Canadutch
Bailey in his Medical Pet Shirt, so much nicer than a big ugly cone!
Sunday night Xander and I went out with the dogs at about 10pm. As we were walking along Xander was telling me how he met up with a guy a few nights ago with two big Staffordshire’s off their leashes, and when Xander reminded him about the leash law the guy told him off. Then he was telling me how dangerous it is because if one of those dogs ever got a hold of a smaller dog, the dog would be dead, as they have such strong jaws.
I shit you not. No sooner did he get the words out of his mouth than around the corner comes this GIANT Rottweiler barreling towards us. It all happened so fast it’s a blur; the dog ran up, grabbed Bailey in his jaws and started shaking him around like a rag doll. It was a NIGHTMARE! The words Xander said were still fresh in my mind and I thought oh my god, I’m watching my dog get KILLED!!! I don’t remember being that frightened in a long time, it was so scary!
Xander managed to get a hold of Bailey and the owner of the other dog (a young white guy probably in his mid to late 20’s) grabbed a hold of his dog and they managed to get them apart. Xander picked up Bailey and his stomach was all full of blood, and that was it, I totally lost my shit and started screaming at the guy and didn’t stop for about 10 minutes. He kept trying to get us to calm down but we were losing it. I mean it’s the LAW here in the Netherlands that dogs must be on leashes at all times, unless they are in designated enclosed dog parks. I honestly don’t know what the guy was thinking, I mean a ROTTWEILER, of all dogs, to have off its leash!
Anyhow, after we were done screaming, swearing and threatening to call the police, we parted ways with the guy. We then went to the playground on the corner where I stayed with the dogs while Xander ran into the house to grab his mobile. We phoned the police and were waiting for them to arrive when the guy came over to talk to us. After we had all calmed down he was very apologetic and we were calmer and able to talk to him without swearing at him. In the end we decided we couldn’t wait any longer for the police and the guy took Xander and Bailey to the vet and I went home with Pixel, as she hadn’t stopped yelping the entire time and was waking the neighbours.
Bailey is fine, he has a bunch of stitches in his belly and is quite sore and not really himself today, but he is going to be ok. The guy stayed with Xander at the vet and paid all the bills (approx 220 Euro in all) and Xander lectured him a lot on why he should keep his dog on a leash at all times. I’m really hoping he learned his lesson. We decided in the end not to contact the police, but we will if we ever see him again with the dog off its leash.
I still can’t get the vision of Bailey in that dog’s jaws being flung around like that out of my head. I felt so frigging helpless and was sure that dog was going to kill him.
Pixel doesn’t leave Bailey’s side for a minute.
It’s so interesting to see how the dogs react to one another. Normally at different times of the day, Pixel becomes a major pest and won’t leave Bailey alone until he plays with her. Yesterday, he was very sore and tired and spent the bulk of the day asleep on the sofa but Pixel stayed close by him without bothering him at all. It was so sweet.
I’m just glad he’s going to be ok and that it’s all over. The guy obviously thought that his dog was well trained and friendly, and she was. The problem is that Bailey was on his leash and doesn’t like other dogs at the best of times. A leashed dog is always going to feel more defensive than one that is free. So when the dog came running at him, I think initially she just wanted to play, but when Bailey got frightened he went into a defensive stance and then the fight was on.
We tried to get it through to the guy that while his dog may be very well trained, he can’t always account for how other dogs are going to react, so he should always take care to make sure he never ends up in this situation again. Not just because of the other dogs, but at some point if this were to continue happening, he would be forced to give up his dog and I’m sure he doesn’t want that.
He was a nice guy though, he just underestimated what his dog was capable of and was careless. It could have gone much worse than it did and at least he owned up to it and took responsibility for what happened. We have to at least give him credit for that.
Hi,
I found your blog on Google. I’m so glad you posted your story about Bailey, and I’m sorry to hear that he was attacked. I just had an incident tonight on my front steps. I was calmly sitting with my dog (on leash) and this off leash dog came up our steps, just out of the blue…instant fight. The owner was walking waaay behind the dog, and wasn’t much help.
My situation is a little bit different than yours, but I completely agree with what you have said. I live in Amsterdam and pet sit my friend’s dog (American Bulldog/Pit mix) 3x a week. He is a sweet dog but hasn’t had much socialization with other dogs. I have made a lot of progress with him, but I ALWAYS have him on leash, and heeling at my side on walks. He can be very dominate if a dog comes up to him off leash.
I am extremely responsible with him but my frustration is all the off leash dogs that come running up to us, and the owners that are too far away to control their dog quick enough. I can maintain this strong boy, but don’t feel I should have to be controlling the other dog too.
