I Was Attacked by a Dog

My body trembles.

I hear people talking. I don’t answer. The past few minutes repeat in my mind. I’m walking down the street. I pass a woman with a dog. I see the dog’s teeth as she lunges at me.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” says the woman. “I’m sorry.”

My side is pounding.

“Are you okay?” says a man.

I look at my leg. There are two impressions in between a wide expanse of red. The pain is intense. The pounding makes me assess my leg again.

“I’m sorry,” says the woman. “I’m really sorry.”

“Please stop apologizing,” I say. “I’m not mad. I’m just shaking.”

“Are you okay?” she asks.

“I’m okay,” I say. “How old is your dog? How long have you had her? And is she a rescue?”

“4, 2, and yes,” she says.

“You need to make an appointment with your vet,” I say. “You need to consult with him/her. You need to explain your dog’s history, and you need to tell the vet your dog attacked unprovoked.”

“We’ve made an appointment with a trainer,” she says.

“Listen,” I say. “I grew up working at a kennel affiliated with a veterinary practice. You need to consult with your vet. A dog that will attack humans is in a different category. You also need to understand that not all rescue organizations temperament test, or do the proper scale of temperament testing. You need to understand the danger here.”

I continue to shake.

We say our goodbyes.

I’m surprised the damage isn’t more severe. Fortunately, she had the dog on a tight leash. The moment of contact she yanked her back.

Thirty minutes later I met with my friends.

I’m shaking as I grab my glass. It shocks me. I’m fearless. I grew up in the country outside of Washington, D.C. with dogs, cats, horses, and more. I spent my high school, and college years working at the kennel.

It doesn’t matter the size or the breed, I don’t register fear.

I’ve navigated plenty of dogs.

I’ve seen my fair share of dogs with the ability to bite.

But there’s a massive difference between a dog that might snap, or you may need to be cautious around, and a dog that will attack.

The next day the woman’s boyfriend comes to see me. He’s been contacted by our apartment manager. He’s a nice guy. He feels terrible.

“I’m sorry,” he says.

“Look,” I say. “It’s a good thing it happened to someone like me because I’m more worried about you, and your dog. Whatever that poor dog has been through is not good.”

“She was abused,” he says. “She still has BB’s in her from being shot at.”

“That’s horrific,” I say. “I’m going to tell you something you won’t want to hear. Not all rescue organizations temperament test, or do the proper scale of testing. You need to ask those questions. I’m guessing sadly, this is a dog that should not have been placed, and now you are in a position to have to make some difficult decisions. You need to consult with your vet about your dog’s history, and behavior. You need to get your vet’s assessment.”

“We may have to get rid of her, or move,” he says.

“I had to let the office know,” I say. “I would be irresponsible if I didn’t. What if it had been a child passing by? This is a dog that attacks unprovoked. The other residents that witnessed it already reported it. I’m sorry. I’m heartbroken for you. I’m heartbroken for that poor sweet dog, and what she’s been through. You need to understand there’s a danger to dogs that will attack humans.”

I can see the pain in his eyes.

It makes me angry.

I’m grateful there are people rescuing dogs. I’m an animal lover. I thank God for all of those people. But as with any other industry, it has to be done responsibly.

As tragic as it is, not every dog can be saved.

It’s a cruel reality.

I’m not tough enough to endure that reality. I shadowed one of my best friends who runs a rescue. I could barely stomach going into the shelter to decide which dog would get to live another day.

It takes a rare personality to do this.

You have to be empathetic enough to devote yourself to saving these gentle souls, and tough enough to realize you can’t save every one of them. It hurts my heart to think about it.

My friend is extraordinary.

She’s a hospice nurse, and a rescue league founder.

I admire her strength, and devotion. She can witness difficult things, and move on to save the next animal. I have a different personality. I would be crying too hard to ever face that harsh truth again.

Do not misunderstand me.

I am not discouraging rescues.

It’s a wonderful thing. The majority of these sweet animals are wonderful pets. The ones that can’t be saved are the minority. I’m simply trying to raise awareness to one thing.

You need to ask a critical question.

Do you temperament test?

Is it full temperament testing, including food aggression?

I used to foster rescue dogs via my friend’s rescue league. A few years ago, I decided I would do it again. I wanted to find a local organization I could work with.

I met with a guy at my house.

“Do you temperament test?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “That’s ridiculous. There’s no such thing as a three month old puppy with food aggression.”

He was wrong.

I’ve witnessed a three month old puppy with food aggression turn into a one year old dog with food aggression. He didn’t have the education to understand the entirety of the rescue reality.

It has to be done responsibly by people who understand this.

It can’t strictly be an animal lover.

It requires extraordinary empathy coupled with the resolve to make the difficult calls others cannot.

Ironically, the guy who came to my house turned me down as a foster. He said it was because I had an electric fence surrounding my two acre property.

This led to several conversations.

A vet was turned down by a rescue organization because she didn’t have a fenced yard. A vet tech was turned down because the rescue said they felt she was being impulsive.

The three of us should’ve been ideal candidates.

It demonstrates the extremes that are a part of the rescue world. Many of these organizations are started by individuals. They have their own bias. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are following universal practices.

Again, I am pro-rescue.

I am grateful to every individual, and organization that devotes themselves to saving these beautiful animals. I’ve hesitated writing about this in the past.

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There’s a reason for this.

I don’t want to be misunderstood.

I am not discouraging rescuing.

The majority of rescues are gentle souls. I want to highlight the need for a universally accepted protocol. A regulation that all rescues follow in terms of temperament testing.

It’s largely unregulated.

I feel strongly about this.

As a vet once told me, “I’m always the advocate for the animal, unless there’s a danger to humans.”

I was fortunate.

I have a massive bruise from the force with which the dog hit me. The owner yanked her back before she was able to draw blood. She had her on that short leash.

There’s a reason for this.

It turns out the dog attacked a woman weeks before.

I wasn’t surprised.

I’ve spent enough time working with animals to identify the difference between a dog that has some temperament issues, and a dog that is dangerous.

The prior bite was more serious.

They weren’t able to restrain the dog quickly enough.

Two dog bites in one building in several weeks. They’re now forced to make some difficult decisions about a dog they’ve come to love.

I urged the boyfriend to understand the danger.

I told him he doesn’t understand that dog’s triggers. He doesn’t know all of the details of the abuse she suffered. She may seem protective of the two of them but they can’t guarantee that’s her only impulse.

Something else could set her off.

I’m heartbroken for them and that sweet dog. It was a mixed breed. I won’t say the breed because they already get a bad rap. This isn’t about that particular breed.

It’s about a sweet animal that suffered at the hands of some unspeakable human.

It’s tragic.

It’s out of my hands.

Unfortunately, it’s out their hands too.

It’s the second offense.

**The following is something I wrote about my high school friend who runs a rescue, and the day I traveled with her.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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