Rocky has been Attacked again !!

We had been out for a lovely walk this afternoon in an area where we know we can safely let him run off lead. He had a lovely time it was a great walk.

We had just got back to the flat and we noticed a loose staffy that Rocky knows and is friends with, running around at the front of the flat with the owner and some small children nearby. We have an area of grass at the front of the property for children to play in etc.

Rocky was on his lead with my hubby and we approached this loose staffy to say hello as we usually would with no problems at all. They were having a sniff of each other and all was well until the other dog just snapped and turned aggresive with Rocky. This is totally out of character as we know the dog quite well now. The other dog got hold of Rockys head and seemed to want to do damage to him for no reason.

The owner did her best to get her dog away from Rocky this would probably have been easier had he been on a lead.

We managed to get away and got into the flat where we checked Rocky over for any bites/tears to his skin. He had blood around his left eye so that was it, straight to the vets, no messing around.

Whilst we were waiting to be seen by the vet I noticed a bite mark above his right eye, he had blood around his left eye which we had already noticed.

We got in to see the vet quite quickly, they are very good there. He gave Rocky a good check over and he had a small cut on his bottom left eyelid and the cut above the right eye we already noticed but no other damage, thank goodness. The vet had a good look at his eyes even turning the lights out to use an istrument on him and was satisfied there was no severe damage done.

£87.00 later we got back where Rocky has been sleepy since, but that was probably due to the injection the vet gave him.

Poor little fella was shaking so much when we got in after it happened. So was I and needed a stiff drink.

Pleased he's ok with only minor damage , will you pass on the bill Kathy ???

pffft... i would. but then again. i'm guessing yours friend with the owners and you all didnt know it was coming... hmmm.. i guess its a matter of opinon

bloody dogs i keep away from most dogs these days if i see one off the lead

poor rocky,hope he is ok?so lucky there was'nt any bad damage,are you ok kath?

Oh poor Rocky i really hope he is ok now give him lots of hugs and spoiling, it is scary when it just happens out of the blue like that especially when you know the dog and they were friends, but we never know what triggers a dogs mood, and now i get quite edgy when i see a dog off its lead running towards me as it can happen so quickly get well soon Rocky

awh poor lil rocky i hope he's doing ok,it must be the weather or something there seems to be a lot of dogs going mental lately,hopefully it wont leave a bad memory they'll probably be fine next time.

We are OK thanks, just a it shaken up again. I think 19th June is cursed for me as thats the day I had my car accident 9 years ago. Should know better than to get out of bed on this day.

As we were coming out of the vets there was a dog just sitting there to see a vet and Rocky got a bit grumpy and started to snarl I felt so bad as if I was a bad parent. This has really shaken us both. I hope Rocky will be able to play with all his other friends again. He needs them now.

We dont know the owner that well and had of course disappeared by the time we got back from the vets. We know that they couldn't afford the bill anyway so a waste of time asking for any donation towards it, although it was their fault.

The owner is 2 bricks short of a full load anyway.

Poor little Rocky is getting an awful lot of scars just latley taking into oacount the attack from the GSD just before Christmas too. I really need to get away from this area before something fatal happens again.

Steve wrote: bloody dogs i keep away from most dogs these days if i see one off the lead

same here steve i was walking memphis yesterday was on way back to the car when i noticed another staffy off lead in the distance so changed direction slightly and the other owner seemed to do the same so we were back on track to pass eachother well when he was within a 100 metre or so i shouted for him to get his dog on lead and he payed no attension and just turned slightly again to walk through the long grass and his dog just carried on coming towards us the owner was just walking off loseing sight of his dog so i shouted for him to get his dog he shouted once and kept on walking and the dog took no notice and kept on coming by this time a was getting memphis close to me so i had full control the other staff desided to run at memphis at this point memphis went into alert mode give a few barks and snarls and the other dog ran around him afew times barking memphis give a couple more warning growls and the dog must have had second thoughts and ran off towards his owner. at no point did the other owner come to look for his dog just carried on walking

Sorry to hear this Kathy, I so long for you to be able to move. I hope this hasn't affected your secret place Xx

So sorry. What a bad day. Hope that you and Rocky recover quickly and that he is ok mentally after that very strange attack.