A few weeks ago, I had an aggressive, little dog that came barrelling down the street after us. I was holding my dog back for the safety of the little dog, but it was difficult to stop, with a lunging, off leash dog…and I didn’t want my dog to get bit either!
Most of the time it takes me screaming “GET YOUR DOG!!!” for the owner to react/help/step in. That really blows me away that people don’t react faster considering the size and strength of my dog. Some smile at me as their dog is running over to us…assuming that my dog wants to play.
Once a scuffle is over, the other owner rarely says sorry or really grasps how dangerous the situation could have been.
So I agree, people should be responsible for their dogs at ALL times out in public and have them on a leash…PERIOD
Poor Bailey, the cone would’ve been really pathetic but at least he has this snazzy, rather fashionable-looking shirt.
That was so scarry. I myself own two daschunds and I shudder to think of what would have happened to them in such a case. But great to know Bailey is doing fine.
.-= Nigel Babu´s last blog ..Birthday Mania =-.
I don’t know what would have happened if they got a hold of our Dachshund, she is SO small and a lot more fragile than Bailey is. I shudder to think of what those big jaws could have done to her. :( Going to look at your site now to try to hunt down photos of your dogs!
Poor Bailey! Man, my dogs and I have been attacked by so many off-leash dogs – especially in NL. We were chased by a pit bull a couple of days ago, in fact. I carry pepper spray for this exact reason.
I’m so glad Bailey is on the mend. xo from me.
I remember you complaining about that when you were here. Isn’t it frustrating?! Pepper spray isn’t a bad idea. Spray the dog to get it off yours, then give the owner a squirt for good measure haha
That’s scary! I’m glad he’s okay. I am also impressed that the other guy didn’t just leave (I think a lot of people would), but obviously felt guilty enough (as he should have) to pay the vet bills. I really hope he did learn his lesson and keeps his huge dog on a leash.
.-= Ginger Magnolia´s last blog ..Please Excuse The Mess =-.
I was surprised by him too. In the beginning I think he was just trying to get us to calm down but in my rage I saw it as arguing. He really did take total responsibility and my husband has seen him since with the dog on the leash. He was asking how our dog was doing and my husband said he seemed VERY sheepish.
Oh my god! My whole gut was just wrenched reading that. Uncanny how you guys were just talking about something like that and then it actually happens!!! I think you guys were very nice to let him off so easy. I’d have personally had the police involved because this guy broke the law knowingly, perfectly aware that he was taking a risk by doing so. Poor Bailey, I’m so glad it wasn’t worse but just horrible that he got hurt at all! I’d have totally flipped too. If that rotty reacted that way with a small dog, imagine how he might have acted with a young child that sent off “the right signals” that would get a dog riled up. Man…
BTW Really cute how Pixel is supporting him, aww.
I think that is what made it doubly frightening, the fact that just 2 minutes before I was listening to Xander telling me if one of those big dogs got a hold of one of our dogs they’d be dead… and Pixel probably WOULD have been if the dog had gotten her instead.
We probably should have gotten the police involved but the guy seemed so remorseful and really took responsibility for it, we decided not to. I was also worried that they may do something to his dog, and I didn’t want that. Xander ran into him again this weekend when he was out with the dogs and he had his on its leash, so that’s a good thing.
It is sad though, unless we do start calling the police on people, it will never be enforced… but I really question if it would be anyway. The polie here don’t seem to take these things very seriously.
Wow you only screamed at him? We have strict laws here as well about dogs, with leashes and even poopie. I do not think I have ever seen anyone around my home with a dog off its leash. There are a good number of pit bulls around me and I know for a fact if any of them ever came at my family that dog would not be going to a vet. I am not a big animal person but I also dont go around kicking puppies but if one where to attack me or, god help them, my family there will be dog on the menu for dinner that night.
Yeah but I screamed loud and long… and I swore a lot! There are laws here about leashes and poop too but nobody pays attention to it. I’ve already had a fight with one of the neighbours about the poo issue, you can read about it here:
http://www.breigh.com/wordpress/?s=shit+ninjas&x=0&y=0
Even with the law in effect here, you STILL are constantly dodging dog shit everywhere you go. It’s sickening.
Aaww Tammy thats just so awful! Im so glad Bailey is ok. I see more dogs off the leash here than on them..in my area anyway. I can’t even imagine the sight that must have been to see your dog grabbed and then shaken like that. Big hugs to Bailey!
.-= Sonya´s last blog ..Baked Rigatoni =-.
I figure people probably do it even MORE out where you are as it’s a bit more out in the country. When I was in Friesland this weekend there were loose dogs everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE.
