Absolutely Furious

[tx_cowgirl]

I'm sure at least a few of you have read something about my neighbors, the poor condition all of their animals are in, and the aggression issue my dogs and I face with theirs.

Today, I let Mud in the backyard to use the bathroom...my idiot neighbors put up a privacy fence less than a year ago, and didn't seem to care if it was LEVEL. (We share one part of that fence on that side of the yard...) So, in one place the ground and the fence do not completely meet. It's a small gap, and I'll admit I haven't done anything about it as of yet. It hasn't posed a problem.
Until today. The most aggressive dog that I have referred to in some posts was on the other side of the fence, barking and making quite a bit of noise. Mud, naturally curious, went to investigate...now whether or not she showed any aggression, I have no clue. I went inside for a bit and in a matter of seconds heard loud yelping coming from the backyard. I ran outside to find Mud leaning on her left side against the fence with her right paw pulled underneath her and underneath the fence. The piece of....%$$&$^#$@% had her right paw in his jaws, trying to pull her underneath the fence(which was impossible, the gap is nowhere near that big). He proceded to play tug-of-war with her leg despite the fact that I was kicking the fence and yelling in hopes that his dumb %$^&*$% owners would come get their stupid dog. I realize that my heightened energy didn't help Mud relax any...but you really don't know what you'll do in that situation. Your main concern is to get the other dog to release, in whatever way possible. I didn't dare leave her to get help or something to throw and distract him. I finally got him to release and she took off towards me, limping severely. She favored her back right paw, but wouldn't put any weight on the front right, which had been almost completely under the fence. I got her just inside the back door, where Mom was laying a towel down to avoid getting blood all over the carpet. She got me a bucket of warm water, some towels, and vet wrap. I had ointments and antibacterial rubs and all kinds of wound care stuff sitting right by the back door, because it's easily accessible in situations such as this. Thank God. So, I cleansed the wounds, doctored them, covered them with gauze, and wrapped the two affected paws in vet wrap. The vet was off the clock, and I couldn't get an answer on his cell or at the office. I'll assess the damage again in the morning and call our vet. If it had been any worse I already would have called. Anywho, she's now sporting some old socks over the vet wrap just to keep her from pulling it loose, lol. She's calmed down, and is now laying at my side snoozing. She's still acting a little timid, but she's resting, which is good. Her back right looks to be just a tear in the paw pad, and her front has quite a few relatively deep bites, and when her leg was pulled under the fence it scraped some skin off.
As for the piece of crap that did the damage, legally I can't do a dern thing. The dog was in his own yard. I'm enraged...this dog has attacked MANY dogs on my street, and EVERY owner has threatened to take matters into their own hands. Do the owners care? No! Animal control will not come pick him up because we live outside the city limits. Law enforcement will do nothing. Many complaints have been placed on these people and their dogs, and still nothing has been done. How many more dogs does it take before something is done?
Stupid...I'll be visiting them in the morning. I'm still trying to figure out what to say. If I went over there tonight, I'd just make them hate me just as much as I hate them, and they would most likely take it out on MY animals. They're just those kind of people... So, I decided it'd be best to cool off and figure out what to say to these people without lecturing them on how to raise and care for a dog and how to keep their stupid dogs away from others when they know they are dangerous. If Mud had been a Chihuahua, she'd be dead. This dog has tried to attack ME before. AND THEY'VE SEEN IT. They do nothing about it.
-sigh- So, now I'm attempting to cool off, and keeping a watchful eye on Mud. I realize it isn't the dog's fault that he was never socialized or taught proper manners...but I'm still furious.

 

[alix]

that is a terrible thing that just happened. Unfortunatly, you are right in a sense that he was in his own yard, and they will argue about it. You should close that little gap from your side as soon as possible, you can do it cheaply by just putting those chicken wire things. These poor dogs of your neighbour are not in fault, they have bad owners. You say they are in poor condition, is it bad enough to advise ASPCA? because in such cases I want to believe that they will react for the benefit of all the dogs.

