Scary Near Misses - Aggressive Dog Trauma

Michaelangelo as you know - is an Adventuredog, we like to get out there and enjoy the great outdoors!! We love to meet other dogs on our walks too! We always seem to make fabulous new friends.......

Michael says, "Dogs of all ages and breeds are my freinds! I love EVERYONE!!! I love little babies too, who are just intrigued by me!!! Ruby Mae, for instance just adores me!!! You may have seen us hanging out together before!!! "

************************************************************************************


I'm hesitant to post this post but....It's really been bothering me and....So I have to rant a little....

The other day, Michael and I had just gone out for his afternoon break mini-walk down the block and back...When I think back about it, I'm really thankful that I let him guide sometimes...He wanted to cross the street to start the walk, and so we did....Thankfully, we did....I like to think that dogs know more than we do - that they can sense more than we can....and...essentially would do what they could to keep us from harm......

About two houses down, on our side of the street (meaning the side we live on).....there is an aggressive dog that always runs to the fence with the snarliest i'm-gonna-rip-your-face-off-if-I-get-hold-of-you hysterical Cujo-style fence attack. Usually Michael wants to cross the street BEFORE we get to that dog's fenced yard - then we cross BACK again to get to our house....

Well, this dog - and I saw all of this happen - as if in slow motion - the dog got out of the gate and came tearing around that gate tearing holes in concrete to get to us --

I was watching in horror - this dog on it's terror trail hell bent to get to us in a HURRY - and me picking up Michaelangleo with one hand to throw him over the fence we were walking past and prepare to jump it myself before the dog got to us --

But as I rushed to drop Michaelangelo on the other side of that fence to safety, I saw this dog run blindly right into a passing van -- I saw it, I heard the dog cry out....I found myself screaming "NNNnooooooooo!" and "Help!!" hoping the owner would quickly figure out what was happening -- and she did -- she came running out -- shocked and wondering - crying out "What happened???!!" as I nearly passed out from the sheer rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins....I was standing there holding Michael, shaking, breathing hard, I was scared, I was totally freaked out.....I started running for home.....

We don't walk that way anymore....We never liked walking that way anyway....Wow, that was seriously traumatic. And that is the third time we have been rushed by a loose dog like that in our neighborhood. I'm absolutely terrified each time something like this happens....My mind quickly takes me back to my mother's Pomeranian getting mauled right in front of me, my mother, and my son - at the time 5 . As we tried everything from throwing rocks, hitting the attacking dog with toys, (we were PLAYING in our FRONT YARD!!!!!) we watched and screamed in horror the German Sheppard attacked and left our dog, Wendy Sascha with a broken back and having to be put to sleep. The trauma, I cannot express to you. My son was terrified of dogs for years after that. We all had nightmares for months about rapid dogs....I mean...It left a lasting mark on my mind, ok? And I won't go into further details of what I had to go through with that incident....Court with the owners, I mean. Damn.

So...the neighbor dog that was -- from where I was standing with my dog - out for blood -- was picked up from the street by it's owner and carried off to the vet down the road I'd imagine. She was sort of laying down on the street, but with her head up, so I don't know what state the dog is in...I haven't talked to the owner. I still have felt bad for her with her dog getting hit like that - but what is UP with dogs who act like they want to KILL people? I personally could not live with an animal with those issues, and I wonder why people aren't more careful.... I also wince when I think of what might have happened to Michael and me if that dog had gotten to us. If we had not crossed the street - we would have been right there, with no where to run...It would have been horrible, I'm sure of it. Oh, God, I shudder to think.....

I think I need to start carrying a bat or something with me when we walk. I'm paranoid and nervous when we walk around here. I find that getting in the car and driving to other parks and areas is much more satisfying to both of us. OH and isn't it STRANGE how Michael has to be practically DRAGGED or carried off our property to go for walks??? Isn't that strange, YET when we go other places, he is tearing the window out wanting out of the car.....HHHhhmmmm.....

In any case. This is a scary subject. Once, in the fall, a Pit Bull got out of his owner's hands as they were getting out of their car and the dog came charging, barking at me and Michael, I just picked him up and held him up over my head, while screaming to the owner, "Please HELP ME! STOP YOUR DOG!!!" I thought I was going to die. I can't help but being freaked out with a large barking animal comes running at us....And I have nothing against Pit Bulls, my son has a full blooded Pit, incredibly loving animal, wouldn't hurt a flea, and a Pit-Pointer mix, so...it's ANY dog off it's leash unless it's SO SO SO docile, you know and wouldn't rush people like that. I don't know where I'm standing on this issue right now, but I tell you what, if your dog comes running with teeth bared at me and MY baby, watch out! I'm swinging!!!