Q&A with ‘The Paw Man’ (490) – Way Ahead For Attack Victim Priority Paid Answer Yvonne Donnellon Hi Paw Man. Sorry to add to your extensive list of questions but unfortunately my familys worst fears have come true and one of our dogs have been attacked by a Bull type terrier. Gypsy (my sisters dog) is a rescue she has had for over 10 years and we think she is approx 12-13. She has always been gentle, timid and very submissive. The attack was totally unprovoked, as she is mostly blind and deaf so didnt even see the attacking dog coming. She was being walked by her partner and 8 yo daughter at the time so he didnt have time to think, he did what most people would do and tried to tear the dogs apart. As you can see, Gypsy got her throat torn open. (Photo too graphic to show on page) She has had surgery and now is recovering at home. My question is, how the hell do we re-build her confidence, she is highly reluctant to go out to toilet, never mind exercise as normal. My heart is broken for this beautiful dog, she has always been a faithful member of the family and I hate to think that this could be the beginning of the end for her. Paw Man This is certainly a tragic story of an unprovoked attack upon an innocent dog. The fact that the attack occurred in view of an 8 yr old child is even more tragic…… but dare I say it…. the outcome could have been a lot worse if the attacking dog had targeted the child and not the dog. The fact that the victim dog had poor eyesight and hearing means that the dog had no chance to see any and perhaps respond correctly to any warning signals from the other dog prior to the attack. If we look at a worst case scenario that the dog is now too stressed to be taken out for walks around the neighbourhood then it can still be exercised on a normal human electronic treadmill. Like Cesar Milan I am a great fan of doggy treadmills and one of my tasks at the Police Dog Handler Training School was cycling the dogs from the main kennel bank (62 kennels) on and off the 4 dog treadmill for up to 35 minute sessions on the inclined treadmill. And if your nearly blind and deaf dog has to spend her remaining days within her yard I am sure that it will not worry her much at all. I would even have considered stopping walking her in public just because of her deteriorating senses even before the attack. I would suggest following the dog’s motivational lead…… what do I mean by that? If the dog wants to go for a walk then take her….. if she doesn’t, then don’t. If you think the dog’s stress level is too high then consider getting an Adaptil Diffuser for her. This dog is either in or nearing the geriatric stage of its life and as such should be slowing down and avoiding the stressful parts of life. It may have lost trust in other dogs…. But not in you :)
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 05:55:22 +0000
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