Attacked while on the lead.. AGAIN!!!

Hi All

I don't post on here as much as i should but I just need to vent, Buddy who is now 13 months old was attacked by an alsation/akita/mastiff crossbreed this afternoon. he was on the lead and the other dog had no collar or lead, the owners just stood there and watched a prolonged attack before intervening. Buddy held his own, it was very scary & frightening at the time as i thought the dog was going to turn on me but now buddy has a limp in his back leg, I am taking him to the vet at 9am to get checked, he has no puncture wounds or other visual wounds, just a limp back leg:cry:

I have reported it to the police & dog warden. not sure what will happen if anything.

Thanks for reading

Must have been scary for you! I hope Buddy's alright - hopefully it's just a twist or bruise.

Did you manage to get the owners' details?

Oh no that's awful, hope buddy's ok, irresponsible owners make me so mad

Hope Buddy is ok. The same happened to me a few days back, Zeus was on the lead and a little Jack Russell came running up to him and bit him near his mouth. Luckily, Zeus was on the lead and didn't really react but some owners haven't a clue, if they know the dog is like that, don't take him off lead! Hopefully the wardens give the owners a kick up the ar*e!

Get well soon buddy. I dread for this to happen, as I'm unsure how I would react. First and foremost is the safety of Lola!!!

Poor Buddy I do hope his leg is well again soon.

That must have been very scary for you .. and to have the owner stand by and do nothing I hope at the least they are spoken to and made aware of their own stupidity!!

Poor buddy! Irresponsible people drive me nuts! If you don't have full control of your dog don't take them off the lead! This is one of my biggest fears. I hope he has a speedy recovery!

Aww no poor buddy, i hope this mornings vet check goes well, irresponsible owners drive me mad!!!

Poor Buddy - That must have been so scary for both of you!

Hope the vets goes well this morning, keep us updated

So ruddy annoying I have also had many a rant too over it. People!

I dred the day this ever happens to my boy, me personally wouldn't be held responsible for my own actions, hope buddy is ok & it doesn't affect him to badly xxx

This is a very scary thing to happen and to witness. You have done the rightthing in reporting it to the police and dog warden, did you let have the details of where and when it happened too ? The information you can give them the better. Hopefully the dog warden will catch up with them and have a word about being a responsible owner.

Aww get well soon! its horrible how irresponsible owners can be.

Hi Everyone

Thanks for all the kind words. Buddy is doing ok, he was checked by the vet this morning & I was told he has some soft tissue damage, basically like a twisted ankle. He has to rest for 10days and only have short 10min walks twice a day, keeping him in-active is going to be a challenge as he likes to run around like a nutter, more so when he has not had 3 solid walks during the day.

I have reported it to the dog warden. I was walking down a quiet street, it quite easily could have been a small child on a harness not buddy that got attacked! Luckily for me, the owner was standing in her garden when this happened, so no interaction between us happened. I am on a conditional discharge for a public dis-order offence and this could have erupted into something else, so i gave myself a pat on the back for not kicking off:atwitsend:

I have always defended buddy when he has been attacked in the past, i have kicked a few dogs... but this was the first time that I felt fearful of another dog, the aggression it displayed was off the scale & despite me pulling buddy away and trying to walk away it kept on attacking for almost 100metres, I am not a small man either! in hindsight it was only when buddy was pulling chunks of hair out of the other dog that the owner reacted, she ran over and picked her dog up like a baby and carried it away without even a sorry!

I do not think this experience has changed Buddy at all, he is a well balanced dog & very friendly with humans & other animals. The only time he ever shows aggression is when he is attacked or another dog tries to hump him.

Thanks for all the replies!!

Glad that Buddy and you are ok. And atleast you can identify where the owner lives hopefully the police or dog warden can progress things

just a quick update to say that all is not as well as it seemed a couple of weeks ago.

Buddy has been on antiimmflamotories for a week and been well rested since the attack but he is still limping, he cant sit properly & is in discomfort.

He is going back to the vet later today, we saw her last wednesday & basically he dislocated his knee, it is possible he may need surgury in the future


i am absolutely gutted

Ohhh No poor Buddy, do you have insurance for him ??

I would be gutted too, ask the vet if any physio would help on his knee. Please let us know how you get on

Poor Buddy, let us know what they say at the vets today xx

No insurance for him & i am assuming it is too late to take any out at this stage?? vet records arent held on a national database are they?

I will ask about physio but in all honesty, I am not working currently & have a very limited budget despite this I am putting Buddy as a top priority & if it means i have no food for a week, so be it, atleast he will be getting medication & he has a big sack of food already.

I had plans to take him for his first swim at the seaside & to take him camping as soon as the weather allowed but thats all out of the window now.

