Dog Community

I got attacked tonight, I'm soooo shaken up!

Posted : 4/26/2007 7:04:58 PM

We just got back from our volunteer dog walking shift at the local Humane Society. This is the e-mail I'm sending to the behaviorist:

Dear N----,

We want to make you aware of a dog bite that just happened. I didn't make a fuss of it while there because all the new volunteers were shadowing and I didn't want to scare them all away. Also, I made sure I wasn't bleeding otherwise I would have told someone right away.

Anyway, it was Wally, the flat coated retriever (or whatever he is, I'm not really sure that's just what he looks like to me) that's over between Pepper and the Airedale. I like labs so I took him outside but all the pens were full so we went on a walk. He wasn't really that bad, he didn't jump around, he just pulled a lot and criss-crossed but he seemed happy. We walked accross the street to the parking lot and I was crossing the parking lot with him b/c he was so distracted by sniffing grass I figured if we crossed the lot then he could focus on leash manners with no grass to temp him. He was being very good, still pulling a bit, but he looked really happy and I was praising him for being good. Then all the sudden, he jumped up on my back from behind. Since he jumped me from behind I couldn't really tell why and just thought he was being playful or wanted to hump me. I said "no, off!" and kinda shrugged him off me, but he did it again. I still didn't think he was being aggressive or anything, so I tugged the leash a bit to see if he'd come around to the side. He did, but then he charged and just started biting and biting me. He was biting everywhere - mostly my arms and thigh. He got my upper left arm many times and was biting HARD and pulling. I just tried to relax and stay still, I did not pull back (probably why I'm not bleeding). I don't know how many times he bit - maybe a dozen or more. Then I saw my husband across the street walking Newton and it occured to me that maybe Wally is leash reactive and saw Newton so was biting me instead. I was so scared, so I just held still and hunched over and let him bite me over and over. My husband was still far away with Newton so I yelled for him to stop coming closer. Wally stopped biting for a minute to stare at Newton, but then started attacking my legs and ankles. I tried to yell but I was too scared to yell loud but finally my husband heard me say "stop coming, he sees your dog and he's biting and biting." He saw me hunched over standing real still with the dog charging at me. I didn't scream or say anything to the dog. I was holding the lead in my right hand, but it didn't really matter since he was not trying to run away. My husband was scared for me so he quickly RAN across the street with Newton, yanked Wally away and threw me Newton's leash and ran off with Wally. I took Newton and just walked as far away as I could until Newton was settled and then I took off my shirt to make sure I wasn't bleeding. One of the bites was so hard and he tugged so hard several times, I thought for sure I'd be bleeding but I'm not. My husband took Wally back in and I walked around the lot with Newton to cool off. He said Wally did not bite him and had probably exerted most of his energy biting me. After I calmed down, I took Newton back in and I saw Wally's cage says he is adopted. Another lady said that Wally had jumped on her and snapped on her hand very hard and she was afraid of him. I only heard this from my husband and I don't know her name so I don't know if she's entirely positive it's the same dog.

Like I said, I didn't want to scare off all the new volunteers and since I'm not seriously injured, I thought it would be best to tell you directly. Basically, my arms have bite marks all over them, like little teeth marks. I have a giant bruise on my left arm where he bit hard and tugged several times. It hurts REALLY bad right now, but I'll get over it.

Some other things to note - I don't recall that he was ever growling at me and he never barked. Also, when my husband ran over to grab him and pull him off me, he did jump at Newton a tad bit, but I think they were just sniffing and neither of them growled or tried to bite each other. I never was mean or too forceful with him and I was praising him when he was walking more calmly.

I really don't know what happened other than he saw Newton before I did and reacted towards me. When he started attacking, I was in the middle of the parking lot across from you guys and my husband was about halfway up the driveway of the Humane Society, so not really close at all (we are very careful not to let non-kennel mates get close, I usually turn around rather than pass even if we are on opposite sides of the street).

I just thought you should know since I would feel terrible if I didn't say anything and he did this to his adopted family.

If you have any more questions or I need to fill out a form or anything, let me know and I'll do it. We come in Saturday mornings and we're also volunteering for the open house on Sunday.

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I'm so amped up right now. I have NO clue what happened, he just kept charging, biting, and pulling at me so hard. I've never been so scared in my life. Halfway through I just gave up. I thought, as long as he can't get my throat, the worst is I will need lots of stitches, and I just hunched over and tried to yell for my husband but it all came out as a whimper.

If anyone can explain this incident, please do because I was more scared at the randomness and spontenaity of the attack than the bites themselves. Thank GOD I was wearing good shoes, leather gloves, and a good fleece jacket or my hands, arms, and ankles would be ripped to shreads right now.

DakotaSpirit

Posted : 4/26/2007 7:13:50 PM

I know how scary that is! I volunteered for our Humane Society for 2 years. One day I was putting away a Rottweiler/Lab mix that I had been working with for several weeks. I had turned my back to him to latch the door so he didn't run out while I was taking his leash off when he lunged at me, grabbed, and bit down. He still had the leash on so I was able to use that as leverage to pull him off. He was reacting to one of the other dogs across the aisle he didn't get along with and redirected his aggression towards me. This was the first time he had ever done it with me, but I did feel the need to report it. Scary stuff-I hope measures are taken to keep an eye on the retriever at your facilities to make sure he isn't allowed to do that again.