I hope Mud is feeling better soon, and do take him to the vet even if in the morning it doesn't seem bad so that the vet has a record of this incident. :yhug: to your baby Mud

 

[marieke]

So sorry to hear this. I hope Mud will be fine and that the wounds will heal nicely. It's a good thing you're waiting to cool down a bit before you go talking to them.

I'm surprised though that animal control won't come pick that dog up because you live outside the city limits. What kind of criterium is that when there are dogs and even people (children!) at risk of being attacked? I hope Alix sugestion of calling the ASPCA is useful.

 

[luna may]

I'm so enraged I don't even know what to say, or how to express my self. @*#$@^#&*\$*&@*@)+)=_(%**&)^\&^#$@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jean Cote]

First thing you should do is fix that fence, you can just dump some dirt where the hole is and then seed some grass on it. That is what I've done with my backyard fence.

Just pay attention so that your dog doesn't dig there until the grass is grown.

 

[emmasmamma]

I know that the other dog was in his own yard, but he also pulled your dog into his yard. It wouldn't hurt to report it any how. I know that things have been ignored in the past, but perhaps if enough reports are made then something will be done. Is the fence on the property line? There might even be a recourse in civil court, since they didn't install the fence properly. You might at least get reimbursement for vet bills, which by the way I'd have Mud checked out anyway as there may be bone or tendon/ ligament damage. He might also need put on an antibiotic, and you need to check if the other dog is up to date on his rabies vaccines. If he's not, that might be another legal angle to get the situation taken care of. (Demand proof not just their word) Better yet, report it to the law and have them demand proof. My best to Mud. I hope he feels better soon!

 

[tx_cowgirl]

There is no branch of ASPCA in my area, unfortunately. The closest one isn't willing to travel to where I live, and there's no way I could catch them all and meet them anywhere. I live in between two towns, not in any city limits. The animal control of one town will not come out of their limits, and the same goes for the other town's animal control. When you take a dog to them, you have to pay a $50 fee per dog if you live outside the city limits.
The dog was in his own yard, and not all of Mud was over there...so, I can't do anything. The only law here is that owners of dogs who attack humans will be punished. If a dog attacks another dog, cat, horse, ferret, etc, the owner will suffer no consequences. My father wants me to wait to talk to them untl he gets home. He's reluctant to let me take Mud to the vet, but I am going to talk to him as soon as he gets home and convince him otherwise. I just got done fixing the gap. I filled it in with roughly a foot and a half of dirt, and I'm leaving that little area blocked off for a while just in case their dog decides to dig. Mine don't dig.
I'm still angry of course. Mud seems to be feeling somewhat better, and she's been resting. I just talked to the vet's wife, and I'm waiting for him to call me back. When Dad gets home I'll discuss it with him further.

 

[storm22]

poor mud i hope hes alright, your animal control is stink, ours go out of there way to meet you after a dog attack even if you are out of the township (i think if they didnt alot of the farmers would probably just shoot the dog on the spot over here no mater what)
but i would report it none the less so it is on record and take mud to the vet as he could get some antiboitics (dog bite are nasty if left untreated it took timex 2years to recover from hers when we got her)

recover well mud

 

[bigboytex]

I have a few suggestions on what to do to the dog but im not gona discuss that...all i can say is that I hope mud gets to felling better soon and if u need any help with anything give me a call....ok

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Thanks everyone. =) Yes, Storm, my animal control stinks. :dogdry: So do the police. Terrible...
Poor girl. Earlier that day we had gone to the field and worked on some of her tricks. Her weave was perfect, her long-distance stay was excellent, her marching was flawless, her spins were great...everything we've been working on went fantastic. Now she's bored with nothing to do, but I don't think she even wants to do much. She's resting a lot, and when she's up she's hobbling around.
I'll post more updates soon.

 

[dat123]

So sorry to hear about Mud, please keep us posted on her progress. Reading that makes me so angry, some people do not deserve to own a dog.
I know your having lots of problems with the animal authorities, which would be as frustrating as the neighbour, can I suggest documenting the incident with a camera. Taking photos of Muds wounds etc, and if you have the opportunity to photograph or even better to video the neighbours dog at it's worst state, it may be enough evidence to give the ASPCA down the track, and get them to make a special trip to fix the situation. These people should not get away with their dogs behavior, if others in the street were to do the same, it should stir up somebody to act eventually.
Our thoughts are with Mud, and pray for her quick recovery.