The dog warden has visited the property where the other dog lives but in his own words the dog was nowhere to be seen & the lady was not very helpful, apparantly it has been confirmed by neighbours the dog lives there but she claims it is the dog of a friend that visits occassionally. The warden has said he will catch up with the owner to prosecute but i am not holding out much hope. I am tempted to go knock on the door myself but this will not have a positive outcome.

shocking..annoys the hell out of me seeing all other dogs of the lead-apart from staffys.

shame we dont see this on the news..once again only staffys

Oh dear G, you are going to have to try your hardest to keep your cool and stay away from the other owner, oh so much easier said than done I know, I'm sure we all feel the same and know what we would love to do, however we must let the law deal with them if possible otherwise we are no better really. Please leave this to the warden, any further information you could give may help eg: times of day that the dog is outside are when the owner is more likely to be around the home.

With reagrd to insurance from what I can remeber when we took Rockys out we had to wait 2 weeks before we could make a claim but that policy may be different for other insurance companies.

Would your vet accept payment in installments, this may be worth asking about should the need arise.

Hi Kathy

I am going to be getting Buddy insured later today, from reading the policy documentation pre-existing conditions/symptoms are not covered, the first 14days of the policy he is not covered either but it is peace of mind for the future if anything like this happens again & for £13.61 a month its a bargain! wish i done it sooner!

Thanks for the kind words, I shall let you all know what the vet says later!

Hey

Buddy is booked in for general aneasthetic & x-rays in the morning

Hope it all goes alright for Buddy xx

hope to god everything is ok on the x ray

Just a quick post to say thanks for the well wishes, i will pass them onto Buddy when I collect him from the vet at 5pm! I have no idea what they found yet, all i know is that Buddy is just starting to wake up. ... i miss having him by my side

Hope he is ok, he doesnt like being in the vets after having his anal sacks emptied a couple of months ago & has growled at the vet eachtime we have seen her since lol too much info sorry!

Buddy needs an operation on his knee & possibly another operation on his cruciate ligaments, we wont know for sure until early next week as the x-rays taken today are being sent to the specialist surgeon.

Basically i am looking at either a £600 operation on just his knee or a £2000 operation on both his knee & cruciate ligaments.

 

Oh no, poor buddy! I'm sorry this has happened to you, I'm sure it must have been very scary Its so unfortunate that some dog owners are so irresponsible/ inconsiderate of others I'm glad that you've reported them to the police and also that you are getting Buddy to the vet just to make sure he is okay. It's always better to be safe than sorry! I hope he has a quick recovery!

Poor Buddy, and please like Kathy says, leave it to the police to deal with. Are you able to pay so much a time, most vets will allow this. Glad you have taken out insurance now. Its peace of mind too for you.

Lucky for me the vet is happy to accept installments for the cost of the operations, we find out on wednesday what the specialist's opinion is on his x-rays

here is some recent pictures of Buddy, he has certainly grown in the last 12months:x 

Just caught up with this G. Poor Buddy.

am I understanding correctly in that the surgery needed is on the same leg that showed signs of injury immediately after the attack?

If that is so, and that you reported the attack to the police and the dog warden directly after the attack and identified the leg that was injured at the time, then I would think that you have a strong case (backed up by your vet's evidence) for taking this matter to the Small Claims court. If the attacking dog's owners have third party liability insurance for their dog (faint hope I know, but worth a try) then the case wouldn't even have to go through the courts.

I'm glad to hear that your vet is being accommodating about spreading the cost, but I think you have a case to fight for.

Please let us know how you get on, and most importantly how Buddy recovers from his injury.

I hope he is back to his old self very soon. Horrible seeing them in pain or discomfort. Massive from Blue and I

Aww I hope he feels well again soon

Lynda wrote:
am I understanding correctly in that the surgery needed is on the same leg that showed signs of injury immediately after the attack?  

Hi Lynda

Thanks for the reply, yes it is the same leg that showed signs of injury immediately after the attack, Buddy has never had any issues with his legs in the past, actually no health issues at all until now! The unfortunate thing is that the owners of this other dog have now hidden it somewhere, what i mean is, the dog warden has been to the owners address & these people claim they do not own a dog & the dog in question is a "friends" that visits them, despite the fact neighbours have given descriptions of the dog living there!

Due to the pro-longed nature of the attack & the injuries sustained by Buddy the Dog Warden has told me that he has every intention to prosecute the owner of the dog under the DDA but he advised it will take time to catch the dog, he is the only dog warden in my city & as you can imagine, he is very busy. He has advised that he will be carrying out "undercover surveillance" on the address & in the area to find the dog. so, they have got away with it basically 

I have known this information for a couple of weeks now & kept it to myself as my main concern is getting Buddy back to normal, yes i would like the vetinerary fees paid by the other owner but it seems they have got rid of the dog, so its down to me to pick up the pieces and carry on%-( 

Buddy has run out of his medicine (metacam) now & seems to be in discomfort still, he hasnt been walked very far at all since the attack & has shown signs of aggression to the other dog & 3 cats he lives with, uptil now there has been relative harmony in the household for the past year, roll on 2moro when we find out if he needs one operation or two. Buddy is now insured & i probably shouldnt tell you guys this.......

