Recently, we had a bad scare. My grandson, A-8 was at a friend's house when he was attacked by a Pitbull. The dog apparently just lunged at A8 while he was innocently playing with his school friend. Luckily, he did not get seriously hurt or require stitches.
Is the third time truly the charm, the end of bad luck? This is the third dog biting incident for A-8. He was bit on the hand by a labrador when he was barely 2 years old and bit by a Doberman when he just got off the school bus last year. In the latter incident, he only got bit on the underside of his raised arm which he reflexively used to shield his face.
We are starting to think he's a magnet for dogs! He loves dogs and have grown up around them. We know he is very gentle and has a soft spot for dogs and other animals. He has a dog at home, 3 cats and 5 crabs for pets. Both sets of grandparents own dogs that he plays with. So, we don't understand why other dogs just seem to think they need a nibble of this poor kid.
The open wounds plus the red, bruised areas remained for a few days. He also had huge black and blue areas all over his back and sides where the dog mauled him.
Any closer to his eye and I think the dog's teeth would have caused major injury. As it was, he suffered the beginnings of a black eye.
This little guy is braver than I would have been. As far as we can tell he has not developed any negative effects from his adventure but we are being watchful. His doctor said that the trauma could show up in nightmares and PTSD symptoms later. For his sake, we're hoping he will remain unscathed emotionally. He was quite the star in the schoolyard when he went to school sporting his injuries the next day. We should have bought him a T-shirt with the message, "I survived another dog attack!"
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Comments: 71 ( 1 removed by Duckie 1 )
Yeah, just ask that lady from France who had her face ripped off by her lab.
My suggestion is to talk to a vet or a professional. Why? There may be something in your son's demeanor that dogs see as threatening. The fact that THREE dogs have bitten him (and by the way, who cares what breed of dog they are?), suggests something more might be going on.
I am not downplaying what has happened, but I would never want any child to develop a fear of dogs due to these incidents.
Poor baby!
(psst... you want me to do a write up about his name in a book later?)
My BFF's step daughter was attacked last week by a pit. It jumped from another yard and went after her as she was getting in her car after visiting her mom. She had her 3 month old baby with her. She threw the baby in the back seat and locked the door. She ran around to the driver side and as she was getting in the dog got her leg and wouldn't let go. She kept jamming the door against it until she finally knocked it out. She got in the car and was rolling up the window and the dog jumped up, she rolled up the window, jammiing his head. Neighbors then the owners came and got the dog.
This story goes on and on, suffice it to say that she is now in intensive care with a ripped open leg from the knee to the ankle and an infection that nothing is working on. She may lose her leg. When the police went to get the dog the woman said she didn't know where it was. She had let it go, they arrested her and are trying to find the dog before it kills someone.
About cologne, this little guy is a dandy... he already wears his own cologne!
A dog expert never crossed my mind... that's a good idea! We'll have to ask around to see where there is one close by. I think I'll have his dad, our son call the vet for recommendations today.
I only mentioned the breeds to show the diversity of the attacks. I care enough to keep the facts straight in my story so I had to mention the breeds.
As noted above, I will be telling my son to ask for professional guidance from a dog expert thru the local vets they use for their own pets.
The second dog was owned by another family in the same neighborhood where A8 lives. A8 had just been delivered by the school bus at the regular bus stop for him and his group of schoolmates. There were a bunch of kids in the corner, he was the only one attacked. Again, it was an unprovoked attack.
The third dog just had puppies, I understand. But A8 was not even anywhere near the puppies when he was mauled and bitten.
I wonder if the attacks early on make kids more wary subconsciously and lead to more attacks. I hope not. What a cute little guy and animal attacks are terrifying. My daughter, when two, was once attacked by a cat! I never did figure out how that happened.