I feel really bad about this, I even considered taking Rocky back to Woodgreen shelter where we got him, but what good would that do, I love the little guy. I know it wasnt his fault, he just deserves better than I am giving him right now. Dont know what to do, I know I really couldn't do that just so depressed that the thought went through my mind.

I think I will just keep him right away from loose dogs from now on. Cannot risk it happen again to my poor baby I hate seeing him hurt.

Be strong Kathy, imagine life without Rocky (I no you never could).

Sometimes life is testing, and those bad days are draining. Keep your chin held high, tomorrows another day ><

you poor things! did you even get an apology? the only time i let my dogs off is in a big field with no other dogs around. and im sure rocky is better off with you than in a shelter!

kathy, rocky would be lost with out you and you with out him,things will get better x

Oh Kathy, please dont feel down. Rocky is lucky to have you and if you were not doing good by him do you think you would feel this bad? Poor you and poor Rocky. I am glad he is ok. Perhaps the other dog was having a bad hair day. Just as long as you can build Rocky's confidence again.

Feel for ya both Kathy ... it's so frustrating ennit I wish we could do summut about dogs off leads when others are about! Max must have one of those face's that offend/scare other dogs cus 80% of the dogs he meets want a peice of him

Its the way owners dont seem to care about the consequence's or what happens if there dog is off lead, or even outa site !!

kathytake2 wrote:I feel really bad about this, I even considered taking Rocky back to Woodgreen shelter where we got him, but what good would that do, I love the little guy. I know it wasnt his fault, he just deserves better than I am giving him right now. Dont know what to do, I know I really couldn't do that just so depressed that the thought went through my mind.

no no no! you are the best thing for him, EVER! and you cannot be blamed for other dogs/owners actions. Marley has been attacked 3 times while on lead and suffered multiple puncture wounds to his snout from a gsd (who he is now good friends with, another story) sometimes things flare up so quick you dont stand a chance in hell of stopping it no matter who you are. Rocky fell on his feet when you found him and I bet if you could ask him he'd confirm that. I now carry arround a can of pet corrector, if it starts to kick off a blast of that sorts them out, also good a scaring the crap out of unsuspecting humans

Poor Rocky - he sounds such a love, I hope it doesn't put him off. I know how you feel, its so scary when it happens - it happend to Lily and another staffie outside of a training class we go to a few weeks ago and I'd only had her two weeks. The other dog was waiting to go into the next class and both were on the lead and the other dog lashed out and Lily retaliated and she ended up with a v-shaped nick out of her ear and covered in blood. I was shaking like a leaf and so scared - one of the owners followed me back to the car and apologised and said he had not seen his dog do that before which is at least a better reaction than you got. I hate it when people leave their dog off the lead and have no control, no matter what kind of dog.

Don't even think about the shelter - you and Rocky found each other for a reason. I hope you are both feeling a bit better now

Poor Rocky and you. Please don't feel down about it, like others have said you and Rocky found each other for a reason. Millie has been attacked a few times by off lead dogs and I always feel like I'm keeping one eye open for them now and just avoid them when I see them. I hope your both feeling a bit better now ><

glad he is ok ,,, i would just try to ignore dogs off lead as another attack could really change him and u dont want that ... hope u are ok too

Really sorry for you and Rocky. Hope you both recover from this soon.

Sorry to hear about what happened to poor Rocky.

But from experience of owning Staffords, i've noticed Staffords seem to spark each other off.
Even the most placid Stafford can turn into a nutter when confronted with another Stafford.

Hope Rocky is ok! I know it is a shock when they get attacked, a couple of days after I rescued Ledger a retriever got loose from its owner (who was outside her front door putting its head collar on!) jumped the fence and went straight for Ledger jaws straight around his neck. I was in the middle of the pavement with my boy on lead trying to grab her dog by whatever I could and screaming at the woman to get her dog back. She just froze and even when I did get it off and kicked it away she still just waited for it to go back to her and not so much as an apology though to be fair at that point if she had spoke to me I would have been far from polite and just wanted to get as far away as possible. I did have a couple of neighbours ask if we were ok as we walked off though.