BUT.......


i am considering insurance fraud to get him treated:-$ :-$ :-$ :-$ :-$ :-$ :-$ :-$ 

a bit of a rant, sorry!

Well good luck on that one.

As to the small claim courts, I find them a waste of time! You still have to pay to log the claim, they then write to the offener, and they dont have to answer, which in turn means you have to pay again to take it further, as I found out to my cost, (nothing to do with dog but our holiday cottage at the time). Which means taking them to court!

I would get some more Metacam if you can. Buddy will soon get on with the other dog and cats after a while, he has had a horrible experience. Let us know how it goes tomorrow.

Poor Buddy, it will take time and patience for him to recover his confidence, and meanwhile the pain in his leg may well be making him grumpy and reminding him of his ordeal.

Ref the small claims courts, I have had no personal experience of them thank heavens, but thought it might be a good idea. Lynn above obviously has had first hand experience of them and I am disappointed to hear that they are useless. I thought they were set up so that ordinary people without large reserves of money could get justice and financial compensation for something that was not their fault. Seems I was wrong (where is Judge Judy when you need her  )

Although it's incredible that a large city like Cardiff has only one dog warden, at least he's on your side and on the case.

Please do be very very careful about claiming against your new pet insurance policy. They usually have a 2 weeks from start-up exclusion, and remember that your vet and possibly the dog warden would be required to give details of when they first became aware of Buddy's injuries.

Keeping all my fingers and Kuchar's paws crossed for Buddy's next visit to the vet.  

snappy wrote:

Lynda wrote:
am I understanding correctly in that the surgery needed is on the same leg that showed signs of injury immediately after the attack?  

Hi Lynda

Thanks for the reply, yes it is the same leg that showed signs of injury immediately after the attack, Buddy has never had any issues with his legs in the past, actually no health issues at all until now! The unfortunate thing is that the owners of this other dog have now hidden it somewhere, what i mean is, the dog warden has been to the owners address & these people claim they do not own a dog & the dog in question is a "friends" that visits them, despite the fact neighbours have given descriptions of the dog living there!

Due to the pro-longed nature of the attack & the injuries sustained by Buddy the Dog Warden has told me that he has every intention to prosecute the owner of the dog under the DDA but he advised it will take time to catch the dog, he is the only dog warden in my city & as you can imagine, he is very busy. He has advised that he will be carrying out "undercover surveillance" on the address & in the area to find the dog. so, they have got away with it basically 

I have known this information for a couple of weeks now & kept it to myself as my main concern is getting Buddy back to normal, yes i would like the vetinerary fees paid by the other owner but it seems they have got rid of the dog, so its down to me to pick up the pieces and carry on%-( 

Buddy has run out of his medicine (metacam) now & seems to be in discomfort still, he hasnt been walked very far at all since the attack & has shown signs of aggression to the other dog & 3 cats he lives with, uptil now there has been relative harmony in the household for the past year, roll on 2moro when we find out if he needs one operation or two. Buddy is now insured & i probably shouldnt tell you guys this.......

BUT.......


i am considering insurance fraud to get him treated:-$ :-$ :-$ :-$ :-$ :-$ :-$ :-$ 

a bit of a rant, sorry!

Im so sorry buddy was attacked. Whats wrong with people!!! At the least they should of offered to pay your bill, not hide away from this. just a thought, could the Blue cross help out with the cost? It's worth a try xxx Give Buddy a big hug from Me, Ken and Lil xx

Hi Everyone

Thanks for the kind words, support & advice in this thread, its much appreciated by me & Buddy.

Been told today that Buddy needs pre-surgury anti-biotic treatment for 2 weeks & then he will need 2 operations. One on his knee & another on his cruciate ligaments, as expected.

It's going to cost a touch over £2000............HOWEVER... I have been in touch with the Dogs Trust today and there is the possibility that they may fund/contribute towards the operation but i will not know for sure immediately, something to do with having to get authorisation from the directors. so fingers crossed Buddy will get the operations he needs.

The small claims court isnt really an option as i dont have the funds or knowledge to go about making a claim against the owners and in all honesty, i dont think they are employed so it would be like getting blood out of a stone & £5 a week just wouldnt be good enough.  My girlfriend is stopping me from going and knocking on the door & demanding money bcos she knows i would lose the plot and get arrested so we have to wait for the dog warden to do his job, in all fairness, he is good at his job as we had a problem with a 3 rotties & a polish man a couple of years ago & the DW managed to catch him after a few months of undercover operations  

My only other alternative if all else fails is to take him to a vet out of area & blag them that i have only just got Buddy & try get it done through the new insurance policy, which is active & live after the 23rd of this month, its not as if vetinary records are kept on a national database like human health records? I feel i am abusing the system by doing this but being on long term sickness benefit means the only savings i had, have already been spent on Buddy.

cheers for reading!