Each time A8 was bitten, it had to be reported by the doctor who treated the wounds. The police visited each dog owner and they were told the dogs had to be confined and watched. The first two dogs are fine, I am guessing they were removed from the "dangerous list". I don't know about that last one. I think that locally, a dog that is reported for more than one biting/ attacking incident is deemed dangerous and will be put to sleep.
I snatched Stephanie up over my head and he was attacking me trying to get to her (while my now ex stood there with his mouth open). I got Stephanie out of there with scratches myself and some on Stephanie. I had never seen anything like that before or since. Since the couple with the cat were expecting, it was probably good to find that out, but it was a freaky experience.
Steph, by the way, wants to be a vet and fosters cats for the local shelter. She seems to have recovered.
You mean the bitch died (god, I love that I can say that without getting in trouble) because her puppies overdid the suckling? Can that happen, really? Did they get rid of the puppies, did they die or just give them away? What did they do about the male pitbull? And why is a male pitbull not called a bastard if the female is a bitch? Just askin'.
I've only met one Chow ... she's a sweet thing named Zoe.
I actually owned a gregarious chow once, but it's the exception and not the rule.
Zoe, the Chow I know is a mature pet owned by a friend's stepson. Zoe comes to stay with my friend when her owner is going to be gone for a long period of time. Zoe plays with kids, takes commands like a well-disciplined dog and is too friendly most times... wanting to roll around and be petted all the time.
I don't really know what else to say since I've been on both sides of this. I think my daughter has been bitten that many times too. Her first bite was when she startled a blind dog. It was no one's fault. The other times were also for running up on a strange dog to pet it. Also her fault, but it did happen in a public park every time and I wouldn't take my biting dog to a public park where children play so maybe it's not her fault. I dunno. She has finally learned to walk up and ask the owner for permission before she pets a strange dog. Sometimes she still gets bit. But never anything serious.
Our own dog has bitten and we have to be very careful with him when we have people here working or visiting. I have a terrible time getting a petsitter when we are out of town. I wouldn't dream of taking him to a public park where children are playing. On the plus side I haven't locked my back door in years and I don't have to worry about anyone hurting my kids. That dog would kill them. There's not a doubt in my mind.
Stephanie, our dog is half chow and what you say is true of him.
Here's some Chow information
By Gather mail, I learned that A8 is now actually showing a few symptoms. He won't leave his fenced-in yard if there is a big dog outside. He freaks out when big dogs get close to his dog while he's walking it. And he has had some nightmares lately. One was about a dog attacking kids in school. He did not want to go to school that day.
In China, some farms still raise a variety of dog breeds, including Chows, for meat and hides. However, the breed is not named Chow Chow because they make good "chow", as is commonly supposed. In fact, when they were first shipped to England in the late 18th century, they arrived in the holds of ships, marked "chow chow", Chinese pidgin English for miscellaneous merchandise. The customs people simply assumed that was what they were called and the name stuck.
Would make an interesting contest, eh?
My parents went to a dog fight and all I got was mauled.
For the parents . . . My son can beat up your dog . . . eventually.
9 out of ten dogs prefer the better flavor of A-8
A-8 . . . it's what's for dinner.
A-8, the other, other white meat.
Heh heh heh
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
I love them all! I can't stop laughing here. I'm copying those slogans, it would be neat to have a few printed for fun!
On that note, I'm off to look for lunch. BBL!
Wow... This has been a great week; Mona, Gisela, Birdie and you back on Gather again!
I hope his he gets through this trauma
i'm glad to hear he will be okay, but it could have been worse...
God bless you and your whole family... be well...
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seriously hurt and hopefully he will not suffer side effects.
just a thought....
and I hope I am not adding fuel to the fire.....
does A8 have any medical conditions that might cause him to impart an odor misconstrued by the dogs???
I dont know its a weird question....
or possibly an unusual tone to his voice....that even if 6 kids were squealing..they might not like his...I know I had a dog that hated my singing...really really bummed me out...lol... and I could not raise my voice around her at all....she ran for the hills...