

I am happy to know that the three of you survived. It sounds terrifying. If that were my neighbor, we would be in court. I'm not entirely buying the "they were just protecting their property" bit, because you describe the neighbor dogs as having trespassed on your property first, including immediately before the incident happened. That neighbor needs to A) be held liable for the injuries sustained to you, your son, and your dog; B) be cited by law enforcement for failing to have control over the dogs; and C) be told by you that the next time one of his dogs strays onto your property, you will shoot it.

Some people just need to be told the truth, no matter how much they don't want to hear it, and it needs to be repeated, and then acted out, until they get it..........even if they never do get it.

One of my favorite quotes was uttered by former president Harry Truman. He said, "I never gave anybody hell. I just told them the truth, and they thought it was hell."

[Oldgringo]

I am happy to know that the three of you survived. It sounds terrifying. If that were my neighbor, we would be in court. I'm not entirely buying the "they were just protecting their property" bit, because you describe the neighbor dogs as having trespassed on your property first, including immediately before the incident happened. That neighbor needs to A) be held liable for the injuries sustained to you, your son, and your dog; B) be cited by law enforcement for failing to have control over the dogs; and C) be told by you that the next time one of his dogs strays onto your property, you will shoot it.

Some people just need to be told the truth, no matter how much they don't want to hear it, and it needs to be repeated, and then acted out, until they get it..........even if they never do get it.

One of my favorite quotes was uttered by former president Harry Truman. He said, "I never gave anybody heck. I just told them the truth, and they thought it was heck."

TAM,

I ordinarily side with you; however, there is too much gray area here.

The dog of the first part intruded onto OP's property. The dog of the second part (OP) chased the dog of the first part back onto and into the dog of the first part's property whereupon dog of the first part's canine friends rushed to its aid. The dog of the second part's (OP) armed human handlers then rushed onto and into the dog of the second part's turf whereupon they were set upon by the defenders' of first dog's turf.

There are several real transgressions here and all go back primarily to the unleashed and uncontrolled dogs of both parts. I suggest that these sleeping dogs be let lie under their respective constraints and all humans learn from this encounter into the canine world of protectiveness and territoriallity and constrain their supposedly domesticated animals (including cats).

PS:

There are few, if any, who love/d there animal family members more than Mr. & Mrs. Oldgingo.

[Excaliber]

I am happy to know that the three of you survived. It sounds terrifying. If that were my neighbor, we would be in court. I'm not entirely buying the "they were just protecting their property" bit, because you describe the neighbor dogs as having trespassed on your property first, including immediately before the incident happened. That neighbor needs to A) be held liable for the injuries sustained to you, your son, and your dog; B) be cited by law enforcement for failing to have control over the dogs; and C) be told by you that the next time one of his dogs strays onto your property, you will shoot it.

Some people just need to be told the truth, no matter how much they don't want to hear it, and it needs to be repeated, and then acted out, until they get it..........even if they never do get it.

One of my favorite quotes was uttered by former president Harry Truman. He said, "I never gave anybody heck. I just told them the truth, and they thought it was heck."

TAM,

I ordinarily side with you; however, there is too much gray area here.

The dog of the first part intruded onto OP's property. The dog of the second part (OP) chased the dog of the first part back onto and into the dog of the first part's property whereupon dog of the first part's canine friends rushed to its aid. The dog of the second part's (OP) armed human handlers then rushed onto and into the dog of the second part's turf whereupon they were set upon by the defenders' of first dog's turf.

There are several real transgressions here and all go back primarily to the unleashed and uncontrolled dogs of both parts. I suggest that these sleeping dogs be let lie under their respective constraints and all humans learn from this encounter into the canine world of protectiveness and territoriallity and constrain their supposedly domesticated animals (including cats).

PS:

There are few, if any, who love/d there animal family members more than Mr. & Mrs. Oldgingo.

Oldgringo is exactly on point here.

A minor meander by a couple of unrestrained dogs turned into a major deal on the property of the neighbor where the OP's dog, the armed OP, and his son were on really thin legal ice.

As a dog owner myself I fully understand that he couldn't have stood by while his dog was killed by the others, but coming to the aid of the beloved dog placed its owner in an extremely dangerous and legally very sticky position.

I wince at the shot fired in the air, but it caused no harm in this case and apparently helped to break up the melee.

The neighbor might not be the OP's best buddy, but it should be recognized that he could have whipped up a firestorm of trouble for the OP and didn't. He might be due for a small token of friendship and thanks.

I''m glad it turned out without major permanent injury, prosecution, or both, but for sure it had the potential to turn much uglier than it already was.

Many thanks to the OP for sharing this very nasty experience so we might all think it through together and learn - the true purpose of the Never Again topic.

Real life situations are seldom as simple and clean as the ones in our imaginations.

[boba]

That neighbor needs to A) be held liable for the injuries sustained to you, your son, and your dog; B) be cited by law enforcement for failing to have control over the dogs; and C) be told by you that the next time one of his dogs strays onto your property, you will shoot it.

I have no objections to C but if you sued me because my dog defended my (his) turf, I would sue you and pursue criminal charges. Starting with UCW, armed trespassing, animal cruelty, and whatever else I could think up.

[CEOofEVIL]

Good to hear You, Your son and your pet made it through OK. I have a close friend that sustained very bad injuries from breaking up a fight between two dogs once - he still has physical problems as a result from it and he could have easily died.

I love dogs. My dogs are indeed part of my family, and so it's scary to think of this type of situation. Above all, situations like this are why I keep my dogs leashed when they are not in my home or yard, because while they do obey my Wife and Myself I don't trust them to immediately cease what they are doing if they perceive a threat. You made some very good points in your post - thanks for the write up on it.