ColorCodingDots

Posted : 4/26/2007 7:19:14 PM

It's wonderful that you weren't hurt very badly.

Honestly, I don't think that dog should be adopted out unless that behavior can be stopped. =/ I think that if the dog did bite someone after it was adopted out, it could cause a lot of problems for the shelter. Especially if he's done it before. Did you report it at the Humane Society and all that?

erl

Posted : 4/26/2007 7:24:12 PM

Wow. I'm glad that you're okay physically and I hope that nothing bad will happen to you because of this.

The first thing I thought of was that you said no to him. I have heard of some dogs becoming really petrified from being told no due to abuse in former homes. It wouldn't surprise me if he had the oposite reaction and wanted to hurt you before he thought that you would hurt him. Perhaps the first part where he was jumping on you was actually play. The second thing I noticed was that you said you tugged on the leash, he may have been thinking this was a leash correction and worse would come. So that was kind of the final straw for him perhaps. That's my total guess after the redirecting agression. But if he didn't do anything to your husband but to another woman, perhaps he thinks that women that look a certain way will hurt him.

I don't know if I would want this dog to be adopted out. I hope that if he is, that the person knows very well what they are getting theirselves into and know of a really good behaviorist to work with.

brandy76

Posted : 4/26/2007 7:24:16 PM

OH my gosh, I 'm so glad you are okay. I can't beleive you were able to stay so calm while he's biting you all over, I would've been hysterical. I wonder if he's had a bad experience with women in his previous home!?

Xerxes

Posted : 4/26/2007 7:32:50 PM

I'm so sorry this attack happened but also glad that you kept your wits about you and weren't hurt badly.

This is something that should absolutely be reported. I won't even try to guess what the reasoning behind the attack was, but I do know that this dog should NOT be adopted until this behavior is identified and corrected.

Thank you for sharing your experience, and again I'm glad that you're not hurt too badly.

Lynn

Posted : 4/26/2007 7:34:21 PM

I'm speechless. What a terrifing event. I can't imagine staying that calm -- what strength of will power that must have taken. I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I have had dogs try and attack mine while walking, and I most certainly did not stay that calm. I should have, but I didn't. And, those times never involved actually being biten - I just cannot imagine being bitten over and over like that. Oh, I am so sorry about this experience. But, I am sooooo glad that you were not hurt worse than you were. I am quite sure your nerves are still on edge.

Ruth

Posted : 4/26/2007 7:37:29 PM

I am glad you are OK, that sounds really scary.

You were right to write that letter, and I might follow-up in person or by phone too.

The adoptive family needs to know about this ASAP and the shelter needs to make sure the family knows what they are getting into and have the skills, ability, and temperament to rehab a difficult dog with aggression issues. This dog should NOT go to a family with little kids or to first-time dog owners. He may not even be adoptable right now at all. So make sure they don't just ignore what you've told them.

Liesje

Posted : 4/26/2007 7:52:03 PM

The first thing I thought of was that you said no to him. I have heard of some dogs becoming really petrified from being told no due to abuse in former homes. It wouldn't surprise me if he had the oposite reaction and wanted to hurt you before he thought that you would hurt him. Perhaps the first part where he was jumping on you was actually play. The second thing I noticed was that you said you tugged on the leash, he may have been thinking this was a leash correction and worse would come. So that was kind of the final straw for him perhaps. That's my total guess after the redirecting agression. But if he didn't do anything to your husband but to another woman, perhaps he thinks that women that look a certain way will hurt him.

I don't know what exact words I said, it may have been "stop it, off" and not "no". I just don't know because at that point I assumed he was being hyper and playful. Whatever I said, I didn't even say it that sternly. He didn't seem handshy. The abused ones usually stick out because they criss-cross a lot and duck when you say or do anything. This dog seemed really happy besides that he was pulling hard (but at the HS they ALL pull hard).

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My post was the actual e-mail I sent to the behaviorist. She was not there and I didn't want to report it to the girls left because they were doing job shadowing. There were dozens of people walking through being taught how to be a volunteer and I really didn't want to scare them all away by making a fuss over it when no one there could even do anything.

I just took a shower and counted about 30 bite marks on my left arm, plus the giant bite bruise from where he was tugging. No bites on the ankles or hands, so the shoes and leather gloves did their job.

I just feel so bad like maybe I did something wrong and now it's my fault he might not get adopted.

Ruth

Posted : 4/26/2007 8:37:57 PM

He might not get adopted now, that's true. But that is NOT your fault. It's the fault of whoever had him before and allowed or encouraged him to act that way, or treated him so that he felt like he had to, or didn't socialize him as a baby. Or maybe he just came with a poor temperament. None of that is your fault in any way.

If you did nothing and didn't tell anyone and he attacked and harmed someone else, that might be your fault for knowing he was dangerous and not doing anything about it. You did the right thing even though it was difficult. There is nothing for you to feel bad about.

