My Dog was Attacked

[Riley711]

My lab was attacked by a pitbull. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen or been involved with. My poor baby is the gentlest and least aggressive dog. He loves other dogs and people and now I'm scared he's going to change. The poor thing was on is leash on his property in my control. The pitbull spotted him and just attacked him. No warning or anything and even brought his owner to the ground. He wouldn't let go of my baby. He locked on him. It took 5 guys to get him to release and then my baby ran off into the woods.
We took him to get care and he's on a couple different meds and needs rest and love. And of course attention to his wounds. I feel so horrible for him it's killing me. I keep replaying it in my head and can't sleep. I keep snuggling with him and he's just so defeated. I just don't know what to do. I'm afraid his sweet gentle nature will change too. I don't want him to be scared of other dogs. It's just the worst feeling to feel so helpless and not be able to make him feel better.
I really need a place to talk to others and well wishes please. I'm just so lost and don't know how to make him feel at peace. And for me one of the worst parts is that the other dog is allowed to stay at our camp (we own a piece of land in a campground).
The whole thing is just horrible. If there anything else I can do to help him feel more comfortable? And would I be a horrible person for asking that the other dog be removed from the campground? I was told this is the second dog he did this to.

[janedoe]

This is going to sound brutal but don't coddle him too much. You'll reinforce his fears. Get him back into the game with other dogs with respect to his body language and comfort zone but be calm and show leadership.

My Zo was attacked at a very young age. The dog grabbed her by the throat and dragged her while Zo was on lead. I basically attacked the dog. Grabbed him and tossed him at his owner who, naturally, felt that I was the bad guy. He did not latch on so I was successful. It was not immediately OK by any means for Zo but I didn't reinforce her fears when meeting new dogs or getting into new situations. She adjusted pretty quickly, following my lead.

All good thoughts. I'm so sorry that this happened.

[SunDance]

I'm so sorry this happened to you/your dog. There are two pitbulls in the house across the street from me and they're out off-leash all the time...the people just blow off anything animal control/the police say and, so far, nothing has happened to get them taken away. I live with the fear every single day...for us but mostly for when our dogs go out the door to be put in our car or walked up the street for a "cheap walk".

Anyway...I agree with Lisa about not making a big fuss about it with your dog.

A friend of mine's young black Lab was attacked at our local park and quite a few people here have had dogs attacked in the past. My friend's dog is fine and, if I remember correctly, everyone here had their dogs return to normal, too. (not sure all of these people are still on the board)

Things slow down here on holidays and weekends but you should be getting more replies as of tomorrow.

Welcome to the board.

[Tanya]

I am sorry your dog was attacked. very scary.
The number one thing is dogs read of emotions and body language. If YOU are fearful and anxious that is likely to feed your dog's behaviour from here on out. Once he's healed up enough, I'd set up a play date with a calm dog your puppy already knows. Start with the less exited ones. Make a point to set up calm meetings with dogs he knows and likes.

From there I'd work on desensitization. There is an entire system to help them and i'd start now (or as soon as the dog is phyiscally well enough). If you are too nervous, see if a friend or partner can help. For this, your dog gets without a comfortable distance from a dog (in control of their owner). Start far off. Then lots of treats. play with them. Make good things happen in the presence of the other dog. Do this even if the dog is not showing any fear to be safe. You can start setting up with dogs you know/friends/family.

Regarding the campground: can you talk to whoever is in charge? what are the campground rules if any? If your dog was attacked to the point of needing serious medical intervention then you'd hope the owner of the campground would insist on having the dog removed. You can also report to the local authorities (animal controls, humane society) so at least there is a record against the dog. Alternatively you may want to put up fencing to keep dogs out.

Don't overly coddle your dog. Be there for them. support them.

PS: can we not let this thread become a pit bull bashing post?

[Snowshoe]

Oh no, I'm so sorry. Did he need stitches? Surely you can inform the owners of the campground and some kind of restrictions can be placed on that other dog? Your boy (what's his name?) is the second? Then the owner and the dog should be reprimanded, pay VEt fees. Maybe not removed but the other dog could be muzzled.

CAn you think of any reasons this might have happened? We had an incident recently and I am pretty sure it was one of those neutered males, the other dog, who take exception to intact males, my dog. My dog for sure got the worst of it.

I agree, try not to coddle. Try not to even react yourself when you meet the other dog again, or another pittie, as your dog will sense your worry. Try to reassure your dog by projecting confidence - a very, very hard thing to do. At the same time, if you can recognize some triggers that might have caused this try to be on the lookout so you can avoid or at least ameliorate them. Yeah, if you can do all that we'll send you to the UN.