So sorry to hear that Buddy does need surgery after all. Poor little boy  

OK forget the small claims court idea; it was just something I floated out there without knowing much (if anything) about it.

It was a brilliant idea to contact Dogs Trust - fingers and paws crossed that they will authorise the funding.

As for your "other alternative" please do think very,very carefully before pursuing this route. Insurance companies are only too ready to try to avoid paying out and will demand cast-iron evidence before doing so. The fact that you would be going to an out-of-area vet would immediately ring their alarm bells (why? they would ask), especially so soon after accepting your policy. They will check on the details you gave when taking out the policy - if you told the insurance company when taking out the policy that you obtained Buddy on a certain date, and then tell the out-of-area vet that you have only just obtained him - be certain that they will ferret this out before you can turn round! Not forgetting that the police and the dog warden already know the truth of the situation.

Although I appreciate and sympathise about your financial difficulties, I honestly wouldn't advise this course of action. At worst, you could be charged with fraud - I just don't think it's worth the risk.

Apart from the police/dog warden investigations which should result in financial compensation for yourself, and Dogs Trust, have you considered the PDSA?

Hi!!

Sorry for the lack of updates on Buddy. Been hectic recently & haven't been able to get online.

Buddy had his operation on tuesday. It turned out he only partially tore his cruciate ligament, he underwent a new type of operation where they keep the existing ligaments rather than remove them fully, so recovery should be quick, like 2-4 weeks.

he also had an operation on his knee where the bone was reshaped & the knee was tightened up.

He is very sore & swollen & sorry for himself, he has dissovable stitches. We are back at the vets 2moro morning for a check up.

hi,i just read your posts,omg some of it made me mad,i hope everything goes good for you both,and hey there time will come am sure,i just get so angry when i think of owners like that.as where i live and i take molly down the park there is lots of dogs off the lead and i just cant relax.  

How terrible! I hate irresponsible people! I'm glad Buddy's surgery went well and great news that it was only partially torn! I hope he has a quick recovery! Keep us updated on everything!

So glad to hear the surgery has gone well Wishing Buddy a speedy recovery ... keep us up to date with how he is going x

Man im gutted for u i was walking through local park last week me and lexy mindin our own business and a siberian aattacked lexy but she defended herselff andd prevailed as for the owner who tried to blaame lexy who waas on the lead andd harness and his mutt wasnt i punched him and said its ur dog next time... Next day he shook my hand and apoligissed.. im sorry to hear about buddy man but i feel ur frustration but u could hav been arrested for assault so keep ur cool bro buddy will b fine

on the mend now, thanks for the kind words & support, i KNOW  i should post here more often but i dont have regular internet access currently being homeless and all that jazz:-bd 

Buddy does not tolerate other dogs now, which is a real shame as he used to be such a friendly dog but i hope with some hard work on my part i can bring him back, his only friend is his adopted older brother, Winston a pedigree labrador, Winston is the only dog he likes now:lol:  He tries to hold his hand when Winston is sleeping:x  Winston belongs to a friend who has been letting me sofa-surf while Buddy recover's:D 

Thanks for the up date G, sorry to hear that Buddy is now not tolerant of other dogs and I hope in time this will change for you both.

Rocky has recently been through a very similar attack by a GSD and is now very fearful of other dogs, we are keeping him out and about though at local parks and hope he can overcome this.

snappy wrote:
Buddy does not tolerate other dogs now, which is a real shame as he used to be such a friendly dog but i hope with some hard work on my part i can bring him back,

It can be done, can take a bit of time but as he was such a good dog before there is a good chance that once he starts trusting the world again he will be calmer and more accepting around dogs.
It sounds like you have a massive bond between each other so if a tricky situation arises keep calm yourself. He will most definitely be keeping an eye on you and trusting your instincts via your body language.

Glad he is on the mend, lovely boy pass on a stroke from me please

I'm glad he is mending. What a difficult thing. Like Nathan says, it can be done but will take much work and patience and only around very very tolerant dogs for quite a while.

Glad he is on the mend bless him  

Thanks for the update G, so glad to hear that Buddy's op was a success.

Buddy's had a hard time to be sure but he is now mending physically thank goodness.

It may take a time for him to recover from his understandable nervousness around other dogs, but he's young yet and with time and patience and walking with bomb-proof dogs like Winston, he should begin to recover his confidence.

Well done G for working so hard for Buddy - do keep in touch when you can!  s to you both (and Winston for being a good buddy to Buddy!)