Also you might want to take pictures of your arm and the bite marks. If the HS person blows you off and acts like you are blowing it out of proportion, you can show her the picture.

Liesje

Posted : 4/26/2007 8:49:05 PM

If you did nothing and didn't tell anyone and he attacked and harmed someone else, that might be your fault for knowing he was dangerous and not doing anything about it. You did the right thing even though it was difficult. There is nothing for you to feel bad about.

Also you might want to take pictures of your arm and the bite marks. If the HS person blows you off and acts like you are blowing it out of proportion, you can show her the picture.

I did take some pictures for my blog and just to have, just in case. The bite marks are starting to show up more and more. I thought of calling the behaviorist (in addition to the e-mail), but I'm still too shaken up to even talk about it. It's maybe once in 10 years that something happens to me and I'm so shaken I might even cry. I'm a very calm, composed person (which probably is what saved me since I knew to do EXACTLY what they tought and just submit to the dog's bites and not pull away) and at the time I was so scared that when I yelled to my husband it took him almost a minute to year because it just came out like whimpers. I think I first yelled "HELP! Get him to stop!! He won't get OFF me!!" (he didn't hear) then "Please, he's just biting and biting, he won't stop biting me all over..." (that when my voice failed and faded) and finally my husband saw me huddled over and as he came closer with his dog I just kept saying "Just leave, just leave, go away...." and I wanted to just close my eyes and give up, but it was so quiet he didn't hear and came closer. Anyway, I've e-mailed the behaviorist about other things so I think she checks it every day and I said "URGENT: Dog bit me at the Humane Society" in the subject line. If I don't hear back from her, I'll tell her in person Saturday morning or maybe call her tomorrow from work. I'm sort of irked that AFTER this happened, another woman told us that Wally also jumped on her and bit her hand so hard she thought it was broken.

Gah! Hindsight is always 20/20, no?

Angelique

Posted : 4/26/2007 8:54:03 PM

ORIGINAL: acesmom

He might not get adopted now, that's true. But that is NOT your fault. It's the fault of whoever had him before and allowed or encouraged him to act that way, or treated him so that he felt like he had to, or didn't socialize him as a baby. Or maybe he just came with a poor temperament. None of that is your fault in any way.

If you did nothing and didn't tell anyone and he attacked and harmed someone else, that might be your fault for knowing he was dangerous and not doing anything about it. You did the right thing even though it was difficult. There is nothing for you to feel bad about.

Also you might want to take pictures of your arm and the bite marks. If the HS person blows you off and acts like you are blowing it out of proportion, you can show her the picture.

You said pretty much everything I was going to say.

This was an attack. I've seen dogs who will give a fear bite to get someone to back-off, I've seen a resource guarding bite, I've seen dogs give a discipline bite when they are corrected, I've seen dogs redirect their aggression by biting their leash, handler, or another dog which is standing near them, but this was an attack. [

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I'm glad you filled out the report. Without serious help from someone very experienced in aggressive dogs, this guy is way too dangerous to be adopted.

Who knows who or what made him this way or if there are genetic and/or

hysiological in addition to

sychological factors at work here.

So sorry to hear about this and I'm so glad it wasn't much worse. I'm relieved that you're okay!

Luvntzus

Posted : 4/26/2007 9:00:20 PM

This dog should NOT be adopted out right now, if ever. My opinion is that not all dogs are stable and if that's the case, no amount of rehabilition will help. Public safety comes first.

Liesje I'm really glad you're okay and I'm sorry that you had such a scary experience. I would be in shock. It's really good that you're sending the letter that you posted because the shelter NEEDS to know.

Liesje

Posted : 4/26/2007 9:07:01 PM

This was an attack. I've seen dogs who will give a fear bite to get someone to back-off, I've seen a resource guarding bite, I've seen dogs give a discipline bite when they are corrected, I've seen dogs redirect their aggression by biting their leash, handler, or another dog which is standing near them, but this was an attack.

By attack, do you mean he really wanted to hurt me bad or kill me? Does it mean anything that he wasn't growling or barking at me? Maybe he was growling a little, but it was almost more playful than threatening. But he just kept biting HARD, tugging, tugging, then letting go and jumping around, flailing at me and pushing me, then attacking again. His snaps at my ankles were more of just that - quick hard snaps, not as much tugging, but that was almost MORE scary b/c I thought he might pull me over. Did I do something to set him off? Do you think he waited until I had my backed turned? This is what I was doing - walking him in the parking lot and he would do really good and I would praise him, then he'd lose focus and start pulling hard so I'd just stop, turn, and start walking in another direction. At first he responded great to this and would be like "oh oops!" and turn back towards me with tail wagging, tongue out. Did he just snap and see me as weak with my back turned for just an instant? I dunno, he seemed to be responding well to that technique (I hate using the Cesar technique of constantly grunting at the dog and jerking it back into place, it never works with these shelter boys), but maybe that was a stupid idea. I really thought he was following me.

Angelique

Posted : 4/26/2007 9:15:25 PM

By targeting you directly and repeatedly biting you over and over again, I classify this as an attack.

This is a very dangerous dog, who you say also bit someone else. These dogs do exist, although they are rare. [

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