So sorry. Is your boy ok today?

ETA: in interest of not Pittie bashing, the dog who attacked Oban was a husky. The breed I have had more trouble with than any other breed. Sorry, that sounds like husky bashing but I'd be a fool not to be wary of them now, mostly their owners I know.

[smartrock]

I am so sorry this happened to your pup. Right now, I'm sure you yourself are feeling very stressed about the situation and may have some flashbacks to the scene for a while. It's a hard thing to witness and a hard thing to get over yourself. That would be a pretty common response. I hope you start to get back on solid ground yourself soon. As others have said, your pup will look to you for strength and calm and I know it will be a hard thing to do for a while. Maybe you can try to focus your energy, not only on helping your dog heal, but making sure it doesn't happen again to anyone else.

As for the other dog and what to do, I'd report the attack to the campground manager/owner to find out what their rules are for dogs. I would think they could be liable for allowing a dog at the campground that has attacked other campers of the human or canine variety. Perhaps they can insist upon that dog being confined, controlled, muzzled, whatever for the protection of the other campground owners. Surely the owners have or can institute rules regarding animals on their campground property. The dog that attacked yours was off his property.

I would notify whatever local animal control or police authority is in the area. They might not do anything about the dog immediately but a record of the attack should be made. Did the other family offer to reimburse you for the damages their dog caused? You should definitely present them with the veterinary bills and ask for reimbursement. If they refuse or don't offer to pay at least half the cost, that will give you some idea of the type of owner you're up against.

Again, I'm so sorry you experienced this and are having to try to recover. Please let us know how things go.

[MightyThor]

I agree with speaking with the campground owners. If they have knowledge of a dangerous dog on the property then I'm guessing they could be liable for any injuries or future damage. Ask them what they'll do when the dog attacks a kid next time? That might encourage them to have the dog removed.

In addition, reach out to the local authorities - if this dog has attacked before it might be on record and a second strike could be enough. And also, the dogs owners should be paying all of your vet bills.

[Riley711]

Its so hard to not coddle him. He has the sweetest most gentle nature and just looks so sad and defeated. I don't want him to be scared of other dogs but the truth is now I am. Witnessing it and being apart of it first hand was beyond scary. The way that dog latched on him and it taking all these men basically beating up the dog to get him off is traumatizing not just for my but for my Riley. It just keeps playing in my head. And Riley can barely go up and down the stairs and just lays there with no energy. (undesirably of course but so hard to see).

We know the owners. They are friends of friends and also have a place at camp. They are very nice people. Their dog is new. I'm not sure how long they've had him (he wasn't there last summer) but I guess they got him off of craigslist and he's 2. everyone else thinks as long as the dog is confined to their house that its fine. But lets be honest, how fair is that to the dog? The family has two little kids and the wife weighs as much as the pitbull and she's the one who didn't have control. I just don't feel safe with their dog there. Its not even like it was a warning "bite" he attacked and then wouldn't let go.

I fully expect that they will pay the vet bills.

My husband feels bad because if they can't bring the dog then it would be harder for them to camp. But I think the emotion of them being friends has an effect. The owners intially said that the dog had to go but then everyone had something to say and apparently convinced him otherwise as long as he was confined. I want to call the owners and tell them how I feel but I don't want anyone else at the camp to know either.

[jenfarm]

I'm so sorry this happened. I can imagine how scary that would be. It breaks my heart that y'all went through that. I think you've gotten some really good advice from other posters. Don't let this dampen your spirit or your pups. Stand strong and show him confidence and he will follow suit.

I'm also glad that someone mentioned to not make this a pit bull bashing post. I've always heard pit bull attack stories like these but I have personally never experienced anything from that breed other than sweet natured love and devotion. This can unfortunately happen from any breed and I think it's important to acknowledge and remember that.

[TuMicks]

OK, so it sounds like you're getting some social pressure to not report the dog. As someone else said, maybe next time it will be a child. How would you all feel then? This dog has been involved in two signal events. It is time for everyone to put on their big boy pants and think this through. Keeping the dog contained in the house 100% is not possible... you're all just kidding yourselves. And we already know a leash is inadequate to control the dog.

Get on the web and do some research about canine behaviorists in your area. Call them. Tell them your story. See what they say about the attacking dog. Insist that when the dog is out to air or on a walk, that he is muzzled. This is a very quick, very economical fix. https://www.amazon.com/Breathable-Sa...rds=dog+muzzle He should be wearing that muzzle unless and until they see an expert to desensitize and socialize this neighbor's dog.

Your dog survived this time. You need to take steps to see that there is no next time. One way to deal with grief and anxiety is to take action.... so get on it.