At that point I did question if I had done the right thing in rescuing, I was an emotional wreck and how could I subject my boy to that risk again but at the end of the day Ledger like Rocky has found a forever home their lives are 110% better than when they were in those lonely rescue centres we cant live our lives worrying about the potential irresponsibility of others

Im so sorry to hear of this, especially since it was a friend of you and rocky. You must of been so shocked and frightened I am glad no major damage was done. Poor rocky. I feel for you I really do. I must congratulate you though for going straight to the vets its nice to hear of such responsible owners, who obviously love their doggy hope all is well with you both. ><

So sorry...glad he is OK and hope you are too, must have been scary!

It's obvious how much you love him and that's the most important thing.

What a sad thing I am glad to know it was only minor injuries. With that said business is business and it is only right to request some sort of payment for the vet bill. We all know it was their irresponsibility that allowed this to happen. Worst case they pay nothing and you are the same but maybe they will give you something toward the bill. I am soo glad it was not worse. I hope rocky has a speedy recovery

Thats the worst thing to happen, I have had this so many times. I dont understand why people let DA dogs off the lead if they have absolutely no recall. Its selfish and not fair when we try to be responsible owners and other people ruin it for everyone. Both my dogs socialisation has been ruined by being attacked by other dogs. Now I can't let them meet and greet new dogs because they get defensive and have to be slowly introduced.

What kind of dog is Marley? Is he Akita cross staff?

Im glad Rockys ok. Your the best thing thats happened to him.

Keep positive, i now carry a Rocket Launcher, works wonders lol , no, only joking, but would'nt mind, blow a few stupid owners away.

Awww no, I'm so sorry to hear about what happened, but I'm glad that Rocky wasn't to badly hurt. You are the best thing for Rocky, the fact that you care so much about how it will affect him shows that. I hope that he settles with other dogs quickly, and that your nerves settle soon aswell ><

Thank you to you all for the fantastic support and advice given above. We are joined to Rocky at the hip and there is only one thing that will ever seperate us. We are having a much better day today.

We've just got back from walking Rocky and he was, on the whole OK. We saw a lady at the park with a Bull Dog called Beryl , never met her before and Rocky had a bit of a grumble, only to be expected I guess. Rocky was on his lead and the bull dog was loose, thankfully the owner was very close and able to get hold of her dog.

We had a good chat with this lady and she was telling us about her other dog an English Bull Terrier that was 10 yrs old. When it was 18 months old it got attacked by a Lab and again by a Pit Bull Terrier when she was living in Spain.

When the Pit Bull attacked the EBT it made a really nasty mess of its face, the lady said there was only scars on its face now, poor dog. That must have been very scary to witness.

After having a chat with her she really put us at ease (she told us she had studied dog behaviour for 5 years and she really sounded like she knew her stuff) I am so glad we saw her today she was a lovely lady and hope that her dog and Rocky will be able to play one day.

Just now saw this and so glad Rocky is okay

poor Rocky and poor you!!

Glad to hear you had a good day

We get it all the time only today two off lead dobermans came up to us Skye felt dominated and when it came towards buster I said he's not good with other dogs and all the owner said was mine are fine duh

But apart from that a lovely walk had by all

Sorry to hear bout this, and so glad it was minor too. Rocky and you need one another. You two would be lost without one another. Like the rest of you, I tend to stay away from loose dogs off lead, if at all possible. And always put my Pixee on lead when I see another dog about.

Please never consider taking Rocky back to the shelter. You love him and he will know that more than anything.
On my wall at work I have a picture of a little girl hugging a staffi. It says - 'saving just one dog won't change the world but surely it will change the world for that dog'. That is what you have done - keep up the good work

I'm so sorry to read this - you must be feeling really low right now but please don't give Rocky up - you obviously love him so much and I'm guessing that's mutual.

It's a horrible thing to happen but hopefully not the norm - all you can do now is be extra careful and have eyes in the back of your head. So many idiots out there and who's to say he wouldn't end up with one of them if you rehomed him. He's better with someone like you who loves him and will look out for him.