 

[posie]

i do not think dogs can be bored how can you tell if he is or not ?

 

[tx_cowgirl]

That's a good idea, Dat. I'll go get some pics now. She'll most likely be going to the vet tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Thank you for your prayers, Dat. =)

 

[tx_cowgirl]

i do not think dogs can be bored how can you tell if he is or not ?

Lol, bored is a hard thing to understand until you have a Border Collie. Lol! Most if not all BCs need a job. They're natural born workaholics, and simply can't sit around and do nothing. They want something to do. Mud's normal daily routine consists of lots of fun training, play, exercise, training, play, exercise, and the occasional working with my lambs, steers, or horses. With all of these activities, she burns her energy and gets a lot of mental stimulation. My Border Collie/Blue Heeler came from working lines, and he has A LOT of energy. He craves something to do. For him, if he's not working livestock then he's wanting to play fetch or work on agility. He really loves agility, but we're extremely novice on this so far. Without daily mental and physical stimulation, he would surely develop lots of behavior problems. At the end of the day, he has to feel accomplished and like he's done his job.

 

[charlie palmer]

i have a king charles caviler spanile and i think it is hard to tell if they are bored or mybe thats why charlie sleeps all day

 

[tx_cowgirl]

I don't personally have any experience with that breed...but there seem to be many of those popping up on DTA recently! :doghappy:
Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs, and other herding or working breeds are high-energy dogs, and need lots of exercise and mental stimulation. They require a lot of attention, and when they are "bored," they get a lot of pent-up energy due to lack of exercise. Without enough exercise, their pent-up energy can quickly develop into bad habits.
Hmm, I'm thinking my first Breed of the Month post will be a herding breed...:dogwub:

 

[emmasmamma]

I know you have mentioned animal control authorities, but what about the county sheriff? In our area, if there is a dog attack, it is reported to the county sheriff and they get the animal control involved if needed. There should be animal attack laws on the books and if there are the county sheriff is required to enforce them as they are a law like any other.

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Our law enforcement is terrible. Including the county sheriff...where I live, no one really cares unless a person gets hurt. The sheriff will do nothing about it. Lately, the dog hasn't been out of his yard, so I can't say that he has been loose. When it happened, he was on his property. If and when I see the dog out(which is usually quite frequently), he will be one of the first that I call. My county has recently adopted new leash law, so this will at least bring their attention to the dogs in our area. If they come and see the loose dog, he will undoubtedly show extreme aggression towards them. He always does. On several occassions he has charged me and tried to bite me. So, when he shows aggression towards them, they will see that he is a threat to the people and animals in our area, and hopefully will do something about it. The sheriff told us that the only way that the owners would suffer any repercussions would be if the dog was loose, and was then reported. Otherwise, no one's in the wrong under our laws.
Under our laws, a dog who attacks another animal goes virtually unnoticed. However, if the dog attacks a human, the owners are likely to get jail time. There have been numerous attacks on other animals within the last few months, and absolutely nothing has been done. Two dogs attacked several therapy miniature horses, and the dogs were microchipped. They know exactly who the owners are, and nothing can or will be done. The owners of the horses are taking donations to help with vet bills, and one of the horses is having to have a leg amputed. One horse was killed. But under our law, nothing can be done. It's terrible, frustrating, and infuriating, but what the law says goes.

 

[drivingtenacity]

Poor Mud.
You know, you might be able to make a case that since the fence wasn't level, their dog wasn't properly confined/controlled, although it does sound like your system doesn't care much.

 

[storm22]

i know what its like having a bored working dog at home, storm, who comes from working dog stock, is driving everyone nuts at the moment:dogwacko: luka has gone home now:dogsad: but storm is still on house arrest from his foot but he has gone for light walks but not the 2-3k runs hes used to along with the agility as he keeps re-opening it from the way he turns and hes learnt to take the bandage off (with help from koda:dogdry but on the bright side hes playing with koda alot more (he used to ignore her advances alot)

your dog council is terrible its so sad to hear about the minis, were those dog put down or free to do it again?