OMG Tammy, what a nightmare!! I can just imagine how upset you were! I would have totally lost it too. I am glad that the guy took responsibility for his bad judgement and like you, I HOPE he learned his lesson. I am glad Bailey is ok, but so sorry he had to go through this in the first place! Poor little guy! As for Pixel, isn’t it amazing at how they sense things like that and offer comfort and love? Bogart does that with us if either of us is not feeling well. He won’t leave our sides. Big hugs to both of your fur babies!
hehe I know it’s weird, isn’t it? Anytime I am upset about something or am crying, I have both dogs scrambling to get up on my lap. I was a bit worried about Pixel being so playful when Bailey wasn’t feeling well, but other than going to lay near him (which usually was received by a grumble from Bailey haha) she left him alone. Now they are back to playing 24/7 though!
So glad your little one is OK. Having been the owner of both a Standard Schnauzer (27 pounds) and a Rottweiler (120 pounds) I fully understand the necessity of having your dog leashed at all times – for the protection of everyone, including the dog. You never know what a dog will do – even a very well trained dog.
You’re so right, and it’s not just your dog but other dogs as well. Your dog may be actin totally normal but the other dog may not react well to it, then who knows what might happen. People just don’t think of these things, unfortunately.
So glad that Bailey is okay!! How terribly frightening for all of you and super sweet of Pixel to keep him company.
It has happened to us where a dog off leash attacked Lija when she was on her leash. Everything you write about a dog on the lead is totally true! If they were all on leads, it would cause a lot less trauma all around.
Beterschap, Bailey!!
It seems like there are so many stories of unleashed dogs attacking other people’s pets. I don’t understand why people keep doing it. If my dog ever attacked someone else’s dog I’d be MORTIFIED and embarrassed!
That first picture of Bailey reminds me of my brother’s dog Lilly, minus the snaggletooth, of course.
.-= kapgar´s last blog ..Hot in the city, tonight… =-.
Bailey gets “hog tooth” as we call it. It’s so cute! Your brother’s dog is really cute too, looks like she gets a lot of attention!
Poor Bailey. Give him big kisses from me and Noah.
There are people all over our neighborhood who let their dogs run wild, makes me nervous when Noah and I are out for a walk. Idiots should be fined and it should be enforced!
I agree, the problem is – how do you enforce it? The police will rarely, if ever, see this happening. If you call and tell them they don’t really do anything. So it appears to be a totally useless law.
Beterschap Bailey! I’m glad the guy did the right thing. Hopefully he will continue to do the right thing.
Hubby ran into him on Saturday and he had the dog on a leash :)
Tammy, you are so right about the stance of our little dogs…i KNOW all 3 of our guys are terrors of the street, barking and making their little bodies bigger to defend themselves…exactly what they shouldn’t do…but like you, í live in fear of the next time some hulk of an unleashed dog attacks one of them. it’s cute, too…Dropje, our Cairn terrier (the biggest and hulkiest of all 3) puts his body between them and danger…but can also not do too much against rotweilers and duitsherders.
wishing Baily a speedy recovery!
I had hoped this would give Bailey an attitude adjustment when it comes to other dogs, but no such luck! He’s still an aggressive little bugger! *SIGH* I’m considering taking him to doggy classes, but I don’t know if they will help with how he reacts to other dogs, or if it’s just to teach him to sit and stay etc.
I’m so glad Bailey is ok.
What people also don’t understand is that it’s safer for THEIR dog as well to be on a leash. I see people walking around all the time with their dogs unleashed, and several times I’ve seen dogs run into busy roads and almost get killed because of it. Our neighbours have a great big labrador, unneutered, and they just open the door and let him run around the street and potty wherever. He jumps on everyone he sees, Delphine is terrified of him. One day this dog is going to jump on the wrong person or dog, or get hit by a car, and I’m sure they’ll wail that it’s everyone’s fault but their own.
I hope this guy has wised up, and keeps his dog on a leash from now on.
Yeah I have wondered that as well. Obviously their dogs will take off at the sign of another dog around, running across roads and everything else. It’s like they show no concern for anyone’s dog, even their own!
So happy he’s ok, Tammy. You know I have a little dog too, and this exact scenario is one of my nightmare. I really hope there’s no lasting damage (like Pixel yelping everytime she sees a bigger dog or something). Very happy it turned out ok in the end. Freaking unleashed dogs…
There doesn’t seem to be any problems, thank god… but I must admit I’m much more nervous walking them now. Now I have such a helpless feeling like trouble could just be around the corner and there is NOTHING I can do to change it. I hate that.